What is Heat Acclimatization and How Can We Use It in Training?

In my recent article, Is It Ever Too Cold to Exercise Outdoors?, I mentioned some of the physiological adaptations that were possible to get by training in hot conditions. That idea seems to have peaked some of your curiosity. I received a number of questions asking exactly what heat adaptation means, what the benefits are, and how to go about getting them.

I’ll get to that in a minute, but first a story:

A few years ago, I ran a marathon in Chicago in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I had trained hard and was prepared to give it my all. I was on pace to achieve my goal time but the sun was getting high in the sky, the temperature was rising, and so was my heart rate. I was only nearing the halfway mark, so there was no way I was going to drop my pace. I dug deep and pressed on. But then I started to get worried as runner after runner in front of me dropped their pace and dumped more and more water over their heads at every aid station. Finally, when a very formidable runner that I had been running near for about 20 kilometres suddenly careened wildly across the road and then proceeded to face-plant on the cement, I decided it was time to reconsider how hard I was willing to push for this BQ (Boston Qualifier).

I finished the race, and after a lengthy lounge under a shady tree in the park, I got myself back to the hotel and took a cold shower. I then found out that between the time that I arrived at the starting area and the time that I crossed the halfway point, the temperature had gone from 59°F  (15°C) to 80°F  (27°C).

Later that night I was sipping a cold beer, exhausted but no worse for wear, I couldn’t help but wonder how that obviously well-trained runner pushed herself to the point of face-planting.

Your Body and Heat

Normally, your skin, blood vessels and sweat levels adjust to the heat. But these cooling systems will eventually fail if you exercise in high temperatures (and high humidity) for too long.

When you exercise in the heat, your body circulates blood away from the core and closer to the skin (aka sweat), where it can be cooled more effectively by maximising the thermogenic effects of evaporation. But by shunting your blood to your skin, that draws oxygen away from your working muscles while also lowering the amount of blood that your heart can pump with each beat. Because you are losing fluid you are also losing blood volume and this places additional demand on your already hard-working heart. This gets even worse if it is humid outside. In a high humidity situation sweat won’t evaporate from your skin and that, in turn, pushes your body temperature even higher.

Normally, your skin, blood vessels, and sweat levels adjust to the heat. But these automatic cooling systems will eventually fail if you exercise in high temperatures (and high humidity) for too long.

As blood (and fluid in general) becomes a precious commodity and your heart is forced to work harder and faster, your heart rate gets higher and higher, your breathing becomes faster, your blood pressure drops, and your core temperature rises.

If you keep going past this point, eventually, your body will send a message to your brain to “stop this madness,” and that is when exercise goes from being fun to uncomfortable or difficult to straight-up impossible. That is clearly what happened to that poor face-planting marathoner.

Dangers of Exercising in the Heat

According to the Mayo Clinic, Heat illnesses include:

• Heat cramps: sometimes called exercise-associated muscle cramps, which are painful muscle contractions that can occur with exercise.
• Heat syncope: a feeling of lightheadedness occurring after standing for a long period, or standing quickly after sitting for a long time.
• Exercise-associated collapse: feeling lightheaded or fainting immediately after exercising, which can occur especially if you immediately stop running and stand after a race or a long run.
• Heat exhaustion: when your body temperature rises as high as 104 F (40 C), you may experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, headache, fainting, sweating and cold, clammy skin.
• Heatstroke: a life-threatening emergency condition that occurs when your body temperature is higher than 104 F (40 C). At this point, your skin may actually be dry from lack of sweat.

Incidentally, later that night in Chicago, my friend and I were endlessly amused by the uncontrollable twitching and pulsing that my calf muscles were doing (a thing called fasciculations). My calves fully cramped (very painfully) a few times and the constant twitching kept me up much of the night and honestly started to freak me out a little. It really looked like a swarm of calf-snakes were trying to burst through my skin. This was likely just due to dehydration and a slight electrolyte deficiency.

Looking back now, had I known that this cold-weather-Canadian was going to be racing in what I would consider hot weather even for “Vacation Brock,” I would have absolutely added some heat adaptation protocols to my training program. In fact, two years later I did just that while training for an Ironman Triathlon I was racing in Thailand in December.

The Science Behind Heat Adaptation

Even the Mayo Clinic says that if you're used to exercising indoors or in cooler weather, it can take at least one to two weeks to adapt to the heat. In a 2010 research study called A heat acclimation protocol for team sports, they saw a noticeable difference in just ten days. After only four 30-45 min sessions of intermittent exercise in 30°C, with 27% relative humidity, the 17 well-trained female athletes showed a lower core temperature and an accompanying rise in thermal comfort which resulted in an increase in their overall exercise capacity.

In a more recent study on the physiological responses to overdressing in 13 well-trained runners, they saw similar advantages from simply wearing an uncomfortable number of layers while training. In this study, they tested the heart rate, core temperature, mean skin temperature, sweat rate, and extracellular heat shock protein in 13 (seven male, six female) well-trained runners. They had the runners run on treadmills for about 60 minutes and compared physiological and cellular responses to exercise in 40°C, with minimal clothing and in 15°C while wearing five bulky layers, including a wool hat, winter mittens, a rain jacket, and plastic pants.

The overdressed runners didn't entirely overheat the way they did in the actual hot conditions, but it still triggered some of the desired adaptations. Ten of the runners reached a core temperature of 38.5°C, which is the magic temperature where heat adaptation begins.

Another study compared heat acclimation to pre-cooling by applying icy towels to nine amateur 5k runners’ head and neck, dunking their hands and forearms in nine degree Celsius water, and strapping ice packs to their chests, backs, and upper legs for 20 minutes. This precooling protocol gave the runners a 3.7 percent improvement in performance. But only five days of 90-minute training sessions that kept their core temperature above 38.5°C, led to a 6.6 percent improvement in performance. And interestingly, doing both the heat adaptation and the pre-cooling led to a seven percent improvement.

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In another study that focused on the effects of heat on gut more than on the muscles, they found that gradual exposure to repetitive exercise and non-exercise heat stress can improve heat transfer from core to the skin. It can also create more efficient cardiovascular function, decrease heart rate during hot exercise, decrease skin and body temperature during hot exercise, increase blood volume, and decrease electrolyte loss via kidney filtration.

Ok, one last study before we jump into the tips!

Researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand enlisted elite rowers to row for five days for 90 minutes per day in a study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology on the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation for highly-trained athletes. The catch was that they were rowing in a room that was 104°F and 60% humidity. They didn’t have to row hard, just hard enough to overheat them slightly.

In the end, there was a 1.5% increase in 2,000m rowing performance. Now keep in mind that these were pro rowers, not your man-on-the-street, so 1.5% is impressive. The researchers figured there were many reasons for this increase, most notably the 4.5% higher blood volume (which again is more impressive in a pro athlete than in an average person) plus an enhanced ability to mentally handle slight dehydration.

How To Heat Adapt

There are two ways to do this: passively and actively.

Passive Heat Adaptation

This involves hanging out in dry heat saunas or steam rooms, and although it induces the same cardiovascular and sweat changes as active heat training (which I will get into in a minute), it doesn’t require as much recovery or the embarrassment of dragging a stationary bike or kettlebell into the sauna.  

Both a sauna and a steam room have been shown to achieve solid results, so choose your favorite or go with whichever one you have the easiest access to. Begin with 10-15 minutes of passive heat training, and gradually build up to 45-minute sessions every two or three days.

Adaptations can occur within as few as ten days but if you’re using passive heat training for preparation for a race (like I did for Thailand), then start at least four weeks—or as many as eight weeks—before your big day.

Active Heat Adaptation

If you are going to be competing in the heat, then active heat training is the way to go.

You probably guessed that this one involves actually exercising in the heat. This can be done easily at home in a small room with a heater or humidifier under the bike or next to a treadmill. If you have access and won’t get your gym membership revoked, doing a workout in an actual sauna or steam room is even better.

You can do either a steady exercise (like jogging on a treadmill) or interval training (like a Tabata set on a bike). But remember, this is hard on you! Especially at first, so if you begin to get too hot and it becomes a struggle to continue to exercise comfortably, you will still get benefits and adaptations if you stop exercising (or turn off the heat). Allow your heart rate to slow and your body to cool, and then (if you are up for it) slowly get back into your workout. There is a cool name for this hot method of starting and stopping: controlled hyperthermia.

If you are going to be competing in the heat, then active heat training is the way to go. You truly need to experience the physiological and psychological responses to hot weather racing to be more than just good at sweating on the day. You will need to have hot weather grit.

Active training is certainly more uncomfortable but it will yield faster results than the passive heat adaptation. You will only need to do 45 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise in the heat for 7-10 consecutive days or four to five times a week for two to three weeks to see good results.

Here are some quick and dirty ways to acclimate:

• You can entertain yourself or learn while you’re sweating by bringing a book (that you don’t mind getting wet or sweaty) or an mp3 player into the sauna while you are doing passive heat acclimation.
• Do some low to mid-intensity workouts in the sauna or steam room. For example, you can bring a resistance band into the sauna and do side raises, bicep curls, front raises, leg raises, and planks and any other exercises that you can do without accidentally punching the walls—or other sauna goers.  
• Or as I mentioned before, if you are exercising on a treadmill or bike trainer, keep the temperature turned up in the room and the doors and windows closed. If that isn’t good enough, bring a heater or humidifier in the room.
• Or, like that study from the beginning of this article, put on some extra layers!

One word of caution, you will start to lose the positive adaptations of heat training in about seven days, so plan accordingly. If you are doing this training for a specific event or race, I would suggest continuing up to four days before the event.

No matter how acclimated you are, you will never be completely immune to the dangers of exercising in the heat.

Before we wrap up, I want to make sure you know that no matter how acclimated you are, you will never be completely immune to the dangers of exercising in the heat. So, if you are planning to compete seriously in a hot climate you still need to do the following:

• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Dress appropriately.
• Avoid midday sun.
• Wear sunscreen.
• Wear clothing that breathes.
• Dump water on your head and face.
• And above all else, keep your wits about you!

The very last thing you want is to have a big race PR attempt cut short because of a face-plant that leaves your skin (and pride) on the hot Chicago asphalt on an unseasonably hot October morning.  

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How Do We Find Exoplanets?

Astronomers have discovered more than 3700 exoplanets, or planets outside of our solar system, including over 600 multi-planet systems, with another nearly 5,000 candidate dedications awaiting confirmation. These exoplanet discoveries include massive planets similar to our Jupiter, smaller Earth-sized planets, and even a solar system home to 7 rocky planets similar in density to Earth, Venus, and Mars.

Many of these discoveries owe thanks to NASA’s Kepler mission and its successor K2, a project surveying our galactic neighborhood for small, Earth-sized planets using a dedicated space-based telescope. NASA’s next major exoplanet hunting effort, called TESS, short for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, will survey over 200,000 nearby stars and is expected to find thousands of new worlds. TESS is set to launch sometime after April 2018 on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

So how do astronomers find exoplanets, and how much do we actually know about these worlds outside of our solar system?

Transiting Exoplanets

The method used by both the Kepler and TESS space-based missions, and thus the method that has led to the most exoplanet discoveries, is the transit method of exoplanet detection. When a planet passes in between us and a star, the planet is said to be transiting. In our own solar system, we can view transits of Mercury and Venus when their orbits bring them in between us here on Earth and our Sun.

Even though planets are small relative to stars, when the planet’s path moves across our view of its host star, the planet blocks a small amount of light coming from that star. Astronomers can measure the dip in the brightness of the light coming from the star when the planet is in front of it as well as the length of time over which the dip in brightness is observed. Knowing the mass of the star, and with a little help from Kepler’s Third Law of planetary motion, these two measurements can tell you how far away the planet is from its host star. The size of the planet’s orbit is key for getting a first estimate of whether the temperature there might be suitable for liquid water and thus life. Astronomers can also deduce the size of the planet itself if they have an estimate of the host star’s size.

Since we do not know beforehand which stars have planets around them and also which stars have the perfect alignment so those planets will pass in between us and their host star as they orbit, nor can we predict when these transits might happen, using the transit method to find exoplanets requires continuous monitoring of hundreds of thousands of stars. Thus, NASA has invested in dedicated space telescopes like TESS and Kepler that devote their time to this kind of monitoring.

Radial Velocity Method

Even though the transit method for finding exoplanets is more commonplace now thanks to these planet-hunting space missions, the first surge in exoplanet detections were actually made using a different technique known as radial velocity, or the Doppler method. To understand this method, we first have to understand a little about planetary orbits.

We think of planets as orbiting their host stars, but actually the star and the planet together orbit their shared center of mass. When you have two orbiting objects of equal mass, their center of mass will be at the midpoint between them so they will appear to chase each other in their orbits around a central point. Stars, however, are much more massive than planets, so the center of mass in such a system is much, much closer to the host star. This imbalance results in a large, extended orbit for the planet and only a tiny wobble in the host star’s position. Although tiny, this wobble is still measureable.

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Astronomers monitor the positions of stars using spectroscopy by looking for a Doppler shift in their emission lines which indicates forward or backward motion relative to us, the viewers. Between 600-700 exoplanets have been discovered this way and it is still the easiest technique to use from ground-based observatories. However, the more massive the planet and the closer that planet is to its host star, the bigger its gravitational influence on its host star, i.e. the bigger the star’s wobble. The Doppler method thus is better suited for finding massive planets very close to their host stars, a type of planet thus nicknamed “Hot Jupiters.”

Direct Imaging of Exoplanets

You may be wondering why astronomers use these indirect methods for finding exoplanets rather than simply taking pictures of them directly. Well, since planets do not emit their own (optical) light and instead only reflect light from their host star, and since they are far smaller in size than their host star, looking for the light of a planet is akin to trying to pick out a firefly hanging out next to a search light. From thousands of miles away.  

However, now that astronomers know there are thousands of exoplanets out there waiting to be discovered, they are developing techniques that enable direct imaging by somehow masking the light from the host star. This blocking can be done before or after the light enters the telescope. The direct imaging method is still in its beginnings but it shows substantial promise and around 40 exoplanets have already been found using this method. Direct images have the potential to tell us more about the planets, including information on their atmospheres and compositions, than we can learn from more indirect methods and is thus an important area of active exoplanet research.  

The search for exoplanets is driven by our desire to understand how common or unique our tiny corner of existence is and ultimately if we are alone in the universe.

Other Exoplanet Detection Methods

There are a few other, although less common, ways of finding exoplanets, including gravitational microlensing. Einstein’s theory of General Relativity tells us that light traveling through a gravitational field will appear to bend around the massive object producing that field, an effect known as lensing, or in the case of very low mass objects like planets, microlensing. Thus, it is possible to see light from a distant star bend around a planet in the foreground as that planet passes between us and the distant star. The star’s light also gets amplified in the process, so observing this brief spike in a star’s brightness reveals not only that an object has passed in front of the star, but also the mass of that traveling object. Unfortunately, these microlensing events usually are not repeated and so cannot be easily verified.

The first exoplanet ever discovered was found by an entirely different technique known as pulsar timing. Pulsars, or rapidly rotating neutron stars that send out beamed emission similar to the search light on a lighthouse, are incredibly precise in the timing of their rotation. They are so precise and predictable, in fact, that even the tiny wobble produced by the gravitational influence of an orbiting planet will cause a big enough change in the timing of their passing strobe light for astronomers to detect. Although the first exoplanet was found using this technique, the harsh conditions around a pulsar mean such planets would not be suitable hosts for life like us.

The search for exoplanets is driven by our desire to understand how common or unique our tiny corner of existence is and ultimately if we are alone in the universe. Astronomers have used these current techniques to identify exoplanets and can compare these planets to our Earth to first order them by determining the planets’ sizes as well as whether or not the planet is in the star’s habitable zone. However, much more information is needed to determine habitability. For example, here on Earth, we would not survive without our atmosphere, and our efforts to understand the atmospheres around exoplanets are only just beginning.   

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 nasa.gov

How to Coach People Around You (Quickly and Effectively)

My day job is executive coaching. Sports coaches help athletes perform better. Executive coaches help executives and high-potential leaders perform better. But we don’t use a football, or a tennis racket, or a baseball bat (unless our clients misbehave, of course). One of our biggest tools is questions.

When I ask you a question, what happens? That’s right! You stop to think of the answer. Your mind gets engaged, and things start to bubble. 

You can use this. As we’ve regretfully acknowledged many times before, our lives would be perfect if only those Other People didn’t get in the way so much. Your teammates, or your pointy-haired boss, or your shmoopies, or your polyamorous family units…they always have emergencies that only you can solve. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a quick way to get them to come up with their own solutions? How can you get them to solve their own problems? 

Michael Bungay-Stanier, author of the book The Coaching Habit, did an interview with me about his wonderfully simple set of questions that can help you coach someone through a stuck spot. Use his questions and they’ll think you are a genius. They’ll get unstuck. They’ll do their job. You’ll do yours. Everyone will be happy and unicorns will fly in your window and burp out some beautiful rainbows. What could be better?

Ask: What’s on Your Mind?

When someone comes to you with a problem or challenge, this is a great open-ended question. Ask it, and listen. They’ll start talking and be totally self-absorbed (because we’re all self-absorbed. Even me! In fact, I could tell you stories all about me and the times I was self-absorbed. But these days, I’ve gotten over that. I’m no longer self-absorbed. I know because I pay attention. And I listen, especially when other people tell me how non-self-absorbed I am).

Be other-absorbed. Just listen. Listen to understand where their problems are. There are only three possibilities: they’re challenged by the task, they’re challenged by the people and relationships needed to get the job done, or they’re getting in their own way.

Just figuring that out and reflecting it back to them can be powerful. Let’s ask Melvin “What’s on your mind?” and listen for the three responses.

“We have a new inventory system and I can’t figure it out. I’ve read all the manuals, tried the examples, and still can’t get it to work.” That’s a task problem. “So I keep avoiding it by playing Minecraft, instead.” That’s Melvin getting in his own way. “And besides, Bernice, my boss, keeps nagging me.” That sounds like a people problem. 

Ask Them to Elaborate

Now move on to question #2. “And what else?” Since people love to hear themselves talk, when you ask this, they’ll be off like greased lightning. When they pause and think they’re done, ask again. Ask it three to five times and they’ll get clearer and clearer about the issue.

“And what else, Melvin?” “Well, it’s really the nagging that’s upsetting. Bernice isn’t just my boss, she’s my fiancé. It’s a delicate balance on a normal day, and when she acts like this, it makes things even harder to deal with.” Drawing Melvin out leads him to realize that it’s the relationship that’s driving things, not the new system.

Ask Them to Focus

Now that they’ve had a chance to expand their thinking and free associate, ask the question that gets them to draw it all together: “What’s the real challenge here for you?”

The phrasing matters. “For you” makes it about them personally, not the external task.

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Melvin’s response: “I guess the real challenge is how to separate the work and relationship issues. How to be OK with Bernice being my boss at work, even though we’re equals in our private life.”

He’s done all the work. He now understands what he really has to deal with, and he probably thinks you’re an absolute genius at this point.

Ask Them to Identify Their Needs

The next question gets them looking forward towards solutions. “What do you want? What do you really want?” People are often quite oblivious to what they actually want until they stop and think about it.

Use simple but well-directed questions to help people find their own answers

Sometimes they can tell you outright what they want. Melvin knows instantly. “I want to make sure that Bernice and I have clear boundaries between our work and home lives.”

Other times you need to listen carefully to what people say. Usually, there’s a basic need they’re trying to express. They want to belong, they want autonomy and control over the situation, they want recognition for their achievements, they want to know they’ll be secure. It really isn’t rocket science if you pay attention.

If someone says, “I’m worried that people are talking behind my back,” they’re probably concerned about belonging. “I don’t know if I’ll get the raise” is about security or recognition. And so on.

Melvin wants clear boundaries with Bernice, so he can have a successful personal and professional relationship with her. He wants both love and achievement.

Ask Them How You Fit

Now that they’ve worked out most of their problem for themselves, ask "What do you want from me?” Ask sincerely and with genuine curiosity. Their understanding of their problem has changed. Whatever they originally would have wanted probably no longer applies. If they haven’t actually solved their problem themselves, their request to you will likely be for something more targeted and more useful than they would otherwise have asked.

At this point, it’s probably clear to Melvin that everything he needs, he has. He can approach Bernice honestly and simply say, “I’d like to talk about how we can best be a loving couple and partners in achievement.” Fortunately for us, we don’t need to be in the middle of it.

The Coaching Habit has other good questions, and elaborates extensively on these. If you’re someone who others come to for answers, you can use simple but well-directed questions to help them find their own answers, so you can get back to clawing your own way to the top. If you want to check out my full interview with Michael, visit http://getitdoneguy.com/coaching. 

I’m Stever Robbins. Follow GetItDoneGuy on Twitter and Facebook. Want great keynote speeches on productivity, Living an Extraordinary Life, or entrepreneurship? Hire me! Find me at http://SteverRobbins.com.  

Image of man coaching a workshop © Shutterstock

5 Ways To Enrich Your Life as a Stay-At-Home Parent

I became a mom in my late twenties, well into my busy career as both a writer and the office manager of a specialty dental practice. After years of infertility I was blessed with motherhood through an amazing adoption. With less than two weeks to prepare for our first baby, I didn’t have much time to think about whether or not I’d become a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) or continue working. After careful consideration, and with my husband’s support, I decided not to leave my job, but instead redesigned my work schedule so I could continue working. We hired a wonderful nanny and within three years of our adoption I become the mom of three kids under the age of two!

It was then that I decided it was best for our family if I left my job and became a full-time SAHM. Although I was doing some part-time freelance writing, I was able to do most of that from home, and didn’t go back to the “work force” until my youngest of eight began grammar school, roughly six years ago.

The debate over mothers choosing to work and foster a career or to stay home and raise a family is ongoing and, quite honestly, getting old. In this day and age, women are faced with multiple reasons (other than the obvious financial considerations) for choosing whether or not to work outside of the home. What’s right for my family may not be the right choice for my neighbor, and having been in both positions while caring for my eight kids I know firsthand that there are pros and cons to both situations. What mattered most was making either situation the best it could be for my family.

For most of the time I’ve been raising my kids, I was a SAHM. Caring for eight kids for so many years was definitely the toughest job I’ll (probably) ever love. There were plenty of days when I would’ve gladly taken a job cleaning gutters or washing dishes into the wee hours of the night (oh wait, I did that already) just to get out of the house and not have to listen to one more kid whine or complain that he was bored. When those tough stretches of being at home with your kids hit—don’t fret! Mighty Mommy shares five ways you can enrich your daily practices of motherhood instead of running away.

5 Ways to Enrich Your Life as a Stay-At-Home Mom

1. Have an Attitude Check
2. Become a Mommy Hacker
3. Be Mindful of Speaking Positively to Your Family
4. Discover Gifts that Make You Special
5. Learn How to Live in the Moment

Here they are in further detail.

1. Have an Attitude Check

In 2005, my eighth child was born and so was my new attitude. Gloria Gaynor’s hit song "I Will Survive" was my theme song that played over and over in my head after having spent a decade pregnant while caring for a small army of toddlers. With an eighth baby in tow, this was the year that I knew it was time to shift gears into a more positive direction—not just for my sanity’s sake, but so that my family would thrive and not suffer because I didn’t have my attitude in check.

I took a close look at the most difficult and monotonous chores that I faced day in and day out, and the two that topped the charts were laundry (sigh!) and meal preparations. We’ll save my laundry saga for another day, but I’m only too happy to share how I changed my entire relationship with hamburger helper and began having a love fest with all things meal related in my busy, chaotic life. I realized that cooking for my family every day was a privilege in the literal sense of the word: an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person. That said, even a ho-hum chore like chopping, sautéing, stuffing, baking, and serving a meal can turn into a love affair.

The best decision I made (besides realizing I could choose to love the time I spent in the kitchen rather than grumbling my way through it each day) was to plan my meals ahead and to never, ever, unless I was totally, completely, ridiculously desperate, take my darling children grocery shopping with me. Period!

Now this was no easy feat because I rarely had any childcare other than the grandparents, but because I planned ahead and knew what I would be preparing each week for meals, I usually managed to find a way to scoot out to the store without a single child in tow. This ironically became sacred “me” time, and because I didn’t have any wee ones whining for every box of cereal or frozen treat they laid their hungry little eyes on, I would return home with two carriages of food each week and actually saved money! This was all the incentive their father needed to accommodate my solo shopping spree each week—a win-win for all.

I’m thankful I changed my attitude years ago and embraced cooking dinner each night rather than dreading it. And now that my nest is beginning to empty, I can look back at mealtimes when we were all together as a family and savor those memories.

2. Become a Mommy Hacker

If someone can show me a way to get a usually daunting job done faster, better, and easier—I feel like I’ve won the lottery. Parenting is tricky enough, but when you throw in daily chores that are monotonous and time draining it’s no wonder grown women who stay home with their kids and don’t interact with other adults for hours (or days) on end want to lock themselves in their bedrooms and have a good cry.

Enter time-saving hacks—a mom’s best friend! In my episode about parenting trends for 2018, time-saving hacks are at the top of the list as a smart and clever way for parents to save time, energy, and money, and in general just make life easier.

One of my favorite hacks is one I gleaned from an episode I saw on a Food Network show—cook once and double up. It took some practice, but I got into a wonderful routine of preparing all my meals for the week every Sunday afternoon. And as long as I was at it, I doubled a couple of recipes that I would put away in the freezer. Sure it was extra work, but the trade-off for having at least four meals ready to go was well worth my stint as Betty Crocker once a week, and I’ve been cooking like this for over ten years now.

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3. Be Mindful of Speaking Positively to Your Family

For the many years that I was at home with my kids 24/7, one of the things that always stood out was that I could easily go days without communicating with another human being other than my pre-schoolers and newborn baby. Adult conversation was hard to come by unless I was lucky enough to be at a doctor’s appointment or giving my order to the guy at the deli.

Being in the same confines of your home, day in and day out—with little kids who have sticky fingers, are learning to toilet train, or have discovered their love of crayons against freshly painted walls—can definitely test every last bit of your patience. With no one else but yourself and the kids at home (and the family pets, of course) it’s easy to get uninspired and make negative comments during moments of sheer frustration.

Kids respond to the tone of our voice in addition to any offhanded remarks we may make. I know when I had been up all night with a newborn and had to rise and shine to care for my other children, I wasn’t always perky and full of life. I think it was actually one of my kids that commented one day to her younger brother, “Mommy’s not talking with a happy voice today.” Ouch! In my episode on ways to speak positively to children you’ll find more detailed tips on how to put a positive spin on negative situations. Being mindful of using positive verbal and body cues can help you create a soothing and upbeat atmosphere in your home which not only keeps your family relaxed, it can change your outlook as well.

4. Discover Gifts That Make You Special

One advantage to being at home with my kids was that I was able to tackle do-it-yourself plans and experiment with new menu ideas or craft and decorating projects without worrying about commuting to the office or handling corporate tasks from nine to five. Before I stayed home, I had never lifted a paint brush or had any clue how to wallpaper a room. I didn’t have oodles of time on any given day, but I learned quickly how to take advantage of when they napped and other pockets of time throughout the week where I could explore my newfound love of home decorating and DIY projects.

To obsess on what could be, or what was, only robs you of living your life in the here and now.

By watching channels such as HGTV I began reupholstering furniture, sewing my own curtains, wallpapering reading nooks, hand painting furniture, stenciling, scrapbooking, and learned to make international cuisine other than spaghetti and meatballs. Not only was my house being transformed bit by bit, I started thinking outside the box when it came to organizing and decorating my home, which made me love spending more and more time at home as the queen of my castle.

Now that you’re home with the kids, you might discover a new talent or hobby that you might not have otherwise pursued while working. This in itself can be quite invigorating and allow you to flourish in your role at home.

5. Learn How to Live in the Moment

The final tip in living a more rewarding life as a stay-at-home parent—learning to live in the moment—is definitely my favorite. When I experienced five long years of infertility, the last thing I wanted to do was live in the moment. I spent hours upon hours dreaming of what my life could be like if only I could have children. Sure, daydreaming is fun and necessary to give your mind a break from the daily grind, but to obsess on what could be, or what was, only robs you of living your life in the here and now.

The concept of living in the moment is referred to as mindfulness. The National Institutes of Health describes the practice of mindfulness as “being completely aware of what’s happening in the present—of all that’s going on inside and all that’s happening around you. It means not living your life on 'autopilot.' Instead, you experience life as it unfolds moment to moment, good and bad, and without judgment or preconceived notions.”

In Mindfulness Matters, “Studies suggest that mindfulness practices may help people manage stress, cope better with serious illness and reduce anxiety and depression. Many people who practice mindfulness report an increased ability to relax, a greater enthusiasm for life and improved self-esteem.”

I found when I focused on what was happening with my family during that very day, I felt more renewed and excited about what I was doing each day. I appreciated the little moments such as one of my kids telling a silly joke or seeing how happy they were when I stopped folding the laundry for a few minutes and instead watched them try and do a cartwheel. It gave me new purpose in being a mom and a homemaker.

How do you stay inspired as a stay-at-home mom? Share your thoughts in the comments section at quickanddirtytips.com/mighty-mommy, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at Pinterest.com/MightyMommyQDT

Image of stay-at-home mom © Shutterstock

The Best Social Anxiety Hacks for Any Occasion

We’ve all been there: alone in the elevator with your boss, walking into a room and watching all the heads swivel toward you, getting introduced to your friend’s friends and then...what? We feel the heat start to rise, the self-consciousness start to fold in, the imagined judgment start to creep up. It’s social anxiety, it’s universal, but guess what? It’s also changeable.

This week we’ll get right into it with the three best social anxiety hacks I’ve ever come across.

But first, let’s define what we’re talking about.

What is Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety is the belief we have a fatal flaw—there’s something wrong with us.

We might think we’re stupid, boring, an impostor, a babbling idiot, a total disaster. And we think that unless we work hard to hide our perceived flaw, it will become obvious to everyone, and we’ll be judged or rejected for it.

But the belief in the fatal flaw is mistaken. Nothing is wrong with you. I know, I know—believe me, I know from years of experience—that the perception is so strong that it makes us act as if it were true. If we think we’re stupid, we won’t raise our hand in class. If we think we’re an awkward loser, we’ll spend our time at the party scrolling through our phone. If we think we’re incompetent, we’ll pass on that promotion at work.

Essentially, social anxiety is a distorted view of who we are as a person—it’s like body dysmorphia, except instead of for the outside, it’s for the inside—our personality, our character, our social competence.

As a result, we avoid situations where we might be revealed. We might avoid overtly by staying home or calling in sick, or we might avoid covertly by showing up but remaining silent, hovering on the edge of groups, or staring at the floor.

So what can we do? Turns out, there’s a lot we can do. This week, here are the top three social anxiety hacks I’ve ever come across.

Anxiety Tip #1: Let Go of the Little Things You Do to Hide Your Anxiety

Because we’re worried our “flaw” will become obvious to everyone, we do small, unconscious actions to try to keep our flaw hidden. These little actions are called safety behaviors. We use them to try to tamp down our anxiety and keep ourselves safe.

For example, we might talk really fast to get conversations over with, giggle after saying anything, avoid eye contact, talk very softly, rehearse what we’re going to say before we speak, or walk with our head down, earbuds in, and those Wayfarers on, baby.

Some of the things we do might be really subtle, like staying really busy—too busy to reach out, network, or hang out. Or using an introverted temperament as a justification to avoid.

But these little protective behaviors don’t come across the way we intend. Unfortunately, they send the message that we’re aloof, stuck-up, cold, silly, or desperate, and ultimately cut us off from others.

But here’s the kicker: these are the very actions that are keeping us stuck. I call safety behaviors the life preserver that’s holding you underwater. We’re doing them to save ourselves. But really they’re holding us back.

The answer? Thankfully, we can drop them.

First, choose what safety behavior you’d like to drop. Researchers Dr. Lynn Alden of the University of British Columbia and Dr. Charles Taylor of the University of California San Diego, in a series of studies, showed that 92 percent of people could immediately name the safety behaviors they use.

Once you’ve identified yours, have two separate conversations. In the first, do your safety behavior like usual. Talk with your hand in front of your mouth, check everything you say to make sure it doesn’t sound stupid, or whatever it is you do to try to tamp down your anxiety and hide your perceived flaw.

But in the next conversation, let the safety behavior go. If you usually scroll through your phone, go ahead and look your conversation partner in the eye. If you usually chatter quickly to get your words out, slow down.

Think of this as an experiment. You want to discover what happens when you let go of that fake life preserver.

Want a spoiler? Thanks to Alden and Taylor’s studies, we already have the answer. When you stop trying to conceal your perceived flaw, rather than your flaw hanging out everywhere, you actually look and feel more comfortable.

And there’s more: conversation partners rate those who drop their safety behaviors as more enjoyable to talk to, would prefer them as a friend, and would like to spend more time with them. Why? Because they’re more authentic. They’re real. Rather than filling all your bandwidth with the impression management of safety behaviors, the bandwidth is freed up and natural friendliness, curiosity, and authenticity fills it in.

Letting go of that life preserver seems counterintuitive, but try it and you’ll never go back.

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Anxiety Tip #2: Turn Your Attention Inside Out

Social anxiety makes us feel like we’re in danger, as if there is social threat everywhere. So in order to make sure we’re safe, we monitor how things are going, both internally and externally.

But we focus on the wrong things. We focus on our bodies to make sure we’re not shaking, sweating, or turning red. We might focus on standing in a way that looks confident or keep thinking about whether there’s something stuck in our teeth. We might work hard to act casual, sound smart, or keep from being boring.

But all this focus on trying to act a certain way, manage others’ impression of us, and covering our fatal flaw takes a tremendous amount of attention and energy. There’s no bandwidth left for basics—even things like walking and talking. This is precisely why we trip, spill our drink, and go blank when it’s our turn to talk.

Appropriately, the phenomenon of monitoring ourselves and our anxiety is called self-focused attention, and the result is that we come away from social encounters with very little information about how things actually went. To make matters worse, in order to fill in the gaps, we ask our anxiety, which is about as credible as asking a used-car salesman which car on the lot we should buy.

Humans learn on the job. And building confidence is no exception.

So how to break out? Actually, that’s the operative word: out. Turn your attention inside out.

Here’s what I mean: You choose where your attention goes. Shift to focusing outward on what’s happening around you. In the moment, this means consciously placing your attention on the people around you, the person you’re talking to, or simply your immediate surroundings. Look at their face. Listen closely to what they’re saying. Shift the focus from you, you, you to them, them, them and feel your anxiety lift.

Anxiety Tip #3: Get Started, and Your Confidence Will Catch Up

We wish (pretty please!) that we could retreat from the world and reemerge with our confidence transformed, like a cocoon transforms a caterpillar into a butterfly. Read a few self-help books, pump ourselves up, and emerge fully formed and ready for anything.

We want to feel less anxious so we can live our life.

But instead, we have to live our life in order to be less anxious.

Humans learn on the job. And building confidence is no exception. It’s really hard to “be confident” without some evidence or experience to back it up. You need some experience first, and then your attitude will follow.

So put action before confidence. Just like mood and motivation, we don’t have to wait until we feel like doing something before we do it—we don’t have to feel like going to the gym before we lace up our shoes. We don’t have to feel inspired before we sit down to write. Instead, we start doing it, and the feeling catches up.

Therefore, choose something small that you habitually avoid. The operative word here is small. We’re not aiming for huge parties, public speaking, or other big stuff yet. But maybe use the regular checkout, not self-checkout. Order over the phone rather than online. Compliment a stranger. Eat lunch in the restaurant or your workplace break room, not at your desk or in your car. Send the email without asking your partner or co-worker to look over it first. Finally introduce yourself to the colleague you see all the time but have never spoken to.

These things are so easy to skip over. We avoid them because we can. And they become habit. We can easily do the workaround.

But start by changing your actions, and then see how you feel. It’ll be subtle. You will get a strong urge to put off or avoid testing out your new action. In the moment, you’ll find a million reasons to avoid. But give it a shot. Fake it 'til you make it. This is why we’re starting small, after all. Do it before you’re 100% confident, and your confidence will catch up.

So give all three of these hacks a shot: And while you stretch and grow, turn your attention inside out and let go of those safety behaviors—the life preserver that holds you underwater. Do things that are a little uncomfortable—you’ll be glad you did, and each experience will add a drop to the bucket of your confidence.  Keep at it, and before you know it, you’ll find the world is a lot friendlier than you ever thought, and your fatal flaw isn’t even a flaw at all.

Pre-order Ellen's forthcoming book HOW TO BE YOURSELF: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety. Get even more savvy tips to be happier and healthier by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher, or get each episode delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for the newsletter. Follow on Facebook and Twitter.

For free, helpful downloads to fight social anxiety and be your authentic self, visit EllenHendriksen.com.

Image of socially anxious girl © Shutterstock

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Poodle, Dachshund, Terrier, and More: How 13 Dog Breeds Got Their Names

In honor of this year being the Chinese Year of the Dog, we found some dog names with origins that will make you nod in recognition or at least smile. Most of these are descriptive in that they reflect how people used the dogs before they became the pets that some of us let up on the couch when we shouldn’t today.

1. Poodle

Poodles come from Germany where they were called “Pudlehund,” which meant something like “puddle, water, or splashing dog" because poodles were used to hunt water birds, so you can think of  “poodle” as meaning “puddle.”

2. Dachshund

Since we just had the Pudlehund, I bet you won’t be surprised to hear that the dachshund, with that same “hund” meaning “dog” at the end, also comes from Germany. The “dachs” part means “badger” in German, and these dogs likely got their name because they were used to hunt badgers.

3. Terrier

Terriers get their name from an Old French word for “earth,” as in “dirt,” because when they are hunting, they’ll go after their prey into burrows.

Schnauzers are a type of terrier (this breed was first introduced in 1923), and their name means “growler” in German.

Pit-bulls are also terriers. The pit-bull terrier may get the “pit” part of its name from the idea of putting dogs into a pit to fight.

4. Doberman pinscher

The Doberman pinscher (and that’s “pinscher” with and S-C-H, not “pincher”) gets the “Doberman” part of its name from a German dog breeder named Ludwig Dobermann, and even though it’s spelled differently, the “pinscher” part of the name does come from the German word for “pinch”—probably relating to how the Doberman’s ears are usually clipped or pinched.

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5. Husky

Siberian huskies were first bred to be sled dogs by the indigenous Chukchi people of Russia and were brought to Alaska by a Russian fur trader during the Nome Gold Rush of the early 1900s. Since they became the sled dogs of the Inuit, the dogs get their English name in a roundabout way from the word “Eskimo,” which was what outsiders called the Inuit. Earlier versions of the word included “Ehuskemay,” “Huskemaw,” and “Uskemaw.” If you focus on the sounds, you can imagine how “Ehuskemay dog” or “Huskemaw” dog would become "husky dog.”

And as you may remember from the recent “words for snow” episode, most of the native peoples of North America prefer not to be called Eskimos. For Canadians, the better term is Inuit.

6. Corgi

Our next dog is the corgi, of which there are two types: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. These  are very old breeds, and there are a variety of origin stories, but in one common tale, the Pembrokes were brought to the western part of Wales by Flemish weavers in the year 1107, and the Cardigans were brought by Norse settlers.

There’s no doubt however, about the word “corgi.” It’s Welsh for “dwarf dog.” Cute little dwarves!

And finally, some quit hits:

7. Beagles probably get their name from a French word that means “noisy person.”

8. Bulldogs were originally used for baiting bulls.

9. Rottweilers come from a town called Rottweil in southern Germany.

10. Boxers get their name because they are pugnacious like boxers in a fighting ring. 

11. Spaniels were thought to originate from Spain.

12. Shih tzus were bred in China and come from the Chinese words for “lion dog” because they resemble lions.

13. Mastiff comes from the Latin word for “tame” or “mild.”

May you have a happy and prosperous year of the dog.

RELATED ARTICLE: When to capitalize breed names.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Mignon Fogarty is Grammar Girl and the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips. Check out her New York Times best-seller, “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.”

How to Treat Insomnia: 10 Medication-Free Tips

Difficulty with sleep is one of the most common patient complaints that presents in a primary care doctor's office. 

Chances are, you will suffer troubles with sleep at some point in your lifetime. It can be distressing and cause difficulty with functioning during your wake hours. That's why I'm dedicating my next two episodes to the topic of insomnia treatment.  Today, we will discuss 10 medication-free tips to help you catch your Z's, and next week we'll review the prescription and over-the-counter medication alternatives.

The first thing you may want to do is run to the doctor for a prescription medication to help you sleep. However, you don’t always need to rely on medications. In fact, insomnia can often be managed on your own by simply changing your lifestyle and routines. Resist the temptation to head for the medicine cabinet right away, and instead take steps to treat your insomnia naturally.  Let's find out how in today's episode.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by the audiobook edition of Total Recovery by Dr. Gary Kaplan. In this informative program, one of the country’s top integrative doctors radically rethinks chronic pain. Listen to an excerpt at www.macmillanaudio.com/TotalRecoveryAudio.

What Is Insomnia?

Defining what exactly contitutes a good night’s rest is really subjective and it varies from person to person. 

However, patients with insomnia say that they either have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or awaken too early and are unable to return to sleep.  It’s only considered a significant medical condition when patients have a difficult time functioning throughout their day as a result of poor sleep. When insomnia diminishes quality of life, that's a real problem.

What Causes Insomnia?

If you suffer from insomnia, you really need to ask yourself this one question:  Why can’t I sleep? 

The first step is to examine your lifestyle, environmental stressors, and mental well-being carefully.  Although insomnia can occur in patients without any other underlying health conditions, it is often accompanied or exacerbated by other medical factors.  It’s very important to consider other untreated health conditions that can interfere with sleep, because once you manage the underlying culprit, the insomnia improves or even resolves entirely. 

I’ve discussed many of these at length in prior episodes. So if you haven't heard or read them, please be sure to take a few minutes to check each one out before you move on. 

Here are 8 potential medical issues that can interfere with a good night’s sleep:

1.     Restless Legs Syndrome:  This is characterized by an urge to move or a “creepy-crawly” sensation in the legs that stimulates movement and interferes with sleep.

2.     Sleep Apnea:  Moments of oxygen deprivation to the brain during sleep. Apnea affects those who snore.

3.     Illicit drugs:  Drugs that are activating, such as methamphetamines, can cause insomnia.

4.     Medications:  Certain over-the-counter drugs (such as decongestants) and prescription drugs (such as some antidepressants and weight-loss drugs) can cause sleep problems.

5.     Pain:  Hand pain or numbness keeping you up at night?  Heel pain after a long day at work? Back pain from picking up the heavy kiddos? Uncontrolled pain can be the source of your insomnia. 

6.      Mental health conditions: Anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, all can interfere with sleep.  In general, those with anxiety tend to have trouble falling asleep, and those with depression tend to have more early morning awakenings.  Treat the underlying mental health condition and the insomnia typically resolves or improves.

7.     Bladder issues:  Prostate enlargements, uncontrolled diabetes, and overactive bladders are some of the potential causes of increased frequency of urination at night time.  And if you are waking up to urinate at night, it can take a toll on your sleep.

8.     Stress:  Life stressors are often mind-consuming and, not surprisingly are often barriers to getting a good night’s sleep.  Even positive life changes, such as moving or getting married, can be stressful.  If you’ve tried planning a wedding, you know what I mean.

Addressing these health issues may be all that you really need sleep well again.  However, if you’re still not able feel refreshed in the mornings, it may be time to consider active treatment for insomnia.

Treating Insomnia:  Lifestyle and Behavioral Therapy

Next week, I’ll discuss some of the most common over-the-counter and prescription medications used to treat insomnia.  But before you consider medication, I really try to encourage my patients to work on some rather simple lifestyle and behavioral changes that can often aid in managing insomnia. 

For many patients, adopting a good “sleep hygiene” using the following 10 tips is really all they need in order to re-catch their Z’s:

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1. Adopt a routine schedule: Try to maintain a regular sleep/wake schedule. That is, sleep at the same time every night and awaken at the same time each morning no matter how sleepy you are. This may be a challenge during the first few nights, but eventually your body will get used to maintaining the same schedule. Do not vary your weekend schedule by more than one hour from your weekday schedule.

2. Avoid daytime naps: People who nap have more difficulty falling asleep at nighttime. If you can skip your nap, you will find that you will be able to not only fall asleep faster, but will be able to better maintain your sleep during the nighttime.

3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol: Caffeine is a brain stimulant that interferes with good sleep. Do not drink caffeine past noon, and limit the intake to no more than 1-2 cups a day.  Alcohol may seem to initially help you fall asleep more rapidly, however it causes early morning awakenings and difficulty returning to sleep. Additionally, both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics that may cause an urge to urinate in the middle of the night. 

4. Use the bedroom only for bedroom activities: Don’t get into the habit of watching TV, surfing the internet, eating, or performing any other non-bedroom activities in your bed. You want to train your brain into thinking that once you are in bed, it's time to go to sleep. If you routinely engage in other activities in bed, your brain will have more difficulty shutting down at bedtime. Do not use your bed for anything other than sleep and sexual intimacy. 

5. Avoid bedtime high carb snacking: Avoid sugar or carbohydrates within two hours of sleep. If you are hungry, eat small portions of foods that promote sleep such as a glass of warm milk, turkey, or nuts.

6. Avoid nighttime fluids: Drinking fluids 3 hours prior to sleep causes an urge to urinate in the middle of the night. Try to drink more fluids in the first half of the day and less at nighttime.

7. Get regular exercise: Routine exercise releases endorphins that decrease stress; this in turn increases deep sleep. Get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily, such as walking, running, or biking. Try to avoid doing this in the evenings, however, as the endorphins can cause brain stimulation if performed within 3 hours of sleep. 

8. Getting to sleep: If you are unable to fall asleep within 30 minutes of laying down, get up and do something relaxing, such as light reading or taking a warm bath. Then go back to bed once you feel sleepy.

9. Learn to manage the stress:  Find a hobby, join a dance class, distract your mind.  Learn a few relaxation techniques and do them at bedtime.  Consider counseling or therapy, or seek help from your religious congregation.  We all experience life stressors, they will never disappear completely.  But if you can change how you respond to the stress, you can dramatically improve your sleep.

10. Put it on paper:  If you're a typical Type A personality, then you likely ruminate over everything you need to accomplish in the upcoming day or days at bedtime.  If you're Type A, you know who you are: overly driven, high achieving, impatient, rigidly organized, super responsible.  My Type A patients tend to have more difficulties with falling asleep.  They often say they lay awake at nights thinking of “all the things they have to do.”  My advice is to stop keeping yourself awake by thinking of all those to-do lists and instead, get up, put it on paper, and then get back into bed.  Sometimes just writing it down helps to shake it all off.

If taking the above steps doesn’t significantly treat your insomnia, then it may be time to discuss the issue with your physician.  Getting a good night’s sleep is so important to your overall health. If you are unable to obtain adequate sleep, it can manifest itself physically and emotionally and interfere with your functioning and quality of life.

Although implementing these 10 steps requires some effort, it’s a worthwhile process. It may not happen overnight (no pun intended), however, a good night’s sleep is well worth the effort to change your habits.

Share your ideas and learn more quick and dirty tips with us on the House Call Doctor’s Facebook and Twitter pages!  You can even find me on Pinterest!

Please note that all content here is strictly for informational purposes only.  This content does not substitute any medical advice, and does not replace any medical judgment or reasoning by your own personal health provider.  Please always seek a licensed physician in your area regarding all health related questions and issues.