You're a company that's done rather well over here, in the UK. Now, you'd like to try your luck over there? Sounds simple enough, however, expanding a business into the US takes foresight and funding.

The most successful companies use technology to become more efficient. So, then, what kinds of technology can help a business succeed in the US?

Cloud computing has levelled the playing field by reducing the cost and complexity of setting up a technology infrastructure across the pond. You can now spin up virtual operating systems and applications quickly instead of installing physical servers to run stateside operations.

One company that experienced this first hand is fin-tech business PCI Pal. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Council's PCI-DSS is an industry regulation that governs how companies store credit card information. Businesses that don't comply with its strict rules risk stiff penalties. The 20-year-old company provides payment solutions that online retailers and other businesses can use to process customer credit cards without having to store that sensitive financial data themselves.

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PCI compliance is an even bigger business in the UK than in the US, and a quick look at the data breach headlines reveals why: thieves are pilfering credit card details by the thousand. Seeing the opportunity, PCI Pal expanded into North America in 2017. It set up an office in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is a hotbed for fin-tech, but needed a solid technology infrastructure to run both its external services and its internal US sales, marketing, and project delivery operations, explains the company's chief revenue officer Darren Gill.

"Cloud has been instrumental in assisting us in our global expansionm and that's not only in terms of the solutions that we use internally, like email or Office 365 in the cloud," he says. "We were actually delivering a cloud-based service to our customers."

The company opted for Amazon Web Services, installing a presence at Amazon East, the cloud service provider's East coast region that communicates with PCI Pal's central hub located on Amazon's instance in Ireland.

PCI Pal can spin up a computing instance in the cloud in two or three days, explains Gill. He uses session border controllers from IP telephony solutions provider AudioCodes, which provide a link between PCI Pal's own VoIP network and its external telephony provider's network in the US. This also lets it funnel telemetry data about the calls that it's routing back to the Irish AWS instances. It's something that it can replicate in any country it tackles using its AWS set up.

Having a cloud-based instance in multiple regions also allows PCI Pal to meet a pressing customer challenge: data sovereignty. With corporate customers (and their consumer customers) increasingly sensitive about where PCI Pal stores their personal information, data centre location becomes a big factor.

"Particularly with the type of information that we provide and deliver, a US customer doesn't want their data sitting over in Frankfurt or in some other country's data center," Gill explains. Another Amazon instance in the Canadian province of Montral also gives customers north of the border peace of mind, he says.

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To keep up to date with US customer feedback, the company uses the issue and project tracking software Jira. This enables US employees to log issues from users across the Atlantic and feed them back quickly to development staff in the UK. This means US users don't get left out when suggesting new product features and getting fixes for problems.

As the US took cloud computing concepts and ran with them, PCI Pal also learned some new working practices that it exported back home, says Gill. The company began using Dropbox along with Office 365, setting up a dedicated section for the US office so that it could handle localized administrative paperwork, especially legal contracts involved with spinning up the US entity. It also began using DocuSign, which enables it to take its paperwork entirely digital using electronic signatures.

"The tendency was for most of the employees that were office-based in the UK to show up at the office every day and there wasn't a whole lot of flexibility with respect to working at home versus here," he says. The US culture is different, he adds: "We had an office location for convenience, but the reality is there was a lot of flexibility and most everyone works from home three days of the week." Technology enabled the company to replicate that cultural shift back in the UK.

Website development business UENI used the Internet differently during its own US expansion. The company started in late 2014 offering automated website development for UK businesses and expanding into continental Europe in 2017. It pivoted to a freemium model in summer 2018, abandoning a manual sales process in favour of an automated push-button web development system to grow its customer base. With a 100% digital system and a focus on generating customer volume, it began international expansion in 2019, beginning with the US in April.

The company used a content delivery network (CDN) to deliver its automated website building system to US customers, who now make up 500 of its 3500 global daily sign-ups. The CDN caches content from its central servers in over 50 US locations so that when someone visits a customer's website, they are downloading data from a local node.

"The closer the server, the lower the latency and the faster the content delivery," explains CEO Christine Telyan. "This gives us the ability to load our clients' websites as fast as possible on their customers' devices, wherever possible."

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UENI also uses cloud-native software development technologies to help manage its software operations across different regions. "To scale the product, we use systems like Kubernetes, the container orchestration system. Originally this was Google technology, but now the community supports it," she says. "Kubernetes helps us a lot to scale our product to different data centres over the world. This gives the ability to have enough resources for the fastest delivery of the pages of our websites to the end-users."

The company has also used technology to help ramp up the marketing necessary to tackle a market ten times the size of the UK 4,000 miles away. "On our marketing stack we use automation tools at every step of the way," Telyan adds. "From automated rules to optimise andscale ads based on Pixel data and derivative metrics, to A/B testing software to achieve the best match between audience and message"

Fortified by their US experience, both companies are continuing their global expansion. The next step for PCI Pal is Australia and New Zealand, assisted by an Amazon instance in Sydney. Gill explains that the company's successful global push has even allowed staff to migrate between countries. One of PCI Pal's lead developers relocated from the UK to the US after his wife got an opportunity to work stateside.

"Just by virtue of opening the office here that kind of broadened our horizons a bit from a cultural point of view," he says. The developer now works remotely with his colleagues back in the UK using the company's cloud infrastructure.

The internet and the cloud infrastructure built atop it, combined with advances in software development and deployment technologies like containers, has lowered the barrier to entry for companies that want to create enterprise-class infrastructures around the world. There's now less of an excuse than ever not to boot up a business arm in the US using tech that can help with the legal, financial, customer support, and marketing aspects too.

Transform the operator experience with enhanced automation & analytics

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What tech does it take to make a business succeed in the US? - IT PRO

Stress less with these morning routines that work.

December 30, 2019 6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Kicking off the day with a positive outlook and an organized mindset is integral to running a business or being successful at work.If youre a working parent, you likely deal with some morning madness, andif you have younger kids (or teens!), morning meltdowns.

Aside fromestablishing good morning eating habits, and eliminating unnecessary TV and social media scrolling in the morning, below are 9 tips for reducing morning stress by saving time, all while keeping your kids in a positive mindset.

Lay out your clothes, the kids clothes, pack lunches, ensure that homework is finished and in the folders and even have some breakfast items prepped such as cut-up fruit or hard-boiled eggs.Everyone has a different routine but the key is that we adapt to routines and kids especially do too.Even plan for little things such as knowing where essentials like car keys, glasses, and Bluetooth headphones are.(Tomake the time for this prep, give up some screen time or theseother habits that can destroy your productivity.)

We dont like to be rushed, and especially kids.If your kids can chill a little bit in the morning, they are more relaxed and this will minimize meltdown.On the same note, if you are someone that likes to journal, read the news or enjoy your cup of coffee, rather than just slamming it down in the car or commute, it is game-changing to prioritize waking up 15-30 minutes earlier, so long as you get in bed at a decent time.

Related:10 Tweaks To YourMorningRoutine That Will Transform Your Entire Day

A lot of time can be wasted trying to figure out what to make for breakfast, and it cant always be pop-tarts on the go if you want your children (and you!) to thrive throughout their day.I like to prep the cut-up fruit (because this takes time!)have hard-boiled eggs on hand and toast or bagels are easy for kids to make themselves. One favorite in our household istasty egg muffinsthat can be made over the weekend and are great for just pulling out of the fridge, on-the-go, and even for packing into lunches.

Just like the airplane oxygen mask analogy, you need to take care of yourself first to function best.So whether its exercise, meditation or cleaning out your inbox while you sip your coffee and eat breakfast, ensure that you put your armor on before you take on responsibilities for getting the kids ready.

As with many tasks at the office, its the teamwork that eases the load for everyone and drives success.So why not do the same at home? Identify your strengths and weaknesses and devise a plan with your partner.For example, I like to work out first thing in the morning and can get up and go. My husband prefers to take his time, work early and enjoy his coffee.He spends time with our boys, makes them breakfast, and then I come home in time to finish up the lunch boxes that were prepared the night before, drink a post-workout protein shake and get myself together, before getting the boys out the door for school.For single parents, aim for preparing as much as you can the night before and teaching your children to help out with breakfast and packing their bags.

Teach your children to help out.Our kids are 8 and 11 and we have taught them to make simple breakfasts like toast bagels and spread cream cheese on them, toast waffles or get things like yogurt and cut up fruit out of the fridge. For some families, a chore chart helps keep them organized and depending on the ages of your kids, its best to create a routine for them that includes boxes for them to check for when they: get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, comb their hair (we like to skip this one), pack their backpacks, etc.When you give your children ownership and responsibility, you empower them with confidence and independence that will pay off in the long run.

The last-minute hunt for homework, shoes, after school activity gear or anything else is an immediate stress trigger. Be it hooks and cabinets or an actual shelving cubby system near your back door, this launchpad station for everyone helps foster organization. At our home, we each have our own cubby and its a place where we keep shoes and have backpacks and paperwork.My personal cubby has my gym bag packed and ready to go (even with car keys inside of it!) the night before so that I can just grab it early morning and quietly sneak out the door.

Amazon Fresh, Instacart, Brandless, or whatever you like, find effective online shopping sites and skip the trips to the store.We rely heavily on Amazon Fresh and by using their Past Purchases drop-down tool, its simple to reorder staple grocery and home items.Going to the grocery store mid-week is difficult for many working parents andonline grocery deliveryhas redefined the shopping experience.

No one has ever calmed down when they are yelled at to Calm Down! right?While we are all guilty of yelling, its very counter-productive to getting out the door. Kids sense tension and anxiety and if you are not calm, neither are they.And why should your kids be rushed? For the benefit of all, including yourself, focus on using a calm voice and keeping a positive attitude as you explain to kids why you need their help.

As entrepreneurs and parents, jam-packed days are inevitable, yet keeping anxiety levels low is crucial to your health, well-being and success. Make the most of the limited family time in the mornings and evenings and try to truly be with them and minimize the multi-tasking.Whenever possible, have a back-up plan, get a good nights sleep and allow for some flexibility. Happy less-stressed parents will lead to happier and less-stress kids. Theres no debate about that.

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9 Strategies for Working Parents to Reduce Stress and Get Control of Mornings - Entrepreneur

Emma Oxnevad, Opinions and Social Media Editor|December 28, 2019

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As the 2010s come to an end, major publications are weighing in to give their takes on the best music of the decade. When looking at the music that filled the decade, one may notice that some of the most enduring hits were made by women.

This is backed by decade-end numbers for album sales, in which Taylor Swift sits atop the likes of fellow heavyweights Drake and Ed Sheeran, selling an estimated 32.5 million albums. Also featured on the list are Adele and Lady Gaga, having sold 23.3 million and 8.1 million albums, respectively.

While numbers are certainly an important metric of measuring an artists success, their cultural capital is essential in a largely saturated media market.

Pop music seems to be the one common thread we all share in the age of ultra-niche media, said Dan Bashara, an adjunct instructor of media and cinema studies at DePaul But everybody at least knows who Taylor Swift is, or has at least ambiently heard Rihanna, even if theyre not a fan.

There were certainly a great number of successful, influential men in the world of popular music in the 2010sthe aforementioned Drake, Ed Sheeran and Kanye West, to name a few.

In terms of cultural significance and enduring legacy, however, it is women of the genre who reign supreme.

Much of this has to do with image. When one thinks of Katy Perry, they also probably think of her neon-colored wardrobe and effervescent aura. When one thinks of Rihanna, they probably think of her tough-girl swagger and aloof persona. And when one thinks of Lady Gaga, they probably think of her role as a provocateur, from her iconic meat dress to her showing up to the 2011 Grammys being carried in a large egg.

I also think pop music tends to be at ground zero for our contemporary discussions of identity and representation, perhaps because of how powerfully central the pop stars image is, as opposed to a cast of actors, plus the overlay of fictional characters, plus writers and directors, as you have in TV and film, Bashara said.

A common thread between popular female artists with the genre is the ways in which their workas well as their imagehas transformed throughout the decade.

Taylor Swift began the decade as the darling of country music, fresh off her Album of the Year win at the 2010 Grammys for her sophomore album, Fearless. At barely 20 years old, Swift cemented her status as Americas latest ingenue, with her girl-next-door charm and adolescence-tinged discography establishing a clear brand.

As the decade went on, however, good faith toward Swift began to decline. It seemed that the world could not go five minutes without Swift dominating headlines, from her series of highly-publicized relationshipsand breakupsto her feuds with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

Swifts metamorphosis seemed to reach a peak with 2017s Reputation, in which she plays into the bad press that had followed her for years. The album featured a much more electronic, aggressive sound, with Swift appearing in dramatic black outfits in live performances.

On one hand, it is easy to view Swifts stylistic transformation as a routine tried on by many divas prior to her: changing ones sound or style in order to keep up with trends. On the other hand, Swifts journey as an artist can also be viewed as her coming into her own as a woman.

[Swift] went from country music star, to bubblegum pop star, to angry sexy lady seeking revenge, senior Madeline Mason said. Her newest album, Lover, reverts to that bubblegum pop star persona, but its truly amazing how shes been more than one thing. But, shes heavily scrutinized for it. Its almost as if people dont get that women contain multitudes, can be mean and sweet and kind and rude all at the same time.

Ariana Grande kickstarted her music career in the mid-2010s, with her Mariah Carey-esque vocals and signature high ponytail being essential components of her image and success.

Grandes career came to a dramatic turn following the 2017 bombing of her concert at the Manchester Arena. The attack left 23 people dead and over 100 injured, with a white-hot spotlight on Grandes response.

Grande rose to the challenge, putting together One Love Manchester, a live benefit concert with a star-studded lineup, which is poised to be one of the most iconic moments of the decade.

Grande eventually became something of a symbol of resilience following the 2018 death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and subsequent breakup of her engagement to comedian Pete Davidson. Amid the personal turmoil, Grande released some of her best and most popular work, including the hit song thank u, next.

It is impossible to talk about popular music or culture of the last decade, however, without talking about Beyonc.

Within the last decade, Beyonc has transformed her image into an otherworldy icon, or Queen B, as her fans refer to her.

This is in part due to her undeniable talent, which seems to have only increased throughout her decade-spanning career.

More important is the number of bold statements made by Beyonc that demanded the world at large pay attention, from placing a large sign bearing the word feminist behind her during her 2014 VMA performance to releasing her self-titled 2013 album with no prior promotion.

Beyoncs surprise dropping her self-titled, visual album impacted pop culture because everyone was shocked you could just drop an album without leading up to it with a release date, junior Lesley Perales said. It influenced other artists to start doing surprise releases with singles or albums.

And, of course, Lemonade.

As one of the most strategically private celebrities alive, Beyoncs 2016 album accusing her husband, Jay-Z, of infidelity shook the world of pop music to its core.

Lemonade showcased a side of Beyonc not yet seen to the public. While she had released a number of songs about breakups and men who didnt deserve her, Lemonade made everything a bit too real and personal to consume without a second thought.

Lemonade revealed Beyonc in her most human, vulnerable form, as well as showcased her love and pride in black culture with songs like Formation.

Beyonc later cemented herself as the most relevant artist of the decade with her 2018 headlining Coachella performance being dubbed Beychella by fans and popular media alike. The performance was a celebration of black culturespecifically historically black colleges and universitiesmade all the more relevant by the fact that Beyonc was the first black woman to ever headline the music festival.

Its hard for me to think of another artist after Madonna who has achieved such cultural power and who has shifted the public conversation so thoroughly, Bashara said. I do think her legacy will endure, though I also think it will come in for some re-evaluation; there was a period, the Beygency period when it was impossible to criticize her, and I think that as we look back well see some more complexity in our assessment of her. And thats a good thing! We like to flatten out our pop stars and make them all-or-nothing images, heroes or villains, and its easy to forget that theres a complicated person underneath that image.

As the decade comes to an end, there appears to be a new crop of pop stars on the horizon, like Billie Eilish and Lizzo. These two seem to know the rules of the game and are sticking to a tight, identifiable image: Eilish as a morose, street-style adorned waif and Lizzo as the unapologetically loud, proud life coach everyone needs.

When examining women in pop music, it is clear that a great deal of effort is put into sustaining ones career and, ultimately, their brand. It is not enough for a woman in pop to have a good voice and sing a few good songs; their image is ultimately their empire.

I think female pop artists are held to a higher standard; theyre expected to sing, dance and write their own music when male pop artists are not, Perales said. For many of these women, it was expected of them to have a clear image to attract their audiences. Recently, though, I feel like these women are taking control over their careers and defining pop in their own way.

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End of the decade: women in 2010s pop music - The Depaulia

Once you elect your contribution rate, you need to select investments. Don't make the mistake of leaving your deposits in the account as cash -- you have a much greater earnings opportunity by investing in stock market funds. As a point of comparison, cash interest rates might be as high as 2% before inflation. But the long-term return in the stock market is 10% before inflation.

Of course, your investment return from year to year will be higher or lower than 10%. But if you ride out the downturns, your long-term growth will exceed what you'd earn on cash deposits.

Even if you don't know anything about investing, you can still do a reasonable job picking funds. First, look for funds that track a major index like the S&P 500. Or you could choose a target-date fund, which adjusts the risk level in the portfolio based on your target retirement year. Next, compare the expense ratios of your fund options. The expense ratio is a key performance indicator, and lower is better.

Some 401(k) plans have an auto-increase feature that raises your contributions by a stated percentage each year. Use that feature if you can. You should also manually increase your contribution every time you get a raise. Serious savers will increase the contribution enough to offset the entire raise. And you can do this up until you hit the IRS-imposed maximum contribution limits. In 2020, the maximums are $19,500 (or $26,000 if you are 50 or older). Your company-match contributions do not count against these limits.

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Is the SECURE Act Bringing a 401(k) Your Way? Here Are 5 Steps to Success - STLtoday.com

You're familiar with the fad diet cycle: Today's keto diet is yesterday's Atkins.

There's a near-constant rotation of weight loss plans that promise to supercharge your metabolism, tap energy stores, and ignite your fat burnersall in the name of a thinner, leaner you.

The GOLO diet is an exception only to the fad diet churn-and-burn cycle in that it builds itself around an expensive supplement. That pill, called Release, isn't FDA approved. The research GOLO uses to tout the power of Release isn't, well, all that powerful.

And there's more to it.

The GOLO diet suggests that spiked insulin levels are the cause of slow metabolism, which, in turn, is responsible for weight gain. GOLO argues that when you can control your insulin levels, you wont store excess sugar in your blood, which your body then stores as fat. Regulated insulin levels equal regulated weight.

The company makes this claim based on a team of doctors and pharmacists, though the company does not disclose the names and affiliations of these experts.

To its credit, the GOLO diet, unlike Whole30 or keto, does not prohibit or severely restrict you from eating entire food groups.

Instead, the GOLO diet focuses on whole, unprocessed, and unrefined foods. At mealtime, a dieter selects one to two servings from each categoryproteins, carbs, vegetables, and fats.

A GOLO dieter eats three meals a day, with breakfast and lunch meals larger than dinner. The diet permits snacks if you go longer than four to five hours between meals or if you exercise.

While this type of eating plan can work, this is where the GOLO diet starts to veer into questionable territory.

Supplement territory.

One of the core components of the GOLO diet is a supplement called Release. The company claims that Release will help kickstart your body's ability to regulate insulin, increase your metabolism, and burn more fat.

Here's what's in Release: magnesium (15 milligrams in 1 capsule), zinc (10 mg), chromium (70 micrograms)*, rhodiola root extract, inositol, berberine HCl, gardenia, banaba leaf extract, salacia bark extract, apple extract, vegetable cellulose, dextrin, glycine, silica, citric acid

*These three ingredients are the only three ingredients with amounts listed on the label. The amounts of these ingredients, however, are not disclosed because the formulation is patented.

And then there's the price.

One bottle (containing 90 capsules) costs $50. Buy three bottles and you'll reduce that fee to $99, but you can't shop around for Release anywhere cheaper because you can only buy the supplement through the company.

Approach with caution, says Abby Langer, R.D., founder of Abby Langer Nutrition.

First, there's the idea that eating certain foods can drastically improve your metabolic rate.

Theres nothing you can really eat to boost your metabolism to any degree that you will have a significant change in weight, Langer says. Your metabolism is dictated by genetics and muscle mass and, sure, hormones. But there are so many factors that something you eat wont radically change it.

Theories do exist linking increased insulin and weight gain, but scientists still arent certain which hormones control metabolism and weight.

Its a theory for a reason. It hasnt been studied a lot in humans, she says. We really dont know definitively if insulin resistance is responsible for increased body mass.

The GOLO diet centers on whole foods, and doesn't require you to eliminate food groups, which is a smart way to eatbut you don't need the GOLO diet to eat this way.

And you surely don't need a supplement, says Langer.

Release is just a supplement. While it may not be harmful physically, I dont recommend it," she says.

GOLO dieters have reportedly lost upwards of 100 pounds in just 12 months, and that can carry undeniable allure for someone looking to lose weight.

Except that that weight loss may have occurred not from GOLO's proclaimed ability to help regulate insulin, but instead from switching from processed foods to whole foods.

While GOLO leans heavily on the theory that insulin resistance slows metabolism, Langer cautions that there is no simple or accurate way to definitively measure a persons metabolism. As a result, there is no way to measure the GOLO diet's success.

This is the hallmark of a fad diet, Langer says. You give the followers an outcome that they cant measure.

And the research cited by the company?

The research studies done to support GOLOs claims were small, she says. The studies were done by the company. None of their stuff has been published in peer reviewed journals."

Rather than following one of these one-size-fits-all diets, Langer says the best path to an effective diet is to talk to a registered dietitian and carve out a plan tailored to you life, your goals, and your eating habits.

And consider this, as it pertains to all diets: If there was one diet on which everyone would lose weight and keep that weight off foreverwouldn't everyone already be on that diet?

See more here:
GOLO Diet and Weight Loss - Is Golo Safe and Effective - menshealth.com

wbur (Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)

For months, Juna Gjata, the co-host of WBUR's new podcast, "Food, We Need To Talk," asked every eating expert she interviewed the same question: "If you could tell people to change only one thing that would have the biggest impact on their health for the rest of their lives, what would it be?"

Their expertise ranged from nutrition to metabolism to how super-tasty foods affect the brain. She expected them to answer with pointers like "eat more vegetables," or "increase your protein," or "cut down on the cheesecake."

But, limited to just one recommendation for lifelong health, none of them focused on food. All had the same answer: just exercise.

And several focused on one particular type: resistance exercise also known as strength training as the best benefit for the least amount of time.

So, with 2020 just around the corner, here's an edited preview of an upcoming episode of "Food, We Need To Talk," with the hope it might help inform your New Year's resolution thinking. Juna is joined by her co-host, Dr. Eddie Phillips, founder of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine.

They begin by looking back at Juna's old misconception about exercise as simply a way to burn off calories on the treadmill. Eddie notes that actually, the most important thing about exercise is that it increases and maintains muscle mass.

Juna: I asked Dr. Wayne Westcott, director of the Exercise Science Program and Fitness Research Program at Quincy College, why is having high muscle mass so important?

Westcott: Great question. Muscle not only burns calories and uses energy when you're active; when you're at rest, muscle also burns lots of energy so much energy that it makes up about 30% of your resting metabolic rate. When you're sound asleep at night, your muscles burn 30% of your calories.

Juna: Your resting metabolic rate that's basically all the calories your body burns when you're doing nothing lying down, sleeping, breathing.

Eddie: Right, just keeping the lights on. And it becomes even more important as we get older, because the natural course of events is to actually lose muscle mass. Our metabolism just slows down. And the way that we raise our metabolism is not green tea supplements or apple cider vinegar shots there's no science backing them. There's lots of science, though, for good, old-fashioned exercise.

Juna: So we should hit the treadmill?

Eddie: Well, not so fast. Not all exercise is created equal. Cardiovascular exercise like on the treadmill is really great for your heart, your lungs, your brain and your stress levels. But if you actually want to build your muscles, you've got to do what we call resistance training. That's the scientific term for lifting weights, using bands, your body weight, anything that stresses your muscles. It's also called strength training.

Juna: Honestly, the reason that I never got into it was because it really doesn't look like it burns that many calories. Lifting weights just looked so chill. I didn't think it would do anything.

Eddie: If you're just counting calories, Juna, you're absolutely right. You're not burning a lot of calories to lift those weights. But your body actually has to remodel itself after you've stressed it, and that takes even more calories.

Juna: That was the coolest thing that I ever learned about exercise: Basically, a human being is an adaptation machine. We're meant to adapt to the stresses we put our body through. So if you go out in the sun, your skin gets tan to prepare for the next time you're in the sun. Or if you're doing really laborious work with your hands, they grow calluses. That's how fitness podcaster Sal Di Stefano talks about exercise, and it's what finally got through to me.

Di Stefano: When you do lots of cardio, where you just get on a treadmill and jog, jog, jog, or you get on an elliptical and go forever, the body is getting a couple of different messages. It's getting the message, "We need stamina and endurance." And it burns a significant amount of calories, so we probably want to become more efficient. We don't need much strength. So, a great way to become more efficient at calories is to pare down muscle.

Eddie: So if you're picturing who's going to win the next marathon, you know what they look like. They're going to be slim. They're going to have near zero fat on them. Small and just fast. They're not carrying a lot of extra muscle mass around.

Juna: Exactly. On the other hand, resistance training sends a pretty different message.

Di Stefano: Resistance training doesn't burn a ton of calories when you do it, but it is sending the signal to your body that's saying, "We'd better build more muscle and more strength to be able to handle this stress." Because when you lift weights, that's what you're doing: stressing the body. It's why you get sore. So your body's OK with becoming less efficient with calories. It's OK with speeding up its metabolism because you're constantly telling your body, "We just need to be stronger."

Eddie: And when you're doing that resistance training, it's not just building up the muscles. It's actually that the muscles that you have become even more metabolically active. Here's how Wayne Westcott describes it.

Westcott: People who don't strength train, if they run or walk or swim or bike, their muscles burn about six calories per pound per day, which is great. That's a lot. People who do strength training, their muscles burn, at rest, nine calories per pound per day, 50 percent more. Resting metabolic rate increases when people strength train by between 5% and 9%, the average being seven in almost all the studies. That's huge in terms of maintaining a better body weight, and sustaining your body weight, which is the biggest issue in the United States.

If we didn't have scales, just had full length mirrors, people would do a much better job of deciding what kind of exercise they should do or not do.

Eddie: Seven percent doesn't sound like a lot. But it adds up to about 250 calories a day. That still doesn't sound like a lot, but over the course of a year, it's 20 pounds' worth of calories.

Juna: And Wayne Westcott found in his studies that when people diet down and they're not doing any exercise, they're just dieting they'll lose muscle and fat. So you're not just losing fat. You're losing muscle, too. Now, if you're anything like me, your natural inclination when you diet is to also run your little butt off on the treadmill.

Westcott: It increases the fat loss. But guess what? It also increases the muscle loss significantly. It exacerbates the aging process of losing muscle. When they do strength training plus diet, they lose the least muscle and they lose the most fat.

Eddie: So resistance training is perhaps the best exercise to use if you're trying to lose fat.

Westcott: In our studies, the average person loses about one pound of fat per month when they strength train, and they add about one pound of muscle per month. So the body weight tends to stay the same. And people say, kind of surprised, "Well, I haven't lost weight, but I'm wearing different pant sizes, or dress sizes. You know, and my waist is smaller, my hips are smaller." Well, that's because muscle is more compact, more dense than fat. If we didn't have scales, just had full length mirrors, people would do a much better job of deciding what kind of exercise they should do or not do.

Eddie: But we're not just talking about resistance training. We still want everyone to be doing their 150 minutes a week of exercise that raises your heart rate. It's going to take care of other problems your risk of diabetes, of osteoporosis, of cancer are all going to plummet the more active you are. You're going to live longer and live better. And in the meantime, psychologically, there's no medicine like exercise.

Juna: That is what I find to be the best part about going to the gym, for sure. The stronger I feel in the gym, the stronger I feel outside the gym, too.

Eddie: Also, the physiologic effects of starting to lift weights actually come much quicker than just going on the treadmill. For patients who have obesity, we start with resistance exercise. And the psychological benefit comes very quickly when you realize that you can and will get better from a little bit of hard work. And you really don't have to do that much exercise to get the most results. Which is good news for a lot of us, because the time intrusion of exercise is still what gets most people not to start and not to continue. And remember, what we're trying to do is get people to change in small ways, and to commit to changes that they're going to enjoy and do for the rest of their lives. It's not a 12-week beach body challenge. And the research shows that with the resistance training that we've talked about, two or maybe three times a week is all you need. And a half hour at a time, you're going to see those dramatic results. It's almost like an inoculation. It's just enough to get your muscles moving.

Juna: So what's best to do at the gym?

Eddie: If you want a simple answer? Shameless plug: Listen to The Magic Pill [the previous season of this podcast.] But if you only had one exercise to do, I would say squatting. Get the proper form. Up and down off of your chair, just to strengthen your legs, get into your core. You're also going to work your arms, by doing a little bit of pushups. If you can't do them on the floor, do them against the the edge of a table. And you're going to work your core. If you do that, your life has already changed. If you're overweight, the best thing you can do to carry that weight until hopefully you lose it is to make your muscles stronger. That then is going to take the stress off of your joints. Get some guidance. This is not something that everyone knows how to do. So if you can, find a trainer or use YouTube videos.

Juna: And if you feel self-conscious about the gym, here's what Sal Di Stefano says:

Di Stefano: I'll tell you something right now: One of the most empowering things you could do is overcome a fear like that. Nobody knows what they're doing at first. Nobody cares. People who work out couldn't care less that there's other people working out at the gym. Just go to the gym, put your headphones on and go take care yourself and don't let anything stop you, especially fear. Start small. Go easy. Once you start to get used to going to the gym, you start to find yourself getting stronger. You're going to be a more empowered individual.

You can subscribe to "Food, We Need To Talk" here. The American College of Sports Medicine has a new infographic on resistance training here.

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A Funny Thing Happened When We Asked Nutrition Experts For One Piece Of Advice - WBUR

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)-2019 is winding down and soon 2020 will be here.

For many of us, the new year means new goals and that might mean changing our eating habits..but it's not always easy to achieve.

According to a survey,last year's top resolutions were eating healthy, getting more exercise, and saving more money.

Recent studies show that just 8% of people who set goals, achieve it. Meanwhile, 80% fail to keep it.

News 10 caught up with Blake Kramer, an exercise science major and manager at 5th Street Nutrition in Terre Haute.

He tells us thathealth-related resolutions are often broken because of a lack of consistency.

"Once you get to your goal you're going to go back to eating the way you did. You're not gonna cut your lawn and not expect it to stop growing right? So you have to keep reiterating to your body what you're trying to do," Kramer said.

The good news is there are ways you can successfully achieve your New Year's resolution. Here's how:

Start by being realistic, the first way to fall short is by making your goal unattainable.

Plan ahead... don't make your goal the day of.

Make a pros and cons list.

Reward yourself, track progress and most importantly stick to it.

"People want tosee drastic changes and I think that's not just a lot of people I think that's almost everybody but I think it's more important to set smaller goals and achieve so it gives your body and your mind something to achieve quicker," Kramer explained.

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New year, new diet: Health experts share advice on achieving a New Year's resolution - WTHITV.com

Believe it or not, these things will not involve a 30 day diet challenge or a crazy workout. Every year people make their resolutions with good intentions. Then guilt sets in and distractions happen. They are usually out the window by February. I try and teach my patients how to practice balance. Make small changes that make a big difference and dont beat yourself up if you make a mistake. Jump right back on as soon as you can, and it gets easier. Some of the major changes people want to make include losing weight or eating better, and exercising more. Today Id like to give you some tips on balance. Not diet tips, not exercise tips but things that will help to keep you balanced and able to make better decisions on the changes youre trying to accomplish.

My first tip involvestaking time to breathe. We take the breath for granted until it becomes compromised with disease. Breathing properly brings more oxygen to the body. There is a method of breathing called the relaxing breath or the 4 7 8 breathing technique. It can help reduce anxiety and aid with sleeping. Breathe in deeply for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. This is a simple technique that costs you nothing but your time and concentration. Try and practice it throughout the day. I would suggest at least three times a day and perhaps set your phone to practice it every hour. Youll see changes quickly.

Another involves hunger and diet. This is not a diet tip but a timing program for when you eat. Its called PFC every 3. Those of you who are my patients, know its been my topic the week for the past few weeks to help beat sugar cravings during the holidays. I will suggest you do this throughout the year to help balance blood sugar, keep up your metabolism, and of course help beat sugar cravings. Be sure and have a small meal that includes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates every three hours. This is actually quite easy and not as difficult as it may sound. For instance if you have a slice of cheese, an apple, and some crackers you just did it. Be sure and look at the nutritional information on the back of packaging, or look it up online. Youll see how many grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein are in each serving. Just be sure and eat every three hours so you can maintain your metabolism to burn more fat, and keep your blood sugar balanced. Even if you eat the same amount of food each day, but split it up into smaller meals every three hours, you will feel better and become leaner.

My last tip involves stretching. This doesnt have to involve leaving the house for a special stretch class or yoga. In the meantime, if you just bend one knee as youre lying in bed before you get up and pull it to your chest. Release it and do the same on the other side. If you did this and held for five seconds each for three times, then you can get up and have your feet hit the floor with some blood flow to your muscles. This will stretch your spine and the muscles surrounding it. Be sure and breathe deeply while you stretch. The muscles need to oxygen exchange to get the maximum benefit. Doing this daily can help prevent muscle strains throughout the day. It will also help maintain adjustments youre getting from the chiropractor. These also may be done on the floor. Another simple floor exercise is to lie on your back and raise one leg up straight. Very gently, pull the leg in toward your chest, without bending your knee. If you are not quite that limber yet, take a towel or belt and wrap it around your calf and pull gently that way. Hold and breathe for five seconds and then stretch the other side. Do this 3 times. If youd like to learn more about medical stretching, I can help you with that, as I have a special stretch coach in my office who can customize a program for each individual.

By just practicing these three things can make your life easier this coming year. Huge changes that rarely last, arent effective. These small things are quite powerful.

For help with any of these tips or a second opinion on conditions you may have, please call my office for an appointment.

Should you have questions regarding my articles, please email me at

DrLeisa@CaringPainRelief.com Leisa-Marie Grgula, D.C. Chiropractic Physician Accurate Care Pain Relief Center 21043 N. Cave Creek Rd. #A9 Phoenix, AZ 85024 602-493-2228 http://www.CaringPainRelief.com

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Three simple things you can do to start the New Year right - Sonoran News

LOMA LINDA, Calif. Six mornings a week, youll find Heinz Lindsor in the gym.

I do aerobics. I exercise with a ball, he says.

Whats more impressive than his workout routine is his age.

I am 80 plus, he says.

And hes not the only octogenarian in this gym located inside Loma Linda Universitys Drayson Center.

My diet is an all plant-based diet, Dr. Benjamin Lau says.

Benjamin Lau and his wife Esther walk a mile to the gym every day for their half-hour workout. They are both in their 80s.

I put a lot of emphasis on food, Esther Lau says. That's probably the most crucial, what we eat and also how active we are.

In Loma Linda, California, being able to do a one-hour aerobics class later in life isn't uncommon. Much of the fuel to stay active and healthy for the people in this city is religion.

Started to work out I got really excited, oh this is great because I feel really vibrant, I feel 40 again. Is this possible, God? Marijke Sawyer says.

Loma Linda is home to one of the largest concentrations of Seventh-day Adventists. The Christian denomination puts an emphasis on a healthy diet and exercise.

Most Adventists, like 72-year old Sawyer, dont smoke or drink alcohol.

"My body is actually the temple of God, she says. So, therefore, whatever I put in I want to keep it whole. Clearer minds, better body, better performing in my life.

Many also follow a vegetarian diet.

Lots of fruits and lots of vegetables, and we grow a lot of our vegetables, so mostly unprocessed, Esther Lau says. "I cook very simply. Basically, I dont use any oil to cook but I do eat food that's naturally high in oils, like avocados, nuts and seeds.

Jackie Tucker, 71, is a lifelong vegetarian.

My grandfather died at 60 of a heart attack, Tucker says. My father died at 73 with blood-related heart disease so I know that the exercise and a diet have made a difference.

National Geographics Dan Buettner named this community one of his five original Blue Zones," places across the globe where people are living longer and healthier lives.

Loma Linda was the only Blue Zone listed in North America.

"It becomes normal, it becomes a way of life, Sawyer says. For me not to come out and not exercise, I would be frazzled because I just feel so much better. And my age I dont feel like Im 72. I love it.

But in Loma Linda, there is no fountain of youth or magic spell to be able to work out like Lindsor later in life.

A person who is motivated, he says, he or she can do a lot of good things to maintain a good level of health.

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A senior community in Loma Linda, California is thriving when it comes to health. These are their secrets - KSBY San Luis Obispo News

Intermittent fasting diets: Skipping breakfast and morning snacks and eating between 12pm and 8pm seems to be a popular choice. Photograph: iStock

Have you enjoyed the festivities so far? Hopefully, a soupon of hedonism hasnt gone amiss, with more to come on New Years Eve.

But New Years Day remains synonymous with the making of resolutions, especially health ones, so I thought this weeks column might look at some novel ideas on achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Health resolutions mostly involve exercise or diet. Yes, drinkers and smokers may naturally focus on these habits, but almost everyone considers eating less or differently at some point in their lives.

One of the latest dietary angles involves intermittent fasting: diets that either restrict food intake to certain hours of the day or limit intake several days each week. Alternate day fasting and the 5:2 diet (eating normally five days a week, with a much restricted calorie intake on the other two days) are well established and have an evidence base. But the one that caught my eye recently is time-restricted feeding.

According to an article published last autumn on medium.com, the ancient Romans were obsessed with digestion and were somewhat repulsed by breakfast. While it seems well removed from the usual caricature of glutinous feeding in those times, historians confirm that the Romans were not in favour of more than one meal a day.

They may have been the first to promote a time-restricted diet involving the compression of eating including all meals and snacks into a six to eight hour daily window. It makes sense from an evolutionary perspective: were not designed for constant chewing and grazing.

Krista Varady, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago said that in the short term people who time restrict their intake but dont change the type of food they eat, still lose weight. She co-authored a 2018 study that found obese men who ate only between 10am and 6pm lost an average of 3 per cent of their body weight after three months. And their blood pressure readings also improved.

Interestingly, Varady confirmed both time-restricted feeding and alternate day diets produce similar metabolic and disease-lowering benefits.

The obvious attraction of intermittent fasting is that it takes us away from the (in my experience) soul-destroying counting of calories and the intense focus on cutting carbs or fat. Weightwatchers undoubtedly works for some people; frankly I found it depressing.

Apart from its novelty, what makes time-restricted eating particularly enticing is that it doesnt focus on the content of our meals. I reckon people will find it easier to develop a habit around picking an eating window that suits. Skipping breakfast and morning snacks and then eating between 12pm and 8pm seems to be a popular choice. And from the new year resolution point of view, it sounds like a diet that will continue beyond the first few weeks of January, thus avoiding the fear of failure emotion many of us experience at this time of year.

Is there any evidence that intermittent fasting diets benefit people who are healthy? Theres not enough to support their use on healthy adults yet. Although certain groups who practice intermittent fasting for religious reasons experience health benefits, such groups tend to lead notably healthy lifestyles anyway, meaning long-term research will be needed to overcome any bias.

But if you are overweight or obese what isnt in doubt is the promise shown by intermittent fasting diets. Subject to your doctors individual advice, its where I would focus my efforts if a new diet is part of your resolution-making in the next few days.

Finally, I would like to thank readers for following my column over the last 20 years. Its been an absolute pleasure writing and interacting with you since January 2000. Please continue to email and write!

With sincere wishes for a healthy and happy new year.

mhouston@irishtimes.com

Sign up for one of The Irish Times'Get Runningprogrammes (it is free!). First, pick the eight-week programme that suits you. - Beginner Course:Acourse totake you from inactivity to running for 30 minutes. - Stay On Track:For those who can squeeze in a run a few times a week. - 10km Course:Designed for those who want to move up to the 10km mark. Best of luck!

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Trying to lose weight? Consider time-restricted eating - The Irish Times