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Rabu, 04 Oktober 2017

4 Ways to Invest in Stocks with Little Money or Experience

4 Ways to Invest in Stocks with Little Money or Experience A Money Girl listener, Moadd H., recently asked: “I’m 27 years old and want to invest in stocks but don’t have the confidence to do it after hearing how risky it can be. I’ve done research about different types of stocks like REITS, Roth IRAs, and mutual funds—but still feel like a rookie. If I invest $10,000 how long will it take to see a profit?”

In this post, I’ll answer Moadd’s question, review four easy ways to invest in stocks with little money or experience, and tell you the best way to own them. I’ll make it simple, so you can invest confidently and wisely to build wealth for the future.

Free Resource: For a summary of the traditional and Roth retirement account rules, plus the best places to open one up, download the free Retirement Account Comparison Chart.

What Are Stocks?

I recommend that every investor own stocks; however, there’s a right way and a wrong way to buy them. Before I answer Moadd’s question, I’ll explain in plain English what a stock is and pros and cons about owning them that every investor should know.

Companies issue stock to raise money from investors. For instance, maybe Apple wants to fund groundbreaking research, open a new division in a foreign country, or hire a crew of talented designers. If you buy shares of Apple stock, you’re buying a small piece of the company, which is why stocks are also known as equities.

If a company does well, investors buy more of its stock, pushing the price up. Likewise, when a company has lower-than-expected earnings or gets bad press, its stock value can go down quickly as investors sell shares.

There are hundreds of thousands of companies that offer stocks on different marketplaces known as exchanges. The two largest exchanges are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ. As I’m writing, Apple (AAPL) stock can be purchased on the NASDAQ for $154.12 and Wells Fargo Bank (WFC) stock is on the NYSE at $55.15 per share.

Pros and Cons of Investing in Stocks

The main advantage of investing in stocks is that over time, stocks give you one of the best and most simple opportunities to make money. Although there’s no guarantee that every stock will increase in value, since 1926, the average stock has returned close to 10% a year.

Although there’s no guarantee that every stock will increase in value, since 1926, the average stock has returned close to 10% a year.

If you’re investing for the long-term, which is the only type of investing I recommend, stocks can turbocharge your portfolio and help you build wealth. No other type of common investment, such as bonds or money market funds, outperforms stocks over time.

The main disadvantage of investing in stocks is that prices can be volatile. The value of a stock can change from second to second as trading volume fluctuates. The release of a disappointing quarterly financial statement, news about a product recall, or changes in the global economy are just a few triggers that can cause investors to buy or sell stock shares, which influences price.

Price volatility is the reason stocks are one of the riskiest investments to own in the short term. However, you can greatly minimize risk by adopting a long-term, buy-and-hold strategy. Additionally, being diversified by owning many stocks, instead of just one or two, offsets risk. I’ll tell you easy ways to do that in a moment.

My advice for Moadd is to never pick individual stocks on your own—that’s way too risky. If they perform poorly you could lose your entire investment. So, leave stock picking to professional money managers who research company financials and industry forecasts for a living.

4 Ways to Invest in Stocks with Little Money or Experience

Here are four ways to create a diversified stock portfolio even if you don’t have much money or experience with the stock market.

Buy a stock mutual fund.
Buy a stock index fun.
Buy a stock exchange fund.
Buy a target date fund.

Let's dive deeper into each.

1. Buy a stock mutual fund.

Mutual funds are collections of assets managed by a professional. Shares of mutual funds are bought and sold by a fund family, such as Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab. There are different types including stock mutual funds, bond mutual funds, and specialty mutual funds.

A stock mutual fund is an investment made up of hundreds or thousands of different stocks of different companies. It might focus exclusively on international, domestic, large, small, or growing companies. It may only own stocks in certain industries such as utilities, real estate, gold mining, or technology companies.

Having many individual stocks within a single investment gives you instant diversification and minimizes risk over time. Yes, some stocks owned within a fund may go down, but they can be offset by others that go up.

Look for terms like large cap, mid cap, and small cap in the names of stock funds. Cap is short for market capitalization, which is the value of a company’s stock shares. So, a large cap mutual fund means that it only owns shares of big companies, like Apple, Target, or General Electric.

An important tip for buying mutual funds is to look for the lowest fees possible.

All mutual funds charge fees, known as the expense ratio, to pay for costs, such as management, administration, and advertising. An important tip for buying mutual funds is to look for the lowest fees possible.

For instance, an expense ratio of 3% means that each year 3% of a fund’s total assets will be used to pay expenses. The fee comes off your potential annual return and cuts into your earnings. So, if you choose a similar fund that charges just 1% or less, you’ll reap higher returns over time.

2. Buy a stock index fund.

Index funds are a type of stock mutual fund that attempts to match or outperform a market index, such as the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500). They own large, diversified portfolios of individual stocks, which generally go up in value over time.

Index funds are managed passively, which means they don’t try to make quick gains by buying and selling underlying investments frequently. Owning index funds gives you an easy way to get broad market exposure. And since they don’t have teams of research analysts or high operating expenses, they charge relatively low fees.

3. Buy a stock exchange-traded fund (ETF).

On the surface, an ETF looks like a mutual fund because both are collections of underlying assets—such as stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities, currencies, or other investments—giving you affordable and convenient diversification.

But unlike a mutual fund, an ETF trades on an exchange (just like a stock), where you can track its price and buy or sell it at any time the market is open. With an ETF, you know the exact companies or assets you own because that information is available daily. With mutual funds, many only reveal their portfolio holdings a few times a year. So, ETFs never leave you guessing about where your money is exactly.

Like index mutual funds, the objective for many ETFs is to match an index, like the S&P 500, using a passive investing. As I mentioned, this is different from actively managed funds that aim to beat the market with various investing strategies and must pay management for ongoing research and transaction costs.

To get the job done, ETFs typically don’t buy and sell investments frequently or have as much overhead compared to large mutual fund families. The savings get passed along to investors.

So, when compared to average mutual funds, many ETFs charge lower fees. Additionally, many investment analysts have found that passive funds, such as ETFs and index funds, pay out higher returns over time than actively managed funds.

4. Buy a target date fund.

Target date funds, also known as lifecycle funds, are one of the newest and most innovative funds available.

Target date funds, also known as lifecycle funds, are one of the newest and most innovative funds available. You’ll see them offered by both mutual fund and exchange-traded fund families.

Target date funds own different types of investments (such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and cash) and the fund manager gradually shifts the allocation according to a selected time frame, such as your estimated retirement date.

You’ll know a target date fund because it typically includes a year in the name, such as Retirement 2030 Fund or Retirement 2055 Fund. The date should correspond to when you believe you’ll want to retire. For instance, if you’re 35 years old and want to retire 30 years from now, in 2047, choose the fund with the closest target date.

What’s so clever about these funds is that they have a “glide path” that slowly owns fewer stocks and more bonds the closer you get to the target date. Since stocks are the riskiest type of investment, it’s wise to own a smaller proportion of them and become more financially conservative as you approach retirement.

Because these target date funds already include a mix of asset classes (stocks, bonds, and cash), you only need to own one of them. The right amount of stocks is baked into the investment, making it an easy, one-size-fits all solution.

How Much Should You Invest?

Let’s get back to Moadd’s question. He said, “I’ve done research about different types of stocks like REITS, Roth IRAs, and mutual funds—but still feel like a rookie. If I invest $10,000, how long will it take to see a profit and how much could I make?”

I want to be clear that none of the investments Moadd mentioned is a stock. He may be using the terms “stock” and “investment” interchangeably, but that’s not correct. There are many other types of investments, such as bonds, real estate, currencies, and precious metals.

REIT stands for real estate investment trust, which is a company that owns real estate. A Roth IRA is a type of retirement account, in which you can own just about any type of investment. And, as I mentioned, mutual funds are a collection of assets, which could include stocks, if you choose one of the four options I reviewed.

Because it’s so risky, I don’t advise investing money for short-term gains. So, asking how long it will take to see a profit isn’t the right question. A better question is, “How much should I invest each year to achieve my long-term goals, such as retirement?” Exactly how much your account will grow depends on many factors including how much you invest over time, the investments you choose, how long you own them, and whether you use a taxable or tax-advantaged account.

If Moadd doesn’t have a retirement fund, such as a 401k or 403b through work, then I’d recommend that he open an IRA and max it out each year. For 2017, you can contribute up to $5,500 to either a traditional or a Roth IRA. If you have a workplace plan, you can contribute up to $18,000 per year.

How Much Stock Should You Own?

After you open a retirement account, you’ll need to choose the investments to own inside of it. You’ll have a menu of options to choose from and may also have access to an advisor or custodian who can help. As I mentioned, every investor should own stock through a fund. But how much stock is right for you?

Subtract your age from 100 and use that number as the percentage of stock funds to own in your retirement portfolio.

The answer depends on your appetite for risk, plus other factors like your age and when you want to retire. While there’s no one-size-fits-all asset allocation, in general, the younger you are, the more stock you should own.

Here’s an easy shortcut to figure out how much stock you should own: Subtract your age from 100 and use that number as the percentage of stock funds to own in your retirement portfolio.

For example, if you’re 40, you might consider holding 60% of your portfolio in stocks. If you tend to be more aggressive, subtract your age from 110 instead, which would indicate 70% for stocks. But this is just a rough guideline that you may decide to change.

You might allocate your stock percentage to a variety of stock funds or put it all into one stock fund. The remaining amount would be in other asset classes such as bonds and cash.

Make a goal to invest a minimum of 10% to 15% of your annual gross income for retirement. If you can’t set aside that much, start small. Even investing 1% or 2% is a great start. Then increase your contributions by a percent or two each year.

Having the option to start small is another benefit of owning stock funds. Unlike other types of investments, such as real estate or businesses, you don’t need much money to buy them.

Minimize Risk with a Buy-And-Hold Strategy

One of the most powerful ways to build wealth and financial security is actually pretty boring. Simply choose low-cost funds inside a retirement account and contribute 10% to 15% of your income over a long period of time.

Don’t get fooled into thinking that you need to take a lot of risk to be an investor. If anyone recommends that you buy this or that individual stock, smile politely and say, “thanks for your suggestion,” and never act on the information.

Don’t get fooled into thinking that you need to take a lot of risk to be an investor.

For most investors who don’t want to make a career out of stock picking, buying individual stocks is a bad idea. Trying to find one or two winning stocks is gambling, not smart, strategic investing.

Buying and holding one or more diversified funds minimizes investment risk. If the price of one stock in a fund takes a dive, it’s no big deal because you own hundreds or thousands of other stocks that may be holding steady or going up.

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Charging Bull in Lower Manhattan image courtesy of Shutterstock

Selasa, 03 Oktober 2017

Why Mochi is the Perfect Dessert for Kids

Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen book cover

Author Debbie Michiko Florence was struck with the idea for her character Jasmine after reading a newspaper article about a multigenerational Japanese-American family who gathered to make mochi each new year. Fiesty, independent fourth-generation Japanese-American Jasmine Toguchi, growing up in West LA, wants to break mochi-making tradition and participate in the "boy job" of pounding the mochi rice.

Mochi is a chewy dessert made from glutinous short-grain mochi rice, pounded into a paste and shaped and colored for various holidays. Florence sat down with the Clever Cookstr to talk about her experience as a third-generation Japanese-American cook, eater, and writer, and to share tips and tricks for making mochi. After you're done listening, check out this bonus recipe for Microwavable Mochi from Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups mochiko (Japanese rice flour), plus a couple of handfuls
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
cooking spray

Note: Mochiko can be purchased in Asian grocery stores or online.

UTENSILS

Measuring cups, medium or large bowl, mixing spoon, 9 X 9 square microwavable pan (glass or ceramic), cutting board, small knife

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix 1 1/2 cups of mochiko with the sugar and water in a bowl until smooth.
Spray microwavable pan with cooking spray.
Pour mochiko mixture into pan.
Microwave on high for 7 1/2 minutes until ingredients become a puffy dough-like mass. (Cooking times may vary.)
Dust cutting board with mochiko.
With an adult’s help, remove hot pan from microwave. Flip pan over onto the mochiko-dusted cutting board. Cooked mochi should come out of the pan in one big square.
Let mochi cool until you can safely handle it with your hands.
Cut into small square pieces.

HOW TO EAT MOCHI

You can eat mochi as is, or dip it into sugar, cinnamon, and/or soy sauce for extra flavor. You can also toast it lightly in a toaster oven for a crispier outer shell. Mochi is very sticky, so take

small bites and chew carefully.

HOW TO STORE MOCHI

Wrap cooled mochi loosely in wax paper and store at room temperature. Eat within two days.

Makes approximately 16 squares.

This activity celebrates the Jasmine Toguchi chapter book series by Debbi Michiko Florence and illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic. Excerpted with permission from Farrar Straus Giroux.

How to Build More Muscle with Less Protein

protein options like salmon, chicken, steak, eggs, avocado and nuts

Buckle your seat belts and pull out your pocket protectors: We’re going full nutrition-nerd today, talking about the role of dietary protein in maximizing muscle protein synthesis. But don’t assume that this is only of interest to body-builders! Applying these insights to your daily meals can have a monumental impact on your ability to maintain a healthy body weight, age successfully, and bounce back from illness and injury.

In a previous episode on preventing age-related muscle loss, I explained that you can get more protein benefit without eating more protein, simply by distributing your protein more evenly over the course of the day. Since then, I’ve heard from many of you asking how to adapt this advice to various situations and dietary patterns—such as those that are lower in protein.

I recently attended a meeting with some of the world’s top protein researchers and in between sessions I hit them up for their insights on the questions you’ve raised. I’ve got some great new information to share with you but first, let’s back up and talk muscle protein synthesis.

How does your body make muscle?

Building and repairing muscle tissue requires protein—and that’s a nutrient that our bodies have to use as it comes in; we can’t store it for future use. Whenever we eat foods containing protein, we get a little burst of muscle-building activity. The amount of muscle you build is dependent on the amount of protein you take in at that meal. Eat a little protein, build a little muscle. Take in more protein, build more muscle...but only up to a point.

Research by Douglas Paddon Jones of the University of Texas has shown that muscle protein synthesis peaks at about 30 grams of protein per meal. Anything above that is largely wasted in terms of its muscle-building benefit.

Just to give you a quick frame of reference, a typical chicken breast contains 50 to 65 grams of protein. An 8-ounce sirloin contains about 70 grams of protein. A half cup of Greek yogurt contains about 10 grams of protein and an egg contains 6 grams of protein. To see how much protein you get from other foods, check out my protein cheat sheet.

The best time to take protein

The average protein intake in the US is just under 90 grams of protein per day. However, we typically eat over two-thirds of that (around 60 grams) at dinner time, with breakfast and lunch typically being much lower in protein. That means that, despite taking in plenty of protein over the course of the day, most of us are only maxing out our muscle building processes once a day.

Maximizing protein synthesis once a day is definitely better than nothing. But there’s a missed opportunity here. Paddon Jones has demonstrated that by taking that same 90 grams of protein and dividing it more evenly across three meals, we can maximize protein synthesis three times a day instead of just once.

In practical terms, this usually means eating a lot less protein at dinner and a lot more protein at breakfast. There’s certainly nothing wrong with eating half a chicken breast or salmon filet for breakfast, but if you’re not ready to start your day with a turkey burger, a versatile source of protein like whey protein powder can also be a big help. This article includes suggestions for using protein powder to bump up the protein content of typical breakfast and lunch foods.

Why does muscle protein synthesis matter?

Maximizing muscle protein synthesis is not just for body builders and athletes. It’s beneficial for everyone, but it’s particularly critical for three groups of people: those over 50, those who are in the process of losing weight, and those who are recovering from a serious injury, illness, or surgery. All three of these groups are prone to accelerated muscle loss, which makes all three conditions (aging, weight loss, recovery) more challenging.

Ironically, the groups who have most to gain from maximizing protein synthesis (older adults, those actively losing weight, and those recovering from illness or injury) are all likely to be eating a lot less protein than the average intake of 90 grams per day. They may be taking in fewer calories in general in an effort to lose weight. They may be eating smaller more frequent meals due to smaller appetites. Or, protein foods may simply be less appealing to them.

How to build more muscle with less protein

And this brings us to the question that so many of you have asked: How can you get the most muscle-building benefit if you’re only taking in 50 or 60 grams of protein per day? Are you better off dividing that smaller amount evenly across three meals? What if you eat smaller more frequent meals? Should some be heavy in protein and others lighter or should they all have a little bit of protein?

Analysis done by Wayne Campbell at Purdue University suggests that when it comes to preserving muscle, hitting that 30-gram threshold once a day is better than never hitting it—especially for our three groups at increased risk of muscle loss. Hitting it twice a day is better than hitting it only once.

You can get more protein benefit without eating more protein.

After discussing all of this with Dr. Paddon Jones and Dr. Campbell and applying a little common sense, I’ve come up with the following guidelines for those who—for whatever reason—do not eat 90 grams of protein per day.

Protein intake on a low-protein diet

Max it out at least once a day. If you only eat 50 grams of protein per day, you’re better off eating 30 of it at a single meal than dividing it equally among three or more meals. If you can manage 2 protein-maxed meals per day, even better.
Do what you can. If 30 grams of protein is simply more than you can manage at a single meal, aiming for 20 or 25 grams at a meal is still going to give you more benefit than 5 or 10 grams.
Avoid eating more than 30 grams of protein at a meal. Although that extra protein can be used as fuel (that is: calories), it’s not helping with muscle preservation. Move that protein to a different meal or snack.
Don’t just feed your muscles: Use them. You know what works even better than protein to build new muscle? Exercise. And you know what works better than either exercise or protein alone? Exercise plus protein.

One final caveat: Most of this research presumes that the protein in question is high-quality protein, namely, lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, or whey protein powder. If you’re getting your protein from plant sources such as legumes, nuts, and grains, it may take significantly more than 25 to 30 grams of protein at a meal to maximize protein synthesis.

Thanks to Drs. Paddon Jones and Campbell for all of their work on this important issue and for lending their expertise to our discussion.

If you have a question or topic that you think would make a good topic for a future episode, feel free to email me at nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com or post it on the Nutrition Diva Facebook page. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode.

How Much Does My Dog Understand?

In my house, dogs are family. They get their own birthday celebrations and, despite my efforts to train them otherwise, they even get to sleep in the bed. I also talk to them, sometimes in praise, other times in a desperate attempt to convince them that it is not, in fact, in their best interest to eat crayons ... again. But how much of what I say to them do they actually understand? Do they remember the things I’ve told them? I know that I love my dog, but does my dog love me or just the food that I provide?

How many words can a dog know?

Most dog knows what you mean when you say “sit” or “stay,” and mine certainly knows the word “no,” but how much more can they understand? I know an English bulldog whose owners had to stop using the word “dinner” when doing their meal planning because their pup would think it was time to eat. For a while they switched to “supper” but he eventually learned that too.

Experts suggest that dogs on average understand somewhere between 100 and 200 words, a level of vocabulary typical of human 2-3 year olds. Some dogs, like those who live with deaf people, are also known to respond to hand signals even without verbal communication.

How dogs understand different words, however, is not well understood. For example, does your dog know that “shoe” is a thing you wear to protect your feet while walking outside? Or does your dog think the word “shoe” means “bring me that object I keep by the door”?

Common lore among dog lovers says that the tone of your voice is all that matters when communicating with your dog. You can say anything, and as long as you use a happy voice, your dog will understand that she or he has been a good dog.

In 2016, researchers from Budapest, Hungary put this hypothesis to the test by training 13 domestic dogs to sit in an fMRI scanner. The fMRI technique, short for functional magnetic resonance imaging, monitors brain activity by measuring changes in blood flow to different areas of the brain.

The researchers monitored the brain activity for the group of mostly border collies and golden retrievers as they heard typical words of approval as well as neutral words like conjunctions both in neutral and praiseful tones. According to their work published in the journal Science, when the dogs heard words of praise, in either tone of voice, activity was noted in the left side of the brain, suggesting that the left hemisphere in a dog’s brain processes language, just as in humans.

The tone of voice still mattered, however, because activity in the reward center, the area in the dog’s brain which processes positive feedback, not only registered when the dogs heard praise in a positive tone but also following neutrally spoken praise. So the dogs were able to process both the words being said and the tone in which they were stated. Attila Andics, one of the lead researchers on the study, summarized, “Dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant. This is very similar to what human brains do.”

The study is not able to confirm what meaning the dogs associate with each of the words they heard, but it does suggest that they are able to separate meaningful words (like those communicating praise) from words that don’t have any meaning for them. There’s no word on whether your dog will be happy to hear you call him “the dumbest dog ever” as long as you say it with a nice voice and a smile.

Can your dog remember what you do together?

In a separate study from the same institute in Hungary, researcher Claudia Fugazza conducted a study to determine whether or not dogs show signs of episodic memory, the ability to remember things they’ve done or seen in the past. We humans are obviously able to recall past events but scientists still debate whether or not nonhuman animals also have this skill when it comes to information not required for survival.

To test for episodic memory in dogs, their owners taught them a “do it” command which told the dogs to repeat an action, like jumping or touching an umbrella, after seeing their owner perform the action. Next, the owners trained their dogs to simply lie down after watching them perform the action. Finally, the owners threw in a twist. They performed an action so that their dog knew to lie down. Then, between one minute and one hour later, they commanded the dog to “do it.” So not only did the dogs have to remember what that action was, but they had to do it after not expecting their memory of the event to be tested.

The researchers found that in most cases, the dogs were able to recall the correct action, but that it was harder for them to remember the action after a longer delay if they weren’t expecting the memory test. The same is usually true for human memory and is why we make generally unreliable eye witnesses.

The results of the “do it” study suggest that dogs have something at least similar to episodic memory which suggests that “our dogs memories aren’t based simply on repetition and reward,” according to Brian Hare, a dog cognition expert at Duke University. This result could further mean that this type of memory did not evolve only in humans and primates.

Research from Emory University suggests that our dogs may in fact love us.

Does your dog love you or just your food?

So my dog may have a decent vocabulary and memory, but how much of this understanding extends to the abstract? Do dogs also have feelings and perhaps even love their owners back?

A research study led by neuroscientist Gregory Berns of Emory University suggests that our dogs may in fact love us, at least as much as they love food. Like the Hungarian studies, the dogs were trained to sit still for MRI scans and were never restrained so that they were free to leave the scanner at any time. The dogs wear ear muffs to protect their sensitive hearing and given chin rests to make them more comfortable (and to help keep them still).

The tests run by Berns and his group are not all that different from similar studies attempting to understand the response of the human brain. The dogs were provided rewards in the form of hot dogs and verbal praise while the scientists monitored their brain activity. They found that 20% of the dogs had a stronger positive response to praise than they did to food, suggesting that the connection they felt with their human companions was at least as important, if not more.

Other studies have suggested that dogs know how to read our facial expressions, communicate jealousy, show empathy, and even enjoy television programs. As a species dogs have been domesticated for as long as 10,000-30,000 years so it is possible that being around us has affected their evolution. If that is the case, then they may have affected our evolution as well.

Until next time, this is Sabrina Stierwalt with Everyday Einstein’s Quick and Dirty Tips for helping you make sense of science. You can become a fan of Everyday Einstein on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, where I’m @QDTeinstein. If you have a question that you’d like to see on a future episode, send me an email at everydayeinstein@quickanddirtytips.com.

Image courtesy of shutterstock.

Senin, 02 Oktober 2017

Why Tom Brady’s TB12 Method is a Lesson On Prehab

football on a field representing tom brady's tb12 method

NFL Quarterback Tom Brady’s book 'The TB12 Method' finally hit the shelves of my local bookstore last week, and although it was pretty well hidden behind a book about Hillary Clinton and the latest John le Carré novel, it seems to be selling quite well.

The book outlines Brady’s holistic approach to training, nutrition, and lifestyle that promises to help you achieve a lifetime of sustained peak performance. My colleague the Nutrition Diva dove into the nutritional aspects of the book and I'm going to dive into the training side.

A Little History on Sports and Fitness

Back in 1956, President Eisenhower established the President's Council on Youth Fitness. Sixty years later they are now called the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, and they strive to engage, educate, and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

In 1993 (under President Bill Clinton) the US Government released the Nolan Ryan Fitness Guide, which was made available free of charge to every American who asked for one and more than 850,000 guides were distributed. Nolan was indeed a busy baseball player but not too busy to give (unqualified) medical and nutritional advice to all of America.

So, when I saw Tom Brady following suit, I wasn’t all that surprised. Even if this book wasn’t mandated by the president and will not be given out for free to anyone who asks for it, there is a history of us looking to our sports heroes for their guidance. All of us are secretly hoping that if we emulate their morning routine we can grab a piece of their good fortune or stardom.

Why Tom Brady?

At age 39, Brady became the second-oldest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. He is now 40-years-old and in his 18th season of throwing, dodging and slightly deflating balls. In American football standards, he is indeed an old man but he is also still playing and still winning, so he must be doing something right. Right?

Well, obviously yes. He has definitely tapped into what his unique biology, genetics, epigenetics, and biomechanics need in order to stay at the top of his game. Does this mean his techniques will work for you? Well, just like following any pro athlete’s highly-customized program, probably not. But if you are like me, you checked the book out anyway because heck, he’s a 40-year-old, lean, 225-pound guy who plays like a champ. Why not take a peek under the hood to see how he works?

The TB12 Method

TB12 Method really reads like an injury rehab book. Except that it’s not an injury they are rehabbing, it is age.

It’s debatable just how much of Brady’s success and longevity can be linked to his current TB12 Method or training regimen (which is named after him and his jersey number). There is some good advice in the fitness section of the book (which is where I will keep my focus) but I have to say that it really reads like an injury rehab book. One that your physiotherapist might give you when you finish your final session: "Ok, you are good to go but take this book and follow the program for the next six months and then come back and see me." I find this to be particularly interesting because Brady and his team are actually engaged in a true but rare form of rehab or "prehab" protocol. Except that it’s not an injury they are rehabbing, it is age. I gotta say that I find this book fascinating from that standpoint alone.

One thing I have to point out before we dive in further is that the man who manages Tom Brady’s diet and workouts, Alex Guerrero, is neither a doctor nor a nutritionist and he also doesn’t have the best track record with the FTC. (Alex Guerrero faked being a doctor and made unsubstantiated claims that his products could cure conditions such as cancer and concussions.) So when you are deciding whether or not to purchase this book, consider the source. But as they say (rather dubiously), Orville and Wilbur Wright weren’t pilots but they still invented the airplane, so…onward and upward?

Here are a few things I did find interesting about the TB12 protocol:

Use of vibrating foam rollers
Replacing weights with resistance bands
The science behind variable resistance

Let's dive deeper into each.

The Use of a Vibrating Foam Roller

"Pliable muscles are softer, longer and more resilient: they help insulate the body against injury and accelerate post-injury recovery," explains TB12's website which is absolutely riddled with a catchy but elusive term that I 'd never seen before: Muscle Pliability.

I have been a coach for a while now and I do my best to keep up with the literature so I was curious about this terminology. I have never heard the term "muscle pliability" mentioned anywhere before. It certainly wasn’t part of my coaching certification (which is specialized in, among other things, portable equipment) and a Google search returned a few hits but most of them were written by or about Tom Brady, apart from one paper about flexibility which actually contradicts much of what TB12 is based on.

So basically, Muscle Pliability is a marketing or branding term for the TB12 Method. A pretty good one too.

My guess is that Muscle Pliability is a term that Brady and his team came up with to encapsulate being strong but relaxed and able to move freely through your body’s maximum range of motion. Very much like what the mobility guru, Kelly Starrett, preached when he told us that we all needed to become a Supple Leopard back in 2013. Except for the fact that Starrett is one of the highest respected Doctors of Physical Therapy in the world today, at least when it comes to mobility and sport.

Getting people to improve their flexibility, and to a greater extent their mobility, is a big part of my life’s mission. It would be crazy to me if Brady did not to focus on these parts of training. If he personally didn’t focus on them, he certainly wouldn’t be the athlete he is today, and in the book Brady does go to great lengths and focuses almost single mindedly on this, but none of what he is doing is new or groundbreaking. We were using foam rollers back when I first started coaching—granted, our foam rollers didn’t vibrate.

It was when I dug into Brady’s use of foam rollers, massage, myofascial release, and mobility exercises that I realized I was looking at a program for someone who is locked in an epic battle with Father Time. The approach is quite ingenious (and useful for us old guys) but is certain to disappoint the 20-year-olds who will invariably pick up this book and be stunned by their hero spending more time rubbing his muscles than pumping them up. Not that I think this is a bad thing. I agree with the part in the book where Brady says, “Weights aren’t harmful themselves. What is harmful is how most people use weights.” I agree. Especially when it comes to 20-year-olds who watch too much NFL.

Replacing Weights with Resistance Bands

“Some people want denser muscles. As an athlete, as a quarterback, I don’t want them,” Brady said on the CBS TV show "This Morning." “I want to keep my muscles strong and active, but also pliable.” Which aligns well with the section of the book titled “Train At The Speed of Your Sport,” which can be summed up in this one sentence: "for long term peak performance, you can’t train slow and move fast." When a freight train of a man is barreling toward you, intent on flattening you before you throw the ball, it is certainly in your best interest to practice moving quickly. A lot more quickly than you would with a massive barbell perched on your shoulders.

Brady told the NY Times: "If there's so much pressure, just constant tugging on your tendons and ligaments, you're going to get hurt. Like with a kid, when they fall, they don't get hurt. Their muscles are soft. When you get older, you lose that." This aligns well with the section of the book called “Form First,” which highlights the importance of form over reps. As we get older, our bodies become less and less forgiving of us moving out of proper alignment. Which is why we thought it was so hilarious when our fathers would throw their backs out by opening a car door when we were miserable teenagers. We just didn't get it. Aging gracefully is hard work.

TB12 focuses on having a workout protocol that primarily involves using elastic resistance bands (usually referred to as Variable Resistance), followed by massage (often using a vibrating foam roller). This is certainly a process that can lengthen and mobilize muscles—unlike barbells which can shorten and tighten them—but will this combo work for someone who doesn’t have great genes, talent, focus, discipline, and 18+ years at a job that involves working out with highly trained professionals using the best gear that money can buy?

The Science of Variable Resistance

In some cases Variable Resistance seems to be even more effective than dumbbells, bars, and plates.

There is some great evidence that Variable Resistance (resistance bands) can be extremely effective. In some cases they seem to be even more effective than dumbbells, bars, and plates.

A study on Cornell Student-Athletes, which included volunteers from the men's basketball and wrestling teams and the women's basketball and hockey teams at Cornell University, said, “Compared with C (control), improvement for E (elastic) was nearly three times greater for back squat, two times greater for bench press, and nearly three times greater for average power.” So, when compared with some regular weight training shmoes, the guys doing the variable resistance training experienced double the gains in one-rep max, and triple the gains in average power, after seven weeks.

In another study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning researchers tested Variable Resistance on a middle-aged, sedentary population of women. The study showed that even low-intensity elastic band training was found to be at least as effective as regular weight training.

Another study that was likely of great interest to Brady (and the rest of us middle-aged athletes) found that Variable Resistance training showed greater anabolic hormone responses over conventional weight lifting, meaning that it provided a greater increase in serum Testosterone and Growth Hormone than regular weight lifting. These two hormones often become a problem for us as we age.

As I flipped through pages and pages of photos of fitness folks demonstrating the resistance band workouts, and explosive plyometrics, I couldn’t help but be intrigued and itching to give it a try. The use of multi-joint, full-body, full range of motion moves aligns nicely with my own philosophies about fitness. Not to mention the fact that you could easily do these workouts outside of a gym. These are workouts you could do at home, in a park, or really anywhere you can spread out a yoga mat and not punch the ceiling (without jumping). Plus, we are not talking about your YMCA's resistance bands here. These are serious bands with serious resistance. For instance, the ones they sell at a company called X3 can apply up to 500 lbs (yes, 500 pounds) of force.

Brady said in a recent GQ article: "It's about having all of my muscles function at 100 percent. Getting them all to expand and contract, always getting great muscle function to create that system in your body that can do it for a long period of time."

Well, it's hard to argue that he is not functioning at 100 percent. He is playing at an elite level well beyond the usual longevity of a quarterback, and aside from an ACL tear back in 2008, he hasn't been sidelined for long. Again, is it genetics, epigenetics, biology, just plain luck, or his unusual workouts? I can’t say for sure but the fact that he is willing to go completely against the grain makes his training protocol worth a good, long look.

Criticism of TB12

Since the book arrived on the shelves, I have seen a few nasty articles being circulated. Some of them pointing out the cost of the equipment required to do the TB12 workouts ($150 and up), or skepticism around how elastic bands could provide enough of a workout for a grown football player. I have also seen much poo-poo-ing of the apparently made-up term Muscle Pliability, but as I hopefully have described here these are sightly unfounded arguments. Sure Muscle Pliability isn’t a thing (yet) and while the workouts are not groundbreaking or earth-shattering, I see nothing particularly wrong with the approach this book takes, especially if you are maintaining the fitness of an aging athlete that has found an interesting way to keep his strength and mobility intact at a time of life when most football players have hit the shower for good.

Will this approach work for everyone? No. Will doing these workouts make you into a star NFL-er? Certainly not. Will I incorporate some of the workouts in TB12 into my own regimen along with many other mainstays such as lifting heavy weights, sprinting occasionally, and moving frequently at a moderate pace over varied terrain? Yes, at least until I find something else shiny and new to try out.

How to Be Persuasive Using the Right Language Cues

How to Be Persuasive Using the Right Language

The problem with being a villian is that, well, you have to communicate like one. Villains don't explain, they command.

It was a cold, gray morning and the Wicked Witch’s castle was chilled to the ramparts. The Witch called to her minions. “The weather disappoints!” she proclaimed. “Fix it immediately!”

Her minions scurried out of the room. She heard hammering outside, and smiled, imagining the wonderful wood-burning heater they were going to have for her in just a few moments. They wheeled in a large metal box, on wooden rollers. “Voila!”, cried the head minion, “it bends space and time and turns the snow pure white.” Pure white. White snow. W-T-F?

The Wicked Witch buried her head in her hands.

Communication is Difficult

Some of the Wicked Witch’s problems are simply communication. She knows exactly what she wants: warmth! Either a heater or maybe little booties to protect her feet. But the language she’s using isn’t language that will work with minions. That’s because to get your message across, you need to send it in ways that work for everyone.

In my career—and I have been doing public speaking and training professionally for years—it seems one distinction is very, very important in crafting your message: the difference between abstract and concrete.

Abstract vs. Concrete Language

Abstract thinking drives progress

One of the things that separates Human from Beast is that humans can think abstractly. We give words to things, and then act as if those words are real. A Beast can say “R-o-o-o-a-r!” That's about it. The Wicked Witch can say “The weather disappoints! Fix it!” The words “weather,” “disappoints,” and “fix” are abstract. They refer to concepts and broad categories, not specifics.

Abstraction drives pretty much all human progress. Without it, we couldn’t have language. We wouldn’t have science, or mathematics, or engineering. How would you feel about that? (pause) I’ll bet you thought something like, “OK. I guess that’s bad. But at least school would have been easier.”

Concrete thinking drives action

But you also wouldn’t have kitty pictures. You wouldn’t have stereos for dance parties. You wouldn’t have People Magazine or Oprah. You wouldn’t have the websites you keep open in your other browser tabs. And you wouldn’t have smartphones to take selfies and post on Instagram. Now you’re thinking: “ARGH!!!! Gu… sp… how… ARGH!!!” Life would be too horrible even to contemplate, right?

Now did you notice what I did there? With broad abstract words like “science” or “math,” you get a vague picture in your brain and search for a single reason to care. But with specific, concrete language, you clutch your smartphone in horror, as you desperately sooth yourself by surfing KittenToob.com.

Abstract thinking is great for speculation, but it isn’t going to drive people to action. It doesn’t bring up strong emotion. Concrete thinking does.

Some people respond more to abstract ideas. Others respond more to concrete ones. You can see this in political debates. Take flag burning. For some people, the specific imagery of “a burning flag” inflames their passion. For others, the abstract idea of “free speech” is what ignites them. The two sides can’t meet in the middle because there is no middle; they’re talking two different languages.

Start with your preferred language

Fortunately, the two kinds of communication work well together. When you want to get your message across, give both the abstract idea, and concrete examples of that idea. Of course, you’ll be starting from your own preferred style, concrete or abstract.

If you’re starting with a concrete example you want to communicate, ask yourself why that example matters. What general principle is it following? You want to tell people “The little girl fell down the well!” Why does it matter? Because she’s a member of your community and you want to save her. That’s the abstract version.

If you’re starting with an abstract idea, ask yourself why that abstract idea matters. What are specific examples of it? If you want to tell people “We have to save members of our community who are in danger!” ask yourself what examples you have. Maybe…the little girl who fell down the well.

Include both styles in your message

Now that you have both versions of the message, combine them. Say “The little girl fell down the well! She’s a member of the community and we must save her!” Concrete thinkers will hear the first part and be moved to action. Abstract thinkers will hear the second part and be moved to action. Sadly, in this case, everyone rushed to the well, and the little girl was nowhere to be seen…just…bubbles.

Numbers can be general, too

This isn’t just limited to words. Numbers can be more abstract or more concrete. When discussing wealth inequality, conversations are almost always abstract. “The new tax bill only helps the top 1%!” Since the top 20% thinks they’re in the top 1%, they don’t object. But it changes when you use concrete numbers: “The tax bill only helps people who make over $396,000 per year.” When you lay the number on the table, people can clearly realize exactly how rarified the “top 1%” really is.

When you want to get your message across, give both the abstract idea, and concrete examples.

If you read the transcripts of my episodes, you’ll notice that every episode alternates between abstract and concrete. Even this episode does it. I present a concrete story, perhaps about an Wicked Witch, and then flip to the abstract idea, that unclear communication can be a problem. And if you were listening closely, you even noticed that the very sentence I just uttered, itself, included both the abstract idea and concrete example.

At last, the Wicked Witch knows what to do. She can declare, “The weather disappoints! Fix it immediately!” That’s the abstract version. Then she can give concrete examples. “It’s too cold! Bring me a wood-burning heater and some warm, comfy knit booties to keep my feetsies warm!”

Having saved hours of back-and-forth with her minions, she has a lot of thinking time as she warms her feet by the fire. She realizes minions make boring companions. Maybe she should turn good. That little girl she rescued from the well kept babbling on about collapsing wave functions and the Copenhagen interpretation and some German guy’s cat. Maybe she’d be a fine conversational companion. Just unlock her shackles and free her from the dungeon. What was her name again? Dorothy something-or-other?

This is Stever Robbins. Follow GetItDoneGuy on Twitter and Facebook. I give great keynote speeches on productivity, Living an Extraordinary Life, and entrepreneurship. Find me at http://ift.tt/1l2uWN6.

Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!

Minggu, 01 Oktober 2017

4 Ways to Correct Toxic Parenting

Toxic parenting and ways to fix it

Last week I attended my son’s high school soccer game. Because I work full time, attending games at 3:30 in the afternoon is truly a luxury, so when I can pull it off, it’s a huge score for both my son and me. I arrived without incident (and actually remembered to bring him a chilled Gatorade!) and settled into the bleachers with a few other parents. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and even better—I was having a great hair day!

The team took the field and the game was off and running. I didn’t have a care in the world. My 9th-grade son was playing Varsity and was having a great game. My iced tea was hitting the spot, yet just when I was about to indulge in some snacks the insults began. No, it wasn’t fans from the “other team” hurling rude comments towards our guys—it was a couple of our “own” criticizing and ridiculing their own kids and their friends. Yikes!

What is a Toxic Parent?

Though we as parents may find this hard to believe, without even realizing it we can offer up extremely negative comments and send discouraging vibes towards our kids through our choice of words, tone of voice, and body language. This type of behavior is known as toxic parenting and not only is it hurtful, it can be tremendously damaging.

Toxic means poisonous, noxious, contaminated. In the article Toxic Parenting, “the phrase toxic parent was coined to describe parents whose own negative behavior grossly inflicts emotional damage which contaminates their children's sense of self.” If you've ever caught yourself lapsing into a state of toxic parentnig, here are four examples and strategies to turn it around fast.

4 Tips to Fix Toxic Parenting

Don’t talk over your child
Curb your own negativity
Stop being overly critical
Don’t use guilt to control your child

Let's dive a little deeper into each.

Tip #1: Don’t Talk Over Your Child

Communication isn’t just about coordinating the car pool or giving gentle reminders to your kids that they’d better put away the laundry "or else." It’s about sharing your true feelings, desires, fears, and experiences with those who are dearest to you. Engaging in strong, meaningful conversation is the key to building a solid family life. This doesn’t always come easy to everyone, but when you're mindful of how you're speaking and listening to your kids, everyone benefits.

A while back I heard a terrific acronym—W.A.I.T., or Why Am I Talking? When trying to improve any relationship, listening is far more important than chatting. Whether it’s your spouse, your kids, or even a co-worker, if they have something important on their minds that they want to share, let them have the floor and tune in with interest. Interject your thoughts and responses when appropriate, but try and step back

Tip #2: Curb Your Own Negativity

I’ve always believed that parents set the emotional tone in their home environment. When we’re exhausted and cranky we are less patient with our kids and our spouse, and we can nag and snap more easily. Yet when we’re happy and energized we set off a spunky, positive vibe and the entire family lightens up. In 11 Ways You’re Being a Toxic Parent—Without Even Knowing It, Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD, an internationally-recognized child psychology expert and author of 10 Days to a Less Defiant Child, says that a parent's thoughts are often at the root of negative behavior in children. He explains, "No kid is perfect, but parents often don't realize just how much their own thoughts, rather than their children's behavior, contribute to their own emotions."

Parents that catch themselves in a cycle of negative thinking should take a step back and rephrase their negative thoughts into more positive ones. For example, rephrasing the thought "He's being such a brat today," into, "He's having a hard time today, I wonder what's going on," can have a big impact on your interaction with your child.

Tip #3: Stop Being Overly Critical

Those who know me well or who have been following Mighty Mommy for the past few years know my friends and family have lovingly nicknamed me Pollyanna. It's a reference to my inner nature which hasn't changed since my pre-school days. I've always had a happy-go-lucky personality, point me to any situation no matter how bleak and I'll find the silver lining. This has definitely been the foundation of my parenting for the past 24 years, especially when times get tough. And with eight kids, times can get tough. My ex-husband also shares these same qualities, yet had to overcome years of a very negative upbringing because his parents were highly critical of him and his siblings. If he received an A minus on a report, his parents wondered why he couldn’t pull of an A plus. If he struck out four batters during a baseball game, the focus was on the runs he gave up.

In 13 Signs Of A Toxic Parent That Many People Don't Realize the article reinforces that overly critical parents can damage a child’s sense of self for the long run with their constant criticisms.

“Everyone’s parents criticize from time to time. Without this component, we might never learn how to do numerous things properly, such as everyday chores like washing laundry. A toxic parent takes this to extremes by being overly critical about everything their child does. Parents can make the mistake of believing that they do this to make sure their children avoid making costly mistakes. Unfortunately, what this behavior really does is causing the child to develop a harsh inner critic that can be borderline crippling during adulthood.”

Constructive criticism is necessary for any human being to grow and learn, but picking your child apart on an everyday basis is like poison. Don’t forget to catch your child (and your spouse and co-workers) doing something good. “Annie, I love how you took the extra time to play with the dog before you had to rush out the door for school” is much more encouraging than stating, “If you had your act together, you could’ve taken the dog for a longer walk before you almost miss the bus.”

Tip #4: Don’t Use Guilt to Control Your Child

Let’s face it, nearly every parent (including myself) has laid a guilt trip on their child at one time or another. Just a few weeks ago, for example, I moved my son back to college for his junior year. We traveled in horrific rain and wind for nearly six hours to finally arrive and then spend an hour unpacking and getting him settled. He was safely and happily reunited with all his college buddies and anxious to spend the first night back hanging out with them. After my long day of traveling (not to mention feeling sad that I wouldn’t see him for several months until the holidays) I remarked with a comment like, “Oh sure, now that you’re back with your friends you don’t need your mother any longer.” I truly meant it as a joke, but he took it seriously and said he’d forget about his friends that night and would go have dinner with his sister and myself.

According to Guy Winch, Ph.D., “guilt trips are a clear form of psychological manipulation and coercion.” While those who suffered through guilt during their upbringing may blow it off as a necessary part of growing up, Dr. Winch states that this type of communication is not as harmless as we may think. He further mentions that those “who use guilt trips are usually entirely focused on getting the result they want and entirely blind to the damage their methods can cause.”

When my son comes home for the holidays you can bet I’m not going to make a single comment about his wanting to go see his girlfriend rather than chilling out at our house his first night back. Instead, I’m going to welcome him home with a big hug and tell him to enjoy not having to worry about exams and classes for a few weeks.

How do you handle toxic parenting situations in your family? Share your thoughts in the comments section at http://ift.tt/1zMEe2L, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at http://ift.tt/1wyJKr5