Theres a popular memeshared most often by Gen Xers and tech-capable boomersthat self-deprecatingly laments the perception that the 1990s were just a few years ago. The absence of a generally recognized way to demarcate the first two decades of the 21st century (aughts? Teens? 10s?) has, perhaps, rendered the decade as a measure of time more arbitrary than ever before, resulting in one nebulous blur. The music of the past 10 years has likewise felt like a streak of shifting genres and seemingly rehashed trends.

Of course, a lack of obvious trendslike synth-pop and hair metal in the 80s, and alternative rock and R&B in the 90sdoesnt mean there werent important milestones in music. Bolstered by albums like Kendrick Lamars To Pimp a Butterfly and Kanye Wests My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, hip-hop continued to rediscover both its conscience and its voice in the 2010s, while artists like Robyn and Katy B proved that even when dance-pop is pushed to the margins, as it was after the EDM explosion of the late aughts, it will always find its groove.

As is often the case with pop music, whose wiles arent often immediately apparent, some of the titles on this list of the greatest albums of the decade took their sweet time taking root. Taylor Swifts 1989, for example, sits at a lofty perch here but failed to garner a mention on our list of the Best Albums of 2014. Others, like DAngelos Black Messiah, were released just days after we published our list that same year. And yet another 2014 album, Bright Light Bright Lights sophomore effort, Life Is Easy, came to our attention a year after its initial release.

Some of the artists with multiple entries on this list, like Kanye West, began the 2010s at their creative and commercial zenith but floundered on both counts by decades end. Others, like Lana Del Rey, started out with great but uncertain promise and ultimately fulfilled it as the decade came to a close. Holdovers from the 90s like Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and Bjrk, as well as artists whose legacies stretch even further back, like the dearly departed David Bowie and Leonard Cohen, released some of their most compelling work to date in the last 10 years, making the task of clearly defining the decade even more of a fools errand. What these 100 albums do have in common is quite simple: They moved us. Sal Cinquemani

At a time when pop music is defined foremost by cynicism, Bright Light Bright Light, n Rod Thomas, offers a refreshingly sincere voice, unafraid to be poignant or vulnerable. Though the melodies on the Welsh singer-songwriters sophomore effort, Life Is Easy, are often uncomplicated, theyre also instantly familiar and accessible. The albums opening synths nod to Angelo Badalamentis score for Twin Peaks, as Thomas paints vivid, cinematic scenes of love lost and imagined, drenched in retro-minded synth-pop reminiscent of Pet Shop Boys and George Michael. The album is littered with tales of disintegrating love (Everything I Ever Wanted, I Wish We Were Leaving, featuring Elton John) but also the wide-eyed optimism of a hopeless romantic (An Open Heart, I Believe). It makes lifeand lovesound easy. Cinquemani

The first of two stellar albums Big Thief released in 2019, U.F.O.F. is less immediate and rhythmic than the subsequent Two Hands. Its all ambience and texture, unfolding like a reverie, with chiming acoustic guitar arpeggios and cooing melodies so natural and easy that they sound like they sprung up from the ground or out of the trees. Singer-songwriter Adrienne Lenkers songs dont so much progress as they circle mesmerizingly around themselves, and the best of themCattails, Century, Fromseize on sing-songy melodic motifs with repetitious snake-like structures that become almost like mantras. Lenker and Buck Meeks guitar work is sparkling throughout, with every pluck and strum sounding sonically optimized. This is an album as difficult to categorize as it is easy to listen to. Jeremy Winograd

Electric found the Pet Shop Boys taking an easy and well-earned career victory lap. This isnt a nostalgia cruise through the sounds of its creators lost youth, but rather a daringly foolhardy effort to communicate with the kids in their own blissed-out lexicon. For this task, Electric brought in the man most perfectly suited to marrying 80s electro-pop classicism with genre-straddling EDM modernism, Stuart Price. More importantly, the duo brought a collection of wry and wonderful earworms that are every bit as huge as Prices canyon-sized sound. A reminder that classic songs dont have to arrive already frozen in amber. Blue Sullivan

Norwegian DJ Hans-Peter Lindstrm and vocalist Christabelles Real Life Is No Cool is a pop-funk odyssey that draws on early Massive Attack, Prince, and especially the space-disco of Giorgio Moroder. The album is, perhaps, Lindstrms most accessible work to date (the single Lovesick appeared in a car commercial and the U.S. version of the album is even more polished than the original Rough Trade incarnation), but despite clear standout tracks and copious pop hooks, its a testament to the strength of Lindstrms singular vision that the album plays best as one whole piece, no small feat considering that it was at least seven years in the making. Cinquemani

A friend recently played me James Blake through his new subwoofer with the dial turned to about 5, an experience that nearly made our heads explode. It served as a reminder of how amazingly rumbly, strange, and unique of an album it is, a fact that may have been forgotten in the nine months since its release. Cloaked in a cloud of mystery, it defies the usual bedroom-recording template, with an expansive sound that ranges from creeping, percussively stripped-down R&B to eerie MIDI-inflected dirges, with textures that provide padding for one of the most uniquely smooth voices to come around in years. Jesse Cataldo

Few artists could record an album as downright adventurous as Syro. It jumps from eerily funky trip-hop (produk 29) to disjointed, robotic acid house (CIRCLONT6A [141.98]) and then concludes with a solo piano piece that wouldnt feel out of place on a recital program alongside Chopin and Satie. But only Aphex Twin could record something this outlandish and appear to be toning down the experimentalism. Syro is a refinement of everything that Aphex Twin has accomplished in his career of genre invention and deconstruction. As a complete work, its enveloping, with moments of virtuosic composition (the prog-rock-on-ecstasy of syro u473t8+e [141.98]) balanced out by larger, propulsive gestures like rave banger 180db_[130]. While the rest of the electronic music world has been trying to catch up, Aphex Twin is finally taking a breath and, in turn, had released his most accessiblethough still profoundly idiosyncraticalbum to date. James Rainis

Tyler, the Creators obvious talent has always been undercut by an insistent immaturity, with callow, prankish antagonism proving a continued obstacle to his artistic development. With Flower Boy, raps resident enfant terrible has finally found a way to channel his hostility, on an album that still retains his inherent unruliness and intensity. Tyler taps into the internal reservoir of insecurity and doubt motivating his anger, expanding his range and revealing new creative layers in the process. Building on the glimmers of tuneful sweetness found on 2015s Cherry Bomb, the album finds existing horrorcore inclinations mixing freely with polished electro jazz, hard-edged psychedelia, and hazy R&B. Surprisingly smooth but still never easily digestible, its diverse palette provides insight into the wide variety of sources influencing a mounting wave of paradigm-fracturing rappers, helping to spearhead the genres fervent push into new modes of expression. Cataldo

As everyone whos caught his sprawling live show already knows, jazz bandleader Kamasi Washingtons maximalism will not be contained, and that, ludicrous as it may sound, even a three-hour label debut broken down into three volumes titled The Plan, The Glorious Tale, and The Historic Repetition and given the title The Epic still ever so faintly suggests the tip of the iceberg that sunk the RMS Titanic. Change of the Guard? That might be an overstatement, but theres something undeniably thrilling about an artist who doesnt seem to dislike a single reference point. Washington, better known as Kendrick Lamars go-to arranger, pulls not a single punch as he draws from big band, fusion, swing, and bebop traditions, pays homage to Malcolm X, Ray Noble, and Claude Debussy, and overlays heavenly choral and string arrangements to send the entire enterprise into orbit. Eric Henderson

As the coolly altered colors of the cover art indicate, Katy Bs On a Mission is euphoric without aggression. Its awash in the newness of discovery, and represents the perfect confluence of elements that all but transcends any single camp. This isnt merely a house album, a pop album, a dubstep album, or an R&B album. Its a bright, cheerfully mainstream-friendly record thats almost completely built from the ingredients of much darker, grimier dance music subcultures in a way that recalls the sunnier moments of Basement Jaxx, or Kathy Diamonds Maurice Fulton-guided retro jaunt through the Loft on Miss Diamond to You. But softer still. On a Mission is a glowstick Alice in Wonderland, a tour of sensations as narrated by an emotionally reserved young girl whose curiouser and curiouser reactions ultimately wind up giving in to the moment, hungry for the next chapter. Henderson

Caution is an apt warning for those about to consume Mariah Careys first album in over four years. While her voice may be a reedy version of what it once was, she makes it abundantly clear on Caution that she isnt to be fucked with in this or any other decade. She wisely relies on the rap-inflected R&B sounds that have been her bread and butter since Butterfly, while bringing in unexpected collaborators like Skrillex and Blood Orange. She also switches up the message: In the aftermath of a highly public breakup, a sense of inevitable heartache hangs over the whole thing, from the delightfully salty lead single GTFO (I aint tryna be rude, but youre lucky I aint kick your ass out last weekend, she quips) to the even more savage A No No, in which she summons her verbally gymnastic falsetto for a Gilligans Island-related diss. The adoption of patois and clearly intentional use of irregardless suggest Mimi (still) has no time for notions of cultural appropriation or grammar, and appearances by Slick Rick and Biggie (via sample) let us know that her heart will always lie in hip-hop. Where it belongs. Paul Schrodt

With the lone exception of Bon Ivers Beth/Rest, no music this year has better captured the glitzy, breezy, unaware charm of 80s air pop better than Destroyers Kaputt. Theres an almost stark obliviousness to the albums caricatural, glossy atmosphere, obtuse lyricism, and plethora of jazzy brass, but therein lies its allure: Dan Bejar exists in his own little bubble, making songs for himself as much as others, and leaving us narrative riddles that perhaps only he can ultimately decipher. Yet as confoundingly esoteric as Kaputt can often be, its still a joy to listen to: Luxurious and blissful and playful in a way that conjures up the psychedelic pop storytelling of Al Stewart. From the bouncy hotel lobby ballad Suicide Demo for Kara Walker and the delicate melancholy of Chinatown to the almost ridiculous, full-on saxophone and vibes explosion that is the title track, Kaputt is the consummate balancing act of the cerebral and the irreverent. Kevin Liedel

With Hurry Up, Were Dreaming, M83 braintrust Anthony Gonzalez reportedly aimed to combine the aesthetics of the decidedly more shoegazey Before the Dawn Heals Us with the all-out, sparkling post-punk of Saturdays=Youth, with synth-pop tracks like Claudia Lewis and Reunion alongside ambient throwbacks like Echoes of Mine. As always, Gonzalez goes grand, aiming for the bright lights and saturated echoes of stadium anthems. One need look no further than the opening blast of Intro for evidence, where Gonzalez masterfully stacks buzzing circularity and distant choir strains with the seagull synths of Kim & Jessie, over which Zola Jesus delivers her muscular vocals. Liedel

In the run-up to the release of her sixth album, Reputation, Taylor Swift was excoriated by fans and foes alike for too often playing the victim. The albums lyrics only serve to bolster that perception: Swift comes off like a frazzled stay-at-home mom scolding her disobedient children on Look What You Made Me Do and This Is Why We Cant Have Nice Things. But its her willingness to portray herself not as a victim, but the villain of her own story that makes Reputation such a fascinatingly thorny glimpse inside the mind of pops reigning princess. Swift has proven herself capable of laughing at herself, thereby defusing the criticisms often levied at her, but with Reputation shes created a larger-than-life caricature of the petty, vindictive snake shes been made out to be. By albums end, Swift assesses her crumbling empire and tattered reputation, discovering redemption in loveonly Reputation isnt so much a rebirth as it is a retreat inward. It marks a shift from the retro-minded pop-rock of 2014s 1989 toward a harder, more urban aesthetic, and Swift wears the stiff, clattering beats of songs like Ready for It? like body armor. Cinquemani

Righteous anger is potent fuel for art, and in a year that desperately beckoned for protest music that could stand up to systematic economic and racial oppression, Killer Mike and El-P drew on just that to create Run the Jewels 2. Its not a political treatise (there are too many absurdist threats and flights of linguistic fancy to qualify), but tracks like the drug-dealers lament Crown and the accusatory Lie, Cheat, Steal hold a mirror up to societys blemishes and implore you to get fucking pissed about it to El-Ps punishing, Bomb Squad-reminiscent production. Decades after It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, the sonic revolution is still being fought, with brothers-in-arms Killer Mike and El-P as the new ringleaders. Rainis

DJ Kozes eclectic third effort, Knock Knock, tones down the psychedelic flourishes of 2013s Amygdala for a more accessible album thats inviting and soothing while also, at times, preserving a plaintive sense of yearning. Music on My Teeth opens with a sample of Zen Buddhist philosopher Alan Watts intoning that time is a social institution and not a physical reality. Whether its a Gladys Knight & the Pips sample on Pick Up or a guest spot by an Auto-Tune-drenched Kurt Wagner from Lambchop on Muddy Funster, Koze seamlessly melds eras and genres to fashion shape-shifting sonic textures. He plays to his guests strengths, giving the music the semblance of a mixtape at times, but overall the sound nevertheless remains cohesive. Seamless shifts from trip-hop to R&B to deep house create a multidimensional aesthetic that runs the gamut from retro to futuristic, from analog to digital, all while exuding Kozes mastery of making the uncanny feel oddly familiar. Josh Goller

I hate love in my own language, Jenny Hval says on the title track of her seventh album, a spoken-word exchange between herself and Lasse Marhaug about the notion of reproduction and its impact on humanity. Although Hval has admitted to feeling some anxiety about dealing with love as a theme when shes spent so much of her career focusing on anything but, on The Practice of Love she explores the concept with closely observed specificity. Over propulsive, trance-influenced musical backdrops that lend a disarming sheen to its raw lyrics, Hval analyses the presenceand lackof love in nature (Lions feat Vivian Wang), in pregnancy and childlessness (Accident), and in communion with the dead (Six Red Cannas). Her lyrical style, equal parts allusive and up-front, makes for an exposing, raw album, as disquieting as it is dazzling. Anna Richmond

The collaboration of producer Doc McKinney and singer Abel Tesfaye, House of Balloons is entirely without precedent in R&B. The gothic production aesthetic is influenced as much by industrial, trip-hop, and downtempo as it is by urban radio, while Tesfayes tortured falsetto conveys both vulnerability and predatory intent. Its a lurid exercise in subterranean world-building, its depictions of dependency and desperation soundtracked by some of the catchiest, sexiest R&B jams youll never hear in the club. Matthew Cole

True to their name, Wild Beasts builds on and fully inhabits an undomesticated musical world far removed from the familiar grounds of their indie peers. The bands experimentation in flaky, embellished baroque pop is ultimately a reward for its loyal audience: The weirder they get, the better Wild Beasts become. For those who stuck with them through Two Dancers, Smother is another masterful step in that surreal journey, albeit a quiet, sensuous one. Largely shouldered by the bands two lead vocalists (a libertine cooer in Hayden Thorpe and the earthier, huskier Tom Fleming), Smother is both alluring and purposeful, not to mention full of beautiful surprises. What other group could achieve something like Invisible, an undisguised hat tip to the kind of soft, safe ballads one would expect from Phil Collins circa 1985, and still manage to infuse it with their own brand of unpredictable artistry? Liedel

The knock against Stephin Merritt and companys latest long-sit is the lack of company in the equation: Where 1999s 69 Love Songs varied its three-CD sprawl with rotating vocalists, Merritts sad-sack monotone is all we get for five discs on 50 Song Memoir. But, then, per the title, this is Stephins story: The songs each correspond to a year in the prickly 50-year-old songwriters life, and it wouldnt really make sense for anyone else to tell it. Merritt the aesthete understands this, and so he indulges in songs that wouldnt really make sense for anyone else to sing: Its hard to imagine A Cat Called Dionysus being such a laugh riot without his deadpan pivot from He hated me to I loved him, and only Merritt could find musicality amid the drolly listed maladies on Weird Diseases. What 50 Song Memoir has in common with 69 Love Songs is that its one of the Magnetic Fieldss most consistent albums. Merritts lyrical concepts hold together as albums better than his aesthetic onesand duration only helps the charm of his offbeat writing to sink in. Sam C. Mac

With her punk-yelp drawl, Santigold at first seems to be trying to affect Karen Os style on her second albums first single, GO!, but then the beat drops out and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman herself takes the mic, all elongated syllables and spliced-up vocals, and its clear Santi isnt just playing dress-up, but skillfully, reverently co-inhabiting Karens world. Santi is a shapeshifter, and the beats and arrangements of each track are likewise perfectly tailored to their lyrics. Dont look ahead, theres stormy weather, Santi warns just as guitar licks crackle like electricity on Disparate Youth, an expertly layered piece of dub-pop, while her cavernous background vocals reverberate beneath the mechanical rhythm section of God from the Machine. Even if hip-hop-leaning tracks like Freak Like Me and Look at These Hoes feel more derivative than the albums copious nods to new wave and synth-pop, Master of My Make-Believe is still a genre-defying exercise in exerting ones mastery over all. Cinquemani

Read the original:
The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s - slantmagazine

While the Xbox One stumbled out of the gate, the Xbox Series X appears to be off to a good start.

After the Xbox Series X trailer dropped at last weeks The Game Awards, it seems like Microsoft has finally earned back their cred with gamers after an entire console generation of getting the side-eye.

In the weekend since The Game Awards last Thursday, December 12, the new trailer for Microsofts next console, the Xbox Series X, has far surpassed the Xbox One reveal in terms of popularity. The trailers for the respective consoles on YouTube have racked up 236,000 likes with 20,000 dislikes for the Series X and 32,000 likes and 30,000 dislikes for the One.

There are a lot of possible reasons why the Series X video might be more popular than the Ones. The One was revealed as part of an E3 press conference and the Series X was part of The Game Awards. The way gamers get news about games has changed a lot in the six years since the One was released, with YouTube becoming more of a viable platformthan it was in the past.

Related:Microsoft Confirms The Next Xbox Will Simply Be Called Xbox

The most likely cause though is that the Xbox One famously fumbled its messaging before launch. Microsoft was determined to sell the Xbox One as not just a game console but an entertainment device. The pitch was that the new box would be the one box youd hook into your TV. It had HDMI pass-through for your cable box and voice commands were supposed to change the way we all experienced in-home entertainment. The problem Microsoft ran into was that the people they were pitching to, namely gamers, only wanted to hear about things related to gaming.

On that front, at launch at least, the One had some issues, the biggest of which was that it would not play second-hand games. Eventually, to their credit, Microsoft reversed some of the policies that initially infuriated gamers but by then the downvotes had been cast, so to speak.

In contrast, all we have to go on with the Series X is some specs and a minute and a half of tech demos with Alan Watts talking over them. Oh, and that there will be a Halo game for it.

Source: GameRant

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Stephen Krusel is a freelance writer focused on the gaming industry. He has been playing games since 1987 and has never really stopped.

Here is the original post:
Xbox Series Xs Reveal Better Received Than Xbox One | TheGamer - TheGamer

When you find out that you're expecting a child, how much do you have to alter your diet and exercise routine and how does it benefit the pregnancy?

In part two of our three part series on pregnancy and baby life, we examine how to put together the proper exercise plan.

Dr. Susan Passarella, an M.D., OB-GYN and Hospitalistwith Hackensack Meridian Healthcare, says women who exercise while pregnant are healthier and have better deliveries.

She says activities like running, zumba, yoga and swimming are great to do while pregnant.

"The American College of OB-GYN recommends about 150-minutes of exercise per week for patients and you can split that up into 30-minute increments five times a week or you can break it up into even smaller ones," Dr. Passarella said. "A long time ago they used to look at a heart rate and didn't want a mom's heart rate to go over 120 and what we found is that doesn't really make a difference, it's really what your baseline heart rate is."

Dr. Passarella says it's important to build up endurance during a pregnancy to make things easier during labor and delivery.

"Anything that gets your heart rate up is going to help," Dr. Passarella said. "When you're pushing in labor your heart rate is going to go up so it's going to be similar to that and it'll give you more endurance."

You should stay away from contact sports like rugby, soccer, sky diving and water skiing while pregnant.

"The uterus is very protective of the baby but you don't want to take part in any big, high energy sports," Dr. Passarella said.

Having a good diet during a pregnancy is important for you and the baby.

Dr. Passarella says women need to add an additional 300 calories to their diet but weight gain is unique to the individual.

"It really depends what your pre-pregnancy weight is, that's what we look at," Dr. Passarella said. "If you're an average weight we expect someone to gain between 25-35 pounds. During the first trimester people are usually nauseous and sick and they tend not to gain a ton of weight but it tends to catch up to them in the last month where you can gain a half-a-pound to a pound a week."

However, it's not recommended to buy into the "I'm eating for two" diet.

"I know everyone always says when you're pregnant you can eat for two but that's not necessarily what we recommend because then you'll have patients gaining 50, 60, 70 pounds and those patients tend to have more complicated deliveries, they're at a higher risk for diabetes and hypertension and are more likely to have c-sections or have babies that are really small and may not grow as well," Dr. Passarella said.

Do you have to change what and how you eat while pregnant?

Dr. Passarella says you should always wash fruits and vegetables before consuming and meat should be cooked well done, fish is ok but only with low mercury, listeria which is found in certain foods, is definitely a concern.

"We worry about different bacteria's in pregnancies, you do have a mom and a baby and if that baby is exposed to a bacteria that can potentially get in utero that can cause really harmful affects to the baby," Dr. Passarella said.

It's not known how much alcohol causes fetal alcohol syndrome so doctors say don't drink any amount, smoking leads to smaller babies and pre-term labor, caffeine is fine but limit it to 300 milligrams a day.

On the flip side, you should drink 10-12 glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration and pre-term contractions.

One of the biggest misinterpretations associated with pregnancy is heartburn and what it means.

Dr. Joanne Chang, an OBGYN with Hackensack Meridian Healthcare says the belief that a lot of heartburn leads to your baby being born with a lot of hair is an old wives tale with no study's to back that up.

"There's no studies that have shown that what you eat affects how much hair your baby has," Dr. Chang said. "You hear anecdotally that women will say 'oh, I had so much heartburn and my baby had so much hair' but on the flip side you'll talk to women who will say 'I had a ton of heartburn and my baby had no hair'."

Dr. Chang says heartburn is a normal part of the pregnancy due to the hormonal changes as well as the baby pushing your stomach which pushes everything up and causes acid-reflux in the esophagus.

"Heartburn is very normal during pregnancy. It's one of the side effects of the hormone changes and from physical space. As the baby grows bigger it pushes up on everything and makes the acid reflux a little bit into your esophagus," Dr. Chang said.

In part three of our series tomorrow a Jersey Shore mom of five children, including her first son that was born over the summer, gives her point of view on what pregnancy is like and how to be a good parent.

Excerpt from:
How to diet and exercise while pregnant: The Do's and Dont's - wobm.com

Share on PinterestConnecting with others can be one way to cope with the holiday blues. Getty Images

The holiday season is a joyful time for many people but it can also be a harbinger of stress.

For those who are coping with loneliness or grief over the loss of a loved one, holiday traditions and activities may heighten feelings of isolation and sadness.

Buying gifts, making food, traveling, and managing other holiday responsibilities can also strain peoples emotional and financial reserves.

Disruptions to your diet, exercise habits, and sleep schedule can affect your physical and mental health, too. Even seasonal reductions in sunlight can take a toll.

If you find yourself struggling with feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness, youre not alone. Here are five strategies that may help you ward off the holiday blues this year.

If you struggle with feelings of isolation, loneliness, or sadness around the holidays, reaching out to family members and friends may help.

For those persons who experience loneliness or depression during the holiday season, its especially important to reach out to family and friends, Mona Shattell, PhD, RN, FAAN, a mental health specialist and professor of nursing at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, told Healthline.

These individuals should strive to connect in real life with one person per day, she continued. Call a friend on the phone, make a plan to meet someone for a walk or for coffee anything that connects the person to another person.

If you dont have a lot of people to call or visit, volunteering for a local organization may give you the chance to meet new people and strengthen your connections with your community.

Doing something meaningful for others can help mediate loneliness, depression, and stress during the holidays, Shattell said.

Taking part in a service project or volunteering for your favorite organization can help one feel less alone, less stressed, and more alive, she added.

For people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, certain holiday traditions or memories may serve as a reminder of their absence.

Rather than try to suppress feelings of sadness, it may help to acknowledge them and take time to commemorate the person youve lost.

For people who are experiencing grief over the death of loved ones, especially those who have died since the last holiday season, it is helpful to acknowledge the loss and celebrate the life as it was lived, the memories that remain, Shattell said.

You might find it comforting to establish a new holiday tradition in their honor. On the other hand, you might decide to skip other traditions or activities that are too painful to participate in without them.

Give yourself freedom to choose how youll mark the holiday and your loved ones memory, recommends the Hospice Foundation of America.

Setting realistic expectations is essential for limiting stress.

If youre feeling overwhelmed, its okay to scale back on your holiday decorations, baking goals, or social calendar. Rather than taking on everything, the American Psychological Association (APA) recommends prioritizing the tasks and activities that are most important to you.

Sticking to a holiday budget may also help limit stress by reducing financial strain. Dont spend more money on gifts or activities than you can afford.

If you find yourself struggling to meet the expectations of other people, its important to recognize and communicate your needs and limits, Brett Marroqun, PhD, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University, told Healthline.

I tend to talk to patients about interpersonal effectiveness skills, ways to communicate with partners, with adult parents, and with families that have to do with clearly asserting your needs, being really clear about what your needs and your emotions are, and having boundaries, Marroqun said.

What can I fulfill? What do I need to do to take care of myself? Communicating all those things, he continued.

Although it might not be your number one priority during the holiday season, practicing healthy habits is important for maintaining good mental health.

Basic stuff like keeping a healthy diet, keeping up your exercise, keeping up the activities you typically do, including the positive activities that you just enjoy doing, and not letting the stressful stuff sort of overwhelm all that and supersede all of that it creates the foundation for healthy coping, Marroqun said.

Try to get enough sleep, get some exercise, and moderate your intake of holiday treats.

Its also best to avoid consuming alcohol when youre feeling stressed or blue, advises Dr. Ken Duckworth, MD, medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Whatever holiday stressors you expect to encounter, planning ahead may help you cope.

For some people, that might mean blocking time off in their calendars to shop when they expect grocery stores or malls to be less busy.

For others, it might mean planning a special activity or gathering with friends on a day when they anticipate feeling lonely or sad.

If you know that Christmas Day or New Years Eve is a particularly stressful time for you, maybe because of a loss that happened around that period or because youve always spent time with your grandpa and hes gone now, Marroqun said, is there something you can do on that day, is there something you can plan with other family members for that day?

A lot of the research is really clear, he continued, that when youre active in planning coping in advance for challenges you know are coming, the better off youre going to be.

Read more:
5 Ways to Beat Holiday Blues - Healthline

So both of their families have reorganized their lives and spent thousands of dollars to enroll in intensive after-school brain training programs that offer the promise of permanent changes to the human mind.

The programs are part of a fast-growing industry thats based on the premise that targeted games and exercises can rewire the brain to boost memory, sharpen thinking or decrease the challenges associated with anxiety, autism, ADHD and other disorders. Brick-and-mortar training centers like Brain Balance Achievement Centers, which Izak attends, and LearningRx, Kyles program, are just one piece of a $2 billion global brain technology market that is increasingly going around the medical industry and marketing directly to consumers.

But the premise behind the programs has faced significant criticism from doctors and scientists who warn that some are making dubious claims. These personalized programs can cost $12,000 or more for six months of training, three days a week. Families have gone into debt or turned to crowdfunding sites to pay for them.

Theyre selling hope, said Eric Rossen, the director of professional development and standards for the National Association of School Psychologists. These organizations are not necessarily predatory, but they are definitely there and almost chasing the parents who are desperate, who are overwhelmed and who feel that they have no recourse.

As the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and autism surges in the U.S., according to federal data, and as parents become exasperated with treatments that dont work or involve medications that carry the risk of side effects, neurotechnology industry analysts predict the demand for programs like these will only grow.

NBC News spoke with more than a dozen scientists and experts who said that while theres promise in some forms of brain training, the field is so new that many companies are making claims that go far beyond what they can prove.

That hasnt stopped families from enrolling. NBCNews spoke to 22 parents of children who enrolled in Brain Balance or LearningRx, two of the largest one-on-one training programs, and many described positive results.

LearningRx makes you use your brain in a different way than you do in school, said Kyles mother, Alana Gregory, who says her son is focusing better and is less likely to hit other children than he was before he started the program in August. Its giving him skills to help when he is frustrated. And when he's not as frustrated, we don't have behavior issues.

But other parents say theyve seen only minor improvements if any despite months of hard work and high bills.

The whole thing is a hoax, said Atheer Sabti, who took out a $12,500 loan in 2017 to pay for a six-month Brain Balance program in Plano, Texas, to help his then 12-year-old son, who was getting into trouble and struggling to focus in school.

They took my money, Sabti said, and my son was the same.

Much of the growth in brain training is in apps and games that people use at home or in school, said Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains, a research firm that tracks the neurotechnology industry. The global market for direct-to-consumer technology grew from $475 million in 2012 to $1.9 billion last year, Fernandez said.

Those numbers dont include franchises like Brain Balance or LearningRX, which Fernandez says are more difficult to track financially. But these centers are now in most major U.S. cities. Brain Balance has 108 locations and said it brought in $51.3 million last year. LearningRx has 70 centers in the U.S. as well as 85 centers called BrainRx around the globe. The company declined to provide revenue numbers but says it hopes to add eight U.S. centers and 20 international centers next year.

Other companies include Neurocore Brain Performance Centers, which made headlines in 2017 when U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos disclosed that she and her husband are major shareholders.

Groups that advocate for people with autism and ADHD, including Autism Speaks and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, warn parents to be wary of companies like these that claim to address a long list of disorders without much scientific proof.

We want science to drive treatment and intervention, not just anecdotes, said Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist in Cleveland and the co-chair of CHADDs professional advisory board.

Brain training companies are careful to comply with federal advertising laws, avoiding phrases like treat or cure. But some companies have run into trouble. LearningRx paid $200,000 in 2016 to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission about deceptive claims.

LearningRx maintained that the FTC had unfairly applied medical standards to an educational company, but decided that fighting in court would have been too expensive.

Neurocore, a program that blends diet, exercise, clinical talk therapy and an intervention called neurofeedback that involves attaching electrodes to peoples heads, last year agreed to alter its marketing when an advertising review board objected to ads promoting cures for a host of disorders. But just last month, Neurocore was the subject of a complaintfiled with the FTC by the ad watchdog Truth in Advertising.

Theyve continued to market in a really inappropriate way, said Bonnie Patten, Truth in Advertisings executive director. Theyre marketing unapproved medical devices as being able to treat ailments such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, migraines and memory loss when there's no reliable scientific evidence.

Neurocore CEO Mark Murrison points to research showing that neurofeedback works, though scientists say it has not been fully proven. He says Pattens organization has never reached out to him and he doesnt believe she understands his program.

His company has encountered skeptics, but thats to be expected when you offer an alternative to the status quo, he said.

The FTC declined to comment.

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Brain Balance centers are colorful, cheerfully decorated places, often located in shopping centers in affluent neighborhoods. They each have a cognitive room where students play video games that target memory or brain function and a sensory motor room filled with mats, balance beams and monkey bars.

On a recent afternoon at the Brain Balance in Oxford, about 40 miles north of Detroit, classical music played softly as coaches guided students through exercises designed to stimulate the left or the right side of their brains.

The Brain Balance program is demanding, calling on families to reduce childrens screen time and to cut most sugar, gluten and dairy from their diets. But what has raised eyebrows among mainstream scientists are some unproven theories that drive the one-on-one training.

One of those theories is the popular notion that the right and left side of the brain have different influences on personality. Brain Balance claims that a right brain weakness can cause impulsivity and anxiety, while a left brain weakness can lead to poor math or reading skills. Thats why kids remove just one sock: Brain Balance believes that as a bare foot makes contact with the floor, the opposite side of the brain will get more stimulation. Metronomes and shakers are placed on the same side as the bare foot.

Another Brain Balance theory has to do with primitive infant reflexes, which are the instincts babies are born with to help them survive. The rooting reflex, for example, supports nursing by leading babies to turn toward objects that touch their cheeks. The moro reflex, which likely evolved to help infants cling to their mothers, causes babies to extend their arms and legs when startled.

Doctors say that most people outgrow these reflexes by the time they start preschool. Robert Melillo, a chiropractor and author who founded Brain Balance in 2006, asserted that children who retain reflexes face academic and behavioral struggles. Brain Balance tests children for eight primitive reflexes and has exercises that target each one. The one that targets the moro reflex has children stretch their arms and legs, then curl into a ball.

Other exercises, such as standing on one foot, target balance and coordination to promote connectivity in the brain, said Rebecca Jackson, Brain Balances vice president of programs and outreach. I always like to tell the kids that its kind of like a workout for your brain, she said. We all have strong muscles and weak muscles, and its the same thing with the brain.

George Anderson, a senior research scientist in the Child Study Center at Yale University, is doubtful of this approach. He is among several university-affiliated experts and medical professionals who reviewed the research on the companys website and saw little proof to support the programs theories.

There is evidence that people with neurological issues like ADHD and autism are, in fact, more likely to retain primitive reflexes than their peers, Anderson said. But that doesnt mean that the Brain Balance exercises can eliminate retained reflexes, or that eliminating those reflexes would permanently reduce challenging behaviors.

There's just a lack of foundation for what theyre doing, he said. There are things that they really need to show, and Im surprised theyre in business and have 100 centers if they havent shown that. Actually, I'm not surprised theyre in business if they can get $12,000 for doing this. Its a way to make money. Im surprised they dont view this as unethical.

Daniel Simons, a University of Illinois psychology professor who has scrutinized 130 papers cited by brain training programs, said there is zero evidence to support the Brain Balance theory about problems being caused by a weakness on one side of the brain. This is pseudoscience at best, he said.

Brain Balance CEO Dominick Fedele says science supports the programs components, including the benefits of exercise for the brain. But he acknowledged that the company had not, until recently, attempted a comprehensive study comparing lasting outcomes for children who came through the program to a control group that did not. The company is now helping to fund such a study by a Harvard researcher.

We know there are skeptics out there and we suspect there will continue to be, but we want to be able to show that this is a program that truly makes a difference, Fedele said.

The company rejected the notion that selling an intervention that hasnt been fully proven is unethical. Many families report positive results and the activities arent harmful, said Jackson, the Brain Balance vice president.

Asked about downsides, Jackson replied, the downside is there is cost or time and money involved.

Melillo, who sold most of his stake in the company to a private equity firm several years ago, told NBC News that he honed the program over 10 years of working with children before he started charging for it.

The idea that we always have to wait to make sure we have absolute proof makes no sense, he said. The only way you know it works is by using it.

Parents who say the program doesnt work resent the thousands of dollars they spent to test it out.

Srikanth Mamidi was so angry about not seeing lasting benefits for his autistic son after six months in a Brain Balance program in Cary, North Carolina, that he tracked Melillo down at a ribbon cutting for another center and confronted him.

It was a time waster, an energy waster and a money waster, Mamidi said.

The program had seemed wacky to him, but he and his wife were determined to avoid giving medication to their son, who was 11 at the time and was struggling to make friends and pay attention in class, he said. They were hopeful when they paid $10,000 for the program and committed to driving 40 minutes each way for the training sessions.

But Mamidi said the small changes they saw in the beginning, such as a slight improvement in their sons ability to communicate, faded quickly.

When Mamidi confronted Melillo in 2016, the company founder just walked away, Mamidi said. They are interested in making money rather than improving peoples lives, he said.

Melillo said he did not recall the confrontation but notes that Mamidi is just one disgruntled parent among thousands who swear by the results.

Most Brain Balance reviews posted on Google and Yelp are glowing. Many franchise owners, including the couple who own the Oxford center, are former clients who tell moving stories about the relief they felt when they walked through the door after an overwhelming quest to help their children.

Izaks mom, Patty Lopez, says her son is a different child than he was when he started Brain Balance last spring. Back then, he was prone to daily tantrums that would last for an hour or more. When he was briefly in kindergarten last year, he trashed the classroom so many times that a teacher described him as the worst student that she had ever had in 18 years, Lopez said.

The family has made sacrifices to adopt the programs strict dietary and screen-time guidelines and make the hourlong drive to trainings. But its all been worth it, she said.

After seven months of Brain Balance, Lopez said Izak is doing well in school and now rarely has meltdowns, and she and her husband have been able to avoid giving him the medication that doctors wanted to prescribe. Its a huge change, she said. Its more relaxed. We can play. We can have conversations with him now.

Why do some families see benefits from brain training programs while others dont?

Experts say there could be lots of reasons all interventions, including medicine, affect children differently. Also, parents spending large sums of money can fuel the placebo effect, the belief that a treatment is working even if its not.

Children in the Brain Balance program are doing regular exercise and eating better than they may have been before, which can lead to better sleep. Many spend less time watching TV or staring at a phone. Theyre getting lots of personal attention from Brain Balances coaches. And theyre developing and maturing.

At the end of the year, they're better and many times they would have gotten better on their own, said Rossen, of the National Association of School Psychologists.

Many variables affect childrens lives new teachers, new schools, new milestones. It can be difficult to know what accounts for behavioral changes.

Ben Forbush, 19, a freshman at Michigan State University, said Brain Balance helped him with depression and anxiety when he enrolled as a high school senior.

He started eating breakfast and getting more exercise. He significantly curtailed the time he spent on his phone, and slept much better.

It might have been that the program enabled me to take care of myself a lot more than I had before, he said. Ill never know which aspect it was. Theres a chance it could have been any of them. If it works, it works. It definitely helped me a lot.

Crystal Hoshaw, a California mother, believes Brain Balance helped her son Noah, 7, with reducing repetitive behaviors related to autism and anxiety, such as sucking on his hands, that had been exacerbated by his parents separation and a move to a new home.

She credits Brain Balance with Noahs improvements because his tics were related to the nervous system, which the program targets. Noah also may have benefited from the extra time he and his mother spent together during the 45-minute drive to Brain Balance in San Francisco. The two stopped for burgers in what became little special dates, she said. To Hoshaw, the exact source of Noahs progress matters less than the results.

It doesn't have to be a hard line a good or a bad or a magic bullet or snake oil. It doesnt have to be so polarized, she said. It can just be one part of a holistic, well-rounded approach to helping a kid.

The LearningRX training center in Colorado Springs buzzed with activity on a recent afternoon as seven students and their trainers worked together at small tables. The noise level is intentionally loud to train clients to tune out distractions.

One child bounced on a mini-trampoline as she tried to recall all 45 U.S. presidents. Another child tossed a ball with his trainer as they took turns reciting the alphabet in time with a metronome, an exercise designed to help him multitask.

Many of LearningRxs brain games are similar to exercises that psychologists use to conduct IQ tests, including recalling numbers or shapes. Theyre given easy tasks to start and are rewarded with high fives from their coaches and points they can save up to buy prizes. When they can recite all of the presidents, their picture is posted on the wall.

LearningRX, which was founded in 2003 by an optometrist, initially as a vision therapy program, says it has always done research to show that the program can, for example, help the 29 percent of clients who have ADHD. The company has made a greater effort to publish that research since the FTC charges.

In the past three years, the company has published 11 peer-reviewed studies, said Amy Moore, an educational psychologist and research director of the LearningRxs research arm, the Gibson Institute of Cognitive Research. Among them is a small clinical trial published in a neuropsychiatry journal that found statistically significant improvements in a group of seven clients who had ADHD compared to a control group of six people with ADHD who did not attend LearningRx.

Prove is not in our language, but we have a convergence of evidence that shows that the program changes test results, Moore said. It changes connectivity in the brain and it changes real life.

But questions persist.

I would want a lot more evidence, said Thomas Redick, a psychology professor at Purdue University who has reviewed hundreds of brain training studies. He was among several experts who spoke with NBC News who noted that the peer-reviewed controlled trials and other studies touted on LearningRxs website were fairly small or lacked methodological rigor, such as measures to control for the placebo effect.

Redick added that he doesnt doubt that LearningRx clients do better on IQ tests after months of training, but he questioned whether the benefits translate to other settings. He is skeptical of LearningRxs claims that its clients have improved at school.

You can learn mnemonic strategies that are effective but that only works for those materials, he said. Its not changing whether or not you have ADHD.

Still, Alana Gregory, Kyles mom, said LearningRx has built confidence in her son, which has improved his behavior.

There is no magic pill, she said, but you have to find out what works for your individual child and go with it.

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Parents pay thousands for 'brain training' to help kids with ADHD and autism. But does it work? - NBCNews.com

The self-sacrificing woman of the household is not just another trope. Its apparently a reality that we are far too used to in India. And, when this behaviour extends into ignoring ones health, the situation can go from okay to bad very fast.

A recent survey indicates that, as Indian women strive to do the best in their profession and life, they are neglecting their health. According to the survey, out of the total respondents, 16% did not go for any tests while 63% went for health check-ups only if they were unwell. It also revealed only 39% of women were covered by any health cover. Among those who were not insured, 53% never gave a thought to purchasing health insurance, the report mentioned. The survey also indicated that more than 80% of men and women interviewed believe that the breadwinner should primarily be insured against health and life-related threats, according to Anuradha Sriram, Chief Actuary, Aditya Birla Health Insurance.

She goes on to add that usually, women are less conscious regarding their health owing to a few reasons such as lower literacy rate, lower employment, and social stigma when it comes to physical exercise, food and eating habits etc.

Childbirth and care is an additional factor, which radically takes away a lot of time from them. Regardless of the odds, women from all walks of life multitask all the time. Unfortunately, they are not very vigilant about their health. Women are the support system of the family as homemakers and as employees in the workforce. Since they are involved in taking care of their families and workplaces, most of them usually neglect their routine check-ups, unless it is the need of the situation, writes Sriram.

Her advice: women must take time out for themselves, emphasize on eating a proper balanced and assorted diet and get an appropriate amount of exercise. Its for a reason that passengers are advised to put on their own oxygen masks first in case of an emergency, before helping others. A healthy and fit you will be better equipped to aid and nurture others.

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No more self-sacrifice: Women must take control of their health; focus on healthy diet and exercise - Economic Times

Rachel Lindsay is gearing up for her first Christmas as a married woman & the former Bachelorette star shared with HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY, how she stays in shape during the holiday season!

Rachel Lindsay, 34, and new husband, Bryan Abasolo, are spending their very first Christmas together since getting married in Cancun, Mexico back in August. The newlyweds already have their plans set, as she told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY, Our first Christmas as a married couple will be spent in Dallas because for the past few years weve spent Christmas with Bryans family in Miami. We dont have any Christmas traditions, yet, but Ive had so much fun decorating our home with all of the holiday decorations. Now that the holidays are right around the corner, Rachel shared with HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY, what workouts and diets she does to stay in shape during the holiday season especially, but all-year-round as well. We all know maintaining a healthy diet during the holidays is tough with all of the delicious food, so I focus on portion control and a moderately low carb diet, which means no desserts for me, Rachel admitted. To stay fit, I love that Bryan is my accountability partner because he keeps me on track, but when I cant make it to the gym, I really enjoy taking my dog on walks.

As for her diet, I always have a big breakfast. My favorites are eggs, bacon, fruit, and of course coffee. For lunch, I typically have a light salad with a protein and then for dinner, its a free-for-all, but I try to stay away from carbs, she shared. Not only does Rachel make sure to maintain a healthy diet, but she also works out consistently and has one workout that she swears by. I absolutely love yoga because it serves a dual purpose. Its a great physical workout to help tighten my core and build strength and its also a great mental exercise because I can leave any negative energy behind on the mat and re-energize my positivity for the day. No other workout gives me that feeling, she revealed.

Aside from Rachels amazingly toned figure, the former Bachelorette star has flawless skin. To maintain her glowing complexion throughout the holiday season, Rachel shared, I think consistency is key, especially during the holiday season because I am traveling so much as a guest host. Every morning, I start by washing my face with a creamy face wash to retain my skins moisture and then I follow up with a serum that has a ton of vitamin A, C & E. But the key to my glowy skin is the HydraFacial at Ideal Image MedSpa. The HydraFacial gives my skin instant radiance and its definitely become a staple in my skincare routine. Actually, Bryan got to come with me when I got the facial and, once he saw how amazing the HydraFacial was, he immediately got one. It was his first facial EVER!

When it comes to keeping her skin hydrated in the cold and dry winter months, Rachel revealed, I preach hydration! My intense travel schedule, especially during the colder months, really dries out my skin, so, to relieve the dryness, I stay away from exfoliators and really focus on drinking a lot of water and moisturizing throughout the day. I also love using hydrating face masks and getting HydraFacials at Ideal Image MedSpa.

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Rachel Lindsay Reveals Yoga & Portion Control Help Her Stay In Shape During The Holidays - Hollywood Life

Visceral fat is of particular concern as its a key player in a variety of health problems. High levels of visceral fat can increase the risk of serious conditions, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A poor diet can lead to visceral fat build-up, so making changes to what you eat and drink is advised.

While many people think foods high in fat should be avoided, not all fats are unhealthy.

When it comes to cooking oil, coconut oil is one of the healthiest fats you can eat, and studies have shown the positive impact it can have on visceral fat.

Studies have shown the medium-chain fats in coconut oil may boot metabolism and decrease the amount of fat yo store in response to high calorie intake.

READ MORE:Type 2 diabetes: Foods that could increase your risk of developing the condition

Controlled studies have also suggested it may lead to abdominal fat loss.

In one study, obese men who consumed coconut oil daily for 12 weeks lost an average of 1.1 inches from their waists without changing their diets or exercise routines.

In most of the studies, taking about two tablespoons (30ml) of coconut oil per day was shown to be effective.

But coconut oil is high in calories, so rather than adding extra fat into your diet you should look to replace some of the fats youre already eating with coconut oil.

DON'T MISS

As an overall diet to follow, reducing carb intake has been found to be beneficial for losing fat, including abdominal fat.

Diets with under 50g of carbs per day cause belly fat loss in overweight people, those at risk of type 2 diabetes and women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

A strict low-carb diet isnt essential, as some research suggests simply replacing refined carbs with unprocessed starchy carb may improve metabolic health and reduce belly fat.

A Framingham Heart Study found people with the highest consumption of whole grains were 17 percent less likely to have excess abdominal fat than those who consumed diets high in refined grains.

Alongside eating a healthy diet, coconut oil and fewer carbs, exercise has been effective at getting rid of visceral fat.

Aerobic exercise has been found to be an effective way to improve a persons health and burn calories.

Studies have also shown its one of the most effective forms of exercise for reducing belly fat.

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How to lose visceral fat: Best cooking oil for reducing the harmful belly fat - Express

Registered dietitian Caroline Susie, who is a Lake Highlands High School alumna, works for a global healthcare company, advising clients of all sizes on how to improve their diets. Shes also shared health tips on episodes of Fox 4s Good Day. The best tip I can give: Dont take nutrition advice from Dr. Google or an influencer on social media.Work with a registered, licensed dietitian. Dietitians have degrees in nutrition, have completed a 1,200-hour supervised internship, passed national boards and complete ongoing continuing education. Look for RD or RDN in title, or when in doubt, ask Susie says.

Load up on H20

Hydration is so important, especially as we age, as water contributes to almost every function in our bodies.Research shows that having a glass of water before each meal can result in consuming fewer calories at the meal.To increase your water consumption, use a water tracker, get a cool water bottle, and vary your water flavors by making spa water, adding citrus or cucumbers.

Focus on adding foods, not eliminating

When you eliminate a specific food or food group from your diet, you cant help but think about it 24/7. I call this, the Chick-fil-A effect.What is the day of the week you always want Chick-fil-A? Sunday [when the fast-food restaurant is closed]. So instead of restricting yourself, focus on adding foods to your diet. This positive mindset will help you make healthier choices and feel good about them.

Dont fear carbs

Yes, its true, not all carbs are created equal, but to simply demonize the entire food category is not fair. We have decades of research associating complex carbs with decreased risk of developing heart disease, stroke and chronic conditions.Some great choices of complex carbs include whole-grain bread and beans, brown rice and fresh fruit.

Naturally occurring sugar is just fine

Remember back in the 90s, when we were so terrified of fat?Well sugar is the new fat.But here is the secret: Sugar is not the bad guy.In fact, naturally occurring sugar occurs in two forms: fruit [fructose] and milk [lactose]. In addition to natural energy, fruit and milkprovide a host of other nutrition benefits like vitamin A, C, D and calcium. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, watch your portion sizes.

Choose lean

Lean protein is not only an essential nutrient imperative to many bodily processes, but research shows that consuming lean protein contributes to satiety, that feeling of staying fuller longer. Reach for fish, lean beef, Greek yogurt, chicken, pork, cottage cheese, eggs, peanut butter, tofu and shrimp.

The perfect pair

I tell all my clients to always pair complex carbohydrates with lean protein at every meal and snack.The complex carbs provide energy, while protein provides that feeling of fullness.Pair them to balance out blood sugar levels. This will prevent you from being hangry later.

Stock up

Your freezer is your best friend. Stock up on healthy foods such as frozen veggies, fruits, grilled chicken and fish. These can save you in a time pinch.

Eat more veggies

Sneak veggies in everywhere.Add veggies to your eggs. Top your sandwich with spinach and a slice of tomato. Puree veggies into your marinara sauce. Incorporate a small salad with lunch and dinner, or try adding more veggies into soups and chilis. Try the crudite approach: finger friendly veggies such as mini peppers, carrots and cucumbers, served with a low-fat dip.

Make exercise a habit

Every step counts. Even if you only have 10 minutes, get moving. Your exercise goal is 150 minutesof moderate intensity exercise per week. Yes, brisk walking counts and yes, you can break this up into 10-minute segments. Schedule exercise into your day. Invest in a wearable device like a Fitbit for motivation. Find a group of friends who can hold you accountable. Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Follow @CarolineSusieRD on Twitter and Instagram or check out her website for more tips.

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How to avoid the 'Chick-fil-a' effect and other healthy diet tips - Advocate Media

Victor seven tango three one sevenno waitthree one nineno one seven, one seven! Its one seven for sure. Spurted the tired athlete to the official.

Wrong! Thirty burpees. demanded the Spartan judge who was checking each racers memorized codes.

In the obstacle course world racers spend countless hours monthly training their bodies to handle climbing ropes, crawling under barb wired, swimming in frigid lakes but what they might not know is that their physical training is making their brain healthier too. Plus, theres an amazing and simple neuroscience hack that can help every athlete age smarter and the memorization codes during each Spartan Race hold the key.

When I was researching my upcoming book Fear is Fuel I spent a day with Professor John Ratey at Harvard University. Dr. Ratey, who is not just a professor at Harvard but also a practicing M.D. wrote a breakthrough book called Spark. (put it on your 202 reading list!) In which he shows the dramatic impact of exercise on brain function and health. He argues that schools need to put more exercise back into the curriculum (not just for our obesity epidemic but for brain health.) His findings intrigued me enough to ask how exercise impacts fear and courage. He said it quite succinctly:

In order to cope with anxiousness, for instance, you need to let certain well-worn paths grow over while you blaze alternate trails [in your brain]. By understanding such interactions between your body and your brain, you can manage the process, handle problems, and get your mind humming along smoothly. If you had half an hour of exercise this morning, youre in the right frame of mind to sit still and focus on this paragraph, and your brain is far more equipped to remember it. Ratey, John J. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (p. 6). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

More recently researchers have shown that aerobic exercise can not only help increase what we call neuroplasticity the growing of new brain cells but also increase critical parts of the brain that deal effectively with fear.

The limbic system handles our fear response and two core components of the limbic brain are the hippocampus and amygdala. Exercise increases the volume of those areas making us better able to turn the fear reaction on and off. What you can learn in my book is that choosing courage can be done by anyone; using an area of the brain called the sgACC. This requires shutting off the reaction of the amygdala and engaging the prefrontal cortex. Exercise makes this easier. Thats right exercise can help build confidence and courage.

Neuroscientists have proven a clear link between aerobic exercise and benefits to other parts of the brain, especially growth of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), or what I refer to as the adult supervision for the brain. The augmentation of the PFC creates optimal executive cognitive functions, especially strategy, planning, courageous decision-making and rapid changing of focusall skills that, like your memory, decline with aging and decline exponentially with Alzheimers. Researchers think added connections between existing neurons, besides the birth of new neurons, creates the beneficial effects from exercise on the prefrontal cortex and other brain regions beyond the hippocampus.

If you are over 40 you also need to know that exercise combined with a cognitive challenge can stave off all kinds of issues associated with mental decline.

Several studies starting from 2011 show that aerobic exercise combined with a challenging mental task (a video game, memorizing numbers or quotes, planning strategy) can reduce cognitive decline and in fact can increase mental processing capabilities. Combine exercise with challenging mental tasks (like memorizing numbers during an obstacle course race) and focus on a healthy diet and you can actually get smarter as you get older.

A surprising finding over the last five years is that many people have Alzheimerswithout displaying any symptoms because their lifestyle has helped them create cognitive workarounds. One of the reasons this happens is intense exercise increases something called brain derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF). BDNF has a critical role in memory function and is one of the first things to go as we age. [1]

From Scientific American Atrtcile Why your brain needs exercise. this graphic shows how the BDNF process works:

The bottom line is: exercise more as you age, eat a healthy diet low in carbohydrates and heavy on plants and try to challenge yourself mentally while you exercise. Theres no reason we shouldnt be living to 100 and playing tennis, running obstacle course races, skiing or doing other activities we love well into our 80s and 90s. The key is to plan for that when youre in your 30s and 40s and you grandkids wont have to sit around watching you drool but can chase you down a mountain instead, of course using fear as fuel!

[1] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00146/full

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Will Obstacle Course Racers Age Better than You? - Thrive Global