Published On #FITSO Motivation

Thank you for voting, Tumblr!

Take a moment and recognize the incredible contribution you made to your community and your country by voting in the midterm elections earlier this week. You exercised your right to vote and you made your voice heard. That is no small feat.

The results of the election may have left some of you disappointed, but we wanted to point out just how much new diversity and representation people like you voted into office. Our leaders should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, and this year you elected a whole bunch of firsts:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representing New York’s 14th Congressional District, becomes the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress.

Rashida Tlaib, Michigan, is the first Muslim woman to be elected into Congress. 

Ilhan Omar, Minnesota, is the first Somali American to be elected in Congress.

Ayanna Pressley becomes Massachusetts’ first Black Congresswoman.

Jared Polis, Colorado, is the first openly gay man elected governor in the United States.

Sharice Davids becomes one of the first Native American and openly lesbian woman to be elected to Congress.

Deb Haaland is also one of the first Native American women elected to Congress.

Letitia James becomes the first woman in New York to be elected as Attorney General, the first African-American woman to be elected statewide office, and the first Black person to serve as Attorney General.

Jahana Hayes is the first Black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress.

Massachusetts voted to maintain its anti-discrimination law protecting trans and nonbinary people.

Florida passes Amendment 4, which restores voting rights to 1.4 million ex-felons who have completed their sentences.

This was all done by you. You made these monumental changes happen with the power of your vote.

Let’s remember: it isn’t over. Voting isn’t the end. Continue to volunteer in your communities and attend events to keep your community in check. Remember that change rarely comes without action. Take action.

Thank you, Tumblr.

Bi’s & Tri’s Friday!

Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press:

Lie back on a flat bench. Using a close grip (around shoulder width), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.

As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest. Tip:Make sure that - as opposed to a regular bench press - you keep the elbows close to the torso at all times in order to maximize triceps involvement.

After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your triceps muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.

Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Caution: If you are new at this exercise, it is advised that you use a spotter. If no spotter is available, then be conservative with the amount of weight used. Also, beware of letting the bar drift too far forward. You want the bar to fall on your middle chest and nowhere else.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed with an e-z bar using the inner handle as well as dumbbells, in which case the palms of the hands will be facing each other.

Gene Variant that Protects Against Alzheimer’s Identified

Authored by Kenny Walter, Digital Reporter, R&D Magazine

Scientists have identified a gene variant that, if reduced, may decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) have discovered a rare genetic variant that provides a protective effect for high-risk individuals, including elderly people who carry known genetic risk for Alzheimer’s but never acquire the disease.

Read more: https://www.rdmag.com/article/2017/11/gene-variant-protects-against-alzheimers-identified

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man’s-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.”

— Pema Chödrön 

holy damn