A History You Will Love: How Online Social Networking Began

Nowadays, one can no longer imagine how to catch up with friends and contacts without social networking. Social networking helped us become closer to our friends, even when they are a thousand miles away. Through the World Wide Web, we are able to connect with people from around the world, making it easy to keep in touch with friends and family. Social networking now is a billion dollar industry, but we can barely remember when it didn?t exist.

Let?s take a trip back in time and discover the history of social networking, and how it grew, one step at a time.

Today, social networking is an essential part of life for people from around the world. Social networking is a form of social media, used for either interactive, educational, informational or entertaining purposes. Social media comes in many forms, but all of them are related: blogs, forums, podcasts, photo sharing, social bookmarking, widgets, video, just to name a few.

Today, social networking websites allow users to make profiles, upload photos and videos, and interact with friends and family. Social networking is a tool to join groups, learn about latest news and events, play games, chat and to share music and video. The top social networking sites of today are: MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Image by Svilen001

Early Beginnings

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People always want to communicate with other people. People used to just visit the people they wanted to see. The longer the distance, the harder it is to communicate. Throughout history, people came up with various ways of communicating: through post, pigeons, telegraph, light signals and telephone. Getting responses a few hundred years ago meant waiting for months or a year. Thankfully humans never stopped looking for a faster method to communication. The 21st century brought us the internet.

Social networking was born one day in 1971, when the first email was sent. The two computers were sitting right next to each other. The message said ?qwertyuiop?.

In 1978, the BBS?or Bulletin Board System, was created. The BBS hosted on personal computers, where users need to dial in via the modem of a host computer, and exchanging data through phone lines to other users. The BBS was the first system that lets users interact with one another through the internet. It was slow, but it was a good start, and only one user could log in at a time.

Later that year, the very first web browsers were distributed using Usenet, the earliest online bulletin board of the time. Usenet was created by Jim Ellis & Tom Truscott, where users posted news, articles and funny posts. Unlike the BBS and forums, Usenet did not have a ?central server?.?This concept soon inspired the ?Groups? feature we know today; such as Yahoo! Groups, Google Groups and Facebook Groups.The first ever version of instant messaging was around 1988, called IRC or Internet Relay Chat. IRC was Unix-based then, and thus exclusive only to a few people. IRC was used for communications, as well as link and fire sharing.?Soon the earliest copies of web browsers were distributed via Usenet.

The First Social Networking Site

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In 1994, the first social networking site was created, Geocities. ?Geocities allowed the users to create and customize their own web sites, grouping them into different ?cities? based on the site?s content. The following year, TheGlobe.com launched to public, giving users the ability to interact with people who have the same hobbies and interests, and to publish their own content.

A few years later, AOL Instant Messenger and SixDegrees.com launched in 1997. Instant messaging was born, giving users the freedom to chat with friends, and create a profile. AOL was probably the true precursor to today?s social networking sites. The member profiles allowed its users to write a biography and share details about themselves. The profiles were searchable so people could look your profile up. It was the most innovative feature at that time.

Other sites followed suit, creating social networking sites such as Classmates, Friendzy, Hi-5, just to name a few. Many were dating sites, while some were more niche driven. For example,?Classmates allowed users to reconnect with old classmates, pals, bullies and crushes. It was a hit immediately, and today Classmates still has some 40,000,000 registered users.

SixDegrees.com is one of the earliest social networking sites, but did not gain the same success. The idea is based on the theory that people are separated by no more than six degrees from one another. It also allowed users to create profiles, make groups, search and invite friends. However, they encouraged members to invite more people to the site and had too many membership drives. Many people complained that the membership invitations were spam, filling up their websites with junk. It was sold in 2001 for $125 million but completely shut down the year after.

Image by Svilen001

Other niche-driven sites are AsianAvenue?established in 1997. By 1999, BlackPlanet was established and in 2000, MiGente.com for Hispanic servers. ?In the mid-1990s, the internet was at its full force. Yahoo! was established and Amazon had begun selling books. Every household was getting a PC. The World Wide Web showed no signs of slowing down.

New Millenium: New Era in Social Networking

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The first modern social networking site that we define today is Friendster. It also uses the degree of separation concept similar to SixDegrees, but dubbed it ?Circle of Friends?. Friendster ?was basically a dating site that wasn?t all about dating. In the first 3 months, Friendster was able to amass 3,000,000 users. This means 1 in 126 web users were Friendster members at the time.

Social Networking went to maturity stage upon the launching of Friendster.

Soon MySpace followed suit, who cloned Friendster. It was launched after only 10 days of coding. It soon became more popular than Friendster. MySpace gave users more freedom than Friendster when it came to customization; with music, videos and a hipper online environment. It garnered 90 million registered users?and even if it is no longer the top networking site in the world, it is still a favorite in the USA. The glory days of Friendster have passed, and its popularity is now surpassed by MySpace and Facebook. Today most of?Friendster?s traffic comes from Asia, especially Indonesia and the Philippines.

Another site with considerable success is LinkedIn. It was established in 2003, and took a more professional and business approach to social networking. Other sites focused on getting dates, having friends, and reuniting with old classmates, but LinkedIn focused on building business contacts and professionals. Today LinkedIn has 30 million registered members.

Facebook came into the social networking scene a little bit later. It was launched in 2004, and the primary intent was to connect US college students. Facebook first began with Mark Zuckerberg?s alma mater Harvard. At first it was exclusive, and you could only join in if you had been invited by a member of Facebook. The ?exclusive? feature proved to be a success, and in its first month, over half of the 19,500 Harvard students signed up. Two years later, the campus-only networking site became open to the public. In 2008, Facebook surpassed MySpace and Friendster as the leading social networking site. It now has over 150 million members around the globe.

The Future of Social Networking

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Many people are still speculating about the future of social networking. Will it be the ultimate communication tool of the future? Or just like the dot-com crash, will it crash and burn eventually?

Today, there are now almost 600 social networking sites on the Internet (Image from KnowEm)

The economic crisis was bad, closing down many small and large businesses and leaving many people jobless. Nonetheless, it still didn?t stop users from using the internet, and new sites are still launched today. But how about the people?s interests? It is true that most networking sites may seem promising and fun at first, but soon the fad cools down and people start to get bored.

Today?s social networking sites are like yesterday?s front page headlines. Most of us now get news and information through the internet?especially the younger generation. Social networking has become very mobile, from our PCs to our smart phones. Thus social networking has become more ?intrusive?. Do we really want to know what your office mate had for breakfast at Subway or your third degree cousin just lost her car keys?

Will Facebook still be the king of social networking? That, we cannot be sure of. Just last year Google made efforts with making its own social networking site, which became very boring and very empty. As of this writing Facebook already has over 600 million active users. But many people suggest that social networking is more of a fad, something that we will get tired of, and will soon switch to a newer site soon enough. In five years time, Facebook might be replaced by a newer web site?or it might be the only one. The thing is, the future is very hard to predict, especially for social media. The scope and environment of social networking is highly unpredictable, determined by users? online actions and behaviors.

Source: http://www.krazytemplates.com/a-history-you-will-love-how-online-social-networking-began-3/

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'Linderella' arrives in Toronto with Knicks (AP)

TORONTO ? The New York Knicks coach calls him "Linderella."

Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin arrived on Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre with the Knicks, who are riding a five-game winning streak thanks to the former Harvard player.

Jeremy Lin peered from a podium at more than 75 journalists and 16 cameras at a news conference. Lin, who's averaged 27 points and eight assists in his first four starts, says even he's amazed by the numbers.

"I don't think anybody expected this to happen the way it happened," said Lin, helped carry the Knicks with stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire sidelined.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni's search for a point guard had been frustrated by injury and poor performances since waiving Chauncey Billups. He's dubbed called Lin's story "Linderella."

"He's an underdog who came on, does it right, the right way," D'Antoni said. "Probably the biggest point is to be able to step on national TV with all the scrutiny, Madison Square Garden against the Lakers, against Kobe (Bryant) and produce what he did.

"To me that's remarkable, it's unbelievable that he could do that in that game."

Linsanity is sweeping Toronto, with the Knicks-Raptors game projected to be a sellout. Raptors officials said they had handed out about 75 additional media credentials. They had to turn down requests from journalists to cover Lin on Tuesday morning to prevent overcrowding.

Lin, the NBA's first American-born player of Asian heritage, will have more than 25 Chinese journalists covering him from the Toronto area. The undrafted Lin was passed over by several teams including the Raptors, then cut by Golden State and Houston.

Lin, who will make $789,000 this season, helped the Minnesota Timberwolves draw their largest crowd since 2004 on Saturday.

The unassuming guard was asked if it's difficult to focus on basketball with all the distractions.

"I try to just not pay attention to it as much as possible, spending a lot of time with my family and friends in my free time," Lin said. "When I'm with the team we stay focused, and we know what we have to do. And then just staying in my Bible, basically."

Lin's story is so inspirational, Hollywood writers could not craft a better script, said Raptors coach Dwane Casey.

"In the biggest market in the world, in New York, he becomes an overnight sensation," Casey said. "You go from being in the D-League on waiver wire, getting picked and now he's a starter on one of the prime teams, historical teams in the NBA."

Both Casey and D'Antoni insist Lin is the real deal.

"You can't say he's a flash in the pan, he's done it for five games, against some quality teams," Casey said. "He's taking advantage of his opportunity, and that's what you tell players all the time, be ready when your number is called, and he's done that."

Lin has already had a huge impact on Chinese fans, becoming that country's most popular player since Yao Ming. A Chinese journalist presented Lin with a book of "Year of the Dragon" stamps from Canada Post.

"I know you are a dragon, so this is for you, from the heart of Canadian fans," she said.

She asked him to say something in Mandarin to children who look up to him, and he obliged before translating for English reporters: "I just said thank you to everyone for watching us play basketball."

"My whole thing as I try to live my life is have fun, explore your opportunities, your dreams, find something you're passionate about, and then just go after it," Lin said. "And I think that's true for kids whether they play basketball, or they want to do whatever they want to do. So, hopefully, I can be an inspiration to them."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_raptors_linsanity

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Tips And Strategies On How To Cope With ... - New Health and Fitness

New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use

?You have cancer? are the three words that no person wants to hear. It immediately brings to mind images of painful treatments, surgery and death. However, a lot of cancers are now very treatable. There is a lot that you can do to continue to get a good quality of life. These pointers should be of some assistance.

Keeping a journal of what you hear from doctors and/or how you personally plan to fight the disease is a good idea. You can often become confused and especially discouraged when fighting cancer, so having some notes to refer to can help you remember the steps you had planned on taking to beat the disease.

If you lose your hair due to chemo, don?t forget that you will likely lose all of your body hair, including your eyebrows. This can feel like a very strange appearance. If you speak to a cosmetologist, they will likely be able to help you use makeup and other products to replace the lost eyebrows.

There are many vitamins and supplements out there that can help to prevent cancer, but you need to research any and everything before you put it into your body. Do not believe the hype of a product just because it promotes itself as cancer-fighting. Make sure you find out the truth about any item you put into your body.

Stay informed throughout your treatment process if you are currently dealing with cancer. The worst thing you could do is ignore your treatment or fail to care. You want to know what you are taking, what therapy you are doing, and how these things are intended to help treat your disease.

While you have cancer it is of dire importance that you keep yourself healthy. The best way to do this is by protecting yourself from germs. The best way is to stay on top of germs by using a disinfectant on every surface others touch. Be especially mindful of things such as door knobs, toilets, sinks, and telephones.

Care for your skin during cancer treatment. Because many cancer treatments can cause changes in your skin, it is important to take good care of your skin. Use a gentle moisturizer and stay hydrated. Avoid hot showers and always wear sunscreen when outdoors. For more serious skin problems, talk to your doctor about possible treatments.

We all know that carrots are good for your eyesight, but this root vegetable is also essential in fighting against cancer. It?s amazing how simple things from nature can help to prevent such a disease; and with the beta-carotene and falcarinol found in carrots, throat, stomach, lung, bladder and other types of cancers can be prevented.

Stage I is the best case scenario. The cancer is still confined to the ovaries, making surgery alone a more successful option. When it goes into stage II, a hysterectomy is often necessary to make sure all of the cancer was removed. Stages III and IV are more likely to require chemotherapy.

To be informed on pertinent tutorials about Symptoms Of Leukemia In Children and even on Symptoms Of Leukemia In Women, read this awesome site.

Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/02/13/tips-and-strategies-on-how-to-cope-with-cancer/

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US gives its blessing to Google's Moto purchase

When it rains, it pours. Just hours after European regulators gave the green light to Google to snatch up Motorola Mobility, the US Justice Department gave the couple its own blessing. The $12.5 billion purchase has drawn serious scrutiny from both regulators and Big G's own partners, though, consensus seems to be that Mountain View is more interested in Moto's patents than in entering the hardware business. Though the Justice Department doesn't see the merger as an immediate threat to competition, it did issue a stern warning that it "will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP (standard essential patent) rights." The concern is an understandable one since all the major players in the mobile space, Motorola included, have been at each other's legal throats for some time now. There are still a few more interested parties who will have to give their own consent to the combination including China, Israel and Taiwan. But, with two of the biggest potential blockades giving Google the thumbs up, it's looking more and more likely that the purchase will go through.

US gives its blessing to Google's Moto purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grab Airline Tickets to Hurghada & Wallow in its Rustic Charm

Hurghada is a veritable epitome of sheer transformation. The metamorphosis of this tiny, fishing village into a hub of high end resort and the first commercial dive base in the Red Sea has bewitched the masses. One of the most visited tourist destination in Egypt, the dazzling resort flaunts a year-round, pleasant climate, captivating attractions and plenty to indulge in thrilling activities. With incredible crystal blue beaches and dazzling coral reefs shining besides the posh hotels, the place makes for an ultimate stop for sybarites and beach lovers buying air tickets to Hurghada.

Mesmerizing Attractions

Boasting the long stretches of sands and never-ending expanse of turquoise water, Hurghada is a paradise for beach lovers and sun-worshippers. Visitors can loosen up at its immaculate beaches and enjoy the dulcet stroll amid the unparalleled natural splendour. Diving is the most popular activity among travellers booking airline tickets to Hurghada. Umm Gammar, Carless Reef, Seastar or Japanese Wrecks, Chrisoula K, Rosalie Moller and Woodvalley Reef are some of the incredible diving spots for immersing in the glory of underwater.

Apart from this, visitors can also take delights in number of exciting water sports like sailing, wind surfing and deep-sea fishing. For the ones who do not want to dive deep into the sea to discover the superb marine life, Marine Biology Museum is an apt spot for feasting the eyes on remarkable creatures of the sea.

Invigorating Shopping

Dotted with vibrant souks, infinite souvenir shops and vibrant bazaars, Hurghada offers a wide scope for indulging in unforgettable retail therapy. And once here, it is absolutely must for true-blue-shoppers to make way to its enchanting souks that ooze contagious liveliness and makes for an ideal destination for savouring the quintessential flavour of Hurghada. The charm of its quaint alleys and the lure of traditional cloths, spices, jewellery and crafty stuff leave every visitor craving for more.

The souvenir shops inside the Sekalla high street (the main town) and near the beach areas also make for a compelling stop for shoppers grabbing tickets to Hurghada. Besides, New Marina, strewn with striking boutiques, is a fitting place for picking the branded items. If you are longing for entertainment and shopping at the same time, then make way to Hurghada Marine Boulevard. Home to glitzy restaurants, uber-cool clubs and discos and host to exciting regular performances, the boulevard add zing to one?s shopping experience.

Satiating Culinary Art

Hurghada offers something for everyone. Many traditional Egyptian restaurants and international eateries are strewn all over the place. El Mina, Felfela, Peanuts Bar, Fish House and Bulls are some of the popular ones to head to for devouring the local and international cuisines. Many sophisticated hotels line the shoreline of Hurghada. Every different resort flaunts a unique charm and provides vast variety of dinning options to its guests. Extravagant holidaymakers travelling on flight tickets to Hurghada can check out the Premier Le Reve Hotel & Spa, the Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh or Steigenberger Al Dau Beach Hotels which are among the popular hotels that ensure comfortable stay.

About the Author

Sam Walker is a travel consultant. He writes articles on holiday destinations, hotels, travel safety tips, and cheap air tickets to Hurghada, Delhi, Dubai etc.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Sam-Walker16/67745

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Whitney Houston's body arrives home in New Jersey (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES/NEWARK (Reuters) ? Whitney Houston's body arrived in her home state of New Jersey on Monday night, ahead of a funeral expected later this week for the pop superstar whose blockbuster career was often overshadowed by drug and alcohol abuse.

A plane owned by actor-producer Tyler Perry landed at an airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, where security was tight. A gold hearse left the airport and arrived just before midnight at the Whigham funeral home in Newark, the city where Houston was born. A crowd of about 50 fans had gathered outside.

A spokeswoman for Houston's family said plans for a memorial had not yet been completed, but media reports have said a public viewing and funeral would be held later this week.

Houston, 48, rose from singing in a church choir to become one of the best-selling and most admired performers of her generation.

She won six Grammys and more than 400 other awards in a 25-year career that also saw her star in such blockbuster films as "The Bodyguard." She was best known for her 1992 hit single "I Will Always Love You."

But Houston's success was eclipsed later in life by problems with drinking and drugs. She had a long history of addiction to alcohol, cocaine and marijuana, admitting so on television talk shows. She was in rehab as recently as May 2011.

Houston died in a Beverly Hills hotel room Saturday on the eve of the music industry's Grammy Awards, and because of her drug battles, speculation arose that she might have died of a drug overdose.

On Monday, Beverly Hills police called a news conference to address the media "rumors," but did not add much additional information. They did say the singer's body had been found underwater in the hotel room's bathtub.

"Ms. Houston was apparently discovered in the bathtub by a member of her personal staff," who called hotel security, Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen said. She was pulled from the bathtub, but when paramedics arrived "she was unconscious and unresponsive," he said.

CAUSE OF DEATH STILL UNKNOWN

Rosen declined comment on whether prescription drugs were in the room or the condition of Houston's body. Detectives have sealed their inquiry, he said.

"We are not conducting a homicide investigation at this time. We do not know the cause of death, we do not know the circumstances leading up to her death," Rosen said.

An autopsy was completed on Sunday, and a final death report is pending completion of an official investigation and toxicology reports that may take weeks to finalize.

Los Angeles assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said prescription medication was found in Houston's room, but he declined to detail the names of the drugs or the amount found.

Dr. Andrew Baker, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners who is not involved in the probe, told Reuters autopsies were good at establishing or ruling out death from causes like trauma, heart disease or aneurysm.

"The autopsy is going to rule out 95 percent of things," he said. "But when it comes to diagnosing any kind of poisoning or intoxication or overdose, it really does come down to lab tests."

Meanwhile, Houston's brother-in-law, Billy Watson, told ABCNews.com on Monday that he doesn't believe the singer would have taken her own life.

"Oh, no, this is accidental," he said. "She wouldn't have left her daughter like that. She wouldn't have done that to her daughter."

Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, was in Los Angeles when her mother died.

Houston had been in Los Angeles for the Grammys and planned to attend an annual pre-award party hosted by record producer Clive Davis on the night she died.

Houston's death prompted a parade of music industry stars to express adoration for her and her rise to the top of the music world. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife, Nancy Shevell, on Monday visited a makeshift memorial outside the Beverly Hilton hotel where Houston died, placing yellow roses alongside the numerous other bouquets.

As with the 2009 death of pop superstar Michael Jackson, Internet sales of Houston's songs surged after her death.

On Monday, her album "Whitney Houston - The Greatest Hits" was the top seller in the music category on Amazon.com, and "I Will Always Love You," was the No. 1 download at iTunes, just ahead of Grammy winner Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."

(Additional reporting By Jill Serjeant and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles and Jonathan Allen in New Jersey; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Eric Beech)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/music_nm/us_usa_whitneyhouston

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Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor (AP)

CHICAGO ? It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.

"It" is that pop, strain or suddenly swollen joint that reminds active older adults they aren't as young as they'd like to think.

Even among the fittest baby boomers, aging bodies just aren't as nimble as young ones, and they're more prone to minor damage that can turn serious if ignored or denied. But not every twist or turn needs medical attention, and knowing when it's OK to self-treat pays off in the long run, in dollars and in health.

Costly knee replacements have more than tripled in people aged 45-64 in recent years and a study released last week found that nearly 1 in 20 Americans older than 50 have these artificial joints. But active boomers can avoid that kind of drastic treatment by properly managing aches and pains.

Injuries that need immediate treatment cause excruciating, unrelenting pain, or force you to immediately stop your activity and prevent normal motion. Examples are a swollen, bent elbow that won't straighten, or a knee that collapses when you try to stand, said Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph, a sports medicine specialist at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.

Treatment for more run-of-the mill activity-related injuries is less clear-cut.

A good rule of thumb for lower-body injuries is this: "If you're able to bear weight, it's safe to self-treat," at least initially. Even if taking a few steps is painful, just being able to put weight on an injury means it's probably not a medical emergency, Bush-Joseph said.

The key for most injuries is what happens over the next two to three days. If things start to improve ? less pain, more range of motion ? then there's often no need to see a doctor. But if pain or swelling don't subside with self-help, then it's time to make an appointment.

Common injuries in active boomers include:

_Tendinitis ? painful inflamed tendons in the elbow, shoulder or knee. The condition is often caused by repetitive action, such as swinging a golf club or tennis racket, especially when not using the proper form.

_Tears to the meniscus, cartilage that cushions the knee but that becomes more brittle with age and prone to injury, especially from sudden twisting. Tears often cause a "pop" sensation and a feeling like the knee is catching while walking.

_Back pain, often from arthritis or aging discs in the lower spine. Impact exercise including running, and using the back instead of leg muscles to lift heavy weights can contribute.

Most can be treated with things like ice to curb swelling immediately after the injury, hot pads or other heat treatment for pain, over-the-counter painkillers, and rest.

In some ways, Jane Byron exemplifies the best ? and worst ? ways to handle those injuries.

At 51, the New York City cancer nurse is a self-described exercise "maniac." Her daily workouts often include walking, biking, leg pressing 400-pound weights and stair-climbing at her gym.

All that exercise has kept her extremely fit, and she rejects the idea that she might be overdoing it. So she had some choice words for the doctor who suggested she consider slowing down a bit when her right knee swelled up six years ago.

His diagnosis was torn cartilage likely from a 1999 fall while in-line skating. Byron had never been in pain nor sought treatment for that injury until the swelling began.

She had the cartilage surgically repaired and injections of lubricant medicine for knee arthritis. But she continued rigorous workouts right up until 2010, when she developed hip pain, probably from walking funny to favor her bum knee. By then she needed both knees replaced, but a physical therapist told her that being so fit would speed her recovery. Within a week after both surgeries, she was back riding an indoor bike.

Overdoing it can aggravate minor injuries, but abandoning activity isn't a good solution, either, because exercise has so many health benefits, said Dr. Steven Haas, an orthopedic specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

Instead, make sure you're well-conditioned and "listen to your body," Haas said. Switching to less rigorous activities is sometimes the answer. "If your knee is killing you every day after you run, you're probably not doing the right sport."

Haralee Weintraub, 58, changed her exercise routine after injuring her back during a "boot-camp" class at her gym two years ago. The first time it happened, the Portland, Ore., online business owner was doing "full-out toe men's push-ups." A few months later the same thing happened during leg squats ? pain that started in her lower back and shot down her leg. Because it was hard to stand, she went both times to the doctor, who diagnosed sciatica, common nerve pain likely caused by an aging disc in her lower back, and by overuse.

A physical therapist had her do exercises to strengthen muscles in her abdomen and near the sciatic nerve in her back, and leg exercises to stretch the buttocks' gluteal muscles.

Weintraub has switched to gentler "girls" knee push-ups and stopped doing lunges. But she still likes to snowshoe, bicycle, hike and walk, and is determined to stay fit.

"Hopefully I'll have another 25 years of activity and not be compromised with physical mobility issues," she said.

Unlike Weintraub, Gene Wilberg tried to tough out his injury, which probably prolonged his recovery. The tip-off that he should have gotten treatment sooner was persistent pain that interfered with his usual activities.

The 62-year-old Naperville, Ill., business consultant was helping his daughter move into an apartment two years ago when he felt a sudden pain in his upper right arm while lifting a box. The pain persisted and made it difficult to twist open jars and pursue hobbies including cycling 15-plus miles a week and skiing. He eventually just stopped using that arm.

After a few months Wilberg went to the doctor, who found a partial bicep tendon tear in his upper arm. Surgery was a possibility, but Wilberg wanted to try physical therapy instead. It took about four months to get his arm back in shape, lifting light dumbbells and using resistance bands. Wilberg says he was told not using his arm had allowed the muscles to atrophy.

"If you wait too long, sometimes you actually just end up delaying your overall recovery" and adding to the cost of medical treatment, said Nathan Sels, Weintraub's physical therapist.

Rob Landel, a physical therapist and professor at the University of Southern California, says many of his baby boomer patients try to cram all their exercise and activity into a weekend but do nothing during the week to prepare. That puts extra stress on bodies and raises chances for injuries.

So, for example, for those who like to go on long weekend runs, he recommends treadmill sessions or short jogs during the week, or other leg-strengthening exercises.

There's growing evidence that stretching right before an activity can hurt your performance, Landel said. After a run or tennis match is a better time to stretch, when muscles are warmed up. And routinely doing stretching and strengthening exercises during the week helps keep muscles strong and limber.

Landel knows that from personal experience. He's 53 and has painful tendinitis in both knees from playing volleyball for more than 30 years. That sometimes makes it difficult to get up and down on floor mats while helping patients with treatment.

"It's kind of embarrassing working with patients and you have to kind of crawl up the furniture to stand up. If I just exercise my legs, then I don't have those problems," Landel said.

Leg presses and other exercise that build up strength reduce his pain, and help his volleyball game, too, he said.

"The stronger you are, the better your joints tolerate stress," he said.

___

Online:

NIH information on sports injuries: http://1.usa.gov/qldiJW

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120212/ap_on_he_me/us_med_aging_america_boomer_sports_injuries

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