Just 11 minutes of mindfulness training may help heavy drinkers cut back on alcohol, according to new research in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. People in the study who listened to short audio recordings drank about three fewer beers than usual over the following week, while those in a control group didn't change their drinking habits.

The practice of mindfulness involves focusing on whats happening in the present moment. Unlike other strategies sometimes used to combat unhealthy behaviors or addictionswhich often strive to reduce cravings or teach people to ignore themmindfulness encourages practitioners to acknowledge such cravings and respond with intention.

The downside is that mindfulness-based treatments usually involve many hours of training over several sessions and arent readily available to everyone who might benefit from them. Researchers at University College London wanted to see how a very brief interventionjust one informal session lasting a few minutesmight benefit people at risk for problems with alcohol.

They recruited 68 adults who admitted to drinking heavily, but not to the point of having an alcohol-use disorder. Half of them listened to an 11-minute audio recording that taught basic mindfulness strategies, like thinking consciously about ones feelings and bodily sensations. The recordings told them that by acknowledging these sensationslike cravings, for instancethey could tolerate them as temporary events, without needing to act on them.

The other half participated in relaxation training specifically designed to reduce cravings. After the session, both groups were encouraged to continue practicing the techniques throughout the week.

The study was double-blinded, which means that people did not know which intervention they were receiving. The word mindfulness wasnt used in any recruitment or experimental materials, so peoples assumptions about the technique would not influence their results.

MORE: How Meditation Helps You Handle Stress Better

Because the two training sessions were so similar and so brief, the researchers expected to see only a subtle change in drinking reduction and only small differences between the groups.

But the results surprised them. During the following week, the mindfulness group drank 9.3 fewer units of alcohol (equal to about three pints of beer) than they had the week before the study. There was no significant change among people who were taught to relax.

Lead author Sunjeev Kamboj, a reader and deputy director in UCLs Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, says that practicing mindfulness can make a person more aware of their tendency to respond reflexively to urges. By being more aware of their cravings, we think the study participants were able to bring intention back into the equation, instead of automatically reaching for the drink when they feel a craving," he says.

MORE: Can You Lose Weight On The Mindfulness Diet?

Kamboj and his coauthors hope that heavy drinkersa group at risk for alcohol addiction and abuse, as well as other unpleasant side effects and chronic health issuescan use mindfulness to reduce their consumption levels before they develop serious problems. They are also exploring whether mindfulness can help people who have other types of substance-use problems. Its yet not clear whether people have to really want to cut back on drinking or other unhealthy behaviors in order to benefit, he adds.

He also believes that mindfulness can be effective even when practiced informally without committing a lot of time, effort or money. There are many self-help books, CDs, websites and apps that dont involve formal face-to-face mindfulness training, he says, which our results suggest might be helpful for hazardousbut probably not for more severely affecteddrinkers.

Read more from the original source:

How a Short Meditation Can Help People Drink Less - TIME

By Nick Romeo By Nick Romeo August 25

Nick Romeo is a critic and journalist based in Palo Alto, Calif.

Nick Romeois a critic and journalist based in Palo Alto, Calif.

Robert Wrights Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment promises to show not just that meditation helps people live happier lives but that it promotes a vision of the world that is fundamentally true. He believes that the truth of Buddhism will set you free and that this freedom will let you perceive the truth.

Wright has written lucid popular books on evolutionary psychology and the history of religion, so he is well-poised to consider Buddhism from a scientific perspective. And while he does not make a fully convincing case for some of his more grandiose claims about truth and freedom, his argument contains many interesting and illuminating points. Most serious meditators and Buddhists probably dont feel an urgent need for scientific validation of their practices: The benefits they experience are their own justification. But for casual meditators and scientific skeptics of religion, a clear explanation of the evolutionary reasons our brains might benefit from meditation could inspire a more serious engagement with the practice.

Wrights basic argument goes something like this: Natural selection has made humans anxious and delusional creatures prone to overestimate the pleasure we will derive from things like sex and food and status. Were also given to petty tribalism and over-hasty judgments of others, and we chronically exaggerate our own importance and efficacy. This bundle of unfortunate traits made our ancestors more likely to transmit their genes, but unfortunately suffering and survival are perfectly compatible. As long as we remain locked in the delusions that natural selection engineered, suffering will define the human experience. We will continue to chase fleeting pleasures that leave us unsatisfied, follow the unwise promptings of surging emotions, demonize strangers without cause and pillage the environment to gratify our appetites.

[Review: The Evolution of God by Robert Wright]

In case the human plight does not seem sufficiently dire, Wright even compares our predicament to the state of enslaved delusion dramatized in the movie The Matrix, with natural selection playing the role of robotic overlords. The best form of resistance is not dodging bullets and engaging in balletic aerial fistfights, but sitting on a cushion each day and concentrating on the rise and fall of your breath. In a sentence that shows just how thoroughly secularized and mainstream meditation has become, Wright claims: If you want to escape from the Matrix, Buddhist practice and philosophy offer powerful hope.

And what exactly can we hope for? Wright devotes a decent share of the book to chronicling his own experience with meditation. After cultivating the practice for more than a decade and doing multiple intensive meditation retreats, he reports some modest but meaningful transformations. Lower-back pain bothers him less than before, he feels less intense animosity toward a despised former colleague, and he is not annoyed by the humming of a refrigerator or the whining of a buzzsaw.

Perhaps his most striking evidence of altered perception is his experience of an acutely painful toothache. He knew that drinking a glass of water caused extreme pain in the tooth, and he was curious to see if meditation could shift his perspective on the sensation. After meditating for half an hour, he took an enormous sip of water and swished it around the tooth. The result was dramatic and strange, he reports. I felt a throbbing so powerful that I got absorbed in its waves, but the throbbing didnt consistently feel bad; it was right on the cusp between bitter and sweet and just teetered between the two. At times it was even awesome in the old-fashioned sense of actually inspiring awe breathtaking in its power and, you might even say, its grandeur and its beauty.

Seeing grandeur and beauty in the throb of an aching tooth is no small achievement, and Wrights enthusiasm for meditation is understandable. But his claims that meditation can help avert global catastrophes stemming from ethnic, religious, national and ideological conflict are less persuasive. I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow, he writes. But the spontaneous adoption of meditation by hundreds of millions of people is vanishingly improbable. A vision of future salvation that depends on the wholesale transformation of human nature is a delusion, and one from which meditation has not rescued Wright.

Some of his claims about the truth of Buddhism are also debatable. One of his major points is that despite the human proclivity to notice essential qualities in people and things, essences are in fact merely useful figments of the mind, convenient heuristics that are often disastrously wrong. While its safe to say that seeing essence-of-jerk in someone who cuts you off in traffic is probably a delusion, this does not justify a wholesale condemnation of the intellectual act of seeking essences. Great swaths of scientific inquiry and daily life would be impossible without positing essences, and there are good philosophical reasons to believe that some of these perceived essences actually correspond to the nature of things. The very title of Wrights book asserting the truth of Buddhism also presupposes the existence of essential natures.

[Mindfulness would be good for you. If it werent all just hype.]

Perhaps the most basic problem with his argument is what it lacks: a vision of how to live a good and meaningful life. Quieting the raging clamor of perception, sensation and emotion may be a necessary condition for living a good life, but is it also sufficient? In short, once weve achieved some degree of tranquility through meditation or otherwise, how are we to live?

By neglecting this question, Wright fails to consider the seductions of a dangerously permissive relativism and narcissism. Would it be possible to spend a lifetime mindfully enjoying pornography and violent video games? What about a life spent in the mindful pursuit of wealth and status? What are the ethics of retreating to a state of unruffled tranquility as the public sphere implodes and the environment is ravaged? Wright alludes to the moral teachings of Buddhism, but he does not show how these precepts resolve the sorts of ethical and social questions that confront humans as political animals endowed with reason. For this terrain, philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle are much better guides.

That meditation is a useful and powerful technique for alleviating human suffering is clear. But to what ultimate end is it such an effective means? Seekers after truth will need to keep searching.

why buddHism is true

The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

By Robert Wright

Simon & Schuster. 336 pp. $27

Read more:

Meditation can make us happy, but can it also make us good? - The ... - Washington Post

So many people want to meditate but they either dont know where to start or cant find the time. Fitting meditation into your life doesnt need to be complicated or elaborate. Start small and be realistic about what will work for you. Here are five tips to get you started.

Find a spot where you can sit comfortably with plenty of back support. Ideally you want to sit with a straight back when you meditate. This allows you to breathe deeply and lets your breath easily fill your lungs while you inhale and exhale. Since your meditation might last five to 15 minutes (or longer) you definitely want to be comfortable. There are no shoulds when it comes to where or how you sit. If sitting cross-legged on the floor isnt physically comfortable use a chair or sit on the couch. Just be comfortable.

Choose a space in your home where you can focus or block out any distractions. Most people dont live in complete quiet which means they wont meditate in complete quiet either. Thats okay. Ambient noise is to be expected whether its birds chirping, the sound of traffic or a television on in another room. As long as you can let the sounds around you fade into the background while you focus on your breath, youre good to go.

Sometimes a bit of ritual can help establish the habit or practice of meditation. This can be as simple as lighting a candle before you start meditating and blowing it out when youre done. Anything that signals to your body and mind that its time to meditate works. It can be anything from lighting incense to softly playing meditative musicwhatever works for you. Create a ritual action before and after you meditate to formally signal to yourself that its time to focus on your breath.

If youre just starting out use a guided meditation. You can find free ones online or in apps like Calm, Insight Timer or Buddhify. Pick a meditation ahead of time so that when youre ready to meditate the decision is already made.

It can be fun and motivating to know that people around the world are meditating with you. Many meditation apps show the location and number of people across the globe simultaneously meditating. There are also a lot of different meditation groups available to join via apps or meditation centers in your area.

Meditating for even five minutes can help you feel calmer and more focused. The most important thing you can do when it comes to meditation is to get started and stick with it.

Read the original here:

5 Things To Know Before You Try Meditation - HuffPost

GoldLinkVEVO via YouTube

GoldLink is a lover, not a fighterbut dont test him. The DMV rapper dropped the music video for his latest single Meditation this week (Aug. 21) and proved he wasnt afraid to throw down for a girl if need be. The visual centers around a smoke-filled party where GoldLink locks eyes with a beauty across the dance floor. The only problem is, this baddie is whisked away by another guy before the rapper can shoot his shot. GoldLink and the girl later meet up outside the party for a tender moment alone, but things get crazy when the rhymer gets challenged to a fight over her. Jazmine Sullivan handles the soulful hook and theres even a cameo from Ray J in the nearly five-minute clip.

Puttin all my pride and my girls to the side/Cause I still see ya, I still see ya/Smokin all my weed, bend the corners in the streets/I can still see ya, I still see ya, rhymes Link in the first verse.

The KAYTRANADA-produced track is off Links latest project At What Cost, which dropped back in March. The 14-track project, which also features guest appearances from Wale, Steve Lacy and Mya, serves as a love letter to the rappers hometown of D.C. GoldLinks lead single off the album, Crew featuring Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy was certified gold in sales earlier this month and is currently at No. 25 on Billboards R&B and Hip-Hop charts.

Check out the video for Meditation below.

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GoldLink Fights for Love in His New 'Meditation' Video - XXL - XXLMAG.COM

Im a friend and fan of mega-pundit Robert Wright. Were obsessed with the same ridiculously big questions: What is the meaning of life? Does God exist? What is human nature? How constrained are we by our biology? What hope is there for us?In The Moral Animal, Nonzero and The Evolution of God, Wright explores these riddles with such crisp, assured intelligence that its hard figuringout where he goes wrong. But I try to rise to the challenge.

Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment, which just hit the bestseller lists, is Wrights most ambitious book. Guided by evolutionary psychology (his intellectual lodestar) and Buddhism, he diagnoses humanitys ills and prescribes a treatment:

We are prone to excessive emotions, like desire, fear andanger,and to self-deception, which were instilled in us by natural selection. But we can overcome these harmful tendencies through meditation, which helps us gain insight into and control over ourselves. As Wright says in a Wall Street Journal essay, The Meditation Cure, meditation turns out to be one of the best ways to deal with the anxieties and appetites bequeathed to us by our evolutionary history.

He suggests that meditation might help us achieve the state of supreme serenity and insight known as enlightenment. And if enough of us meditate, we might overcome the tribalism that causes war and other harmful behaviors. I think the salvation of the world can be secured via the cultivation of calm, clear minds and the wisdom they allow, Wright declares. Italics added.

Wright and I just batted this thesis around on Bloggingheads.tv, his online discussion platform. Below are a few concerns I raised in our dialogue, some of which I have mentioned in previous posts (see Further Reading).

*Meditation isnt that effective. A 2014 review by theJohns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Centerexamines 17,801 papers on meditations psychotherapeutic benefits and found 41 relatively high-quality studies involving 2,993 subjects. The review concludes that meditation programs reduce multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress. But benefits are low to moderate, and there is no evidence that meditation programs were superior to any specific therapies they were compared with, including exercise, muscle relaxation and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

*Meditation is morally neutral. Wright argues that meditation makes you nicer. But you can meditate to be a more effective corporate raider. Throughout history, warriors have meditated or prayed before battle so they can fight more effectively. Today,many U.S. soldiers are taught mindfulness meditation, which presumably will help them feel better about carrying out violent U.S. policies. Moreover, a disturbing number of meditation teachers have behaved more like sociopaths than saints.

*Enlightenment is a bad idea. Also called liberation, awakening or nirvana, enlightenment is a state in which you see through the illusory nature of things, and you feel really, really good. Wright treats the concept with too much credulity. People are so desperate for enlightenment that they become vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous meditation teachers. Even when viewed as an unattainable ideal, the concept of enlightenment does more harm than goodand should be abandoned.

*We don't need to meditate to achieve world peace. Wright argues that mindfulness can bring about a Metacognitive Revolution that helps us overcome our violent tribal tendencies, which often culminate in war. But to end war, we dont need to meditate and recognize the formlessness of things. We need to recognize that war is stupid and wrong and take steps to eradicate it. I fear that when intellectuals call for a revolution that can bring about world peace, they make itseem even more unattainable.

*Save us from our saviors. The idea that humanity is fundamentally flawed and needs saving--whether by Buddha, Moses, Christ, Mohammed, Marx or L. Ron Hubbard--has done more harm than good. We should reject once and for all the idea that life is a problem for which there is a single, true solution.

Thats enough nits. Let me emphasize that I enjoyed Why Buddhism Is True, even when Idisagreed with it. I especially likeWright'sinterweaving ofphilosophical rumination onBuddhistdoctrines such as emptiness withvivid descriptions of his own meditativeexperiences. I'm guessing hisbookwill become the go-to explicationof Buddhism formodern western seekers, just as The Moral Animal remains the go-to explication ofevolutionary psychology. Bob, because of his mindfulness practice, doesnt care about suchworldly things any more, but I hope his book remains on the bestseller lists for a long time to come.

Further Reading:

Meta-Meditation: A Skeptic Meditates on Meditation

Why I Don't Dig Buddhism.

Does Evolution Have a "Higher Purpose"?

Research on TM and Other Forms of Meditation Stinks.

Do All Cults, Like All Psychotherapies, Exploit the Placebo Effect?

Cybertherapy, placebos and the dodo effect: Why psychotherapies never get better.

What Should We Do With Our Visions of Heaven and Hell?

My Modest Proposal for Solving the Meaning of Life Problemand Reducing Global Conflict.

Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment.

Read this article:

Can Buddhism Save Us? - Scientific American (blog)

Two-time Grammy winner LeAnn Rimes opened up about meditation, explaining that she began her "metta" practice in order to improve her relationship with herself and with her blended family from her marriage to husband Eddie Cibrian.

Im a stepmom with two boys that are 10 and 14 and the stepfamily environment can be rocky at times, Rimes told ABCs Dan Harris during an interview for his podcast 10% Happier. So to try to cultivate love in that situation, honestly, thats what brought me to metta, and when I discovered it I was like, 'OK, Im starting to put all of these puzzle pieces together for myself.'

The piece of metta where it was directing it towards yourself was probably one of the hardest pieces for me, Rimes said. Im my hardest, worst critic."

The 34-year-old singer said she now practices meditation for 45 minutes to an hour on a regular basis and has a meditation room in her home.

I used to not be able to sit still, she said. I had separation anxiety, big time. I used to not be able to sit by myself at all. I just didn't want to be alone, and now I crave that time every day. I have to have that peace for myself.

Subscribe and listen to the "10% Happier" podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, TuneIn, on ABC Radio podcasts and under the "Listen" tab on the ABC News app.

Rimes, whose chart-topping hits include Cant Fight the Moonlight and How Do I Live, has been making a name for herself and her powerful voice since she was a child. She had her first big hit at age 13 and the following year, she became the youngest Grammy recipient ever.

The artist's career has since expanded to writing books, including novels, and acting. Shes appeared in multiple TV series and movies, including the new film, "Logan Lucky," which is out in theaters now. In November, she will perform at the Live in the Vineyard music festival.

The singer has also been the subject of tabloid scrutiny, and in the past, she has owned up to mistakes she said she made in breaking up two marriages, including her own, to be with Cibrian.

I've gone through my whole life in the public eye, Rimes told Harris. And so this [meditation] feels like a piece of me. You know, I get to have those moments for myself.

Rimes said she started exploring meditation after she noticed she would feel incredibly drained after a show or overwhelmed when fans would share how her music had impacted their lives.

I was experiencing so much energy coming back at me and I was coming off [stage] incredibly drained and I didn't understand what was going on, Rimes said. Im just a really empathic, very sensitive person [and] my brain would not shut down.

So a few years ago, she said she started working with an energy healer, a type of holistic therapist whose goal is to help balance the patients energy flow to reduce stress and anxiety.

Rimes said the energy healer introduced her to visualization meditation and she later started practicing metta. She now documents her soul-searching journey on her new blog, Soul of EverLe, in which she talks openly about forgiveness, loving ones self and meditation.

[Meditation] has changed my relationships, the way I am. I'm less reactive, Rimes said. My whole outlook on life has changed.

Subscribe and listen to the "10% Happier" podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, TuneIn, on ABC Radio podcasts and under the "Listen" tab on the ABC News app.

Read more here:

LeAnn Rimes opens up about how meditation changed her 'whole outlook on life' - ABC News

VALDOSTA Learning in Retirement is counting down the days till the start of another season of meeting the educational, physical, intellectual and social needs of Valdosta State Universitys friends and neighbors.

A member-led and VSU-sponsored organization, Learning in Retirement kicked off during fall semester 2017 with a rock-n-roll themed luncheon Aug. 22 in the Regional Center for Continuing Education Auditorium. People were encouraged to come dressed in attire inspired by their favorite musical era and spent part of the occasion painting rocks for the Valdosta Rocks project.

Men and women, 50 years old and older, have 91 opportunities to learn during the Learning in Retirement fall semester 2017, which features a course lineup full of trips and tours, book reviews, topics that are simply good to know, special events and classes in the areas of health and fitness, computers and technology, fine arts, leisure, history, social studies and science, according to an organizational press release.

The first classes are scheduled to meet Aug. 28, with classes continuing through Dec. 15.

Membership costs $75 per person per semester fall and spring and allows members to participate in as many Learning in Retirement courses as they desire. Yearly memberships are available at a reduced rate. A few courses and special activities require an additional fee, which is always noted in advance in the course catalog.

VSUs Regional Center for Continuing Education is located at 903 N. Patterson St.

Contact Suzanne Ewing, Learning in Retirement program coordinator, at (229) 245-6484 or sewing@valdosta.edu to learn more.

Read the original here:
Learning in Retirement back in business - Valdosta Daily Times

Wal-Mart (WMT) has had a rough year, as has just about any company in the grocery business besides Whole Foods (NASDAQ:WFM). With Amazons (NASDAQ:AMZN) purchase of Whole Foods, the entire grocery industry is shaking in their boots.

But Wal-Mart is no ordinary grocer. In many ways, they are already Amazon and Whole Foods wrapped into one. It may have gone unnoticed by some, but Wal-Marts website and web presence in general has improved dramatically over the years.

Wal-Mart has worked very hard to establish their online presence and it is finally beginning to pay big dividends for them. They purchased online retailer Jet.com for $3 billion, which shows their commitment to the online retail world. And of course they already have their stores all over the country, which gives them the distribution they need to compete against the Amazon and Whole Foods merger.

If you believe Wal-Mart will survive and even thrive in what is becoming a new era in online shopping, then read on and find out how Wal-Mart might save your retirement portfolio.

Running out of money in retirement is something so many people dread. If you dont believe me, take a look at the charts below.

Many people approaching retirement have reason to be concerned. With interest rates so low and probably low for years to come, there is very little income to be had from bonds these days. Many retirees just ten years ago lived off of bond interest payments alone.

Its hard to believe, but in 2007 when interest rates were more than double the level they are today, many people could retire on 100% treasury bonds. Lets take a look at an example of this. I ran a retirement scenario in the WealthTrace Planner and my assumptions are below:

Inflation (CPI)

2.3%

Current Age of Both People

55

Age Of Retirement

65

Age When Both People Have Passed Away

85

Social Security at age 67 (combined)

$34,000 per year

Average Savings Rate

20% on Income of $150,000

Total Investment Balance Today

$600,000

Recurring Annual Expenses in Retirement

$54,000

Investment Mix

70% U.S. Value Stocks, 30% Treasuries. Changes to 100% Treasuries at Retirement

Investment Location

40% in taxable accounts, 60% in IRAs

Return Assumption Value Stocks

6.8% per year

Standard Deviation Value Stocks

16.20%

Return Assumption Treasuries

5% per year

Standard Deviation Treasuries

7.20%

The chart below shows this couples retirement income vs. expenses through time. Notice how they cover their expenses in every single year with just their social security and bond income. That would be impossible today.

How would this couple fair today with ten-year treasury yields at 2.2%? See the chart below for the answer.

The best alternative to treasuries for retirement, in my opinion, is now solid dividend-growth stocks. I believe most investors, both pre-retirement and in retirement, should have a healthy dose of strong dividend-growth stocks in their retirement portfolio. Wal-Mart fits perfectly for this.

Wal-Marts dividend yield is currently 2.6%. The five-year growth rate of its dividend is 6.5%. They have also never cut their dividend, and even increased it during the last recession.

Keep in mind that I am not recommending that investors put all of their money into one stock. We want to find a basket of stocks similar to Wal-Mart in order to diversify. Others that I have recommended before are Altria (MO), Exxon (XOM), and Procter & Gamble (PG).

Lets see what happens to this couples retirement plan today if we put them into a basket of dividend payers that have characteristics similar to Wal-Marts.

The income being thrown off by these dividend payers has saved this couples retirement plan. They now have enough income to cover their expenses.

Anybody approaching or in retirement needs to think long and hard about how they will generate enough income in order to meet their expenses. It should be their number one priority in terms of their retirement plan. With some diligent research, there are still great companies that can be found who pay a decent dividend along with solid dividend growth over time.

Disclosure: I am/we are long WMT, XOM, PG, MO.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

View post:
Look To Wal-Mart To Help Your Retirement Portfolio - Seeking Alpha

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is a little wary of Eden Hazard being called up for Belgium as he recovers from injury.

Radja Nainggolan insists he has yet to make a decision over his retirement from the Belgium national team, despite reportedly saying that he had quit after disagreements withcoach Roberto Martinez.

Nainggolan, 29, took to Twitter to denounce an interview given toNieuwsblad, claiming: "If something official is to be said, you will hear it from me. I'm just disappointed. I have not decided anything at all."

However, the Roma midfielder did not deny the interview took place.

Nainggolan had been quoted as saying that his retirement was down to a breakdown in his relationship with Martinez after the former Everton manager hit out at him ahead of the Estonia game.

"He called me at 11.00 (one hour before the squad announcement) and said he had the impression I was not focused enough on playing for the Red Devils during the World Cup matches in June. I was about to explode when I heard that," Nainggolan told Nieuwsblad.

"He didn't mention it, but we only talked for a minute, no more than that. As for Estonia, I was waiting for the lift for 37 seconds and was late. Other players were late too, I was not alone. It's always something.

"I am going to stop international football now. It makes no sense. He calls Youri Tielemans who is sitting on the bench and playing only a few minutes at Monaco.

"When he was appointed, Martinez said that the Red Devils must play in top competitions. Now that Axel Witsel is in China, suddenly that doesn't apply anymore. That's all fine, but I have to step up my game? Come on.

"Actually, I was in the same restaurant as Martinez in Ibiza. He did not say hello or goodbye, neither did I. How can you work together like that?"

Nainggolan has made 161 appearances for Roma since arriving from Cagliari in January 2014 and signed a new contract this summerafter links with Chelsea.

He continued: "It makes no sense to continue with international football. I played 52 games for Roma, who were second in Serie A last season. I always do my best, work with the team, still there is always something, some reason to leave me out.

"I won't do this anymore. I quit. I am 29 years old and they won't let me go any further than this. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is. I'm being pushed into this situation, so fine, now everything I do is for Roma."

Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

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Radja Nainggolan: No decision taken over Belgium retirement yet - ESPN FC

During the past decade, however, that narrative has fallen by the wayside for many. More than 6 million Americans age 65 and older are carrying a mortgage, according to a study by the Census Bureau. Some remain "underwater" on their mortgages--that is, their loan principal is more than what their home is worth. Or they simply are not able to pay off their mortgage because of a mountain of other bills or career setbacks. They may even have college loans they're still making payments on.For many, the "debt-free" retirement seems much more difficult to achieve. And that has led some to consider selling their primary residence and renting as a viable alternative. Indeed, changing economics and a growing flexibility in housing choices has made renting a more likely choice for many retirees. Is it the right choice for you?The Economic Argument for RentingThe stark reality is that despite a housing bust in 2007-08 and low inflation since, homeownership today is expensive. The average monthly U.S. mortgage payment as a percentage of income hit a seven-year high earlier this year according to Zillow, the real estate Web site. The average homeowner pays $758 a month (as of the end of 2016), up from $690 in 2015.That has pushed even more Americans with falling or static incomes into renting. In a survey of renters aged 55 to 65, Credit Sesame, a debt management company, found that 51% of those surveyed rent because they cannot afford to buy where they live. Of those surveyed who can afford to buy, more than one-third nevertheless chose to rent due to the costs of home ownership (including not just mortgage but also upkeep and taxes), or the flexibility that renting affords. The most surprising finding from the Credit Sesame study, however, is that nearly half of those polled simply couldn't afford to buy a home due to paltry retirement income."About half of seniors rely on Social Security as their main source of income," the Credit Sesame study noted. "The average Social Security monthly payment is just $1,360, and if a person budgets the recommended 30% for housing expenses, that's a paltry $408 per month. That won't buy much even in a great housing market."Renting Means FlexibilityOne upside to choosing renting over buying: You can move to a number of places without the financial anxiety of selling or the prospect of not being able to sell for more than your purchase price. That opens up a number of possibilities for seniors. You don't have to worry whether you'll make money when you sell--that is, if you can recoup your investment minus a raft of closing expenses plus a broker's commission.Renting can open other doors, too. For instance, if you're willing to rent, you may be able to live in an expensive coastal area, where home prices are sky-high. Although rents are rarely bargains in premium areas, for most who can't afford million-dollar-plus properties, renting is still much more affordable.Or you may be able to move overseas to "try out" a country before you commit to living there. You could sample several locales as a renter. Thousands of retirees are relocating overseas to enjoy a higher standard of living, a hospitable climate, a low-stress lifestyle, and lower housing costs. Countries like Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, and Malaysia regularly top the list of International Living magazine's annual "World's Best Places to Retire" list. The magazine also compiles a "retirement living index" that rates nations on things like lifestyle, healthcare, climate, and cost of living.Where Renting Makes the Most SenseIt's not difficult to tell where renting is a smarter choice, financially. Any search of real estate sites will give you a pretty good idea. Housing affordability, of course, is a prime factor, although taxes and local services are also part of the picture.In terms of local living costs, a recent survey by WalletHub found that six of the 10 "worst places to retire" were in high-priced California. The least expensive locales were in places like Laredo, Texas, and Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. The survey "compared the 150 largest U.S. cities across 40 key measures of affordability, quality of life, health care and availability of recreational activities."With housing, however, everything is relative. It wouldn't be fair to compare Akron, Ohio, with any coastal city in the Northeast or West. But you do need some benchmarks. Laredo, Texas, for example, "has the lowest adjusted cost-of-living index for retirees (76.93),which is 2.6 times lower than in New York, the city with the highest at196.26," WalletHub found.As with any relocation decision in retirement, you'll need to look at a wide range of expenses. Does the area have adequate healthcare services? What about long-term care services such as home and assisted living? Amenities like cultural institutions such as colleges, museums, and the arts are also important. You have to consider the big picture in living somewhere new--and what it costs--before you make a move.How to Gauge Your Rental ProfileWhen you're deciding whether to rent or buy, the first question is whether you want to be bothered with the expense and responsibility of homeownership. When you buy a house, there are local property taxes, maintenance expenses, and financing, unless you're paying cash. You also need some idea of how much your property will appreciate."It makes sense to buy in areas where your total monthly mortgage plushomeowner assessments and tax is less than the rent paid," said Hanson So with Credit Sesame."In high-growth metropolitan areas like New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, and other major cities, I find this is never the case, and it seems that monthly costs of owning a homearehigher than paying rent. That's why it's not automatically intuitive that it's best to own a home."Your time horizon is also important in the rent versus buy decision. You may want to spend a finite amount of time in an area, especially if you're not committed to the locale or just sampling."It makes sense to rent if you have a short-term three- to five-year horizon, but if you are committed to a 10-plus year horizon, then buying would likely be the better option in many cases," So adds.No matter which route you choose, you'll need to vet your finances and credit. How much rent can you afford? How solid is your credit record? Like banks, landlords may scrutinize your ability to pay rent on time.You'll also want to choose a rental unit with your needs in mind. Do you need an elevator or first-floor unit? Is the location close to shopping, healthcare, work, and amenities? Is the neighborhood safe? Is the landlord responsive to maintenance concerns? While many of these variables won't be known unless you live in a unit for a while, it doesn't hurt to ask local renters. Don't be afraid to knock on doors to find out.It also makes sense to pull your credit report and see if there are blotches on your credit rating. The higher your FICO number, the better your chances for obtaining credit--and being offered a lease (or low finance rates if buying). For a free copy of your credit report, click here. John F. Wasik is a freelance columnist for Morningstar.com and author of 16 books, including Lightning Strikes: Timeless Lessons in Creativity from the Life and Work of Nikola Tesla.The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Morningstar.com.

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Renting in Retirement May Be a Good Idea After All - Morningstar.com