How To Live a Meaningful Life (Hint: It's About Values)

I recently heard from Amy, a former client of mine checking in to let me know she's doing great. I remember Amy well. She's an intelligent, hard-working, social, all-around go-getter. When she came to therapy, her life looked perfect on paper. But she always felt dissatisfied, like the pieces of her life just didn’t quite add up to a whole that made her happy. She felt restless at her high-paying job, couldn’t stay in love with her serially monogamous partners, and felt disconnected from her family even though she was frequently in touch with them.

I remember asking her, “Amy, what are your values? What is your life all about?”

She started listing goals. She wanted to get a Master’s degree. She wanted to move her career into sustainability technology. She wanted to be married within a couple of years. She planned to have two kids. She wanted to lose five more pounds.

At some point, I gently interrupted her. “Amy, these are goals. Items on a checklist. My question was about your overarching values, your life’s meaning.”

She was baffled. “What’s the difference?”

Amongst my clients—whether they came to me for help with managing anxiety, healing after loss, or even just sleeping better—this difference between values and goals almost always comes up as an important turning point. For Amy, it was life-changing.

What is the difference between goals and values?

Imagine you’re sailing a boat on the sea. The islands you see on the horizon, the ones you are working hard to get to, are your life’s goals and milestones. Perhaps graduating from college is an island you aim for, or reading all of Shakespeare’s works. Perhaps starting your own business, having kids, or buying a house are others. Amy had many of these islands behind her, conquered. She also always had plenty on the horizon, driving her to work ever harder.

What if we zoom out, and instead of blindly island-hopping, look up to find the North Star?

Each time she planted her flag on an island, it was temporarily satisfying. That promotion at work was exciting! But once she had basked in that initial sense of accomplishment, she would look up and realize she was still lost, still unsure where to find lasting happiness. She always thought the solution was to start going toward the next island because if only she could get there, she’d finally be satisfied, right?

What if we zoom out, and instead of blindly island-hopping, look up to find the North Star? Your North Star. Something you believe in to offer a greater direction for your life. Some people value social cohesion, some value knowledge, or creative productivity, or service to others, or connection to nature, or any...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

What Does ‘Bougie’ Mean? Does It Come From ‘Bourgeois’?

A listener recently wrote in to ask about the word “bougie.” He’d heard it being used to mean something elevated or high-class. But he thought it came from the word "bourgeois,” meaning “middle class.”

He’s right on both counts. Here’s what we found.

First of all, “bougie” is indeed a slang form of “bourgeois.” The more formal word dates back to the 1600s and was probably used even before that.

Its root word, in turn, is “bourg,” meaning a town or large village. That word was derived from the Latin “burgus,” meaning a castle or a fortified town. 

"Bourgeois" originally meant a citizen or freeman who lived in a town.

Thus, in medieval France, the term “bourgeois” meant a citizen or freeman who lived in a town, as opposed to the countryside.

These so-called freemen were part of the peasant class. They were often poor farmers who owned small plots of land and had basic civil rights. 

According to the feudal class system of the time, freemen fell way below the nobility—the lords and ladies who owned land, lived in fancy manor houses, and looked after the villages. 

Yet freemen fell way above slaves and serfs. Slaves were people who were bought and sold like common goods. Serfs fared little better. They couldn’t own land. They couldn’t marry or even leave the village without their lord’s consent, and they spent their days working the land owned by their lord. They were paid subsistence wages at best. 

Over time, "bourgeois" came to mean anyone in the middle class.

Thus, freemen literally made up a middle class that fell between the nobility on one side, and serfs and slaves on the other. Over time, “bourgeois” came to mean anyone in this middle class—in any country, not just France. 

Over yet more time, it came to refer to anyone who held what were considered middle-class values. The Oxford English Dictionary lists these as “selfish materialism, conventional respectability, and lack of imagination." Ouch! 

The term became even more pointed in the 18th century, when Marxists came along. They saw "the bourgeois" as being in direct conflict with "proletarians," or the working-class people. The bourgeois were thought to be preoccupied with materialism and possessions, and thus supporters of capitalism.

In the 1960s, the short form of “bourgeois” — "bougie" or "bourgie"— came into use. It was used derisively, to mean someone with aspirations above their station: people who was overreaching or striving for a level of...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

‘Re-Enter’ or ‘Reenter’?

Last week, our editor at Quick and Dirty Tips had a question about hyphens as she was working on a post about the anxiety people may feel when they re-enter society after the quarantine. 

She found that online dictionaries list both versions as correct—“re-enter” with a hyphen and “reenter” without a hyphen—and she wanted to know which one I prefer.

Since I thought some of you might be facing the same question as you’re writing these days, I’ll share my thoughts.

Even though the trend these days is to use fewer hyphens, I like the hyphenated version when you encounter a double vowel, like those two E’s back-to-back in “reenter,” because I find those words easier to read with a hyphen.

And this is a case where you should definitely check your style guide if you are required to follow one. For example, you should leave out the hyphen if you follow AP style or Chicago style. It isn’t often that I disagree with both of these style guides, but in this case, I do.

So although AP style and Chicago style are “reenter” without a hyphen, Quick and Dirty Tips house style is now “re-enter” with a hyphen.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Postal Zones Came Before Zip Codes

Last week, we talked about how to write ZIP codes, and I included some history, mentioning that they were first introduced in the United States in 1963, which is true; but two people wrote in to tell me about earlier codes, called postal zones, that were introduced in 1943.

Barbara Hughes from Vancouver, Washington, gave this example from her childhood: 

“Prior to ZIP codes, the postal [zone] for East Cleveland was '12,' [and] we wrote our address like this: East Cleveland, 12, Ohio. The neighboring town was Cleveland Heights, and that address was: Cleveland Heights, 21, Ohio. I presume that … [these] 'evolved' into ZIP codes … Addresses were written as CITY, POSTAL CODE, STATE.

When ZIP codes were introduced . . . the numbers designated a large area to a progressively more focused, local area. Northeastern Ohio was designated as '441.' So therefore, the ZIP codes for East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights became 44112 and 44121, respectively. The ZIP codes inherited the existing postal [zone] system already in place. Not only that, addresses were now supposed to be written as CITY, STATE / ZIP CODE. The ZIP code was supposed to be the very last item in an address, not sandwiched between the city and state.”

Sue Hatfield-Green wrote in with a similar story about Dellwood, Missouri. She said its postal zone was 36, and it would be written as Dellwood 36, Missouri, and then after the introduction of ZIP codes, it became 63136, and the code moved from the middle of the address to the end.

If you’re wondering why postal zones were introduced in the first place in 1943, the Smithsonian National Postal Museum says it was because of World War II. Not only were people sending more mail, but the post office was hiring a lot of new and inexperienced workers to replace those who had gone to fight the war, and the numerical city codes made it easier for all those new people to keep up and sort the mail quickly. 

The postal zones weren’t everywhere, but they were widespread and were adopted without much resistance (I suppose because everyone wanted to support the war effort in whatever way they could). 

The postal zones weren’t as widespread as ZIP codes are today. The Smithsonian says postal zones were only used in 124 of the country’s largest urban areas. 

And...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

18 Ways to Get More Out of Vinegar

From eliminating windshield streaks to curing hiccups, you'll be sure to find a use for vinegar beyond just in your recipes. Here are all the ways you can start putting this natural and eco-friendly ingredient to work.

Simply Natural Cleaning

1. Vanquish Smells with Vinegar

Vinegar absorbs and neutralizes odors—from smelly pets and paint to smoke. Place a cup of vinegar in any room the odor reaches. In the kitchen, try boiling a cup of vinegar in 2 cups water. In 15 minutes, the smell should be gone. To remove odors from washable items, add 1 cup of white vinegar during the wash cycle.

2. Steam Away Microwave Mess

Microwave walls can take a beating from food and drink explosions. But cleanup and deodorizing are simple when you use vinegar. In a microwavable bowl, combine ½ cup vinegar and 1 cup water. (You can also add a few drops of lemon juice, if you like.) Microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, then let sit for a few minutes while the steam goes to work. You should be able to easily wipe away any formerly caked-on mess.

3. Whiten Grout—Without Bleach

You can dissolve nasty buildup without harsh bleach. Simply create a paste from baking soda and water and apply it to the grout. Spray the area with a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water. Let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing with a brush. Then rinse with warm water and admire the results!

4. Stop Windshield Wiper Streaks

Dampen a cloth with vinegar and run it down each blade. The acetic acid cleans away any dirt and residue but also coats the wipers to make them frost-free.

5. Get Fresh-Car Smell

A bowl of vinegar set in the car overnight will remove odors left by pets, kid athletes, takeout food, and more!

6. Make Sweat Stains Disappear

Is your laundry nemesis a perfectly good white tee yellowed by pit stains? Vinegar to the rescue! Just pour a small amount of white vinegar directly onto the stain and gently rub it into the fabric before washing.

7. Make your own fabric refresher!

In a spray bottle, add a 1:3 mixture of vinegar and water plus a few drops of an essential oil. Mist onto clothing and let dry.

Your Secret Ingredient In The Kitchen

8. Stop Pasta from Sticking

Skip the oil that can chase away your pasta sauce; turn to vinegar instead. Adding a bit of white vinegar to the cooking water will lower the pH level and stop starch from getting pulled into the water, creating a sticky situation.

9. Out of Eggs? Vinegar to the Rescue!

Already started a baking recipe and realized you don’t have eggs? Just mix 1 teaspoon vinegar with 1...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Should I Use a High-Yield CD for My Savings?

Anna from Washington D.C. says:

Thanks for putting out a great show. I've been listening to the Money Girl podcast for several years, and your straightforward advice and information has helped me make good money decisions. I share your work with everyone. 

Here's my question: I keep the majority of my money in a high-yield savings account that used to offer 1.7% APY. However, due to the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates in response to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, my bank recently reduced the rate to 1.55% and then to 1.3% APY. 

This rate reduction is obviously frustrating for me as a customer, but I understand that a lot of this is outside of anyone's control in these trying times. My bank is offering a CD, which earns a 1.55% APY, which seems attractive given the additional boost. However, I'm not really sure what the pros and cons are for CDs. And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what a CD is. 

I keep my six-month emergency fund savings in this high-yield savings account, and I'm trying to save for a down payment on a house. I want my emergency fund to be readily available in these uncertain times. But I probably won't need to touch my down payment savings for at least another year or two, or maybe more, since the housing market is very expensive in the D.C. area.

Does moving my money to a CD make sense, or should I just keep it in the high-yield savings account and hope that the rate will eventually increase again?

Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful question, Anna! I'll answer it by explaining what a CD (certificate of deposit) is and how to use one wisely. You'll get an overview of the different types of CDs and learn the best places to find high-yield CDs if they're right for you.

What is a CD?

A CD is a product offered by financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, investment firms, and insurance companies. It's different than a savings or money market account because you give up access to your money for a period or term. 

A CD gives you a guaranteed return, albeit a low one right now, no matter what happens to the economy or the financial markets.

In exchange for agreeing not to touch your money during a CD's term, you typically get more interest than with other types of deposit accounts. A CD gives you a guaranteed return, albeit a low one right now, no matter what happens to the...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

What's the Best Diet and Exercise for People Over 50?

May 27 is National Senior Health & Fitness Day. And joining me today to talk about healthy aging is Dr. Christine Rosenblum.

Dr. Rosenbloom is a registered dietician and a nutrition professor emerita of Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she taught and held various administrative positions over her 30-year university career. Since retiring, she's written a book called Food and Fitness After 50 along with Dr. Bob Murray and she continues to blog about healthy aging at ChrisRosenbloom.com.

We've all heard the jokes about 50 being the new 30, and 70 being the new 50, and so on. And as we age, I think it's natural that what we think of as “old” continues to mean “just a little bit older than us.”

But at the same time I do see some truth to this. The Baby Boomer and the Gen X generations seem to be aging differently than our parents and grandparents did. We have different expectations of what it means to get older, and to a certain extent, we are experiencing middle- and old-age differently. Why do you think this is? Have we gotten better at aging, or is this just a state of mind or attitude?

I think it's a combination of many things. One of those is that we are living longer. When you're 65, your life expectancy is another 20 years. So I think as people realize, “I've got a lot more years ahead of me," they're thinking about "What can I do with fitness? What can I do with my diet? What can I do to stay healthy?” 

We're not ready to just sit down and start rocking on the porch anymore when we retire from our careers. You've launched a whole new career after your 30-year university career, right? 

Instead of giving somebody a rocking chair when they retire, give them a great pair of running or walking shoes.

Absolutely. And I saw one author say instead of giving somebody a rocking chair when they retire, give them a great pair of running or walking shoes, help them get active, give them a Y membership, things to keep us really active.

Are there parts of it that we might be getting wrong out of our unwillingness to go gently into old age? Are we more likely to be injuring ourselves or over-exercising in this quest to stay young?

I don't see that too much. I think people...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Should You Calculate Your Muscle Mass?

Before we dig in, here is a little body composition primer. The term “muscle mass” refers to the total amount of soft muscle tissue in the body. Then, your "body mass" is made up of two components, body fat and lean body mass. Most of us know what body fat is (if not check my article all about it) but the second component, lean body mass, includes muscle mass, as well as bones and bodily fluid (mostly water). 

Muscle mass (or your muscles) are the part of your body that help you move, balance, and stand and sit with good posture. They also aid your organs in a number of your biological functions. 

The three main types of muscles found in the body are:

• smooth muscle (your internal organs)
• cardiac muscle (your heart)
• skeletal muscle (the stuff I tend to write about a lot)

Put these all together and you have the body’s muscle mass. Although, in most conversations on this topic, muscle mass usually focuses on skeletal muscle. Perhaps this is out of vanity or perhaps it's because we can exert the most control over those muscles—you decide. 

If you've been told that you have low muscle mass, that simply means that you have a lower than average amount of muscle compared to other people of the same age and gender. And if you've been told that you have high muscle mass—yep, you guessed it—you have more muscle then most people your age and gender. And we'll look at those averages later. 

When you are given this information, it's usually in conjunction with your body composition (during a Dexa Scan or maybe an MRI). Your body composition is usually a ratio of your muscle mass to your body fat mass. We’ll get into the reasons why you may want to measure this later. 

What is muscle mass for?

As I said, skeletal muscle plays a major role in mobility and movement, but muscles also play a vital role in supporting overall health, especially as we age. 

Muscles store glycogen (carbohydrates), which they use as fuel every time you ask them to move. This is especially handy when the carbohydrate in your blood (your blood sugar) runs out. That is when your muscle mass essentially acts as a reserve gas tank—you keep it full by eating carbohydrates, and then empty when you exercise. 

Healthy muscle to fat ratio creates what is referred to as a virtuous circle.

Exercising your skeletal muscles, in all the wonderful ways that I discuss in many of my Get-Fit Guy articles, can increase your body’s strength, mobility, and balance. Plus, a healthy muscle-to-fat ratio creates what is referred to as a...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Productive, Happy, Focused—How Small Habits Bring Big Success

Today’s episode is a conversation with Jeff Sanders, host of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast and author of the The Free-Time Formula: Finding Happiness, Focus, and Productivity No Matter How Busy You Are. Jeff and I discuss some simple strategies he has used to define and commit to the habits that have delivered amazing results for him.

Jeff’s success story begins with simply waking up at 5 a.m. one day to run. With no specific goal or intention, he decided to give it a try. Fast forward to today, and he hosts a podcast, has authored books, and runs a business all due, in part, to that simple habit change. Just imagine what his advice might help you achieve!

I'll summarize our conversation here, but I encourage you to click on the audio player above or listen to the show on your favorite podcast app to get every juicy bit of his sage advice on being productive through finding and forming habits that work for you.

Begin by choosing the “right” habits

Whether it’s flossing more, Insta-gazing less, or jumping on that Paleo train, we all know that changing habits can have big impacts on our health, families, and careers. But what if your challenge is that you’re not sure which habits to focus on?

It could start with knowing you want something—maybe a promotion, a new job, or to start your own business. Or maybe you’re not sure what you want. Maybe you feel bored or stuck or stagnant and you’re just looking for something to change. How can changing a habit help your cause? And what habit do you start with?

There is no right answer, so just pick something. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.

Jeff’s secret? There is no right answer, so just pick something. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Try something on, see if it fits, and be ready to let it go if it’s not serving you.

Jeff likes the “tinker and try” method. He started with a 5 a.m. wakeup. He had no specific goal; he just needed a change. And he discovered that with this simple switch to his routine, he found time to exercise and then plan and prep his day before 9 a.m. This left him energized, focused, and ultimately more productive.

He also tried habits that didn’t suit him. Meditation, something we all know we’re “supposed” to be doing, just didn’t work for him. But rather than seeing his inability to meditate as a personal failing, he simply labeled the meditation habit as "not for me" and moved on.

Make a list of 5-10 habits you'd like to try. Rank them in order of the most...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

"Is Takeout Safe?" and Other Food Safety Questions

Welcome! Today, I am very excited because we have licensed nutritionist Monica Reinagel with us. She's also the host of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, Nutrition Diva. Click the audio player or the link to your favorite podcast app above to listen to the interview.

I'm very much looking forward to picking your brain today, Monica.

It's great to be here with you, Sabrina.

Obviously, most of us don't grow our own food in the home. We have to go out and get food somehow. So I was hoping we could talk about some of those food safety issues.

Absolutely. I should probably start with a little bit of a disclaimer though. Food safety and safe food handling are definitely part of our brief as nutrition professionals and dieticians. That's one of the things we cover, and we try to help consumers understand how to prevent, foodborne illness—things like not cross-contaminating your cutting boards in your kitchen or how to make sure that nobody gets salmonella from the potato salad at 4th of July. That's definitely one of the things that we include in our training and that we try to educate the public about.

We are really relying on the CDC and the infectious disease specialists—the virologists, the epidemiologists—to help us understand what the features of this virus are so we can give good advice.

But now, we have a novel virus that just kind of appeared on the scene about four or five months ago. We're still trying to figure out how it behaves, how it's transmitted. And that's put us in a little bit of an uncomfortable position of trying to give advice and answer questions with a really incomplete data set. So we are really relying on the CDC and the infectious disease specialists—the virologists, the epidemiologists—to help us understand what the features of this are so that we can give good advice. But we don't really have well-established best practices yet because we just haven't had enough time to develop those.

So, we're doing the best we can with kind of incomplete information. The guidance is changing rapidly as we learn more. So sometimes we have to correct. And you know, that's part of our job as science professionals and science communicators too, is to say, "Okay, that thing I said? We have new and better information now and we're going to give you advice and guidance."

Yeah. And that is my favorite thing about science. You get to keep poking at things and the data will lead you in the right direction. But I understand that some people get frustrated or that makes them uncomfortable with science because it makes it look or seem...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

8 Fantastic Ways to Celebrate 2020's Graduates

Graduation ceremonies are one of the most special rites of passage. While milestones like kindergarten and elementary school advancement are certainly significant, high school and college students define "senior" in a much different way. As a parent, I bet you can still remember the excitement of finally reaching the end of your educational journey and the beginning of the next phase—your adult life.

And yet, this year, social distancing means many seniors won't don a cap and gown and walk solemnly down an aisle to the refrains of Pomp and Circumstance while their proud families look on. Parents are challenged to find alternatives to help their remarkable seniors feel special. Here's a collection of creative ideas that can help you celebrate your graduate's terrific accomplishments with family and friends near and far—because marking this pivotal achievement is a success in its own right.

1. Stop and reflect—process all your emotions

In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered the Harvard commencement address, defending the importance of perseverance and imagination.

We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter series author

This inspiring message by Rowling is a beautiful reminder for all of this year's graduates that despite their current circumstances, they have the potential to become anything they want to be—as long as they have the proper mindset.

When we grasp any notable occasion, we face a myriad of deep emotions. Graduation goes hand-in-hand with feelings of great pride, success, and accomplishment. (Disappointment isn't usually linked with diplomas!) Dr. Jade Wu, QDT’s Savvy Psychologist, has some insightful and heartfelt advice for students graduating during this turbulent year:

Allow yourself (whether you're a grad or parent) to feel all of the emotions, positive and negative. It's ok to feel both disappointment and pride. Don't try to talk yourself out of the difficult emotions, and instead, acknowledge them and let them pass through you at their own pace.

Write about it. Document the moment, whether you've got profound thoughts about this rite of passage, or even just silly or ordinary observations. You can look back on your notes as an affirmation that, yes, this did happen. I have crossed from before to now.  

...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

5 Nefarious Gaslighting Examples and How to Respond

“That never happened; you must be imagining it.”

“Everyone agrees with me—you’re overreacting.”

“Wow, what’s it like to be insane?”

If these comments sound like a familiar refrain, you may have been the target of gaslighting, a term blowing up like, well, a lighter thrown into a puddle of gas. Gaslighting, a form of emotional abuse, dominates the headlines, is all over Twitter, and has been thrown around by everyone from pundits to columnists to late-night comics.

But what is gaslighting? And even more importantly, how should you respond to gaslighting behavior?

What is gaslighting?

The term "gaslighting" comes from the 1944 movie Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman. She plays a wife, named Paula, whose supposedly devoted husband, Gregory, is slowly undermining her reality. His nefarious goal is to have her institutionalized so he can gain access to her fortune.

Gaslighters override your reality to the point that you question your own judgment.

The title comes from Gregory’s habit of secretly digging through the attic for Paula's hidden jewels. When he creeps upstairs and turns on the lights in the attic, the rest of the gas lights in the house dim accordingly, making Paula suspicious. But when she asks him about the dimming lights, he acts like she’s crazy. She must be imagining things—they’re just as bright as always.

“Why don’t you rest a while,” Gregory suggests. “You know you haven’t been well.”

In some ways, Gaslight captures the emotional abuse with dead-on accuracy. The mind games Gregory plays are diabolical—he tells her friends she’s unstable, isolates her from her family, and disguises cutting invalidations as statements of concern. He even hides her belongings, then questions her sanity when she can’t find them. In short, he messes not only with her but with the people and objects around her to alter her reality and make her think she’s losing it.

But in other ways, Gaslight is clearly a Hollywood movie. Gaslighting in real life is different. But how? What tactics do real-life gaslighters use? This week, we’ll illuminate five gaslighting tactics of the all-too-common and all-too-insidious, and then tackle how to respond.

5 gaslighting tactics and how to respond to them

Tactic #1: Gaslighters override your reality

Gaslighters override your reality to the point that you question your own judgment. And, as with most things, the behavior varies when it comes to how severe it is. It can happen on a small-scale, as with a parent who tells a child, “You can’t be hungry—you just had a snack....

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

8 Fun and Easy DIY Moisturizers

Petroleum Jelly

Once a month, cover your hands in petroleum jelly or thick hand cream, then slip them into some soft cotton gloves for the night. In the morning, your skin will have absorbed all the cream, leaving you with the smoothest, softest hands you’ve ever had. You can also soften your feet the same way (use socks rather than gloves, of course).

Apricot Scrub

Apricot kernel oil, available at vitamin and health-food stores, is rich in vitamins A and E and is an excellent moisturizer. Combine two tablespoons of it with a half cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice for an exfoliating—and hydrating—hand scrub. Massage well into hands, then rinse.

Rosewater-Honey Rub

For rough patches on the hands and feet, try this rub scented with rosewater, which has been used for centuries to soothe irritated skin and is thought to help regenerate skin tissue. Whisk together two tablespoons of it, along with one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of apricot kernel oil, and one tablespoon of lemon juice, in a small bowl. To use, rub onto rough patches on the hands and feet, then rinse.

Olive Oil Scrub

We love this olive oil scrub for its simplicity and effectiveness! In a small bowl, add a quarter cup of olive oil and enough sugar to make a damp, runny mixture. Rub it into your hands or feet, then rinse for smooth, moisturized skin.

Dry Rub

In a small bowl, stir together a quarter cup of flaxseed or almond meal and a quarter to a half teaspoon of olive oil. The mixture will be just barely damp. Rub well into dry, rough patches on your feet, then rinse.

Sea Salt

You can pay a lot of money for a fancy sea salt scrub, or you can make your very own version in just a few minutes. Sea salt contains natural minerals not present in regular table salt. It also helps remove dead skin cells and other toxins present in the skin. In a small bowl, add one cup of sea salt and just enough olive oil to make a slightly runny mixture—you don’t want it to be too loose. Rub into dry hands and feet for several minutes before rinsing off.

Sugar

Try this quick hand scrub that combines the exfoliating power of sugar and the lactic acid in sour cream. Mix one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of sour cream together, and rub into hands for a minute or two. Rinse...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

An Interview with Deirdre Mask

3 Different Ways to Style 'ZIP Code' (or Is That 'ZIP code' or 'zip code'?

Today, we’re going to start with rules but go heavy on history at the end because what I thought would be an easy question to answer took me down an interesting rabbit hole and finally to an interview. It all started with this voicemail message.

"Hi, Grammar Girl. l I ... I actually work for the Federal Government, and I have a good enough command of writing and grammar that I am humorously referred to as the Grammar Guru. Recently we were writing a report and something came up. Some of the people on the committee thought we should capitalize 'ZIP Code' . . . and my take on that is that would be correct if you are referring to the specific thing — the postal system, that specific system — but if you're talking about 'zip code,' it has become kind of a generic, like kleenex. I don't listen to your podcast, so if you decide to use this, could you please answer it in your column. Thanks very much, Grammar Girl. I remain a faithful reader. Thanks again. Bye bye."

Well, first, you should listen to the podcast, but the answer will be on the website as an article too. It’s extremely rare that material isn’t on both. But thank you for submitting the question as a voicemail so I can use in the podcast!

As I said, I thought this would be a quick answer: I’d look it up in a couple of style guides and bing-bam-boom, the end. But it wasn’t so simple, and I started finding interesting tidbits.

What Are ZIP Codes?

For our international readers, ZIP codes are an American thing. They’re the five digit codes at the very end of a mailing address (and if you want to be really detailed, you can add four more numbers to the end, and in my experience, doing that does help the post office deliver your mail a little faster). Other countries sometimes call the address codes “postal codes,” and some countries don’t have them at all. In the United States, we use just numbers, but some other countries also use letters. 

Since our caller works for the U.S. government, and ZIP codes are a government thing, I checked the US Printing Office style guide first. It recommends "ZIP Code."

Associated Press style is similar: “ZIP code”—two words with “ZIP” in all caps—but it uses a lowercase C, and I was surprised it would deviate.

I looked a little deeper, and this made me laugh: Someone asked in the AP Stylebook Q&A section why AP style lowercases the word “code” when the source, the US Postal Service, capitalizes it, and the reply from the AP editors was "The U.S. Postal Service likes capitalization more than we do...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

8 Best Budgeting and Personal Finance Tools

Taking control of your personal finances is simple in theory. But if you’re struggling with budgeting, saving, or investing, trying a new tool may be the ticket to making better decisions and improving your success.

Here are eight of the best personal finance tools to make sense of your money, stay organized, and achieve your financial goals.

8 Best Budgeting and Personal Finance Tools

Keep reading to learn more about each of these budgeting and personal finance tools.

1. Quicken

Quicken has been around a long time and is considered the gold standard in personal finance software. They have a suite of products that connect to multiple types of accounts, such as banks, credit cards, lenders, and investments, to aggregate your transactions.

Like many companies, they’ve moved to a subscription model where you pay an annual fee and get automatic updates for new features and services.

The Starter version gives you a lot, including automatic expense categorization, limited budget tracking, and a bill dashboard, for $35 per year. Upgrading to Deluxe ($50) or Premier ($75) gives you the Starter features plus customizable budgeting, loan tracking, investment tracking and analysis, bill pay, and online backup.

Quicken has far more features than I’ll ever use, but it’s my favorite way to manage money.

You can use Quicken on your PC or Mac, but PC users can also get a Home & Business version for $100 per year. It helps you manage a small business or freelance work by separating personal and business expenses, emailing custom invoices with payment links, and tracking business tax deductions.

You can enter transactions manually into Quicken if you don’t want to connect to your financial accounts online. And there are Quicken mobile apps to sync up with your desktop version, although you can’t see all your data.

Quicken has far more features than I’ll ever use, but it’s my favorite way to manage money. Every week I import new transactions and make sure they’re categorized correctly, especially those related to taxes, so I can easily create reports at tax time.

2. Mint

Mint is one of the original web-based personal finance management programs. It’s free to sign up and connect your financial accounts, such as a bank, credit card, loans, and investments through an easy-to-use dashboard.  

The Mint mobile app has a lot of functionality, allowing you to check account balances and monthly budgets.

Once Mint...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Do Artificial Sweeteners Promote Diabetes?

Artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Equal were once touted as a calorie counter’s best friends: You can drink all the sweet tea, lemonade, and soda you like, without ingesting a single calorie or gram of sugar. You can even eat pudding, ice cream, yogurt, baked goods, and other desserts sweetened with sugar-free substitutes. And yet, the proliferation of sugar-free foods and beverages doesn’t seem to have made a dent in the obesity epidemic.

I tackled this paradox in one of the very first Nutrition Diva episodes back in 2008. Back then, we still weren’t sure whether there was something about artificial sweeteners that directly promoted weight gain. Scientists wondered, for example, whether artificial sweeteners might backfire by causing cravings for other sweets or an increased appetite that would lead you to consume more calories. Early studies in rats seemed to support this theory, but results in human trials have been mixed.

This much is crystal clear: Artificial sweeteners do not automatically lead to weight loss or prevent weight gain.

Alternatively, it could have been more of a behavioral phenomenon. For example, it could be that using artificial sweeteners gives people a false sense of security that leads them to over-consume other foods. (The old “I’m having Diet Coke so super-size the fries” effect.)

This much is crystal clear: Artificial sweeteners do not automatically lead to weight loss or prevent weight gain. Among people who use artificial sweeteners, the only ones who seem to consistently lose or maintain their weight are the ones who also strictly monitor and restrict their intake of other foods.

How do artificial sweeteners affect blood sugar?

Another supposed advantage of artificial sweeteners is that they do not cause an increase in blood sugar the way sugar does. This would seem to have obvious benefits for those with diabetes or pre-diabetes. But a growing body of research suggests exactly the opposite.

Although the artificial sweeteners themselves don’t cause your blood sugar to rise, they appear to have a negative impact on your blood sugar response to other foods.

One large study found that consumption of aspartame (Equal) is associated with an impaired ability to manage glucose in those who are overweight.

Another study found that...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

38 Pro Tips for Every At-Home Chef

From keeping a hair dryer in the kitchen to stacking pots and pans, these clever hacks will have your food coming out better, all while being easier for you to make.

Maximize Your Ingredient

1. Spin-Dry for Best Results
You need to wash and dry fresh herbs (just like fruits and veggies) before using. But wet herbs can turn into a mess on your cutting board, and any lingering moisture can dilute their flavor. Of course, you can let herbs dry naturally on a paper towel. Or you can speed the process by tossing them in a salad spinner or giving them some help with a hair dryer.

2. Shake Up Your Garlic
It can be so simple to remove the skins from garlic! Just break the cloves off from the head and place them in a bowl or mug. Place another bowl on top and shake heartily. Even more fun: Use a cocktail shaker! With either approach, the skins will start to come off, making the garlic easy to peel.

3. Skip the Point
The pointy end of lemons can make them difficult to squeeze by hand or even with a press. Take just a second to trim that end and create a flat edge. The reward: More juice!

4. Better Butter Spread
To make your butter super spreadable for bread or corn on the cob, take a room-temperature stick of butter and whip it with a small amount of water. Not only does this trick make it light and spreadable, but it will also last longer because it expands in volume!

5. Never Leave Your List at Home Again
How many times have you jotted down the ingredients you need to purchase for a new recipe, only to leave the list at home? Next time, take a photo of the ingredient list with your smartphone. You’re much less likely to forget your phone than a random scrap of paper. 

Master Smart Techniques

6. Simple Step to Better Bacon
Pan-fried bacon never seems to cook evenly, because we try to cram in slices that don’t fit so well. The super-easy solution: Cut the slices in half. They’ll lay flatter to cook and fit into sandwiches better to gobble up.

7. Press Your Breakfast
Have a panini press tucked back in a cabinet? Pull it out to cook breakfast! Just a few minutes in the press cooks bacon crisp and delicious. Or create an omelet: Scatter some chopped veggies on the press, pour two beaten eggs over the top, and close the press to cook for about 2 minutes. Roll the result to serve and eat.

8. Sandwich Toast That’s Tops
When toasting bread for sandwiches, put two slices of bread in one wide toaster slot. That way, the bread gets toasty on the outside but stays soft on the inside. Great for BLTs!...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Everything's Changed—Is It Time to Reset Your Goals?

We don't typically talk about setting goals in May. But there's nothing typical about this May.

Many of you have set goals in January as part of your company’s performance management process or in your own personal goal-setting process. But as the pandemic persists and realities and priorities continue to change, many of you are questioning whether those business or personal goals still make sense.

Maybe you have formal goals in writing, or maybe you just have some aspirational musings in your head. Whatever form they take, it’s likely you kicked off the year with an intent to achieve something specific.

While January’s goals may feel tone-deaf today, goals in general remain important—for your motivation, your productivity, and your confidence. Well-designed goals keep you moving forward toward the future you aspire to. But when that future feels undefined and the targets move daily, how do you know what goals to set and stick with?

So let’s talk today about revisiting your January goals and giving them a facelift to make sure they’re keeping you on the path to productivity and success in this new normal.

Because sometimes a pivot is the key to achieving your goals.

Rethink priorities

What's the difference between goals and priorities?

Priorities are your purpose. Goals, on the other hand, are the specific and measurable vehicles by which you strive toward the things that matter to you.

If your purpose is to be healthier, then your goals might be to exercise three times per week and eliminate fast food from your diet. Health is the priority. It’s the thing that matters; the outcome you hope for. Goals are the enablers. And they're actions, not wishes.

So, start today by checking in with your priorities.

Priorities are your purpose. Goals are the specific and measurable vehicles by which you strive toward the things that matter to you.

What seemed important in January may not resonate today. Maybe your team at work was prioritizing customer growth and began building an exciting platform to better engage your customers. Your goals likely would have aligned to that growth priority—things like finding new business targets, attending and sponsoring industry events.

Or maybe you were feeling bored at work and had prioritized finding a new job. Your goals, in that case, may have involved hitting some recruiting conferences or attending networking events.

Take a look at whatever had you excited and motivated in January and ask yourself whether you still feel that way. Is this priority something you still want to wake up and strive for every day? And, equally important, does it feel achievable under your current circumstances?

Choosing...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

How to Turn Failure into Success With a Training Log

Years ago I trained for and raced in the Chicago Marathon. And when I say that I trained, I mean I trained hard. I worked with my coaches (Tania Jones & Lioudmila Kortchaguina) for months. I watched my diet (under the guidance of nutritionist Lauren Jawno). I also kept a log of my training (using an online tool called TrainingPeaks), and was dedicated to the goal of running a qualifying time that would allow me to race in the 2012 Boston Marathon.

But alas, when race day came, I failed to reach my goal.

Pretty much from the first 5k of that 42.2 km journey, I felt flat and low-energy. Months before, I'd visualized the way I'd feel, but when the day arrived, I didn’t have a spring in my stride. Yes, I managed to complete the marathon. But my time was nowhere near what I'd trained for or what I needed for a BQ (Boston Qualifier).

Then, about three weeks later, I turned things around and ran the Hamilton Marathon with a spring in my stride that allowed me to come darn close to nailing my BQ time.

So, what was different? Why was I able to come so much closer to achieving my goal then but not in Chicago? Well, that's where my training log and my ability to view failure as a learning tool come into play. Or, as I like to call the combination of the two, acquiring the data of failure.

Why you need a training log

Let's start with logging your training. As I mentioned, I kept a training log during my training period (and throughout most of the athletic career). There are many reasons why I did this and why I suggest you also do it. Training logs are a useful strategy no matter whether your goal is losing weight, gaining muscle, hiking a mountain, or running a marathon.

You may have a general gist of how your training went, but a gist isn't enough if you really want to learn and grow.

Training logs are reliable

It is easy to believe that you'll just remember what you did during your training blocks. But trust me, as time goes on, and one workout blends into another, it gets harder and harder to recall with any detail when you did your longest run or when you lifted your heaviest one-rep-max. You may have a general gist of how it went, but a gist isn't enough if you really want to learn and grow. 

The other problem with memory is that it's not good for pinpointing specifics. What pace was that interval supposed to be executed at and what pace did you nail? What weight did you use for the overhead press and what did you lift for bench press? What small changes did you make in your morning commute and evening routine that might have helped you lose those last ten pounds? These are important details that can make a big difference in your end result as well as future results. 

...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Do Microwaves Cause Cancer? (And 3 Other Microwave Myths)

 

In 1946, an engineer was working near a piece of equipment known as a magnetron which is part of a radar system when he noticed that the radar emission at microwave frequencies melted the snack bar he had stashed in his pocket. Legends disagree as to whether it was a peanut cluster bar or a chocolate one, but the fact remains that rather than just mourning the loss of his snack, he did a little investigating.

He and his coworkers realized that focused beams of microwave emission—that’s waves of energy at frequencies near the radio frequency regime—will cause polar or electrically asymmetric molecules like water in food to rotate. This rotation produces thermal energy (aka heat) which then can quickly and nearly uniformly heat the food.

The microwave was born and dinnertime around the world saw a revolution. The first thing those engineers tried to cook was popcorn. The second thing was an egg which, of course, exploded in their faces. 

Now, according to the US Census Bureau, 97 percent of households in the United States have a microwave. But how much does the average household understand how a microwave works? What misconceptions about our microwave use persist? Let’s take a look at four microwave myths that science has proven false.

Myth #1: Due to the high temperatures, a microwave heats food all the way through to the center

Anyone who has tried to heat a frozen burrito in the microwave knows this myth can’t possibly be true. In fact, the air inside a microwave remains at room temperature, unlike in a conventional oven which takes longer to heat the surrounding air. This air temperature difference is also why your food never comes out of the microwave lightly browned and crispy.

Cold or raw spots in meat that is not already cooked can be unsafe.

The US Department of Agriculture estimates that microwaves only penetrate food down to 1 to 1.5 inches below the surface. Anything thicker than that will have to be heated through conduction of heat from the outer layers of the food toward the center. Thus, cutting that burrito in half at some point in the microwaving process will increase its surface area and allow for more uniform heating.

Microwave cooking does destroy...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

"I'm Bored!"—9 Boredom-busters for Any Age Group

It doesn't seem to matter how many toys, games, electronics, and pieces of outdoor play equipment a child has access to—they still complain about having nothing exciting to keep them occupied. And if they’re cooped up for an extended period due to illness, unexpected school cancellations, or stretches of poor weather, you're probably ready to run and hide!

Despite living in the twenty-first century, where they have cutting-edge technology and a virtual three-ring circus at their fingertips, countless kids find themselves bored. Here are a variety of boredom busters, grouped by age, that will help you keep your kids busy and content.

It’s great to have an arsenal of creative recommendations ready to go when your child launches into his “I’m bored” saga. Still, experts agree that boredom can also be beneficial. If you feel guilty that you’re not providing enough fun for your kids, my episode 4 Great Reasons Boredom Can Benefit Your Child shares important ways boredom can be a plus.

Boredom-busters for preschoolers

Preschoolers are curious explorers. They love to study their surroundings and can stay entertained for hours when allowed to investigate new territory. These ideas will keep them busy and foster their curiosity.

Create rain gutter fun

Head on over to your local building supply store and pick up a five- to seven-foot piece of rain gutter. Not only do gutters protect your rooftop, but they also make great race tracks for spirited preschoolers.

Soap boat races are loads of fun.

You’ll need:

• Length of rain gutter
• soap bars
• toothpicks
• colorful cardstock paper
• hose and water

Cut small rectangles out of cardstock and glue or tape them to a toothpick to make a sail. Insert the toothpick sail into a bar of soap.

Prop the rain gutter against something to make a slight downward slope. Place the hose at the top and turn the water on. Watch how fast the soap boats rush down the waterslide!  Two or more kids can race their boats for fun prizes like a toy car, some soap bubbles, or sidewalk chalk.

Be sure the gutter length is made of vinyl or some other material without sharp edges.

Build a toy car race track

Rain gutters are also perfect for racing Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. Set them up by propping them up on the sofa, the stairs, at the end of a bed—anything to give them a little incline. Or place the two tracks together and make one massive race track. This speedy fun will keep them entertained for hours.

Craft stained glass art with bottle lids

...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Why "Positive Vibes Only" Won't Make You Emotionally Strong

One of the topics that come up most with my clients, no matter who they are or what they’re struggling with, is the question of how to handle difficult emotions. I’ve seen many people work hard to “manage” or “get over” their emotions, treating them as if they are dials on a control panel that they can calibrate just right, if only they tried hard enough. 

But what if there's a whole different approach to emotions that doesn't require wrestling with them? That's where the idea of emotional agility comes in.

I talked to the psychologist who coined the term “emotional agility,” Dr. Susan David, Ph.D. She's one of the world's leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist. Her Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life, is heralded as a management idea of the year and winner of the Thinkers 50 Breakthrough Idea Award. Dr. David's TED Talk on the topic went viral with over one-million views in his first week of release.

Today, Dr. David shares fascinating takeaways and tips (as well as a few brilliant metaphors) about the concept of emotional agility through the lens of her own experiences as a teenager who lost her father to cancer as well as research into the science of emotions.

Here's an abbreviated and paraphrased transcript of our conversation. As always, I encourage you to listen to our complete conversation. Just click on the audio player above or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

What is emotional agility?

Emotional agility is the set of skills we need to be with ourselves in healthy ways—the ability to be with our thoughts, our emotions, and our stories in ways that are compassionate and curious so that we learn from them. According to Dr. David, it also means being courageous, “because often we face ourselves or our situations in a way that requires us to take courage. [Emotional agility] is being healthy with ourselves in these ways so that we can connect with the reality of our present situation.”

Research shows that when people set happiness as a goal, they actually tend to become less happy over time.

There's a trend encouraging us to “think positive” and cultivate positive emotions while banishing negative thoughts and emotions. But research shows that when people set happiness as a goal, they actually...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Lessons from Bad Job Applications

Are you using meaningless phrases in your applications, such as "I was excited to find this job posting" or "I believe I can contribute to your company"? Are you viewing your application from your prespective instead of from the perspective of a potential employers by saying something such as "This job is perfect for me because..."? Stop now by listening to the advice of our guest, Lindsay McMahon of the All Ears English podcast, who recently went through a lot of bad job applications and has useful ideas about how they could have been better. Her dos and don'ts will set you on the right path.

You can listen to the interview using the player at the top of this page or read a complete rough transcript.

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

A Family Guide to Decluttering the House

More people, more things. More things, more clutter. It's an equation as old as materialism. But don't worry, these six decluttering solutions should keep your mess in check.

How to Declutter the House

1. Tame the Toys
2. Stuffed Animal Chaos, Solved
3. Create a Kids’ Art Book
4. On-the-Go at Your Front Door
5. Make Your Own Mud Room
6. Mirror Message Board

Let's dive into each tip further.

1. Tame the Toys

Is your kid’s bedroom or playroom a tornado of toys and stuffed animals? If so, we hear you. Get a handle on the collection by purchasing a toy hammock: Hang it from one corner of the room, and toss in as many items as you can. Keep favorites near the top of the hammock pile for quick access.

2. Stuffed Animal Chaos, Solved

A roll of self-adhesive Velcro can be your best friend when it comes to storing and organizing your kid’s toys! Affix the rough, hooked side to a wall in your child’s room, and then cut up the soft side and affix to toys. You may even get your child to help you during clean-up time.

3. Create a Kids’ Art Book

Are your refrigerator, bulletin board, and various walls around the house covered in one-of-a-kind kid’s artwork? When it’s time to replace old pieces with new ones, compile them into a keepsake binder for storage, using large plastic sleeves that will hold bulkier textured work like macaroni, beaded, and sparkle art. Leave the binder on display in your living room so guests can view a retrospective of your child’s artwork—or store it safely in a box until your little Picasso has more to add.

4. On-the-Go at Your Front Door

The entryway of our house is guaranteed to be littered with accessories all year round: gloves,...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

TinkerActive: A Play-Based Workbook Series for Kids

We have a special gift for QDT visitors today—a TinkerActive Workbook for kids! 

Odd Dot’s series of illustrated TinkerActive Workbooks are perfect primers for young learners from kindergarten through second grade. The workbooks help children discover math, science, and English through traditional exercises and hands-on activities. Guided by the MotMots, the charming cast of characters who introduce concepts with cheer and humor, children are encouraged to develop new skills, try new things, and imagine new possibilities.

Download and print the workbook here. 

Be sure to check out all of the different workbooks available! 

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

An Interview with Lindsay McMahon: Transcript

Which Debts Should You Prepay First? A 6-Step Plan

Maya asks:

“Is it better to pay off student loans or a mortgage first? I’m asking for my brother, who took out $80,000 in student loans about 20 years ago and has only paid off about $10,000. He recently bought a home in Southern California and took out a 30-year mortgage that might be as much as $400,000. I don’t know the interest rates he’s paying on these debts. I think he should pay off his student loans first because the total debt is smaller, older, and can’t be discharged in a bankruptcy. What do you think?”

Thanks for your question, Maya! This dilemma is common, especially now that most federal student loans are in automatic forbearance from March 13 to September 30, 2020, due to coronavirus-related economic relief. That means millions of student loan borrowers suddenly have the option to stop making payments without adverse financial consequences, such as hurting their credit or getting charged additional interest or fees.

If you have qualifying student loans and you're dealing with financial hardship due to the pandemic or another challenge, you may be grateful to have your payments suspended. But if your finances are in good shape and you don’t have any dangerous debts, such as high-rate credit cards or loans, you may be wondering what to do with the extra money. Should you send it to your student loans despite the forbearance, to your mortgage, or to some other account?

RELATED: 10 Things Student Loan Borrowers Should Know About Coronavirus Relief

6 Steps to Decide Whether to Pay Off Student Loans or a Mortgage First

Let's take a look at how to prioritize your finances and use your resources wisely during the pandemic. This six-step plan will help you make smart decisions and reach your financial goals as quickly as possible.

1. Check your emergency savings

While many people begin by asking which debt to pay off first, that’s not necessarily the right question. Instead, zoom out and consider your financial life's big picture. An excellent place to start is to review your emergency savings.

If you’ve suffered the loss of a job or business income during the pandemic, you’re probably very familiar with how much or how little savings you have. But if you haven’t thought about your cash reserve lately, it’s time to reevaluate it.

Having emergency money is so important because it keeps you from going into debt in the first place. It keeps you safe during a rough financial patch or if you have a significant...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Love Handles? It's Whatever. You're Doing Great!

There are a lot of things I like about you.

First off, I love your love handles. There’s nothing wrong with love handles. You have them, you’re always going to have them. Get used to them. I have them, too. When I run down the beach, it looks like two basset hound cheeks are flapping off my sides.

I didn’t really like them until I realized what they say about me. Each handle tells a story, like the rings on a tree. They speak of years of good times, ice-cream shops, and hot pastrami sandwiches. They tell people that I’ve enjoyed my life and there’s a good chance that the handles and I are up for anything. We love parties, late-night drinking, and birthday cakes. We eat pies, bake cookies, and aren’t afraid of dipping garlic bread into a pot of sauce when no one is looking.

Each love handle tells a story, like the rings on a tree.

That’s why I like yours, too. I know straightaway that we could be friends. When I see someone with six-pack abs, I know we won’t have fun because that person doesn’t know what fun is. Their idea of a good time is putting on tight shorts and working on their stomach muscles. Someone with love handles is putting on oven mitts and working on baking the perfect cinnamon buns. They’re fun.

I also noticed that some of you are big in the caboose. Good for you. A small backside is okay, but it takes real time and care to grow a big one. That really shows character. Nice work. A big rump is even better when it comes with big thighs and little tiny feet. That’s the balance that a good life requires.

Much of our appearance is out of our control. I’ll admit, when I see a tall, skinny guy in a perfectly tailored suit, I wonder how nice it must feel to naturally look like a fashion model. But I’ll never know because I wasn’t born that way. When I put a suit on my broad upper body I look like a former wrestler whose wife told him to get a job selling used cars on Route 17.

But at a certain point, you have to realize that we’re all fat. All of us. You’re either really fat, kind of fat, or trying not to be fat. Either way, fat’s coming. And that’s all right. Do you know why we’re fat? Because we’re winners. We’re one of the first generations that doesn’t have to fight for survival. There’s always food within arm’s reach, it’s the perfect temperature everywhere we go. Every day you wake up in America it’s a perfect seventy-two and snacky.

So you don’t have the body of an Olympic athlete. Well, you’re not an Olympic athlete. You’re Don, from sales.

So, yeah, we’re going to be a little chubby, so don’...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

TinkerActive: A Science Workbook for Kids

We have a special gift for QDT visitors today—a TinkerActive Workbook for kids! 

Odd Dot’s series of illustrated TinkerActive Workbooks are perfect primers for young learners from kindergarten through second grade. The workbooks help children discover math, science, and English through traditional exercises and hands-on activities. Guided by the MotMots, the charming cast of characters who introduce concepts with cheer and humor, children are encouraged to develop new skills, try new things, and imagine new possibilities.

Download and print the workbook here. 

Be sure to check out all of the different workbooks available! 

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Does Carb Backloading Help You Lose Weight? Science Says ...

Tracy asks:

What are your thoughts about carb backloading? Some are touting the benefits of eating carbs only in the evening.

There is some research to support the benefits of eating most of your carbs at night. But as is almost always the case, the devil is in the details!

One study involved several dozen police officers, both men and women, all of whom were overweight. During the six-month study, the subjects followed a reduced-calorie diet. They all ate the same amount of carbohydrates—about 50 percent of their daily calories. But one group ate most of their carbs at lunch and the other ate most of their carbs at dinner.

At the end of the study, those who ate their carbs in the evening felt less hungry throughout the day. They also ended up losing a bit more weight and body fat.

Can carb-backloading help you lose weight? 

It’s tempting to grab the headline here and run with it: Eat carbs at night and lose weight! But that summary, as appealing as it is, leaves out several key details.

The important thing to keep in mind here is that these subjects were eating a very low-calorie diet—just 1200 to 1500 calories a day.  As a result, they were losing weight fairly rapidly. (Something, by the way, that I do not recommend.) 

It’s tempting to grab the headline here and run with it: Eat carbs at night and lose weight! But that summary, as appealing as it is, leaves out several key details.

Although they were saving up their carbs to eat at the evening meal, they were still eating a relatively small amount: one to two cups of rice or pasta, for example. It’s also important to note that the meal plans were devoid of added sugars, snack foods, and most processed foods. Also, the starchy foods were eaten at the evening meal, not as a bedtime snack.

But, within this context, eating starchy foods in the evening appears to have reduced hunger, which probably made it a little easier to stick to this regimen.

All of the subjects in this study saw improvements in their insulin and fasting glucose levels, which you would expect to see anytime you have substantial weight loss. But the group who ate most of their carbs in the evening had slightly greater improvements.

What if you’re not dieting, though? Is there any advantage to eating all or most of your carbs in the evening? Maybe not.

Does carb-backloading improve blood sugar control?

A small trial of normal-weight men tested the effects of eating carbs early or late in the day without reducing the number of calories they ate. Not surprisingly, for those who had...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

6 Tricks to Make Your Clothes Last Longer

Wash Them Less

The easiest way to make your clothes last longer is to wash them less. Many of your clothes can be worn several times before you wash them, especially sweaters. Most items get more wear and tear from being in the washing machine than they do on your bodies! When you do throw in a load, make sure to turn knitted clothes and T-shirts with designs on them inside out when washing and drying.

Remove Dry Cleaner Bags ASAP

It’s tempting to leave freshly dry-cleaned items in the plastic bags that the clothes are returned to you in. After all, it seems like they’ll stay cleaner longer that way. But the truth is that those bags can trap perchloroethylene—a toxic solvent used in dry cleaning—in the fabric. The fix is simple: Just remove the bags and hang the clothes outside or in the garage for an hour or two before returning them to your closet. The chemical will vaporize, and you’ll breathe easier.

Don’t Button Up

When you wash button-down shirts and polos, make sure to unbutton them before tossing in the machine. The agitation can weaken the threads and increase the chance that the buttons will loosen or fall off.

Make Bras Last Longer

If you want your bras to last longer (and who doesn’t?), rotate through them rather than wear one for a few days in a row. You’ll give the elastic time to contract between each wear, and the bras will last longer. Who knew?

Watch Drying Times

Make your clothes last longer by taking your cotton and denim clothing out of the dryer 20 minutes before the cycle is about to end and letting them air dry the rest of the way. Excess dryer heat can break down the fibers in your clothes prematurely.

See also: What to Do If You’re Out of Dryer Sheets or Fabric Softener

Freeze Your Jeans

It sounds crazy, but you can save wear and tear on your jeans by cutting down on the number of times you put them through the washing machine—freeze them instead! The freezer eliminates many of the same odors and bacteria as the washing machine, so you can cut down on how often you wash your jeans, thus making the fabric last longer. Just shake off any debris, fold the jeans neatly, and put them in a plastic bag. Place in the freezer overnight, and in the morning, they’ll be ready to wear. (Of course, you’ll need to toss them into the washer for a periodic freshening up, and to remove stains.) It may sound crazy, but some people...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

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...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

How Functional Movement Screening Can Turn Your Weaknesses into Strengths

As I wrote in an article called Turn Your Fitness Weaknesses into Fitness Strengths, being fit can boil down to "being able to move through this world with as few limitations as possible." To achieve that goal, we often need to focus on our weakest parts rather than our strongest. The functional movement screen (FMS) is a great way to find those weaknesses.

My job as a coach is to prepare an athlete for the variety of movements they will need to be able to perform in order to participate in their chosen activity. To help with that, I often include some sort of analysis of fundamental movements in their training preparation. This screening can help determine what abilities they possess (or lack), where their strengths are, and where they may need some specific attention. This gives me a great idea of where to start building their fitness program. 

A functional movement screen (or FMS) is a test used to identify asymmetries or deficiencies in an individual’s strength, flexibility and general movement.

At its root, a functional movement screen (FMS) is a test used to identify asymmetries or deficiencies in an individual’s strength, flexibility, and general movement. The FMS aims to identify as many imbalances in mobility and stability as possible, using seven fundamental movement patterns. The seven movement patterns are designed to allow someone like me (coach, trainer, physiotherapist) to observe your performance of basic locomotor, manipulative, and stabilizing movements by placing you (the athlete) in extreme positions where your weaknesses and imbalances are most noticeable. 

Then, once these deficiencies have been identified through the FMS, we can create a program of corrective exercises to shore up those deficiencies before they can cause injury or create poor movement patterns that will be hard to unlearn.

Why correcting imbalances is important

Injuries happen for many reasons, but one of the main reasons stems from strength imbalances. Let’s say you're a runner (defined as someone who enjoys running, you don’t have to be a pro or even fast.) If you have one glute muscle that's significantly stronger than the other, that's an imbalance. It’s not uncommon to have one side of your body be stronger than the other. But ideally, we would work to minimize that. 

If you have one strong glute and one weak one, the quadricep on the weak-glute side is going to have to work harder to make up for your lazy butt. If you think about the running movement, it’s not hard to imagine how this scenario can lead to a lopsided gait and the potential for...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Subterranean Rivers—Water Flowing Underground

Off the midwestern coast of the Philippines sits Sabang, a small tropical beach village surrounded by jungle. From Sabang, a fifteen-minute boat ride or a short hike through the mountains will take you to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. There, nestled amongst the mangrove forests and freshwater swamps, you’ll find the entrance to one of the longest underground rivers in the world. 

More intrepid travelers can venture another 3 kilometers—with a special permit, that is. But after that, the subterranean river remains unnavigable and yet-to-be explored.

The river starts in the nearby mountains but soon appears to vanish as it shifts course to flow beneath the Earth’s surface for a total of 8.2 kilometers (or about 5 miles). An average tourist can easily explore the first 1.5 kilometers of the river and the cave system it has helped to carve out via canoe and led by a guide with a flashlight. More intrepid travelers can venture another 3 kilometers—with a special permit, that is—to see more of the impressive cave-dwelling stalagmites and stalactites up close. But after that, the subterranean river remains unnavigable and yet-to-be explored. 

Even amongst underground rivers, the Puerto Princesa is unique. At its end, it flows directly into the sea, which leaves the end of the river subject to the influence of ocean tides. UNESCO has named the river a World Heritage Site and to protect it, only allows 600 people to visit per day. Such a unique habitat is also home to a unique and thriving range of flora and fauna including 800 plant species and animals like crabs, snakes, and bats that are found nowhere else on the planet. In 2017, a new species of Huntsman spider was found wedged in the cracks of the cave walls along the underground riverbanks of the Puerto Princesa. I can tell you from my experiences with surface-dwelling Huntsman spiders in Australia that they are large and move fast, but beyond scaring you out of your wits, they're relatively harmless. 

The Sistema Sac Actun, as the underground network is called using the Yucatec Mayan word for 'white cave,' stretches for 95 miles.

The Puerto Princesa was thought to be the longest underground river until 2007 when two underground rivers and cave systems...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

You Can Land that Dream Entry-level Job—Yes, Even Now

Today’s episode is a conversation with Alexa Shoen, career coach and author of the new book #ENTRYLEVELBOSS: How To Get Any Job You Want. Alexa shares her advice on how to position yourself to land your dream job in any market.

Maybe you have questions like:

• If every entry-level job requires 1-3 years of experience, how do I get the experience to get the job?
• How do I convince an employer that my degree in music/arts/basket-weaving positions me to be a great hire?
• Are companies even hiring in a recession?

Read on for actionable advice that will get you ready to get yourself hired. There's also a lot more great information in the interview, so click on the audio player above or have a listen on your favorite podcast app to get every nuance.

Let go of beliefs that limit you

It turns out, landing a job requires action. (Who knew?) And you're more likely to take action when you believe the desired outcome is actually possible. Here are just a few of the beliefs Alexa gives you permission to let go of.

Limiting belief #1: Companies don’t hire during a recession

Actually, yes they do. Even in the darkest economic moments, companies are absolutely hiring. Your job is to research the industries that are booming.

During the pandemic, for example, unemployment is high. But some industries are in high demand for skilled labor. Think healthcare, virtual communication platforms, and virtual learning providers (both for adults and kids), to name a few. Spend some time researching the industries that might offer you your next opportunity.

Alexa says:

At the beginning of your career, it's not like you can just wait to get started. And you shouldn't be waiting to get started! There are a whole bunch of companies that are hiring.

Limiting belief #2: I don’t have any valuable experience

I'll bet you do! Maybe you’re fresh out of college and you don’t have any full-time employment on your resume. But experience comes in many forms.

Have you had internships? A leadership role in a campus organization? Did you lead a group project, or spend a semester abroad navigating a different country? Have you volunteered for your church or babysat for a cousin or written for your school paper? Any of these experiences can be woven into a powerful story sure to impress.

Alexa says:

Reframe any experience you have, whether that's internships or leadership activities or volunteering at your church—any sort of tool you have in your tool belt. And say, 'Here's how this is going to be...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

6 Science-based Techniques to Help Stressed Out Kids

Wouldn't it be great if our kids could wake up each day and simply enjoy the many pleasures of childhood? Riding bikes with neighborhood friends, building LEGO castles, trying out for the school baseball team, sitting down to a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies and ice-cold milk without a care in the world?

A carefree childhood is something we wish all kids could experience. But the reality is that today's kids face a lot of stress and worry in their daily lives. Stress comes in many forms, from school drama like peer pressure and dealing with learning challenges, to family worries like divorce, financial hardships, and moving.

You can help your child by learning to recognize the signs of stress and teaching him healthy ways to deal with it. Here are six tangible tools that can help your kids stay on an even keel.

Tip #1: Keep the lines of communication open

If you notice that your child is looking more worried or stressed than usual, ask her what's on her mind. Having regular conversations can help a family work together to better understand and address any stressors children are experiencing.

Middle-school-aged kids whose parents pay attention to their behavior, structure their environment, and stay informed about their activities have fewer instances of problem behavior in adolescence.

Low levels of parental communication have been associated with poor decision making in children and teens. A study in the National Institute of Health explains that middle-school-aged kids whose parents pay attention to their behavior, structure their environment, and stay informed about their activities have fewer instances of problem behavior in adolescence.

Staying connected by talking to your kids and promoting open communication and problem-solving can help them manage their stress before it escalates to acting out.

Tip #2: Break challenges into chunks and visualize success

Dr. Michele Borba, a globally-recognized educational psychologist and parenting expert, shared some powerful advice in an article for US News, How to Help Kids 'Keep Calm and Carry On' in Uncertain Times. She spoke of how kids are more anxious now than ever. Terrorism, mass shootings, natural catastrophes, pandemics—it's a lot to take in!

Kids tell me they want ways to keep their stress in...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips