Stretch

Here's a nice stretch for your middle and lower back that fits easily into your workday. Just move your chair away from the desk and give it a try whenever your back feels tight or stiff. This move is also a great way to release tension in your neck and shoulders. -- Karen Voight 1Sit all the way to the back of a sturdy chair (not a rolling one). Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your ankles below your knees, feet flat on the floor. Bend forward at the hips, bringing your chest and ribcage in between your inner thighs.

SACRAMENTO -- The section of the 710 freeway in Long Beach would be designated as the Senator Jenny Oropeza Memorial Freeway under a resolution introduced Monday by state Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). Oropeza served in the state Senate from 2000 to 2006 and chaired the Senate Majority Caucus. She was the first Latina to serve as a member of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education and the Long Beach City Council. She died in 2010. "Sen. Oropeza has deep roots serving the people of Long Beach and surrounding communities," Lara said.

For a more intense stretch in the backs of your thighs and calves, try elevating your foot on a roller. But it's important to put only your lower ankle and heel on top of the roller; this avoids any pressure on your Achilles tendon. 1. Sit upright on the floor with your left leg straight in front of you and your left heel on top of the roller. Bend your right knee and position your right foot against the inside of your left knee (if your left knee tends to hyperextend, place your right foot directly under your left knee for support)

BEIJING - In a fresh reminder of the unresolved wartime grievances between China and Japan, authorities in Shanghai have seized a Japanese ship over claims dating back to the 1930s. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said Monday that one of its iron ore carriers, the Baosteel Emotion, was impounded Saturday. Japan's top government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, denounced the move, saying it could have a “chilling effect” on all Japanese companies doing business in China. “We are deeply apprehensive,” he added.

After a long hard day hunched over the computer, a good shoulder-opening stretch can help melt away muscle tension and create more space for your lungs to breathe deeply, thereby creating a more relaxed you. Why you should try it This pose looks simple - and it is - but it also is delivering a lot of benefits: It opens up your shoulders, stretches your hamstrings and decompresses your spine. What to do Stand with feet apart in a wide stance, arms at your sides.

The Florida Marlins' four-hit game Thursday at Houston ended a stretch of 15 games with at least 10 hits, a feat not achieved in either league since 1937 (St. Louis Browns) and in the NL since 1929 (New York Giants). The 1925 Indians had and '22 Browns hold the record at 18. Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan (a rookie-of-the-year candidate) were the hottest Marlins during that stretch. . . . The Chicago Cubs were 27th in spending on their first 10 draft picks of the draft, ahead of only the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and New York Mets.

Here's a great way to reduce tension in the upper back, neck and shoulders. Practice this stretch at your desk after long hours of sitting in front of the computer or talking on the telephone. Sit upright toward the front edge of a sturdy chair. Place your feet below your knees, hip-width apart. Hook your left elbow over your right elbow and wrap your forearms, pressing the palms of your hands together as much as you can. Inhale and raise your arms as you arch your upper back. Pause for a few breaths.

Release tension in your neck and shoulders with this terrific stretch. Do it after lifting weights or after sitting in front of a computer all day. You can sit in a chair, on the floor or, if you're one of those people with sensitive knees and tight thighs — for whom kneeling or sitting on their heels can be uncomfortable, even painful — try sitting on a firm yoga block when sitting on the floor. This will help take pressure off the front thighs and make floor exercises like this one much easier.

Strengthen your lower body and core muscles as you stretch each side of your waist with this move. Try to create space between each of your ribs so even if you can't touch the floor, you'll still feel a full side-body stretch. Stand with your feet about 3 to 31/2 feet apart, with your hands resting on your hips and both legs turned out to a 45-degree angle. Bend your knees until your hips are at knee level. Line up your knees over your ankles and lift your chest, relaxing your shoulders down and away from your ears.

The moment was right in front of the Clippers and Golden State Warriors, there to be seized by two teams that have much disdain for each other. When the time came to grab hold of that moment, when Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series hung in the balance, the Clippers failed. The Warriors, the team the Clippers despise more than any other, didn't shy away from the moment, earning a 109-105 victory Saturday, as the home team simply wilted away at Staples Center.

Just kidding! No way are the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat as bad as they've looked the last six weeks, when the presumed Eastern Conference finalists resembled teams that couldn't get out of the first round of their local rec-league playoffs. Three-peat? The Heat has had trouble winning three games in a row since early March. Indiana has gone 10-13 since March 4, failing to top 100 points 17 times and stumbling its way to that regrettable 23-point first half against Atlanta.

I've been a runner for more than 30 years, but I'm something of a serial monogamist when it comes to fitness classes. (At the moment, I'm hooked on Ken Tietjen's classes at my neighborhood Pilates studio, Whole Body Fitness.) But I know what it's like to be on the prowl for a new class. So we're going to do some of the work for you. Each week, we'll try a new class and let you know what it's like. And, please, let me know if you have suggestions by email or on Twitter ( @mmacvean )

The Lakers held one of their final practices of the season in El Segundo, preparing for their last two regular season games at Staples Center (Golden State Warriors on Friday and Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday). "I think guys just want to finish the season on a positive note. We have four games in six days," center Chris Kaman said Thursday after practice. "I don't think anybody is trying to give in now. " Of course Kaman is one of the team's many injured players, sidelined with a calf injury.

Eric Dietrich has finished the Boston Marathon and rowed the Charles River. But the Echo Park resident's favorite event is the popular CicLAvia festival. He's never missed one, pumping his wheelchair with arms through each route. On Sunday, Dietrich joined thousands of Angelenos in participating in the ninth edition of the event, which promotes health and a clean environment by encouraging people to abandon their cars for the day in favor of bicycles and other modes of non-polluting transportation.

There's no time like the present for Long Beach Poly, but the future could be even brighter. Freshman forward Ayanna Clark scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half as the Jackrabbits dominated down the stretch to win their sixth state championship and first in the Open Division with a 70-52 triumph over Richmond Salesian on Saturday night at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. It looked as if Poly might run away with the victory when it jumped ahead, 17-4, in the first four minutes and took a 36-23 lead into halftime.

This is a great stretch for loosening up the outside of your hips and thighs. It you're not limber enough to hold your foot, you can hook a strap or a towel around it to help you reach it. -- Karen Voight 1Lying on your back, bend your right knee into your chest. Keep your left leg extended straight out on the floor in front of you. Straighten your right leg, holding the outer edge of your right food with your left hand or using a strap. Press the thumb of your right hand to the top of your right thigh where it meets your torso.

This twisting lunge can be done at a wall to help you feel more stable while you get into the correct position. Practice it on a regular basis to relieve lower back discomfort and to strengthen and stretch your legs and hips. Stand sideways near a flat wall with the outer edge of your right foot and right shoulder 3 to 4 inches away from the wall. Step back into a low lunge with your left leg. Bend your right knee to a 90-degree angle. Inhale, place your left fingertips on the floor under your left shoulder.

Bad teams and the end of the season can make for some strange situations. Healthy players can develop mysterious (read: nonexistent) injuries. Productive veterans can lose playing time to unproven youngsters. Then there is what happened to Mark Madsen on April 19, 2006. The Minnesota Timberwolves power forward who had not taken a three-point shot in 135 games and 1,617 minutes over parts of the previous three seasons took seven shots from beyond the arc . . . in a span of 9 minutes 4 seconds.

SPOKANE, Wash. - San Diego State had, by far, the scariest time slot in Spokane. The Aztecs played the last Thursday night game on what had to seem like the longest day of the year. Boy was it ever. Spokane Arena, by the time the Aztecs tipped off, had been the scene of high-major carnage. The upset ghosts were already wafting in the woodwork and catacombs. Two No. 12-seeded schools, Harvard from the East region and North Dakota State from the West, had already sent home a pair of fives - Cincinnati and Oklahoma.