Selasa, 31 Desember 2019

4 Secrets to Keeping Your New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year, everyone! Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year? If so, you're in good company. 

The Secrets to Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions

Coming hard on the heels of the party-hearty holidays, January 1st seems to be a natural time to start fresh. But is there any point? Psychologists say that many resolutions are broken before the day is out. The fact that we seem to make the same resolutions every year suggests that few of them stick. But even if you broke last year's (or every year's) resolutions, this year can be different. The first step is to pick your resolution carefully.

What Makes a Good Resolution?

The other day, I sent out an email asking my coworkers about their New Year's resolutions. My friend Alan responded that he was resolving to "run more." Now, if I were a betting woman, I wouldn't wager very much on this resolution becoming a reality.  

1. Make your resolutions as specific as possible 

Vague resolutions like "eat better" or "exercise more" are hard to quantity and, therefore, easy to fudge and, eventually, forget. You’ll have a much better chance of succeeding with a specific, measurable goal like taking dog for one mile walk before dinner every night. When I pressed him, Alan came up with a more specific resolution. He pledged to run a minimum of 3 miles, two times a week. The odds of Alan keeping his resolution just got much better.

2. Choose a goal that is realistic but meaningful  

Grandiose plans to radically overhaul your diet on January 1st are usually doomed to failure. You'll get a lot more mileage out of choosing a couple of small but meaningful changes that you can stick to until they've become ingrained habits. For example, my friend Gerry, who needs to lose a couple of pounds, has decided she's going to start putting milk in her coffee rather than half and half.

Don’t underestimate the power of small changes—especially when you stick with them.

That is a great resolution—it's specific and it's extremely doable. I think the odds are high that this time next year, Gerry will still be drinking milk in her coffee instead of half and half. And don’t underestimate the power of small changes—especially when you stick with them. Over the course of the year, Gerry stands to save 18,250 calories, or the equivalent of five pounds, by making this one small change.

3. Be positive

By this, I don't mean "be optimistic" (although that...

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6 Breakfast Hacks to Revamp Your Morning

Oatmeal in an Instant

If you’re hooked on instant oatmeal packets, try this trick instead for big savings. Buy instant oats in bulk, then in a sandwich bag combine a quarter cup of oats with a half teaspoon each of sugar and cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Pre-pack several and you’re set for the week!

Stop Syrup from Running

Frustrated with syrup running down the sides of the bottle, making a disgusting mess? Try this trick: Rub the threads at the neck of the bottle with a small amount of vegetable oil. The oil will prevent the syrup from running and the cap from sticking next time you open it. This also works for molasses and honey containers.

Syrup Substitute

Out of maple syrup and still want to make waffles this morning? Try this delicious substitute. Combine a third of a cup of butter, a third of a cup of sugar, and half a can of frozen orange juice concentrate in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is syrupy.

Keep Waffles from Sticking

Here’s a trick to keep waffles from sticking to the waffle iron: Beat a teaspoon of white wine into the batter. You’ll never taste the wine, but it will keep the batter from adhering to the hot surface.

Pre-Made Waffles and French Toast

For a quick and healthy breakfast, make waffles ahead of time, then freeze them. When you or your family is ready to eat, pop them in the toaster to reheat. Making waffles from scratch, rather than buying them in the frozen foods section, will save you money. You can also easily do this with French toast!

Toasty Treat

For a different type of toast, lightly butter a slice of bread on both sides and cook it in a waffle iron. Your kids will love it!

For more great tips, check out our Tip of the Day on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest!

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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A Round-Up of Fitness Gear for the New Year

Over the last few weeks, I sent a message out to you listeners and readers. I asked you to let me know the pieces of fitness gear that have served you so well in this last decade that you'll be bringing them with you into the new one. I received a bunch of emails and a pile of voicemail detailing everything from basic stuff like running shoes (thanks Genn) to more elaborate things I actually had to look up like a Bowflex Max Trainer (thanks Karen).

Before we dive into more of the gear submitted by the public, I'd like to recap some of the gear I covered in the past year.

Gear I talked about in 2019

Back in January, I took a look at Occlusion Training and how it can aid in muscle growth and allow you to lift lighter weights while reaping the same benefits as lifting heavier ones. To do that, you need some gear that I think is essential for any fit individual—resistance bands. I will definitely be using my resistance bands in the new year and onward. 

In an interview with neuroscientist Dr. Bob Schafer, I looked at How Your Brain Keeps Your Body Fit. During our conversation, we talked about a piece of software called Lumosity. While playing brain games on your phone can't grow your biceps or increase your flexibility directly, indirectly, it can have a large impact on our fitness. As Dr. Schafer said in the interview "habits, focus, and repetition are just scratching the surface of how our brains can play an important role in optimizing our fitness levels."

I will definitely be using my resistance bands in the new year and onward.

Last spring I went undercover at a gym called 9Round and tried my hand at a boxing style workout. While my experience was not stellar, I did get an appreciation for how challenging and fun a boxing style workout can be. This made me seek out other gyms that are cheaper and more conveniently located so I can use their frustration relieving heavy bags and gloves on a semiregular basis.

Responding to some audience questions I wrote about whether or not Amino Acids Build Bigger Muscles. The verdict was that most of us do not need to purchase them if our diet is rich enough in an essential building block—protein. But if you feel that your diet is deficient, amino acids are something you...

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Why Do Smells Trigger Memories?

Whenever I smell the pages of a brand new book, I am reminded of all the late night reading I did as a kid. I can even feel the soft fabric on the arms of my favorite reading chair and sense the quiet of a house where everyone else is asleep. The stresses of the day start to give way a bit to feelings of calm and focus. We have an armchair in my daughter’s room very similar to my childhood reading chair, but sitting in it doesn’t quite conjure up those memories as effectively as that new book smell.

And I am not alone! Anecdotally, many of us have had experiences where a certain smell—perhaps chlorine, fresh baked cookies, or the salty beach air—floods our brain with memories of a distinct event or location that we associate clearly with certain emotions.

There have also been scientific studies using a variety of approaches to back up this anecdotal evidence. One of the first was a study led by Dr. Rachel Herz at Brown University in 2004. Herz and her collaborators found that a group of five women showed more brain activity when smelling a perfume with which they associated a positive memory than when smelling a control perfume they had never before smelled. The brain activity associated with the memorable perfume was also greater than that produced by the visual cue of seeing the bottle of perfume.

More recently, in another study in 2013, the researchers again found greater brain activity associated with olfactory stimuli (like the smell of a rose) than with visual stimuli (like the sight of a rose). Clinical case studies have also linked smells to strong negative emotions, a connection which can play a significant role in contributing to posttraumatic stress disorder.  

So why is this? The majority of us clearly rely more on a sense of sight than our sense of smell day to day, so what is it about our sense of smell that works to better trigger our memory and our emotions? The link may simply be due to the architectural layout of our brain.

How does our sense of smell work?

The process through which molecules in the air are converted by our brain into what we interpret as smells and the mechanisms our brain uses to categorize and interpret those odors is, as you have probably guessed, a complicated one. In fact, the process is so complicated that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded in 2004 to the researchers Richard Axel and Linda Buck for their work in decoding it.

When we come into contact with an odor, or...

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Senin, 30 Desember 2019

Top Tips from My Time as Get-It-Done Guy

Today we're going for the best-of-the-best. In the last 576 episodes, we've covered a lot of territory together. We’ve had big tips, small tips, intriguing tips, and Q-tips. But as you surely recall from episode 512, The 80/20 Rule, 20 percent of the tips make 80 percentof the difference. So today, come for a quick review of the tips that will improve your life the most. We have big tips and small tips—I hope you try them all tips!

Big Productivity Tips

Some tips apply throughout all areas of your life and business. If you remember anything from the Get-it-Done Guy, remember these.

Keep your why in mind. This is the single most important tip ever. I don’t know what it is about us humans, but it’s super-easy for us to do stuff that doesn’t move us toward our goals. In episode 130, How to Accomplish Your Real Goals, we learned to ask “Why am I doing this, anyway?” at every possible moment. If your actions don’t lead to your goals, change what you’re doing. 

If you want to get going on all those things, try speed dating! (It’s not cheating if all your tasks know about each other.)

Use one master to-do list. If you have little scraps of paper everywhere with to-do items jotted down on them, consolidate! Have one master to-do list, preferably on paper. Every week do a round-up of any random task items you’ve jotted elsewhere (I tend to jot them on anything handy, including the cat) and move them into your master list. Then you can review the entire list and get an overview of all the things you could be doing. But probably aren’t. Episodes 290 and 171 discuss How to Manage Your Task Lists on Paper and How to Create One Master System to Organize Your Life.

Speed date your tasks. And if you want to get going on all those things, try speed dating! (It’s not cheating if all your tasks know about each other.) Write your top five tasks on a piece of paper. Set a timer for five minutes. Work on the first task until the timer goes off. Then switch to the second task, and the third, and the fourth! When you’re done with the fifth...

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Want to Reconnect with Your Partner? Have an Intimate Conversation

You and your partner seem to be at a crossroads. The two of you haven’t really connected in a while. Most nights, you just lie on the couch together watching TV. You wonder if your partner even notices there’s anything wrong.

What should you do?

Most often, when people feel that they’re not really connecting, it’s because they’ve stopped having intimate conversations.

Reconnecting starts with an intimate conversation

An intimate conversation contains three things: you, me, and a feeling. Those three things together are like rocket-fuel for emotional closeness in a relationship. Like any other kind of fuel, though, you have to handle it carefully, so it doesn't explode in your face.

Most of us are having intimate conversations in our own minds all the time, especially about how we feel toward the people around us. But we’re ambivalent about saying these things out loud. Will it help to share our feelings, or will it be a disaster?

Most of us are having intimate conversations in our own minds all the time, but we’re ambivalent about saying these things out loud.

So, for the most part, we keep most of our most intimate thoughts to ourselves.

How to start the conversation

Don’t just expect your partner to be the one to get things started. Instead, assume they’re as ambivalent about it as you are.

You have one big advantage, though. As a frequent listener to this podcast, you know how to put together an intimate statement, so it has the necessary three elements we just talked about: You, me, and a feeling.

It can be helpful to practice the conversation you might have in your head. You can check whether what you plan to say meets the intimacy requirements.

Let’s say you're planning what to say to your partner, and the first thing that pops into your head is:

Lately, I feel like all we do is watch TV.

That sounds like it’s about a feeling, right? But actually, this is more a statement of fact than an expression of feelings.

Assume your partner is as ambivalent about having an intimate conversation as you are.

I’m also suspicious of statements that use the word “we.” That might sound odd coming from a sex and relationship therapist. But paradoxically, “we” statements are often the least intimate. I have a strong preference for “you and I.”

How about this one?

I feel like you and I haven’t been as close lately.

That sounds a little better. But it’s still really just a statement of fact, even though the word "feel" is right there in the sentence.

What if we add a...

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Minggu, 29 Desember 2019

5 Great Ways to Harness Your Pregnancy Nesting Superpower

When I became pregnant, I wanted to experience everything pregnancy had to offer—no matter what! My prayers were answered, and I had my fill of morning sickness, cravings, prenatal kicks, and a rapidly expanding waistline. In the last trimester, I was thrilled to have the insatiable desire to nest.

73 percent of pregnant women experience the urge to nest in some fashion.

A babycenter.com poll showed that 73 percent of pregnant women experience the urge to nest in some fashion. Instincts play a part in nesting at the end of pregnancy—a mom-to-be wants to make sure her home is clean and organized for the baby’s impending arrival. If you're pregnant, you might find that this urge can have you doing anything from stocking the freezer with hearty casseroles to alphabetizing your entire pantry … right after you surprise your partner with a garage makeover.

Regardless of how much time or energy you have to spend on this pivotal part of your pregnancy, take advantage of these inspired ideas when that yearning to start feathering your nest strikes.

1. Plan in advance for your nesting surge

It’s difficult to predict what your energy levels will be throughout your pregnancy, so take advantage of the first trimester and craft a detailed list of all the decluttering, organizing, and home projects you want to tackle when you embrace your inner nesting.

Here are a few ideas you might feather your nest with.

  • Straightening your home’s closets
  • Scrubbing all the door and window frames
  • Eliminating cobwebs lurking in ceiling corners, and under beds and sofas
  • Organizing your Tupperware and silverware drawers
  • Ditching the spices you haven’t touched in years
  • Streamlining your laundry room—babies make lots of dirty laundry
  • Cleaning neglected things like cobwebby corners, window screens, and ceiling fans
  • Deep cleaning your kitchen and bathroom

You get the idea. Now’s the time to plan ahead so you won’t waste precious time when the urge hits to make your home shine.

Bump it up a notch: Keep this nesting list as part of your baby book or journal. You’ll be able to reflect on all the neat projects you were brave enough to take on before your sweet baby arrived. What a keepsake!

2. Simplify your surroundings

Organizing expert extraordinaire Marie Kondo took the nation by storm with her heartfelt approach to decluttering. Kondo’s goal of tidying is to make room for meaningful objects, people, and experiences. Her philosophy involves simplifying...

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Jumat, 27 Desember 2019

How Do Your Emotions Affect Your Moral Compass?

We'd like to believe that we make moral judgments based on rational thought, but the truth is that our moral thinking cannot escape our emotions. Let's take a look at how anxiety, empathy, anger, and disgust shape our moral thinking, and how we can harness these emotions for making better moral decisions.

The infamous Trolley Problem

Imagine this scenario: As you’re walking by a train station, you notice there are some construction workers working on the tracks. There’s a fork in the track, so a train could either go left or right. On the left track, there’s only one person working. On the right track, there are five people working. They all have noise-canceling headphones on and don’t seem to know what’s going on around them.

Suddenly, you see an out-of-control train car coming down the tracks—it must have gotten loose from a train! The fork in the track is directed towards the right side, so the out-of-control car is headed straight for the five workers, certain to kill them all. There’s no way to stop the train car. The only thing you can do is to pull a switch to redirect the car towards the left track, which would kill the one worker there.

Do you pull the switch?

It’s a tough one, isn’t it? On the one hand, it seems like a no-brainer that killing one person to save five is better than killing five to save one. On the other hand, redirecting the track would require you to purposely cause someone’s death rather than letting the accident take its course. Most of us feel at least squeamish about the kill-one-to-save-five choice, but most of us, when pressed, agree with it. At least when asked about it hypothetically, that is. 

Most of us feel at least squeamish about the kill-one-to-save-five choice, but most of us, when pressed, agree with it.

This is the classic moral dilemma called the Trolley Problem. Many philosophers and psychologists have used it to study and ponder the way we think about morality. One big question they've asked is: “Do people make these decisions based on rational thinking, or are they influenced by other factors?”

Well, consider this twist to the Trolley Problem for your answer: What if there is no switch to redirect the train car, but there is a large stranger walking by that you could push onto the track? This person would be killed, but their body would stop the train from killing the five construction workers. Would you push the stranger?

Here, the math is the same—sacrificing one to save five. But I...

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Kamis, 26 Desember 2019

How Do You Spell ‘Hanukkah’?

Sunday marked the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, and since its an eight-day celebration, we’re right in the middle of it. Hanukkah recognizes the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in the first century B.C. It had been desecrated by invaders from Syria, before they were defeated by Judas Maccabeus. To honor him, the celebration is sometimes called the “Feast of the Maccabees.” 

It’s also called the “Festival of Lights.” That’s because it’s celebrated by the lighting of candles, one on each successive day of the holiday. By the eighth day, eight candles are burning. They’re usually held in a menorah, a candelabra with nine candleholders. Yes, I said nine. Eight of them hold the main candles, and a ninth holds the shammash, a so-called “servant” candle that’s used to light the other eight. Very convenient!

‘Hanukkah’ and ‘menorah’ are Hebrew words

“Hanukkah” is a Hebrew word that means inauguration, dedication, or consecration. “Menorah” is also a Hebrew word. It literally means “lampstand” or “candlestick.” It shares the same root word as the Arabic “manāra,” which means “lighthouse” or “minaret.” Torches were often placed high in the minarets of Islamic fortresses, making these cylindrical towers beacons, or lighthouses, shining across the dark North African night.

How do you spell ‘Hanukkah’?

Now comes the big question. How do you spell “Hanukkah”? Sometimes you see it with an “h” at the beginning—other times with a “ch.” Sometimes there’s one “k” in the middle—sometimes two. And sometimes there’s an “ah” at the end—but sometimes just an “a.” What’s a careful speller to do?

The short answer is … there’s no right answer. 

Hanukkah’s many spellings are the result of transliteration

That’s because the word “Hanukah” has not been translated from the Hebrew. It’s been transliterated. That’s what happens when you replace letters or characters from one language with those from another. In the process, you’re trying your best to reproduce the sounds of the original language. 

The problem is some languages have sounds that others don’t. For example, English doesn’t have the throaty “r” sound you hear in the way the French pronounce the word “Paris,” or the rolling “r” sound in the Spanish “perro.”

It also doesn’t have the rough “h” sound that starts the Hebrew version of “Hanukkah.” It...

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DIY Tips for Cleaning Clogged Drains

Baking Soda and Vinegar Declogger

Most people know the old science fair project of mixing vinegar and baking soda to cause a chemical reaction worthy of a model volcano, but not many know that this powerful combination is also a great drain cleaner. Baking soda and vinegar break down fatty acids from grease, food, and soap build-up into simpler substances that can be more easily flushed down the drain. Here’s how to do it: Pour two ounces of baking soda and five ounces of vinegar into your drain. Cover with a towel or dishrag while the solution fizzes. Wait 5-10 minutes, then flush the drain with very hot water. Repeat until your drain is clear.

Dishwasher Detergent Declogger

Not only is drain cleaner expensive, it can weaken your pipes. Instead of using Drano to unclog a slow-moving drain, use a gel dishwasher detergent like Cascade. Pour the detergent into the drain and chase it with boiling water.

Coffee Grounds Declogger

To prevent a drain from getting clogged, periodically pour some used coffee grounds into it. The coffee’s acids will break-up grease and the grounds’ rough texture will help dislodge buildup so that the drain runs smoothly. This works even in drains that don’t have garbage disposals!

Alka-Seltzer Declogger

Kitchen sink clogged up? Skip the commercial drain cleaners, which contain harsh chemicals that can destroy your pipes. Instead, slip three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain and turn on the hot water for just a few seconds. The tablets will fizz up and get to work on the clog. After 15 minutes, run the water again and the drain should be clog-free.

Drain Maintenance

Don’t wait until your drain gets clogged before you flush out grime, grease, and hair. Perform...

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Rabu, 25 Desember 2019

How to Create a Personal Finance System for Money Success

If you’ve ever felt discouraged or upset about your financial life, you’re certainly not alone. Many people go through years, or even decades, of not earning enough, not spending wisely, or not having sufficient education to make the best money decisions.

The fact that you’re reading this article or listening to the companion Money Girl podcast means you know that your financial life could or should be better. Congratulations, that’s the first step to getting on the right track!

In many cases, financial problems arise when you don’t have an effective money system in place. In this article, I’ll cover a personal finance system that helps you make the most of what you already have, simplify your life, and create more success.

There are four overarching parts to a money system that keeps you informed, allows some flexibility, and supports your dreams, all at the same time.

1. Monitoring cash flow

The first part of your personal finance system should be finding the best way to monitor your cash flow. Understanding exactly how you earn, spend, and save is so important because it’s the foundation of your financial life. If you’re not sure how much money is coming in and going out, you won’t be able to manage it intentionally.

But getting your arms around cash flow isn’t always easy because it’s probably moving through multiple places. These may include a bank checking and savings, one or more credit cards, a retirement account, brokerage, college savings account, medical savings account, and more. To manage all these transactions properly without driving yourself to the brink of insanity, you need a way to centralize them.

The trick to watching and managing cash flow is to use a convenient digital tool that aggregates your entire financial life in one place. Here are some of my favorite money programs that make it easy to stay on top of your cash flow using your computer desktop or a mobile device.

The trick to watching and managing cash flow is to use a convenient digital tool that aggregates your entire financial life in one place.

Cash flow monitoring tools 

Quicken has been around a long time and is considered the gold standard in personal finance software. It connects to multiple types of accounts, such as banks, credit cards, lenders, and investments, to aggregate your transactions. Once you enter the credentials you use to log into various financial sites, every time you open Quicken, it connects to them and pulls in your new transactions.

The Quicken Starter edition comes with automatic categorization, limited budget tracking, and a bill...

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Selasa, 24 Desember 2019

The 2019 Year in Nutrition: Hype, Game-Changers, and Snake Oil

I’ve been hosting the Nutrition Diva podcast for 11 years now—555 episodes and counting! Every year, there are plenty of new products, research studies, trends, and fads to talk about. But there are always a few stories that—for better or worse—are particularly memorable. As 2019 winds down, here are my nominations for the year’s most notable nutrition stories.

Most Over-Hyped Ingredient: Cannibidiol or CBD

CBD is a chemical found in the hemp or marijuana plant. Although CBD won’t get you high, there is some evidence to suggest that it might reduce pain and anxiety. It may also have anti-inflammatory properties. Evidence from controlled studies is still quite limited. 

RELATEDCBD Oil: Does the Science Support the Hype?

Nonetheless, CBD has become the hot new ingredient in everything from makeup to pet care products. In addition to tinctures and supplements, you can buy CBD-infused lotions, oils, room sprays, candles, and chocolates. 

The only CBD product to have been approved by the FDA so far is a prescription drug that treats certain rare types of epilepsy. Other than that use, the FDA considers other medical claims for CBD to be unproven.

The runaway popularity of CBD caught the regulatory agencies a little off guard. The FDA is scrambling to gather information and formulate its position. It’s still not clear whether CBD will be regulated as a food, drug, or dietary supplement. In the meantime, it’s pretty much the wild west. 

The only CBD product to have been approved by the FDA so far is a prescription drug that treats certain rare types of epilepsy. Other than that use, the FDA considers other medical claims for CBD to be unproven. They further warn that the limited data on the safety of CBD raises significant concerns about its use in humans or in pets.

A lot of the products out there riding the CBD craze don’t contain enough active ingredient to pose any real risk. But that means they are also unlikely to...

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What to Do When Pests Strike

Chiggers

There may be nothing more disgusting in this world than chiggers. You can pick them up in the woods, and they will lay eggs in the folds of your skin, causing a poison ivy-like rash. If you think you’ve been exposed to chiggers, take a hot bath. The heat will cause the larvae to die, making your pain (and disgust!) short-lived.

Lice

Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of parents like the words “lice outbreak.” The harsh chemicals that are used to fight lice are almost as bad as the lice themselves. Luckily, there is a cheaper, more natural alternative. Cover your child’s head (or yours, if the little buggers have gotten you!) with a thick conditioner like Pantene Pro V. Put on a Disney movie to keep your kid busy, then get a wide-toothed metal comb. Dip the comb into rubbing alcohol and comb through the hair, staying close to the scalp. Between each swipe, wipe the comb on a white paper towel to make sure you’re getting the lice. Dip the comb in the alcohol again and keep going. Cover the hair with baking soda, and then repeat the process with the alcohol and the comb. Wash hair thoroughly when finished, and repeat this procedure each day for a week or until the lice are gone.

Skunks

If your pet has been sprayed by a skunk, don’t despair! You can get rid of the stink with tomato juice. Put your poor pet in the tub or sink and pour tomato juice over him, making sure to work through the fur before rinsing. You may want to wear rubber gloves to make sure you keep the stench off your own hands!

Scorpions

Stings (sometimes called “bites”) from certain scorpions can cause medical complications and even be fatal for small children, so if you think you’ve been stung by a scorpion you should seek medical help right away. Applying mustard to a scorpion sting right after it occurs can help remove the venom and ease the pain.

Ticks

Oh no, you’ve got a tick! If you’re having trouble prying the little bugger off, apply a large glob of petroleum jelly to the area. Wait about 20 minutes, and you should be able to wipe him off with ease.

Find more helpful tips on our Bug and Pest Natural Remedies board on Pinterest...

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Does BODYPUMP Work? The Science Behind the Workout

After doing some undercover investigation into the Orangetheory Fitness gym chain, I received a flurry of email requests from listeners to look into other new gym fads like Pure Barre, Soul Cycle and BODYPUMP. So today, thanks to listeners Susan and Alyssa, I once again don my fake nose and mustache to get to the bottom of BODYPUMP.

The owner and creator of BODYPUMP (and yes, it is supposed to be in all-caps) is Les Mills who provides group fitness and team training programs for gyms all over the world. Les Mills offers strength, plyo, cardio, weights, martial arts, indoor cycling, and 30-minute high-intensity interval training all set to a custom playlist of music. They also sell clothing, workout equipment, music, and snacks. The company was founded in 1968 and is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

What is the BODYPUMP workout?

In a nutshell, BODYPUMP is a 30-, 45-, or 55-minute resistance workout that uses a barbell with very light weights and very high reps. Their theory behind the combo of lightweight and high reps is to “exhaust your muscles so you don’t get bulky, you just get strength and tone.” That makes very little sense if you break it down. Bodybuilders exhaust their muscles and so do marathon runners, but you couldn’t find two more diverse body types if you tried.

Their theory behind the combo of lightweight and high reps is to 'exhaust your muscles so you don’t get bulky, you just get strength and tone.' That makes very little sense if you break it down.

During the workout, you go through five or six specific exercises, in different combinations, and end up completing approximately 800 to 1000 reps in one 55-minute session. The BODYPUMP website says “The secret to BODYPUMP is The Rep Effect—a breakthrough in resistance training that helps create long, lean muscles and a toned, strong physique.” I'll get into the science behind this so-called Rep Effect later.

The exercises you can expect at a BODYPUMP workout are:

  • Chest Press
  • Squat
  • Deadrow
  • Clean and Press
  • Lunge
  • Reverse Curl

To complete the minimum of 800 reps, each exercise will have to be done 133 times during the workout. As they say in New Zealand, "That's a lot of reps, mate!" Having watched pretty much all the videos on the BODYPUMP website, it looks to me like there's a lot (and I do mean a lot) of Clean and Press going on.

Obviously, people who are new to BODYPUMP won’t start at 800 reps, they will work up to this. Or at least, they should. (Too much, too soon, anyone?)

Music is a...

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More Fun Snowy Science Experiments

The December holiday season means many of us have kids to entertain while they're out of school. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, where December also means cold temperatures, we talked on a previous episode about fun science experiments to do like freezing bubbles, deflating balloons without letting the air out, and making maple syrup candy. But you can also do some fun science experiments with the snow itself, including making your own. And that's a bonus if your kids can’t get enough of Frozen II.  

The study of snow

Scientists study snow and the role it plays in our ecosystems. Ever heard of watermelon snow? According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, a form of cryophilic (that means cold-loving), freshwater algae found in the Alps gives the snow it lives in a pinkish hue. The Taylor Glacier in Antarctica is home to Blood Falls, so named for its blood-red snow. Saltwater from an ancient reservoir underneath the glacier seeps out, and when it hits the air, the iron-rich water oxidizes, giving it a deep red color. 

And even though it doesn’t snow everywhere on our planet, snow contains information about global climate conditions. For example, researchers dig deep snow pits in places like Greenland and Antarctica to observe old layers of snow and ice that can tell us about the amount of carbon dioxide that was in the atmosphere when that snow was closer to the surface. Scientists also study snow to understand how to predict snowstorms better 

How to Catch Snowflakes

For something so small, snowflakes have incredibly intricate shapes that always have six sides because the oxygen and hydrogen atoms that make up the water molecules in snow fit together most efficiently in a hexagonal pattern. (Keep that in mind if you want to keep your cut-out paper snowflakes scientifically accurate!)

To get a better look at this detail, you can try catching a few snowflakes to investigate them up close. 

Snowflakes have incredibly intricate shapes that always have six sides because the oxygen and hydrogen atoms that make up the water molecules in snow fit together most efficiently in a hexagonal pattern.

If the snow is fluffy enough, you may be able to catch...

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Senin, 23 Desember 2019

9 Pro Secrets to Perfect Podcasting

Today we’ll explore how to create a great podcast, and what Grammar Girl and I have learned in our years of podcasting.

My launch as the Get-it-Done Guy came about as a guest appearance hosting the Grammar Girl podcast. That was 12 years ago this week! As I prepare to turn over the reins of the Get-it-Done Guy podcast to its incoming host, the talented and savvy Rachel Cooke, it seemed fitting to return to Grammar Girl and explore what we’ve learned from years behind the microphone.

1. Motivation and passion are the key to success

Know why you’re creating your podcast, and make sure it’s enough to keep you motivated. Creating a podcast is work, and creating one on a regular, consistent schedule is a lot of work. Make sure you’re devoted enough to see it through.

2. Practice reading from a script

You’d think reading from a script would be just like first grade—open up the text and read aloud. What you might not remember from first grade are the awkward pauses, the indrawn breaths, and the fact that you sounded like a first-grader reading out loud from a text.

A business colleague listened to my first few episodes and promptly said, "You sound like you’re reading from a script. Poorly.” They were right.

A business colleague listened to my first few episodes and promptly said, "You sound like you’re reading from a script. Poorly.” They were right. My reading was stilted. Better than a first-grader, yes, but nowhere near the quality level I’d need.

That doesn’t fly in a podcast. Reading from a script is a serious skill. Practice until you sound natural and engaging.

3. Try voice lessons

Make sure your voice sounds nice. A round, resonant voice works very well in an audio medium. If you don’t have that kind of a voice, you can get one! I didn’t have a beautiful, resonant voice, so I took voice lessons. When you learn vocal control, your vocal quality can improve dramatically.

4. Train yourself to read ahead

Next, learn to read ahead by a few words or a sentence. By knowing what’s coming next, you can adjust the tone of the sentence you’re in the middle of reading aloud so it will flow smoothly. Imagine the script:

It’s a wonderful day-
time soap opera

You might read the first line as a complete sentence and then stumble when you get to the second line and realize you were actually in the...

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Anxious Attachment Style and Relationship Anxiety? Acceptance Is the Key

A patient of mine, let’s call her Amy, has an anxiety problem. But you won't find it on any formal list of anxiety disorders.

Amy feels absolutely fine ... as long as she’s not dating anyone seriously. But within a week or two of getting seriously involved with someone, she finds herself preoccupied with the fear that they’re going to leave her.

She knows her anxiety is irrational, but she can’t seem to get control of it. And as a result, her relationships always seem to end badly.

Amy can’t figure out what’s wrong with her. She wasn’t abused or neglected as a child. And she doesn’t have any more anxiety than anyone else, as long as she’s not in a relationship.

What is anxious attachment style?

The fact is, there’s nothing wrong with Amy at all. She simply has what we mental health folks call an anxious attachment style.

Attunement to emotional danger is actually kind of a gift. But it’s a paradoxical gift. If you don’t manage it well, it can make your life pretty miserable.

That means she’s just more attuned than most people to cues that might signal possible danger in a relationship. Things other people might not even notice—like how many times the other person’s phone rings before going to voicemail.

That kind of attunement to emotional danger is actually kind of a gift. But it’s a paradoxical gift. If you don’t manage it well, it can make your life pretty miserable.

How your anxious attachment style makes you vulnerable to relationship anxiety

As you and I discussed in Episode 15, we humans are wired to need secure connections to the people around us. Which makes sense, since we’re a highly social species. In the state of nature 200,000 years ago on the plains of Africa, it was extremely dangerous to be out in the wilderness alone.

But people are very diverse. Some of us happen to be much more sensitive than others to perceived threats to a relationship.

In the 1960s, we made a big discovery—young children vary in how sensitive they are to abandonment. If you separate a young child from their mother for three minutes, then reunite them again, the most common result is that the child will get briefly upset, then quickly settle down and forget about the whole thing. But there’s a smaller population of kids who stay agitated for a much longer time, during which they hold on very tight to Mom and won’t let her out of their sight.

About 20 percent of adults—or one in five—have an anxious attachment style. They spend a lot...

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Minggu, 22 Desember 2019

Strategies to Soothe Your Child's Anger Meltdown

No parent wants to experience their child's angry meltdown. Not only is it challenging to witness the fury unfolding, but you know that the moment is even more difficult for your child. You may feel helpless or frustrated by fits of rage. But with the right tools, you can teach your child to regain control and manage anger in healthy ways. 

Sooner or later, every child has an anger meltdown

I’ll never forget the first time one of my kids completely lost his cool. We were at Grandma’s house for a fun afternoon of fishing on the pond. Everything was picture-perfect—the weather, the new fishing gear, the delicious picnic lunch packed with my little guy’s favorite treats. The moment we arrived, my four-year old took one look at the row boat and the bucket of bait and totally lost it. In front of my in-laws. Eek!

My four-year old took one look at the row boat and the bucket of bait and totally lost it. In front of my in-laws.

Not certain what had set him off, I felt helpless as I watched his body stiffen and his face redden. Then he launched into a tirade about having to be at his grandparents with the stupid fish!

Have you ever been in a similar boat? (No pun intended!) Observing your sweet child’s volcanic eruption is unsettling. But how you react can make all the difference in how he recovers and moves forward after he explodes.

Instead of blasting back in a rage of your own, implement one of these strategies to defuse the tension and bring some cool back to your fired-up child.

Keep your own emotions in check

During the fishing incident, my first instinct was to get angry myself and demand an explanation for my son's ungrateful behavior. He was only four at the time, but his outburst was so unexpected it both surprised and frustrated me to see him behaving that way.

Fortunately, I didn’t respond in a volatile way. (Wouldn’t want to behave like that in front of the in-laws!) I was able to keep my composure and stay calm. And that's one of the essential keys to handling an angry child.

In 10 Tips To Help Your Child With Anger, clinical psychologist and parenting expert Dr. Laura Markham reminds parents: “Your anger will only make the storm worse. Your job is to restore calm, because kids can only learn and understand how to 'do better' when they're calm.” 

RELATEDFive Strategies to Refresh Family Discipline and Restore Calm

Acknowledge and validate

When I’m struggling...

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Jumat, 20 Desember 2019

Pregnancy Anxiety? Here's How to Keep Calm and Carry On

If you're pregnant and experiencing anxiety, you're in good company. Approximately 60% of women will feel significant pregnancy anxiety at some point. This includes both mental components, like worrying about worst-case scenarios and riding extreme mood swings, and physical components like feeling tension and having a hard time relaxing into sleep.

Pregnancy is amazing. In 40 weeks, two cells go from just meeting each other to having turned into a tiny human. For some, having a baby is a surprise, and for others, the result of a long and arduous journey to conception. For some, it’s a terrifying prospect; for others, it's something they were born ready to do. For everyone, the experience is unique. 

Pregnancy is amazing. In 40 weeks, two cells go from just meeting each other to having turned into a tiny human.

The weeks when you're expecting a child are a special time full of change. For a pregnant woman, the amount of physical, mental, and existential changes that happen in such a short time can be dizzying. I'm expecting my first baby in February 2020. For me, it’s been a mix of emotions all happening on top of seismic changes in my body. During a process as life-changing as this, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

It's normal to have anxiety during pregnancy

You may be particularly at risk for anxiety and other mood problems during pregnancy if you:

  • Have a high-risk pregnancy
  • Have had a mood disorder in the past
  • Had previous difficulties with pregnancies or fertility
  • Have high levels of stress in your life and relationships. 

That doesn’t mean you’re doomed to have a bad pregnancy experience. Even if you do experience anxiety, know it's totally normal to be nervous—after all, you're going through one of the biggest life changes there is.

To help yourself enjoy this time and take it all in stride, here are some tips for keeping calm so you can carry on.

1. Educate yourself about pregnancy

A healthy amount of knowledge and preparation can go a long way toward easing anxiety about pregnancy and childbirth. Often, the things we worry about are scary because we don’t know exactly what we’re scared of. Ever notice how, in horror movies, it’s always the lead-up to opening the door that’s the worst part? As the music is getting tenser, dread is building because you don’t know when the monster is going to leap out for...

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Kamis, 19 Desember 2019

What Does ‘Pitch Black’ Mean?

If you’re a listener in the Northern Hemisphere, this Saturday will be the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year. If you live there, solstice comes every year on December 21 or 22, the day when the path of the sun is the farthest south from that hemisphere. If you live in the other half of the world, it comes on June 20 or 21, when the sun is the farthest north from you. 

Either way, that day has the least daylight and the longest night.  

If you look outside that evening, especially if it’s cloudy, you might think to yourself that the sky is pitch black. Then, if you’re like me, you start wondering what “pitch” is, and if it’s really black, and where that phrase came from anyway.

Here’s the scoop. 

Pitch is indeed a black—or very dark brown substance. It’s created from distilling wood tar—that’s the resinous goo that drips from some coniferous trees. It’s been used for centuries to caulk the seams of ships and to waterproof other types of wood.

“Pitch” is an ancient word. It can be traced back to the classical Latin word “pic,” and it’s probably even older than that, because it shares the same Indo-European root as the same word in ancient Greek. It’s first use in English—at least, as recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary—dates all the way back to Old English. The phrase “black as pitch” appears later, in the 1300s, and the adjective “pitch black” appears yet later, in the 1500s. The spelling at that time occasionally—and probably accidentally—reflected the Latin version. A Scottish poem from that time describes the night as being “grim an’ ghastly an’ pick black”—spelled P-I-C-K—as opposed to “pitch” black.  

By the way, the verb “to pitch” sounds the same as the noun, and is spelled the same, but it has a different root word: the Middle English “picch," which is probably related to “pick.” Just a reminder that not all words that look the same have the same origin.

Long story short, your tidbit for today is that something pitch black is intensely black or dark. Think of a piece of black velvet, held under the covers, in a darkened room. That captures the feeling of pitch blackness.

Enjoy your winter solstice, everyone, and stay warm and safe.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Sources

Dent, Susie. Pitch. Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 19th ed. Chambers Harrap, 2012...

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Six Ways To Get All The Vitamins And Minerals You Need From Your Diet

Over the past several years, people have become more health-conscious—we exercise more, watch our diet and take care of our overall well-being. Younger people especially have been observed to be more conscious of their health-related choices.

Naturally, since healthy eating is a critical part of health consciousness, people have taken to educating themselves on how their diet affects their health.

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients for the development and functionality of the body. As such, it is important to take in a healthy amount of them every day. They are also referred to as micronutrients because they are only needed in small quantities by the body.

It is, however, essential to note that all micronutrients are not needed in the same amounts. According to the WHO, there are three main micronutrients in need of immediate attention: vitamin A, iodine and iron. These three micronutrients are essential for the growth, development, and functionality of the human body, especially in pregnant women and children.

Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients for the development and functionality of the body.

Although food is the primary way to obtain vitamins and minerals, supplements are a great option, too. They can be especially useful for people with specific conditions related to digestion or in case of an acute lack of micronutrients.

One major challenge with finding the right supplements is that the market is filled with placebos parading as genuine products. When buying, make sure to purchase from recognized and trusted names like Biogena USA. Popular brands are less likely to use placebos or make outrageous claims on their products.

For most people, however, food remains the main source of micronutrients. The famous 5-A-Day eating schedule has been recommended by the health professionals as a great way for people to meet up with their micronutrient requirements through their diet. Whether you’re on the 5-A-Day plan or you’re trying to meet up with your micronutrient requirements another way, there are a couple of steps you can take to maximize your diet.

Here are six ways you can get the most vitamins and minerals from your diet:

1. Shop for fresh and local food items

Because of the huge food demand, large corporations often have to harvest fruits and vegetables prematurely and allow them to ripen off the stalk. The downside to this is that the veggies and fruits do not get to absorb enough micronutrients from the plants before being harvested.

If the fruits and...

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How to Make a Carpet Stain Remover from Household Items

Using Salt

If you spill any liquid on your carpet, pour salt on the area as soon as possible and watch it absorb the liquid almost instantly. Wait until it dries, then vacuum it up. Salt tends to provide a special capillary attraction that will work for most liquids. There are a few stains that salt will actually help set, however—never sprinkle it on red wine, coffee, tea, or cola!

Vomit Stains

If you have kids, you’ve had to clean up vomit. Baking soda can make the job a little less gross if you sprinkle some on top as soon as possible. It will soak up some of the mess and make the smell easier to deal with when you have to go at it with the paper towels.

Ink Stains

Ink stains on the carpet? Make a paste of cream of tartar and lemon juice, and dab at the stain. Let it sit for five minutes or so, then clean with a damp cloth.

Red Wine Stains

What’s the easiest way to remove red wine spills from your carpet? Try applying a bit of shaving cream (after checking that the carpet is colorfast), and letting it sit for a minute before wiping away. Shaving cream will also work on grease stains.

Coffee and Tea Stains

Coffee stains can be frustrating, but you can get them out of your carpet by pouring beer on them. That’s right—just dribble a couple of sips onto the stain, and it should vanish. Dab up the extra beer with a paper towel, and if the coffee stain doesn’t go away completely, repeat the task a few more times. This trick works on tea stains too. Alternatively, to remove coffee stains from carpet or clothing, rub a beaten egg yolk into the spot, leave for five minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Grease Stains

If you’ve got kids, you’re guaranteed to end up with a grease stain on your carpet. The big thing to remember is to not touch the stain at all—don’t sop it up, wipe it, or do anything else. Instead, pour a large amount of cornstarch on top of the spot and gently stir it with your finger. Let it sit for a day, and make sure no one walks on it. The next day, use your vacuum cleaner’s hose attachment (the plastic one, not the one with bristles) to suck away the cornstarch. The stain should be mostly gone, but if it’s not, repeat this action until it completely disappears. You can then use the brush attachment to clear away the last remnants of cornstarch.

Burns

Here...

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What Are Frankincense and Myrrh?

Christmastime is almost here. The Christmas story tells of the baby Jesus being visited by three kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We all know what gold is. But in our tidbit for today, we’ll explain what the other two are. 

Frankincense is a tree resin

Let’s start with frankincense. It’s a resin that’s gathered from Boswellia trees—specifically the species B. frereana, B. sacra, B. papyrifera, and B. serrata. They all grow in the dry, mountainous regions of India, North Africa, and the Middle East. 

The resin of these trees has been used as incense in religious ceremonies for centuries. It’s the sweet, citrusy smell thatcan still be found today in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Throughout history, it’s also been used as makeup, for embalming dead bodies, and as a medicine. Ancient texts describe it as a remedy for everything from ringworm to bronchitis. 

The word “frankincense” comes from Old French. It’s a mashup of “franc,” meaning “candid and unreserved,” and “encens,” meaning, well, incense. In this case, the adjective “franc” seems to have served the meaning of “high quality.” 

Thus, “frankincense” refers to top-shelf incense. 

Myrrh is a tree resin too!

Myrrh is also a gummy tree resin. This one comes from African and Arabian trees of the genus Commiphora, especially C. abyssinica and C. myrrha. 

Myrrh was highly valued in ancient times. It was used to make fancy perfumes, incenses, and cosmetics. And it was also used as medicine. In fact, myrrh is mentioned more frequently than any other plant in the writings of Hippocrates. He was the ancient Greek physician and author of the Hippocratic oath, the ethical code that even today guides the behavior of physicians.

The word “myrrh” was borrowed from the classical Latin “murra,” which describes the Commiphora tree. It’s believed to have a Semitic base—the Hebrew word “mar"—meaning “bitter.” And myrrh does indeed give off a sharp, piney odor when burned.  

So, that’s your tidbit for today. The magi who were said to visit baby Jesus brought him gold—and tree sap. But it was sap that was highly valued at the time, both in religious ceremonies and as a healing medicine. 

Sources

Cohen, Jennie. A Wise Man’s Cure: Frankincense and Myrrh. History.com, accessed November 18, 2019.

Encyclopedia Britannica, online edition....

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Rabu, 18 Desember 2019

10 Facts About Solo 401(k) Retirement Accounts You Should Know

Brady H., a member of my Dominate Your Dollars Facebook group, recently posted some great questions. He says:

“I had an LLC, in which I was the sole owner, and I opened a solo 401(k) and a solo Roth 401(k). But I changed the business to an S corporation, and I hired my girlfriend as a non-paid employee. Can I still have the solo 401(k)s even though I have an employee? Also, do my contributions for the current year need to be in the account by April 16 or just requested by then?”

Brady, thanks for your posts in the DYD group! A solo 401(k) is a fantastic retirement plan for a solopreneur, but it comes with some unique rules. In this post, I’ll answer Brady’s questions and explain 10 facts about using a solo 401(k), so you can save more for retirement.

10 facts about solo 401(k) retirement accounts

Before using a solo 401(k), make sure that you understand the following facts.

1. Eligibility is generally limited to solopreneurs

A solo 401(k) is a type of retirement plan for the self-employed. It’s also known as an individual 401(k), a one-participant 401(k), and a uni-401(k). It comes with a unique requirement in the world of retirement plans: You can only use it if your business has no full-time employees other than the owner(s) and their spouse(s).

You qualify for a solo 401(k) no matter your profession or business entity, such as a sole proprietor, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. You can be self-employed part-time, full-time, or even while you simultaneously work for other employers.

If your spouse works in your business, even as a paid employee, you can still have a solo 401(k), and you and your spouse can both make contributions as owner-employees.

There’s no threshold for how much revenue your solo business must make. As long as you intend to make a profit and don’t have excluded employees on the payroll, you’re eligible for a solo 401(k).

However, be aware of two exceptions to the no-employee rule. One is if your spouse works in your business, even as a paid employee. You can still have a solo 401(k), and you and your spouse can both make contributions as owner-employees.

Another exception is the ability to have part-time employees who work less than 1,000 hours per year. Note that you can have an unlimited number of businesses or other self-employed folks working with you, such as 1099 contractors and freelancers. But once you hire a W-2 employee who works full-time hours, you can no longer contribute to a solo 401(k).

It's important to keep in mind that self-employment...

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Selasa, 17 Desember 2019

A Better Approach to Personalized Nutrition

This is the era of personalized nutrition. It’s not about figuring out which diet is healthiest for humans anymore. Two people can follow the same diet and have very results. Our genes, environment, health history—even the environment and diet that our parents had before we were even born—all influence how our bodies respond to foods and nutrients.

So how do we go about customizing our diets to fit our unique needs?

In the past, people have proposed basing your diet on your blood type, body shape, or where your ancestors hail from. None of these methods have really stood up to scientific scrutiny.

RELATED:

Blood Type Diet

Ask the Diva: Should People of European Descent Avoid Tropical Fruits?

More recently, as medical technology has advanced, diets based on DNA profiles or microbiome analysis are making the rounds. Some have these are still speculative. Others have some solid science to back them up.

RELATED:

Personalized Nutrition: The Latest on DNA-Based Diets

Just a couple of weeks ago, for example, I talked about a company that has developed and validated an algorithm that can predict your blood sugar response to foods based on an analysis of your intestinal flora.

RELATED:

Can Your Microbiome Reveal Your Ideal Diet?

Knowing what to eat doesn't always equal eating a healthy diet

In response to that episode one of my colleagues, a registered dietitian named Nancy Teeter, made a very astute observation on my Facebook page: "People can know their perfect diet," she pointed out, "and still choose not to follow it."

Many people know what they should be eating. Knowing better doesn’t always lead to doing better.

This is a point that often gets lost in all the excitement about personalized nutrition! I work with people all the time who know full well that the dietary choices they are making are not supporting their health. They know what they should be eating. Knowing better doesn’t always lead to doing better.

I think we often kid ourselves that having more information will result in making better choices, especially if that information is highly specific to us. This is why people sign up for nutrition counseling. But as most nutritionists and dietitians that work with people one-on-one will tell you, very little of their counseling consists of telling people what they should and...

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6 Clever Yet Easy Space Savers for Small Bathrooms

Shower Rod Hanger

Is your shower loaded with loofahs, sponges, and bath toys? Keep them all in one convenient place by installing a spare curtain rod in the back of the shower and hanging them on S-shaped hooks. You can also use the rod to hang-dry bathing suits, wet towels, and clothing, or as hanging storage space for cleaning supplies.

Fun Way to Store Towels

If you’re short on space in your bathroom, here’s a crafty idea for storing towels—use an old wine rack! Rolled up, they’ll fit perfectly into the bottle-sized slots intended for wine. (Rolled up magazines and newspapers also fit!)

From Spice Rack to Bathroom Caddy

Turn a wall-mounted spice rack into a bathroom caddy! Use it to store small shampoo and conditioner bottles, soaps, lotions, nail polishes, makeup, cotton balls—and any other nebulous items that collect around your bathroom sink.

A Shoe-In for Bathroom Storage

If you need extra storage space in your bathroom, one of our favorite fixes is using an over-the-door plastic shoe storage container. Available at home stores, these organizers are perfect for make-up, lotion, and even small appliances like curling irons.

Cans for Holders

We love this handy solution for storing brushes, combs, and other hair products: Repurpose large soup, bean, or other tin cans! First, cover the cans with wrapping or contact paper to match your bathroom’s design—simply cut the paper to size and glue it around the cans with white craft glue or Mod Podge. Then use in your overcrowded cabinets or apply adhesive strips (such as the Command brand) to attach the brush holders to the wall or to the inside of a cabinet door.

Fruit Baskets

Those hanging three-tiered baskets that you usually find holding fruit in the kitchen are also perfect for bathrooms. Store brushes, hair gel, Band-Aids, or whatever else is taking up too much space in your medicine cabinet. If placed out of reach of your kids, it’s also a great place to store shaving supplies.

For more household tips, don't forget...

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Can High-intensity Exercise Improve Your Memory?

A recent study published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism has some very exciting findings in the fight against memory loss and dementia. I probably don't need to tell you how debilitating dementia can be if you've experienced it with someone you care about. If you haven't, count yourself lucky.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that around 50 million people worldwide have dementia. Nearly 60 percent live in low- and middle-income countries. Every year, there are nearly 10 million new cases. And to make matters worse, the total number of people with dementia is projected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million by 2050. 

Currently, there's no treatment or cure for dementia or even a way to alter its progression. That makes preventative treatments, such as the study I'm focussing on today, even more exciting. Thankfully, numerous new treatments are being investigated, which are at various stages of clinical trials. So it's not all doom and gloom.

Although there is no cure, there are several things that can be done to support and improve the lives of individuals who have dementia, including (from the WHO):

  • Early diagnosis in order to promote early and optimal management
  • Optimizing physical health, cognition, activity and well-being
  • Identifying and treating accompanying physical illness
  • Detecting and treating challenging behavioral and psychological symptoms
  • Providing information and long-term support to carers

And, as I am focussing on today, movement and exercise play a role in brain health. 

Exercise and your brain

Exercise affects the brain in many ways. To start with, exercise generally increases your heart rate, which in turn pumps more oxygen to the brain. Exercise aids the release of hormones, which provide an excellent environment for the growth of new brain cells. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating the growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain. Research from UCLA even demonstrated that exercise increased growth factors in the brain, which makes it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal connections.

While researchers are still trying to determine the exact critical factors that make exercise so good for the brain, the focus seems to be narrowing in on increased blood flow to the brain, surges of growth hormones, and massive expansion of the brain’s network of blood...

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Transcript: An Interview with Joel Schwartzberg



Is Astrology Real? Here's What Science Says

Is astrology real? Reading horoscopes is a popular diversion, but is there any science to suggest it means anything?

Inspiration finds you if you’re willing to dedicate yourself to a cause. 

Problems may arise when you’re tempted by a familiar disruption and your willpower weakens. 

Something appearing meaningless may be a lesson to learn. 

As many as 70 million Americans read their horoscopes daily. Well, that’s at least according to the American Federation of Astrologers. According to a study done twenty years ago by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 25 percent of Americans believed that the positions of the stars and the planets affect our daily lives. In 2012, the General Social Survey found that 34 percent of Americans surveyed consider astrology to be "very" or "sort of scientific" and also reported a decrease—from two-thirds to around one-half—in the fraction of people who consider astrology "not at all scientific."

Astrology is generally defined as the belief that astronomical phenomena, like the stars overhead when you were born or the fact that Mercury is in retrograde, have the power to influence the daily events in our lives and our personality traits. This is, of course, very different from the study of astronomy, which is the scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physics of the universe. 

Astrology is very different from the study of astronomy, which is the scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physics of the universe.

A specific aspect of astrology—the forecasting of a person’s future or the offering of advice on daily activities via horoscopes—is particularly growing in popularity. Magazines like The Cut reported an increase of 150 percent more hits on horoscope pages in 2017 than in 2016.

Clearly, lots of people are looking for ways to interpret the stars for advice. Astrology is founded on understanding the positions of the stars, which seems like a scientific enough pursuit in itself. But is there any science to back up whether astrology impacts our personality and our lives?

Here's the short Answer: No. None whatsoever.

But...

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How to Measure Progress and Achieve Goals

Measurement! I just love measurement. That’s because it tells you how you’re doing and how much progress you’ve made. Progress checks can motivate you, help you catch yourself when you’re slacking, and tell you when to change course. 

Without giving thought to how you define progress, however, you can measure the wrong thing, or measure the wrong way. You might end up demoralized for no reason, or falling behind unknowingly on a project, or missing opportunities. So if you’re going to measure progress, do it right! Turn off auto-pilot “gut checks” and measure progress thoughtfully.

Measure process goals

If you’re Type A like me, you probably overwork yourself, under the assumption that more work gives more progress. But does it? Have you ever measured? Just being busy and stressed doesn’t mean we’re getting anything done. We need to track how far we are from our goal, and whether we’re closing that gap.

First determine the kind of goals you’re chasing. Episode 462, “Grow a Pair for Your Career,” outlines the difference between outcome goals and process goals. Outcome goals—like getting a promotion—are something you strive for, not something you just do. Process goals, on the other hand, are measurable actions that help you get closer to your outcome goal, like making ten more sales calls each day. 

If you’re going to measure progress, do it right! Turn off auto-pilot “gut checks” and measure progress thoughtfully.

On a daily basis, measure progress through movement toward your process goals. It doesn’t matter how much you work, only whether that work takes you closer to finishing that day’s process goals. Then check that your process goals are doing what they should, by tracking overall movement toward an outcome goal.

For example, if you work in sales, your process goal might be to make fifty cold calls a day. If that’s your goal, sending two hundred emails should not count as progress. What’s more, if your outcome goal is to close sales, and you haven’t closed one in months, you may need to rethink if you have the right process goals. Maybe “number of calls” doesn’t lead to sales. Maybe you need to make progress on the quality of your calls, instead. So make your new process goal tweaking your sales pitch, and direct some work toward that.

Measure how far you’ve come

Another way to track progress is to look at how far you...

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Senin, 16 Desember 2019

Joel Schwartzberg: Get to the Point

In this interview, I talked with Joel Schwartzberg, author of "Get to the Point," a book about identifying your main point to give better talks, write better articles, and communicate better.

We talked about:

  • The difference between having a point and presenting an idea
  • The intersection between storytelling and getting to the point
  • How to identify your point
  • When you should present your point
  • How and why to avoid "badjectives"
  • How to write better email messages
  • Why greetings are important

Joel is currently Senior Director of Strategic and Executive Communications for the ASPCA in New York City and has been teaching effective presentation techniques to clients including American Express, Blue Apron, the Brennan Center for Justice, Comedy Central, the American Jewish Committee, and North Point Ministries since 2006. His articles on effective point-making have appeared in Fast CompanyHarvard Business ReviewToastmaster Magazine, and The Huffington Post. A frequent conference presenter and workshop leader, Joel is a former national champion and state champion competitive public speaker. After coaching public speaking teams at the University of Pennsylvania and Seton Hall University, Joel was inducted into the National Forensic Association Hall of Fame in 2002. A staunch proponent of the serial comma, Joel can be reached at www.joelschwartzberg.net.

You can listen to the entire interview by clicking the player above or by finding the Grammar Girl podcast on any podcasting app, but if you prefer to read it, we also have a complete (rough) transcript.

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Minggu, 15 Desember 2019

Why "We Need to Talk" Isn't the Best Way to Save Your Relationship

It is a truth universally acknowledged that among the most dreaded four words anyone can hear from a partner are “We need to talk.”

I looked up “We need to talk” on Urban Dictionary. According to one contributor, the phrase means “Listen to me now or I’m walking out the door.” Another defined it as “The end of your relationship, or something that could mean the end of your relationship unless you take it really seriously.” A third suggested it was “the perfect time to fake a heart attack.”

However you define it, these four words are clearly something you never want to hear your partner say.

Why is everyone afraid of being told, "We Need to Talk"?

Sometimes, of course, the thing that makes the phrase “We need to talk” so bad is what comes next. Whatever your partner says after “We need to talk about those text-messages I just found on your phone” is going to be unpleasant for both of you.

You’d think talking about your relationship would be a good thing. But if that’s true, then why do so many of us dread it?

But sometimes the phrase doesn’t mean you’re about to be called out for something. Sometimes it just means “We need to talk . . . about our relationship.” You’d think talking about your relationship would be a good thing. But if that’s true, then why do so many of us dread it?

As Patrica Love and Steven Stosny point out in their book, How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It, when one person says to the other, “Honey, we need to talk about our relationship,” you almost never hear the other person say, “Wow, that makes me so happy. I’m really eager to share my feelings about our relationship with you, too.”

Let’s take a look at why we’re so resistant.

“We need to talk” really means “I need to talk”

As regular listeners to this podcast will instantly recognize, the phrase “We need to talk” is completely inaccurate. The problem, of course, is the word “we.” What you really want to say is “I”—“I need to talk.” A lot of people in relationships use “we” when they really mean “I.”

'I need to talk' tells the other person that what you’re about to say is subjective. It’s your own experience.

“I need to talk,” or “I need to talk with you,” sounds much better. Because it tells the other person that what you’re about to say is subjective. It’s your own experience. “...

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4 Reasons to Celebrate Your Quirky Child

After adopting our daughter and then overcoming a five-year bout with infertility, I looked forward to hanging out with other moms so I could share in the joy of all thing’s motherhood. I found a wonderful group of kindred mommy spirits, but I also found something else—the ability to compare my kid’s milestones and accomplishments with her peers. This was a positive when my child was developing ahead of the group, but an unexpected downer when one of my children was clearly behind schedule. Not only that, but she didn't behave like the rest of her peers did—she was the odd one.

The other toddlers explored and created things with Play-Doh, but my daughter wouldn’t touch it until she smelled it. She also took big whiffs of the crayons, glue sticks, and the construction paper before she’d color. She was also fixated on a popular Cartoon Network series, The Powerpuff Girls. She resonated with the character Buttercup, the black sheep of the family. For several years, she likened herself to this cartoon tomboy who hated girly stuff and liked to fight.

Every child has a unique personality, but some kids are particularly unusual in comparison to their peers. While this can be a flag for a developmental concern, it might just be that you have a quirky kid on your hands. Here are five ways to embrace and celebrate your beloved oddball.

1. Quirky kids are creative

Quirky children are not only endearing, but they're often highly creative. They have unique views of the world.

My daughter expressed her creativity through her infatuation with Buttercup. She also articulated her creativity in the way she dressed—stripes and plaids for this gal!—and in the way she decorated her bedroom with loud colors and patterns. Singing at the top of her lungs while moving and grooving was also freed her spirit!

Science supports the notion that those who march to the beat of their own drums—the highly individualistic people we often see as strange—are true originals.

As an article in the Canva blog points out, science supports the notion that those who march to the beat of their own drums—the highly individualistic people we often see as strange—are true originals. They're less likely to respond to authority and respect (or even truly understand) social norms. But they've got something else going for them—they're uniquely positioned to develop off-the-charts creative talents.

The article about how weird people can be ultra-creative reinforced what I already knew....

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Jumat, 13 Desember 2019

99 Problems at Work? Try the One-Pound Strategy

True confession—my heart’s bleeding, and it’s for Jay-Z. Sure his life and wife look all sorts of glam, but let’s get real—he’s got 99 problems. The internet says, so it must be true.

Ah, problems. They’re all around us, haunting and taunting us without an ounce of shame. Much like Jay, we’ve all got ‘em in every facet of our lives. My expertise doesn’t qualify me to advise on who you date, what you should binge-watch on Netflix, or whether or not to go paleo, but I'm never shy about diving into a conversation on solving problems in the workplace.

Everyone has problems at work

In my practice, I hear all sorts of issues plaguing those around the water cooler. Comments like:

  • I have 17 hours of meetings today and I still have to get that brief written up
  • I am so bored in my job. Every day feels like I’m on autopilot
  • My big project is totally stuck because everything is caught up in an approval process and I can’t move forward

Any of these sounds familiar, or even familiar-adjacent? If yes, we’ve all been there with you. And if no, please give me a call—QDT may need you to host your own podcast on living problem-free!

No one gets through their working life without problems. And while it's nice to know you're not alone in your workplace struggles, what do you do about them? Many of us groan and grumble around the water cooler to blow off steam and then rage-eat the stale donuts leftover from the morning’s staff meeting (definitely not paleo, btw). But then what?

Finding solutions is hard work. Unless … the word “solution” is actually the problem.

Are we too focused on solutions?

At a client organization several months ago, I was talking to a product manager named Liz. No disrespect, but poor Liz was not looking well. Under-eye circles, chewed-up cuticles … Liz bore all the signs of burnout.

I sat down with her and she showed me her calendar. It looked unwell, too. Overlapping colored boxes showing meetings on top of meetings. No wonder Liz barely had the will to move.

I said “Liz ... that’s a lot. Is there maybe just one meeting you have this week that you can find a way to opt out of? Like, literally, just one?”

Do you know what Liz said? “I don’t think that’s really a solution.”

Solutions are all around us, often disguised in one-pound increments.

I invited Liz to sit by me while I told her a quick story, and I promised that, in the end, it would be relevant. Because she was too tired to move anyway, Liz was a captive audience. So I told her about something I'd recently read. It was about a...

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