Nanci Kushner Joins Commemorations for PanAm 103

Former undergraduate student Nanci Kushner of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York of the United States would have often encountered the Memorial Wall, which was dedicated to the 35 Syracuse exchange students killed in the PanAm Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. Kushner may have attended the commemorative service held every year in the University chapel at the exact moment of the plane explosion, 2:03pm on December 21. Kushner may also support the University’s Remembrance Scholars program which awards scholarships to 35 senior students every year, and the Lockerbie Scholars program, through which two graduating students from Lockerbie Academy of Lockerbie, Scotland receive a year of study at Syracuse University. Still, the dominant memory of Kushner’s time at Syracuse University will remain the beauty of the Romanesque Revival buildings and the structures designed by architects like I. M. Pei, with the grass quadrangle, landscaped walkways and outdoor sculptures so evocative of the vision of a traditional college campus.

Nanci Kushner

Former Syracuse University undergraduate Nanci Kushner had her first university experience in Syracuse, New York in the United States, where the University sits above the city of over 140,000 residents. Kushner would have benefited as well from the proprietorship of the University over the Drumlins Country Club, a popular 36-hole golf course, the Sheraton Hotel, the Fisher Center and Joseph I. Lubin House in New York City and a retreat in the Adirondack Mountains, the Minnowbrook Conference Center. Kushner likely spent a great deal of her time on the North Campus where the majority of the academic buildings and residence halls are located. With 70 percent of students like Nanci Kushner living in university housing, and the requirement for first and second year students to live on campus, students become very familiar with the University Hill neighborhood of North Campus, especially the Nationally Registered Historic Places of the Crouse Memorial College, Hall of Languages and the Pi Chapter House of Psi Upsilon Fraternity.

Nanci Kushner, who took her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York in the United States, did so with a plethora of other students both in and out of state. In 2006, for example, Syracuse University enrolled 12,000 full-time undergraduates and over 1,000 part-time undergraduates, as well as 4,000 full-time graduate and law students and 2,000 part-time graduate and law students. From this class, over 2,600 bachelor’s degrees, nearly 2,000 master’s degrees, over 300 law degrees and more than 160 doctoral degrees were granted. Syracuse University is ranked 53rd among national universities in the United States in 2009 by U.S. News & World Report, and Syracuse University is in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the University and College Accountability Network.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse_University

 

Nanci Kushner – Exercises to Improve Your Running

As a Pilates instructor, Nanci Kushner tries to help each of her students improve themselves after every class. She herself has been focusing on improving her running skills and efficiency. While simply practicing running can help improve your cardio, it does not necessarily help improve your running efficiency. Typically, runners use a set of specific exercises in order to improve the efficiency of their runs. Here are a few exercises that can make running easier:

Nanci Kushner

  • Power Skips: This exercise involves keeping your arms in a running form. Once you are in form, skip twenty times on each leg. It is important throughout the exercise to focus on the landing. Make sure to land on the balls of your feet, and try increasing the height of each skip throughout the exercise.
  • Leg Bounding: This is more like an exaggerated running form than an exercise. It helps to build stabilizer muscles in the leg. Accomplish the leg bound by jumping with each stride on a run. Make sure to focus on bringing your knee up in an exaggerated motion for each stride. Each lift should take about 20 seconds.
  • Squat Jumps: Form is important for this exercise. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend into a squat position, tap the floor with your hands, then launch upwards as high as possible. Bend your knees when you land, touch the ground, then repeat to increase your explosiveness.

Nanci Kushner enjoys a good run, and has been working on ways to use less energy, but go a further distance.

Source(s): http://www.runnersworld.com/ask-coach-jenny/three-simple-ways-to-improve-running-efficiency

 

Nanci Kushner – Common Pilates Mistakes to Avoid

As a Pilates instructor, Nanci Kushner has seen many of her students make mistakes as they are learning. Mistakes are okay, they are part of the learning process. It is only when people do not learn from their mistakes that it becomes a problem. There are a few common Pilates mistakes that beginners are especially vulnerable to. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid:

Nanci Kushner

  • Momentum: Much of Pilates centers around the idea of controlling muscles. In fact, Pilates was called “Contrology” by its creator. Many Pilates beginners tend to jerk, swing, or fling. Pilates should focus on slow, deliberate, controlled movement. Using momentum in movements actually cheats your body of the exercise benefits.
  • Distractions: An important part of Pilates is focus. There should be a focus on breathing, on the muscles being used, and your movement. Many beginning Pilates practitioners try to multitask, doing Pilates while they read the paper, watch the news, text on their phone, and more. Pilates is about centering and strengthening the body and the mind. So focus is key. Avoid distractions.
  • Trying Too Hard: Yes, it is possible to try too hard, and it is not good for a Pilates routine. Many beginners tend to overextend to feel a bigger burn on big muscles. The problem with this method is that it takes the strain off of stabilizing muscles, making for an unbalanced development.

Nanci Kushner tries to correct common Pilates mistakes from her students as soon as possible. The faster that they learn, the faster their bodies develop.

Source(s): http://www.urbanwellness.com/pilates/7-common-pilates-mistakes/