Doing a step-up while holding a weight in the opposite hand of the leg you are stepping up with will help with balance and strengthen the muscles around the ankle, says Mr. Ordas.

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In fact, something about the weight distribution makes the KIRAbook very easy to grip in one hand, though again, those contoured edges help too.

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He says losing the weight and building his confidence have gone hand in hand.

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There are arguments for this, but going cap in hand does not lie easily with throwing weight about.

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Hold it in your hand and you'll immediately notice its weight is evenly distributed, so it doesn't register as heavy, despite its 2, 000mAh battery.

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We haven't had a chance to shoot with the new high-end DSLR just yet, but it felt quite solid in hand, despite the more compact design and significant weight drop.

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So as far as the Middle East and Central Asia are concerned, a primary lesson of the Cold War relates to the relative weight the US can securely place in its alliance with Israel on the one hand, and its alliance with the Saudis on the other.

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It sits comfortably in your hand thanks to a well curved shaped and careful distribution of weight.

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So accurate are K-Tron's scales that sales reps like to step onto them, hand clients a business card and watch their faces while the difference in weight is registered.

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Pushing back can cause some "very touchy" conversations, however, says Becky Hand, a registered dietitian with the weight-loss and fitness website SparkPeople, based in Cincinnati.

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