April 15, 2020 9 min read

Its 2020 and the lazy stoner stereotype no longer holds up.

There are so many stimulating activitiesboth physically and mentallythat you can do while consuming cannabis. The high isnt necessarily the end goal, but a meaningful accompaniment along on the journey.

Thats because productive cannabis users are normalizing marijuana, actively rewriting the narrative every day. Who are these high-functioning stoners, you ask?

RELATED:You're Stuck At Home For The Foreseeable Future. Why Not Try Micro-Dosing Cannabis?

They have things to do, nothing romantic, but are busy with life. They use cannabis to alleviate stress, anxiety, manage pain, and even gain energy. They seek healthy and mindful activities to do once they are stoned. No judgement here for the binge-watching TV type of nights, those are needed, too. But you may find these activities can be more rewarding. Its all about balance.

Here are ten healthy, productive things to do while high at home.

Yoga and weed? Self-care 101. Theres a reason for all the cannabis-themed yoga classes gaining popularity in legal states. Yoga is a beautiful activity to pair with weed because it is centered on breathwork. An uplifting edible or a few tokes off of a joint before your yoga session can help you find awareness of breath and bring you into your body. For a fun, zippy, energized feeling, I would recommend a Sativa strain like Pineapple. Lean into the body-intelligence, take a few hits, a big drink of water and enjoy your flow. Reward yourself with the rest of the joint post-session as you lie in savasana.

Its a Saturday. Youve got a nice warm, stoney mood on the horizon. What to do? A great use of a cannabis high is to direct your energy in search of some hidden gem. If youre a music fan like I am, a trip to the local record store, antique shop or thrift shop is ideal. Get lost in the aisles of interesting knick-knacks, or simply beeline it to the stacks of records. Your attention to detail will be heightened if you smoke a mellow, chill hybrid like giggly Jilly Bean. The quest is the fun part. Adding a rare Lou Reed deep cut to your vinyl collection? A perfect day.

Stoned + Toned workout videos are an inspiration. (Photo by courtesy Imad Bolotok/Stoned + Toned)

Cannabis can be a healthy part of your workout ritual. It comes easier than you might think. You'll never find me working out without smoking or popping a low dose edible beforehand, says cannabis workout guru and Stoned + Toned Founder and CEO Morgan English. Not only does it help ease inflammation or pain I may have, but more importantly, it brings me to the moment. The elusive zone is something you can tap into with cannabis. Your heart will thank you for its increase of blood flow, pumping oxygen to your sweet limbs.

Everyone should be health-conscious in their own way; and for me, cannabis helps with that, English says about her own exercise ritual. Cannabis keeps me motivated and happy during workouts, which then fuels me in a different way for the rest of the day. An energetic Sativa like Golden Goat will inspire you to get those running shoes on. Start with a small microdose, as low as 3-5 milligrams, then see how you feel about 20 minutes in. Good music is a must.

If youre a literary nerd, what are the two best scents on earth? Super potent, skunky weed and the pages of a freshly-opened book, in that order. Getting high and then perusing your bookshelfis a fun way to put your brilliant, philosophical stoned mind to work. In Los Angeles, California, the bookstore population has dwindled but there are still some gems like Stories or downtowns legendary The Last Bookstore. Indulge post-quarantine by wandering its aisles on the high of a sweet hybrid like Tangerine Dream. Become the Hemingway of weed.

I am no Van Gogh, but it sure is calming to paint while high. (Photo by Lindsey Bartlett/Green Entrepreneur)

When is the last time you put brush to canvas? I cant laud the therapeutic benefits of painting enough. The movement of the brush stroke stimulates the senses. It doesnt matter what you paint, the act itself is divine. One of my favorite methods to paint is in watercolor. On a cheap watercolor paper book, I like to create calligraphy. Think of your favorite song lyrics or musings, funny lines, quotes, and start painting. A joint of the euphoric strain Headband in one hand, paint brush in the other, is always a good idea. Painting classes have become virtual across the country, like Puff, Pass, & Paint, where you can flex your creative muscles with an online live class.

One amazing thing about cannabis is its ability to pull you into the present moment. Use weed to aid in your meditative practice. Meditation helps to create a home within your mind, a place to go back to. My mediation practice protects me from feeling more unnerving perhaps existential mental thought patterns like anxiety, allowing me to take a step back. I recommend a guided meditation to get you started (tons can be found on YouTube) and most will gift you with a mantra or saying to repeat. Mantras I always come back to are: inhale love, exhale hate, and, om. All you need is yourself, a comfortable seated position, and a cannabis strain that can help you drop into your body and become the conscious observer. I would recommend an Indica-heavy, sour strain like Larry OG. Once you are able to see each passing thought as a little sugar leaf floating by on a river, then youre there.

Potting plants or digging deep in your garden are great elevated activities. (Photo by Lindsey Bartlett/Green Entrepreneur)

Grounding means getting our hands dirty. As a pothead plant mom, nothing makes me happier than repotting, planting or gardening outdoors, depending on the season. Making space for new green friends while high is peaceful. Try finding new succulents to place in creative, unique planters. Potting is made even better with a pinene-heavy Indica like the citrusy sweet and calming King Louis XIII. If edibles are more your speed, I recommend an Indica-dominant edible that eases you in with 10 milligrams. Its slow and long release over the course of a few hours will be sure to help you dig deep to the roots.

Marie Kondo would be proud. One really practical thing to do while highat homeis to clean and reorganize your life. If there is clutter on the floor, there is clutter in the mind. It is not a romantic but a necessary act that also calms your senses. If your windows are foggy and water-stained, clean them and youll be literally and figuratively seeing more clearly. Plus it makes you feel like you have accomplished something positive, even if its as simple as the dishes. Blast music, burn sage and a joint of an energetic, airy Sativa like Sour Diesel to reset the space. Cleanliness is close to godliness.

A joint on the beach is one of the most supreme pleasures of life. Plus, you get a workout from walking on the sand. (Photo by Lindsey Bartlett/Green Entrepreneur)

The original nature walk meant going out on a hike into the wild unknown and smoking a bowl with a view. While observing social distancing, take a walk or intermediate trail hike, 2 or 3 miles, with a lush, scenic view at the summit. One would bewise to enjoy this viewwith some cannabis (legally). For a pain-relieving but cerebral high, go for a balanced hybrid like Sunset Sherbert. Itll serve as a nice reward once you reach the peak. Even better, it makes going down a bit easier on your knees and potentially sore feet. Be mindful of anything combustible in the great outdoors and bring a closable glass bottle to use as an ashtray. Do not leave a trace. Also, mind the laws and make sure its legal to consume in your state and parks. Leading in this example is Canada, where all national parks allow cannabis consumption. Keep in mind the local rules and regulationsduring stay-at-home measures (safety first), or start making a list of beautiful, isolated nature hikesto-do once parks reopen in the coming months.

Another simple yet potent grounding ritual, cooking is a key stoned activity because it connects you to your nourishment. Carefully slicing veggies after a long day and a nice toke reminds me that Im human. Cannabis strains like the creative, talkative Cinderella 99 help to elevate an act so mundane. We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, of course, but the goal is to find enlightenment in minimalist tasks. If safe, secure and clear of all potential fire hazards, its surprisingly fun and calming. Its simplicity reminds me of the Buddhist saying: Before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.

Read more:
10 Healthy, Productive Things To Do While High - Green Entrepreneur

Good governance, state and citizenship

The writer is a social development and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.

Governance is one of those buzzwords of politics, economics and development which are used without much understanding of meaning and contextual relevance.

The term governance continues to be used vaguely in policy and practice like the notions of civil society, power, participation and transformation. In the mainstream literature on governance, it is loosely defined as a mode of political expression in contradistinction to governmentality.

Governmentality is associated with the idea of the state as a top-down and inefficient administrative entity to exercise coercion more than consent to govern people. The argument for good governance is rooted in the idea of subsiding the role of the state rather than making it accountable to people. The good governance debate, therefore, doesnt not threaten the state's monopoly over power and violence, but rather reduces the burden of governments responsibility towards citizens.

The concept of good governance advocates an increased role of diverse institutions as intermediaries for negotiating power of choice between government and people. These diverse institutions from the non-governmental domains include but are not limited to the private sector and a politically inert civil society. In this sense, the domain of governance is a horizontal space of political intermediation between state and citizens through a third party which in itself is not accountable to the people.

One can assume from this understanding of governance that it is, perhaps, some kind of diffusion of governments role in determining political and economic matters of a state and society. However, the literature on governance stops short of providing any meaningful explanation about this diffusion of governments role other than enumerating some key functions of good governance.

Good governance becomes a desirable political goal of democracy with little role of the state in political and economic matters. Some people argue that the good governance debate has dissuaded public attention from the idea of the state-citizen relationship. The good governance debate is more of a technical discussion on institutional reforms with a larger role for non-governmental entities like the market and a malleable civil society.

On the contrary, the state-citizen relationship is more of a political debate on rights, duties and accountability mechanisms without necessarily rejecting the role of intermediary institutions or power brokers between state and citizens. The state-citizen relationship is about ensuring people centric governance, in that civil society and private sector become irrelevant or they must cease to exist only if they cannot be made accountable to people.

For good governance to happen you need professionals and experts but for an effective state-citizenship role you must have informed citizenry and political consciousness of people at large. Good governance is more of a development oriented agenda of reforms but a state-citizen relationship is a political goal of empowerment. Good governance at times becomes an end in itself of a reform package but it may only be one of the political objectives of effective state-citizen relationship. The good governance debate tends to absolve the state of its responsibilities by relegating it to an inefficient and bureaucratic function while the state-citizenship debate gives centrality to the functional accountability of the state.

Good governance is syllogistic as it deduces politics and discourse of power diffusion from the larger ecosystem of global political and economic order and it is, therefore, generic. A state-citizen relationship advocates peoples governance within a state system and it is contextual. Good governance is a technical issue, to be dealt with by experts while the idea of state-citizen relationship is political and transformational and puts people first.

Hence, the demand for good governance becomes an ambiguous political call on the state and those intermediaries making such calls themselves remain unaccountable to people. This contradiction of good governance debate serves the political objective of de-politicization of citizens. Furthermore, this gives credence to the specialized knowledge of experts who in turn make a living out of our ignorance.

In this world of burgeoning experts of economy, development and security all we have is a supermarket of ideas to be consumed by its producers only. A development expert can write a jargonized proposal to narrate the problems of a society to raise money but the very jargon makes this expert an inevitable choice to become a well-paid advisor for the same project. If knowledge production and its consumption becomes the monopoly of experts, it gives birth to asymmetrical relationships between people and power intermediaries. This asymmetrical relationship reduces the role of the people to knowledge recipients rather than making them its producers and consumers.

The knowledge that is imposed upon people in a good governance debate is directed to create power spaces for the rule of experts without downward accountability. These experts in reality become the fragmenters of worldviews, augmenters of complexity and tormentors of political societies. This is the complexity and uncertainty which tends to create high demands for experts as interpreters and implementers of fragmented knowledge frameworks. This is how neoliberalism has penetrated deep into our thinking about politics and economics and our worldview of socioeconomic transformation.

Are we too obsessed with neoliberalism as if its the source of all ills? To answer this question, let us deconstruct the notion of neoliberalism first. It is important because many people tend to criticize neoliberalism as an original sin without understanding it. Let us forget about the prefix neo to understand first what the term liberalism entails.

Liberalism as it implies has something to do with being free from conformism, traditions and dogmatism. Here liberalism seems like a progressive concept that questions the unquestionable domains of tradition, culture, politics and religion. The genesis of modern liberalism goes back to the age of enlightenment in Europe from the 17th to 19th centuries. This was the time when the role of religion in politics was questioned in addition to challenging the tradition and cultural dogmatism.

Liberalism questioned the nexus of the church and the state as an unholy alliance to suppress free thinking within people. This was the beginning of modern capitalism, which gained political power by breaking the nexus of church and ruler and by overthrowing feudalism. We know political liberalism as the foundation of freedom of expression, secularism and parliamentary democracy.

There was another strain of economic liberalism propounded by Adam Smith, the Scottish economist of the Enlightenment period. Adam Smiths economic liberalism was founded on the principle of noninterference of government in the economy ie privately owned means of economic production must be free from state regulation. To him, people make rational economic choices out of self-interest and therefore it is the market rather than the state which must govern the economy.

This may look like real freedom but in reality it was to allow the wealthy to accumulate more wealth without the interference of the government to prevent free accumulation of capital by the rich. The equal distribution of wealth created by capitalism could not be ensured without the role of parliament to legislate in the interest of people. This bifurcation of politics and economy blurred the collective imagination of freedom. The rebirth of this classical economic liberalism as neoliberalism in our age of globalization has universalized disparities, and on the political side it has disintegrated worldviews.

We live in a disintegrated world today, using its political notions unthinkingly at the cost of our free thinking.

Email: [emailprotected]

Twitter: @AmirHussain76

The rest is here:
Good governance, state and citizenship - The News International

If someone has the motivation to feel ready for the day, that can change drastically if they have cold pizza and a can of soda for breakfast. If you start your day on an unhealthy note, chances are, it negatively affects the start of your morning.

On the other hand, starting off a bit healthier surely benefits the rest of the day. As a high school student who is busy with diving and academics, its not always easy to avoid the temptation of cheap satisfaction; but, Ive made a concerted effort to try.

In the morning, when my alarm blares, Id much rather hit the snooze button admittedly, sometimes I do but, I personally feel much better and refreshed when I start my morning by eating a healthy breakfast, rather than scrolling through my social media while gorging on chips.

I notice that whenever I eat either a bad breakfast or none at all, my concentration levels during school are off. I tend to fall asleep in class (dont tell my mom) or my body begins to feel weak.

My personal feelings were confirmed by Healthline, who reported children with a poor diet run the risk of growth and developmental problems and poor academic performance, and bad eating habits can persist for the rest of their lives.

This fact alone should motivate us to stop our bad eating habits even though the temptations are irresistible.

Exercising also helps my body stay in great shape. Being a competitive platform and springboard diver I attend practice every day. I do dry-land and pool training as well as conditioning and basics. My workout not only helps me stay in shape but also aids in relieving most of my stresses and anxieties.

After my practice is complete, I feel motivated to eat healthier so that I could focus on my studying, which most people probably feel. Whenever I have off days and decide not to exercise, I tend to get upset easier and my body gets heavy and bloated.

By exercising and eating nutritious meals rather than laying in bed while eating junk, my mentality and mood are impacted influencing my daily routines.

Moving away from personal anecdotes, a composed diet, as well as physical movement, is critical as our organs and tissues need proper nutrition in order to effectively function. Without nutrition and exercise, our bodies have a higher risk of getting diseases, infections or even death.

These unwise eating habits and lack of exercise also lead to diabetes and obesity. At least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or overweight, according to the World Health Organization.

According to BBC News, an 18-year-old boy tragically died from sudden adult death syndrome in 2015. He was overweight and had an addiction to junk food. Not only did he consume himself with his bad eating habits, but he also spent more than 12 hours a day playing video games.

Doctors told his mother that obesity contributed to his death, and his devastated parents spoke out with hope to help other young people avoid the same issue, according to BBC.

Due to nutrition and obesity-related diseases including heart disease and diabetes, unhealthy diets contribute to approximately 678,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Although its very challenging, it is important to face your own temptations and challenge yourself to stock up on fruits and veggies and get the treadmill going.

Ultimately, just by changing our diets and lifestyle, our lives could be saved and lifted up from our depressed and lazy bodies. This conscious decision can also impact how we act during the day and how well we concentrate during school or work.

I love to sit around eating ice cream while watching Netflix, but that cannot be a constant. Having a healthy diet overall leads only to happiness and productivity in our lives.

Read the original here:
Opinion: The importance of exercise and healthy eating habits - Los Angeles Times

Heather Doney leads her Utah neighbors in a socially-distanced Zumba workout. USA TODAY

Editor's note: Part 15of USA TODAY'sWorking Out From Home(#WOFH) seriesfocuses on getting some exercise while having fun with Zumba. Sign up forGood Sports, our weekly newsletterthat will bring you more home workout tips and the best stories of the good throughout the world of sports:

With a bullhorn in her hand, Heather Doney instructed a group of friends through a Zumba class. They all danced to the music that blared over a boombox. They followed her lead on various stretches and exercises. And they all appeared invigorated with escaping out of the house.

We need to get outside and get some fresh air, Doney said. We need to see each other.

Yet, no one needed to be near each other. Because of social distancing rules stemmed from the novel coronavirus outbreak, Doney hosted a Zumba workout from her friends backporch in her Saratoga Springs neighborhood in Utah on March 17. About 20 neighbors joined the workout through two ways. Some stood on their respective porches or balconies. Others stood in a backyard that is blended together between the 13 houses.

STAYING HOME? STAY ACTIVE: Tips, ideas to help you exercise while social distancing

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Heather Doney teaches a Zumba class to her neighbors. A video of her class went viral after it was shared by celebs such as Demi Lovato.(Photo: Courtesy: Heather Doney)

More than just the neighbors viewed and participated in the workout. Doney then edited and posted the workout video on Youtube before sharing it on her Instagram and Facebook accounts. Soon enough, singer Demi Lovato and reality television star Khloe Kardashian shared the video on their social media channels, too. Storyful, a social media distribution agency, contacted Doneys next-door neighbor after seeing it on her Twitter account and worked out a deal with Doney so they could distribute the video as well. That video then appeared on Facebook's NowThis News and ABC's "Good Morning America."

Overall, Doney estimated a combined 30 million people watched the workout video through those various channels. Since then, Doney hosted seven more workouts, including two outside and othersvia live streaming in her basement. She has more planned onTuesdays (10 a.m.MT), Thursdays (10 a.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m.). Both nearby neighbors and far-away viewers told her how much the classes have invigorated them.

I like to entertain. I like to make people laugh. I like to inspire, Doney said. So to have something go viral like that, its been on my bucket list. But I didnt know it would happen. I didnt think it would be like this.

Doney had taught Zumba and a dance-fitness class for 6 1/2 years with a dance studio and her local church. She stopped teaching two years ago after experiencing undisclosed health issues. She rediscovered her passion again shortly after the NBA suspended it season on March 11 after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

Erin Stewart, a neighborhood friend, texted Doney and suggested she should teach Zumba classes somewhere outside. Stewart had seen footage of Italian residents singing outside on their balconies, and hoped Doney could bring their neighborhood together in a similar way with her classes.

So, Doney led her neighbors through a 50-minute workout from home. She stood on Stewarts porch because that had a better view of her neighbors houses. She instructed the class with a megaphone she joked her husband regretted buying for her one year for Mothers Day. She started with a warmup that included some light stretching and cardio exercises. With the aid of two speakers, Doney then guided them through choreographed dances to various songs. She mixed in arm and leg workouts. She then ended itwith stretching exercises.

Its nice to be outside and get that fresh air. Just the smiling and seeing each other and then those endorphins, those are pretty much self-made anti-depressants," she said. "It makes us happy when we can move. Theres just something about dancing that gets those endorphins moving. They loved it.

So much that others wanted to join the class. Doney then considered hosting the workout at a parking lot of a nearby church. Each person would follow social-distancing rules by exercising within designated parking stalls. But she nixed the idea.

I was afraid that would get frowned upon by people driving by thinking that people are not really social distancing, Doney said. I didnt want it to turn into something negative and have somebody post something that these people are not social distancing. So I just decided Ill do it in my home.

Doney remains aware that not everyone has the same amount of space to exercise at home. Others might want to work out in their home or apartment, but feel weary of confined space or becoming disruptive to neighbors.

So for her online classes, she has outlined various options to allow them to exercise within a confined space. She has reminded viewers to drink water in between exercises. At the end of the workout, she has encouragedviewers to have a protein-heavy diet.

Thisdefinitely makes me want to keep teachingagain, Doney said. It made me realize how much I missed it.

Follow USA TODAY NBA writer Mark Medina onTwitter, Instagramand Facebook.

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Working Out From Home: How Utah instructor went viral with her Zumba workout - USA TODAY

Sleep, diet, exercise, and stress: these are factors known to change a persons risk of developing numerous non-communicable diseases. Such lifestyle impacts on healthbeneficial or harmfulexert much of their influence via inflammation. About 10 years ago, Matthias Nahrendorf began wondering just how inflammation and lifestyle might be linked biologically, and started thinking about how to pinpoint the mechanism in the cardinal case of cardiovascular disease.

A persons level of inflammation can easily be measured with a simple white blood cell test. White blood cells fight off bacterial invasions and repair damaged tissues, but they can also damage healthy tissue when they become too abundant. You can find them in atherosclerotic plaques, and you can find them in acute infarcts, says Nahrendorf, a professor of radiology who conducts high-resolution imaging research at Massachusetts General Hospital. You can find them in failing hearts and the brain, where they increase the risk of stroke.

By linking exercise to reduced white blood cell production, Nahrendorf shows how a lifestyle factor can modulate cardiovascular risk.

When Nahrendorf learned that the most potent, toxic, and pro-inflammatory white blood cells live only a few hours, or at most a day, he immediately realized that the paramount questionsgiven that they die off quickly yet remain abundant in the bloodare, where and why are they produced? What is their source? Perhaps, he hypothesized, lifestyle factors regulate hematopoiesis (blood production).

To test this idea, he decided to study the effects of exercise on the production of these leukocytes in healthy mice. First, though, he consulted the scientific literature on exercise in mice. Previous researchers, he learned, had found that exercise increases production of inflammatory immune cellswhich I thought was counterintuitive, Nahrendorf recalls. When he looked more carefully, he discovered that the type of exercise used in the studies was forced and thus possibly stressful because it was induced by electric shocks. He therefore decided to test only voluntary exercise. He and his colleagues put a wheel in each mouses cage, so the animals could choose to run if they were interested.

The mice never ran during the day. That is when they rest, Nahrendorf explains. But in the dark, they ran a lot, averaging six to seven miles every night. After three weeks, the exercising mice had measurably lower levels of circulating white blood cells. Exercise, he found, had pushed their blood stem cells (cells that can produce all the different types of blood cells) into a state of quiescence: a kind of dormancy in which they generate fewer pro-inflammatory white blood cells and platelets, without decreasing the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Soon the exercising mice had fewer circulating white blood cells than their sedentary counterparts, dampening inflammationan effect that persisted for weeks.

The local signals within bone marrow that induce quiescence in blood stem cells were already well known, but the fact that exercise could trigger them was not. Nahrendorf next wanted to learn the identity of the trigger linking exercise to blood stem cell quiescence. Further investigation revealed that the only receptors with enhanced activity in the bone marrow niche where most blood stem cells exist were binding to a well-known hormone called leptin; it is produced by fat cells and regulates hunger.

Leptin is like the fuel gauge in a car. When the tank is fullmeaning energy (and food) are abundantleptin levels run high. As exercise uses up the gas in the tank, this lowers leptin levels, which signal that reserves are running low, thereby inducing hunger and the urge to eat in order to replenish depleted energy stores. Nahrendorf and his co-authors speculate in their 2019 Nature Medicine paper that leptins role in regulating energetically costly hematopoiesis may have evolved to produce blood cells only when whole body energy was abundantnot when people are exerting themselves. Contemporary sedentary behavior, they continue, which increases leptin and consequently hematopoiesis, may have rendered this adaptation a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and perhaps also for other diseases with inflammatory components.

But with fewer circulating immune cells, would exercising mice be more vulnerable to infection? Nahrendorf challenged them with a protocol designed to induce infection in the blood, and found just the opposite: exercising mice had a more robust immune response, as semi-dormant blood stem cells swiftly sprang into activity and produced infection-fighting leukocytes, improving survival of the active mice as compared to those with no running wheels in their cages. Next, they investigated whether exercise would help mice with established atherosclerosis, and found that exercise was not only protective, it also reduced the size of existing plaques in the aorta.

Whether these associations would hold up in humans remained an open question. For answers, Nahrendorf turned to a study known as CANTOS, which had measured levels of inflammation in 4,892 patients who suffered heart attacks (see Raw and Red Hot, May-June 2019, page 46). When he approached the studys co-authors, Mallinckrodt professor of medicine Peter Libby and Braunwald professor of medicine Paul Ridker, he learned, serendipitously, not only that they possessed self-reported exercise levels for the participants, but also that they had tested leptin levels as well. They analyzed their raw data and found the same relationship among exercise, leptin, and leukocytes as in the mice. Data from a second human study cemented the result.

By identifying a previously unknown molecular mechanism linking voluntary exercise to reduced white blood cell production, Nahrendorf and his colleagues have highlighted how a lifestyle factor can modulate cardiovascular risk. Their discovery, the researchers hope, will point the way to wider adoption of healthy exercise regimens, and health-enhancing anti-inflammatory drugs.

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Stem cell activity linked to lifestyle - Harvard Magazine

If youre a casual college football fan, then your introduction to LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson very well may have come during the Peach Bowl on December 28, when the junior caught 14 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns in the Tigers 63-28 shellacking of the Oklahoma Sooners. Its a crazy stat line, only made crazier when you remember all four touchdowns were in the first half.

Jefferson was a steady hand in the National Championship game as well, catching nine balls for 106 yards as he, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, and Americas favorite head coach Ed Orgeron capped off an undefeated season with a 42-25 victory over the Clemson Tigers.

Now Jefferson is a week away from being selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, almost certainly in the first round. Of course, this years draft, which runs April 23 to April 25, wont resemble prior years. Because of the coronavirus crisis, NFL general managers will be making their picks from their own homes, and incoming rookies like Jefferson will also be hunkered down. (For Jefferson, thats with his family in St. Rose, Louisiana.) As a highly-ranked prospect, Jefferson was sent camera gear by the NFL thatll capture the exact moment he finds out his pro destination.

In the meantime, Jefferson is mixing in receiving drills and whatever weight training he can, while also studying playbooks in order to ace phone interviews with NFL general managers and scouts. Below, Jefferson tells GQ more about this unusual draft prep, what Coach O is like in the weight room, and who would win a game of one-on-one between himself and his LSU teammate Burrow, the presumed top overall pick.

GQ: Whats the at-home draft-day outfit going to be?

Justin Jefferson: I dont know yet. Still thinking about whether I want to be all classy, or if I want to lay back. Itll be a last-minute decision, but Ive got to figure out what to rock.

I imagine its been a busy few weeks for you. Can you walk me through an average day of late?

Its been very weird. Everything has been all over the place. Nothing is really scheduled besides interviews. You go to sleep whenever you can and wake up whenever you wake up. I usually get a breakfast in with eggs and bacon and toast, because Ive been trying to keep this weight on me. I tried to keep weight on at school too, but just with all the running we were doing, and the college schedule we have, I wasnt able to maintain the weight that I wanted to. My parents are cooking for me, so for other meals, Im having chicken on the grill, salmon, beans and rice, lots of protein.

I do an afternoon workout, and its chilling the rest of the day. Im not as much a morning person, so if its on my time, I workout in the afternoons. Ive been cleaning up the little things I need to improve on to be the versatile receiver the coaches want me to be. Ive got a field near my house that Ive been working out on with a couple of high school friends. Its been a combination of football workouts and weight-room workouts. I want to keep this strength on me.

How are you staying mentally sharp, especially given all the draft interviews you have lined up?

Im making sure Im studying and looking over plays at night on my iPad when Im laying down and chilling. As long as Im doing that, Im still being reminded of the formations and maintaining my football smarts. [The NFL general managers] definitely want to see if Im a smart football player. Luckily we had similar concepts at LSU, so its been more so seeing what NFL teams call those concepts, and adjusting from there.

Read more:
Justin Jefferson: The Real-Life Diet of the LSU Receiver and Likely First-Round NFL Draft Pick - GQ

High blood pressure is a common condition that affects more than a quarter of all adults in the UK. But you could lower your chances of developing the condition, which is also known as hypertension, by going for regular walks, it's been claimed.

Hypertension increases the risk of developing some deadly complications, including heart attacks and strokes.

It's crucial that you make a few lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure, if you have hypertension.

One of the easiest ways to manage your blood pressure is to make a few changes to your usual exercise regime.

During the coronavirus lockdown, all high blood pressure patients should consider going for a socially distant walk.

READ MORE: High blood pressure - dementia risk over nighttime hypertension

"Regular exercise is one of the most effective natural remedies for high blood pressure," said Brewer.

She wrote on her website, MyLowerBloodPressure.com: "In fact, exercise is as important as diet for your health and well-being if your blood pressure is raised.

"Physical activity doesnt need to be vigorous. Brisk walking for 30 to 60 minutes a day, most days of the week, produces significant benefits for people with hypertension.

"The exercise needs to be brisk enough to raise your pulse above 100 beats per minute, raise a light sweat and make you slightly breathless but not so much that you cannot hold a conversation."

If walking isn't your thing, you could even reap the exercise rewards for your blood pressure by simply doing some gardening, she added.

Gardening or dancing are just as beneficial for your heart as swimming or cycling.

Any form of exercise that leaves you feeling warm and slightly out of breath is good for your overall heart.

Meanwhile, hypertension is often known as the silent killer, because symptoms only tend to reveal themselves if you have extremely high blood pressure.

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High blood pressure - the best exercise to lower hypertension risk in COVID-19 lockdown - Express

As part of Cores COVID-19 series, Core Strategy and Research are focusing on key areas of our lives that have been impacted by COVID-19. Cores study titled Accelerating Change is exploring potential consumer behaviour change asking will COVID-19 impact our behaviour into the future, or will things return to a new normal. In this extract, Strategic Planner, Hilary OLeary, outlines one of the themes Food & Fitness.

Every January, my colleagues in Core Research interview people about their health intentions for the year ahead. For the past five years, it has proven to provide a positive story about the health of the nation. Naomi Staff, Managing Director of Core Research describes how they segment the adult population.

We focus on three areas of health food, fitness and well-being. From this, we can segment the country into five groups. The most active and engaged groups account for the majority of the population. 55% of people tell us they monitor their diets and also exercise at least once a week. In fact, nearly one in five of us (17%) say they exercise daily.

According to the 2020 research, this group is also more likely to manage their mental health and report a positive well-being. Demographically, this Active Foodies group is not significantly skewed to any one profile, but instead represents an approach to health which a modern Ireland has adopted a holistic view of regular exercise, a healthy balanced diet and a consideration for their mental health.

This holistic, practical approach has in many ways prepared us for the necessary response to controlling the outbreak of COVID-19 and managing ourselves during these challenging times. With this strong level of engagement with personal health, at Core, we are observing what impact, if any, COVID-19 will have on the personal health management.

69% are doing the same amount or more exercise.

As the country began to stay at home, Core Research asked 1,000 people about their behaviours and whether they were doing more, less or the same amount of various activities. In terms of food and diet, 50% of people are cooking and baking more, particularly families. This is also reflective in online searches and content people are reading on websites.

In terms of fitness, there were initial concerns that a lockdown would have a significant impact on our ability to exercise, based on how other countries such as Italy and Spain had to introduce measures. However, public health experts and the Government have always advised people under 70 to remain active at home, and for everyone else to get daily exercise within 2km of their home.

The public have taken on the advice with 35% of adults saying they are doing the same amount of exercise as they did before COVID-19, while 33% are saying they are doing more exercise. Just over a quarter of adults (26%) say they are doing less, and this is skewed towards people living in Dublin. Young Families and Young Adults (under 40s) living on the Leinster commuter belt, and in Munster and along the west coast are saying they are doing more exercise than they usually do. With no daily commutes, there is now time to get active.

Personal Health Management beyond COVID-19

During this period of increased concern about the health of our own family and of our communities, people are continuing to proactively manage their health. This is not a sudden change because of the COVID-19 outbreak, but when we return to some of the findings in the Core Research Health 2020 report, there might be some indications of how we manage our health in the future.

The research asked people about how interested would people be in using technology to manage their personal health. 66% of people are interested in fitness trackers highlighting the growth in usage across all age groups and 64% would be interested in tech which analysed their health and predicted illness. While in recent weeks there has been an increase in online yoga, meditation and fitness videos such as Joe Wicks, only 32% said they would be interested in a subscription to a fitness instructor via video link.

As part of this on-going series, collaborating with Core Research, we will be observing and tracking any potential changes in how people research, practice and monitor their personal health. Most importantly we will want to understand the impact COVID-19 will have on peoples attitude to their holistic well-being. We will observe if attitudes in exercising at home via tech has changed. How have people adapted their physical health habits? After living with anxiety and uncertainty for many months and coping with social distancing, will people place more value on their mental health? Will people have a new level of resilience and determination to look after themselves and their family?

This understanding will inform how we develop future plans for brands that want to connect with the majority of the population who are engaged with a healthy lifestyle and maintaining their well-being.

Understanding the health and well-being habits of the population will be important to many brands who have a role in this space.

If you would like to find out more on the health habits of the nation to help inform the next steps in your marketing strategy and planning, please get in touch.

For more information about Cores COVID-19 series, see http://www.onecore.ie/covid

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69% of People Remain Active During Lockdown According to Core Research - AdWorld

In physiology, frailty is an umbrella term. It includes various age-associated impairments that contribute to reduced health and function among older adults.

The multifaceted condition is an inevitable feature of the aging process, but it is conditional on a few factors. Its onset and pathology depend on behavioral, psychological, genetic and dietary conditions.

Comorbidities also have a huge role to play with respect to the rate of decline.

Sadly, a new study conducted by researchers at Flinders University posits that pre-frailty, which includes poor balance, a decreased ability to control spinal and pelvic posture, diminished foot sensations, and an impaired ability to maintain weight and nutrition, occurs in 45% of people between the ages of 40 and 49.

This research identified pre-frailty and frailty states in people aged in their 40s and 50s. Pre-frailty in body systems performance can be detected by a range of mutable measures, and interventions to prevent progression to frailty could be commenced from the fourth decade of life, the authors wrote in the new paper. There is little known about pre-frailty attributes or when changes that contribute to frailty might be detectable and amenable to change. This study explores pre-frailty and frailty in independent community-dwelling adults aged 4075years.

The authors procured their 665 participants from local council networks, a national bank and a university located in Adelaide, Australia.

Frailty scores were calculated via the presence of the following phenotypes:

If a participant did not evidence any of the phenotypes indexed above they were classified as not-frail.

Participants who endured between one and two phenotypes were categorized as pre-frail. Lastly, patients who exhibited three or more phenotypes were identified as medically frail.

Factor analysis was applied to binary forms of 25 published frailty measures Differences were tested in mean factor scores between the three Fried frailty phenotypes and ROC curves estimated predictive capacity of factors, the authors continued.

Of 656 participants, 59.2% were classified as not frail, 39.0% pre-frail and 1.8% frail. There were no gender or age differences. Seven frailty factors were identified, incorporating all 25 frailty measures. Factors 1 and 7 significantly predicted progression from not-frail to pre-frail, combined dynamic trunk stability and lower limb functional strength, balance, foot sensation, hearing, lean muscle mass, and low BMI; comprising continence and nutrition.

When we strip all of the poetry away, aging is a slow and precise process, commissioned by a board of biological systems. Everything from sunlight to food becomes increasingly toxic to us, forcing degeneration to undertake a quicker and quicker pace.

Understanding this fundamental process enables cosmetics and therapeutics to offset certain key mechanisms. Even so, we dont have a hope of bypassing natures intended wholesale.

The only way to evade agings wrath, medically speaking, is by yielding to its certainty.

Diet, exercise, quality sleep, and a stable mental state foster the kind of conditions that allow us to age gracefully if not fractionally slower than the purported norm.

Successful aging seeks to optimize health and independence Indicators for successful aging include minimal chronic disease, physical decline or depressive symptoms, and optimized social support, social participation and economic satisfaction, the authors conclude. People working from home during the self-isolation period can take the opportunity to reassess their health, habits, and routines to seek ways to make their daily routines and homes better places to live, and live longer in the process, concludes study co-author Professor Anthony Maeder, from the Digital Health Research Centre at Flinders University.

Be sure to read the full report published in the Journal BMC Geriatrics.

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The surprisingly early age our bodies begin to break down - Ladders

Youre allowed to eat foods like eggs, avocados and berries on the keto diet.

After we eat, the body converts carbohydrates into blood sugar (known as glucose), which it uses for energy. But the ketogenic diet is based on research from the 1920s that found lowering the availability of carbohydrates made the body rely more on using other substances (such as fat) for energy. By metabolising fat to produce glucose or energy, the body generates ketones in the process hence the term ketogenic. Any diet containing less than 20g per day of carbohydrate is deemed to be ketogenic.

The production of ketones by the liver indicates that fat, instead of sugar, is being metabolised and that this fat is close to our entire source of energy. This is thought to correlate to weight loss but really correlates with an altered blood insulin profile. Whether this enhances weight loss compared to other diets is debatable, since withdrawal of carbohydrates results in losses in body water, exaggerating the appearance of weight loss.

But many people report experiencing something called the keto flu after changing their diet. People report symptoms such as nausea, constipation, headaches, fatigue and sugar cravings, similar to influenza apart from the sugar cravings.

These side effects are related to the key concept of the ketogenic diet: carbohydrate withdrawal. Glucose (which is produced from foods containing carbohydrates, such as potatoes or bread) is the primary energy source of the central nervous system, including the brain. A reduced supply of carbohydrates will result in reduced function, leading to headaches. Nausea can be explained through consuming high volumes of fat. This is because fat takes a long time to digest and absorb.

When eating a conventional diet that includes carbohydrates, glucose increases in the blood. This stimulates a rise in the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels and allows your body to use the glucose for energy. It lowers the presence of fat in the blood, and helps glucose enter the bodys cells. Insulin also suppresses the release of fat particles from fat stores in the body by the same mechanism. The hope is that by eating low (or no) carbs, this mechanism will be reversed, helping to increase the appearance of fat in the blood and its availability to other cells to use for energy and result in fat loss.

A high level of insulin release occurs if a person consumes a large volume of carbohydrates in a single sitting. Therefore, the ketogenic diet aims to reduce the insulin response through excessive carbohydrate restriction. But reducing insulin causes an increase in circulating fats that displace an amino acid, called tryptophan, from its carrier. This circulating tryptophan causes an increase in serotonin in the brain and the increase in serotonin results in fatigue, even when you arent exerting yourself much.

Having fewer carbohydrates to use is also a stressor to the body, since theyre the bodys preferred energy source. The lack of carbohydrates stimulates the release of cortisol a stress hormone. The amount of cortisol the body releases depends on the size of the stressor. Cortisol releases fats and proteins from tissues in the body, which is the aim of the ketogenic diet. These nutrients are then metabolised by the liver to produce carbohydrates. However, cortisol secretion can become fatigued as a result of this stressed environment. Since cortisol helps increase immune function, the body may be more prone to infections, such as the common cold.

Carbohydrate-rich foods often contain vitamins, minerals and fibre. We require 30g of fibre per day and, if we dont consume enough, our digestive health suffers, leading to constipation. The lack of fibre-rich foods in the ketogenic diet such as baked potatoes and apples may result in constipation, another reported symptom of the keto flu.

Removing such foods from the diet also limits vitamins and minerals, which play a role in all aspects of cellular function particularly immune function. Sugary fruits that are high in vitamin C (such as oranges) are avoided in the ketogenic diet. Low levels of vitamin C might also cause increased risk of infections, such as the common cold.

Ketogenic diets are sometimes clinically recommended for managing some medical conditions, such as epilepsy. Its thought that maintaining a constant low blood glucose level and the production of ketones will maintain the central nervous system through numerous molecular mechanisms, reducing seizures.

But for most people the side effects of such diets arent worth the potential benefits. Such diets are often unsustainable if religiously adhering to low or no carbohydrate intake because of the short and long-term sugar cravings.

Though the keto diet might work for some, a balanced diet including white meat, fish, fruits and vegetables and avoiding pre-made or processed foods is still an effective way to manage or lose weight. Getting enough exercise can also help manage weight, while improving aerobic and muscular fitness. This will lead to improved cardiovascular health and decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

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Keto diet: here's why some people experience fatigue, nausea, headaches after starting it - The Conversation UK