Archive for the ‘time’ tag
Why morning routines ranging from meditation to cold plunging are so popular – Vox.com
Posted: June 11, 2024 at 2:50 am
Of all the pillars of internet content, surely one of the strongest is the genre where people outline their morning routine in grave and sanctimonious detail. They exist in every medium, in every platform, among every internet subculture.
TikTok has its Get Ready With Mes, where influencers chat over their plethora of skin-nourishing unguents and artful makeup products. Beauty YouTube has the more glamorous cousin, Vogue Beauty Secrets, in which dewy-skinned celebrities walk us through the many things they do to their faces every morning.
Artist blogs swap tips about the best way to keep Morning Pages. Powerful women, titans of their respective industries, tell the Cut How I Get It Done. And on LinkedIn and YouTube, lifehackers share their morning tricks for maximizing productivity.
The productive morning is the one really taking off these days, beloved by the wellness world and the rise-and-grinders alike. The reigning king of the productivity ritual is Andrew Huberman, the controversial Stanford neuroscientist and podcaster whose routine is always being described in vlogs as scientifically perfect.
Hubermans morning routine straddles the thin line between sounding idyllic and torturous, depending on your proclivities. He awakens within an hour of sunrise every day, and then he goes outside for a 10-minute walk (30 minutes if its overcast) for optimum morning light exposure. He drinks electrolytes (for hydration) but abstains from food or caffeine while he performs 90 minutes of deep work (no emails, lots of in-depth research). Then he caffeinates, exercises vigorously, and cold plunges. (Cold showers will work too, he says). He doesnt eat until lunchtime.
At the beginning of the day, the strict capitalist clock demands forward momentum, but the soft animal of the human body wants nothing more than to doze comfortably in bed
This routine is internet catnip. Social media abounds with videos and essays about people following Hubermans routine for a day or a week or a month or a year and documenting the results. In one, the vlogger even tests his testosterone levels before and after his month-long experiment to prove that Hubermans protocols raised his levels. (Its worth noting at this point that not all of Hubermans ideas hold up to scrutiny.)
Hubermans ritual is intense, but the fascination it commands is not uncommon or new. Human beings have always been fascinated by the right way to spend a morning, and how everyone else is (allegedly) doing it. At the beginning of the day, the strict capitalist clock demands forward momentum, but the soft animal of the human body wants nothing more than to doze comfortably in bed. Perhaps because getting up is so difficult, it has become powerfully associated with virtue.
The association is telling. After all, how we spend our mornings determines how we intend to spend our days, and consequently our whole lives. Our aspiration for those sacred early daylight hours gives us a glimpse into what we actually value.
The idea that sleeping late is sinful has deep roots in Western culture. Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius spends much of The Meditations the notes he wrote to himself across his second-century reign, newly popular among tech bro enthusiasts chastising himself for his flaws. Those include having trouble getting out of bed in the morning. In the morning when you rise unwillingly, let this thought be present I am rising to the work of a human being, he instructs himself. While its true that lying in bed is more pleasant, after all, Do you exist then to take your pleasure, and not at all for action and exertion?
Jonathan Edwards, the influential early American theologian, agreed with Aurelius. I think Christ has recommended rising early in the morning, by his rising from the grave very early, he wrote in a diary entry in 1728; he himself got up at 4 am to devote 13 hour days to the study of Christ. When Benjamin Franklin plotted out his ideal schedule in his 1771 autobiography, he recommended waking up at 5 to pray, wash, have breakfast, and plan the day well.
You can see why so many of us have come to believe that mornings are more virtuous than afternoons or evenings and that its more important to spend the morning correctly than any other time of the day. The hours have a strict moral ranking kind of like the old saw that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (which, it turns out, was a myth propagated by cereal lobbyists and religious sects).
Thats more or less the logic behind the never-ending deluge of modern morning routine content, too: You have to optimize your morning, not your afternoon, because the morning is when its essential to (some would say ostentatiously) flex your discipline.
A morning routine is one of the most powerful ways of impacting your long-term success, a blog post for the AI productivity coach Rize explained in 2022. Morning hours are when you have a clean slate and are yet unimpacted by the days events. This means you can pick actions more consciously, deciding what serves you.
Many of us are busy, have a lot of responsibilities and obligations, and often feel strapped for time, admitted the wellness site VeryWell in 2023. Having a great morning routine can make all the difference in being productive, achieving goals, feeling organized, and doing all of this with confidence.
Or, as one Redditor put it, I want to have some productive routines I can follow to give me a reason to be up every morning.
There is some evidence for the idea that the way you spend your morning will influence the rest of your day. A 2024 Stanford Medical School study found that going to bed and rising early is associated with better mental health than going to bed late and rising late. Meanwhile, a 2016 study in Harvard Business Review (HBR) found that customer service representatives who started the day in a good mood usually stayed that way throughout the day, even when they had to deal with terrible customers. (Horrifyingly, the HBR takeaway is that managers should send their employees morale-boosting messages in the morning. Was there ever a surer way to kill a good mood than to hear that Steve in the C-suite wants you to have a terrific morning crushing those numbers?)
But do we really have to optimize the morning to maximize wellness so we can be better at business? Is being scrupulously healthy productivity machines what we actually want?
The routines of famous artists, which get repeated over and over again like little myths, tend not to be focused so much on cheerfulness as on cultivating intense emotional states. As such, they typically involve either monk-like asceticism or the ingestion of many, many stimulants. The idea with this sort of routine was to either discipline yourself into creativity or to evoke it by any chemical means necessary.
In his 2013 book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, Mason Currey reports that author Patricia Highsmith, to make writing as pleasurable as possible, would begin her day writing in bed, supplied by cigarettes, coffee, vodka, donuts, and a saucer of plain sugar. Proust, he says, fueled his own work with opium, coffee, caffeine tablets, and then barbital sedatives to counteract the caffeine.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Currey tells us that the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope would awaken at 5:30 am and knock out three hours of work at his desk before he had to go to his day job at the post office. Beethoven woke at dawn, counted out precisely 60 beans from which to make himself a cup of coffee, and then sat at his desk to work until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, periodically reviving himself with walks outside.
The morning wellness routine is rhetorically positioned as both indulgence and capitalist virtue
Todays most famous morning routines have landed in between the Beethoven and Highsmith camps. They focus heavily on wellness and self-care: the elaborate ritual patting in of skin care, the daily workout that has become as universally mandatory as bathing.
Arianna Huffington, Oprah, Steve Jobs, and Jack Dorsey all do some combination of meditating and gratitude journaling. Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston drink lots of water. Everybody exercises. (No really everyone: Arianna Huffington, Oprah, Jack Dorsey, Tim Armstrong, Karen Blackett, Hans Vestberg, Vittorio Colao, Tim Cook, Barack Obama, Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian, Martha Stewart, Giorgio Armani.)
The morning wellness routine is rhetorically positioned as both indulgence and capitalist virtue. By taking time to tend to your physical body and mental health first thing in the morning, the theory is, you will be able to do more later. That, in fact, is why Andrew Huberman does all that stuff: to optimize his productivity. (Could it be that some of these people are not being 100 percent transparent about their perfectly plotted morning routines? The thought has crossed my mind.)
A lot of times, people say, How can I lift more, focus better, remember things better? Huberman explains in one video. And its like, Well, lets think about the foundation of that. His morning is set up to make him better at lifting, focusing, remembering which is to say, doing work.
Ten years ago, morning routines were also about the rise and grind, but differently so. CEOs would report getting out of bed at 4 am and getting right to their emails. I cant stand having any not done! one CEO told the Guardian of her email routine in 2013. At the time, there was no mention of the wonders of screen-free mornings, the meditation, and the journaling that have become fundamental to todays high-productivity routines.
Perhaps our current moment is what rise and grind looks like a few years after the combined traumas of the Trump era and the pandemic sent everyone in search of new ways to cope, without betraying the capitalist imperative to achieve ever more. White-collar workers spent the better part of two years not allowed to do much of anything besides work and obsess over their health. Now we obsess over our health in order to work more.
Our morning priorities show us what we value. And what we value right now, it seems, is trying to keep our harrowed minds and bodies together, and to still give as much as we can of ourselves to the work our world demands of us. What more can we manage in a single mornings work?
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Why morning routines ranging from meditation to cold plunging are so popular - Vox.com
Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours – Vantage Circle
Posted: at 2:50 am
Employees yearn for appreciation for their hard work. Good leaders understand this and always strive to prioritize, support, and thank their employees for going above and beyond. Thus, to urge all leaders to do the same, we have curated a list of the best employee recognition quotes.
We know that employee recognition doesn't come easy. But, with the right mix of rewards and recognition, you might be able to win half of the battle.
But the question is how? How can you express your gratitude and appreciate your employees, and increase engagement? Nothing, in our opinion, can be more meaningful than some good old words.
Even if you lack the funds for a conventional recognition program, the simple act of praising your coworkers may make a big difference in their happiness and boost their joy to work.
You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on life. ~ Zig Ziglar
It's very inexpensive to give a compliment. ~ Joyce Meyer
Keep your eyes open and try to catch people in your company doing something right, then praise them for it. ~ Tom Hopkins
Feedback is the breakfast of champions. ~ Ken Blanchard
Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment. ~ Bill Walsh
I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way will treat your customers and that people flourish when they are praised. ~ Richard Branson
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle
A brave man acknowledges the strength of others. ~ Veronica Roth
Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They're just more engaged at work. ~ Tom Rath
I think you need to love giving compliments as much as you love receiving them. ~ Yami Gautam
What gets recognized gets reinforced, and what gets reinforced gets repeated. ~ Anonymous
Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated. ~ Robert McNamara
Recognize and affirm people when they contribute to the mission you share. Do this, and you will ignite their purpose and potential. ~ Mike Byam
Take time to appreciate employees, and they will reciprocate in a thousand ways. ~ Bob Nelson
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~ G.K. Chesteron
A culture of gratitude helps people realize how truly fortunate they are and instills a desire to pay that forward. ~ Karl Sun
If you don't create a great, rewarding place for people to work, they won't do great work. ~ Ari Weinzweig
Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person - not just an employee - are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability. ~ Anne M. Mulcahy
The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. ~ Charles Schwab
People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards. ~ Dale Carnegie
Good work requires an appreciation of the value of routine, ordinary, mundane rhythms of doing what needs to be done, each day and each week, thoroughly and with care. ~ Gordon T. Smith
You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins. ~ Jim Stovall
You become strong by lifting others up, not pulling them down. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo
Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. ~ Voltaire
Treat your employees like an investment, not a cost. ~ Dan Sullivan
Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret. ~ Mary Kay Ash
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou
A boss wants to pay for results, an employee wants recognition for effort. If a boss recognizes effort, they will get even better results. ~ Simon Sinek
When an employee truly understands the meaning of his work and gets recognition for his efforts, he performs the best. ~ Abhishek Ratna
A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better. ~ Jim Rohn
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. ~ Michael Jordan.
To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace. ~ Doug Conant
Recognition is not a scarce resource. You can't use it up or run out of it. ~ Susan M. Heathfield
If you do not treat people with the respect they deserve, do not expect any kind of commitment to your productivity goals and target. ~ Ian Fuhr
There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread. ~ Mother Teresa
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotle
Mary Kay knew that when you put people first and then surround them with processes and disciplines that recognize their efforts, performance will soar. ~ David C. Novak
I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers, and that people flourish when they are praised. ~ Sir Richard Branson
Youve got to get your team to not only understand your company brand, but also to understand their personal brand. ~ Amber Hurdle
Realize that employees and the customers both have to be engaged, at the same time, to move your business forward for sustainable success. ~ Robert G. Thompson
In behavioral economic terms, when we offer recognition we are acknowledging that the recipients have met a social ideal. They are behaving in a certain manner because they believe is the right thing to do. If we then recognize that behavior with praise or appreciation, we offer a confirmation that their behavior is desirable, and do so in a manner that recipients find meaningful. ~ Cindy Ventrice
When a manager recognizes an employees behavior, personally and sincerely, both feel proud, gratified, and happy. Theres a human connection that transcends the immediate culture to create a shared bond. The power of this bond is stronger than you might think; indeed, its the power that holds together great organizational cultures. ~ Erik Mosley and Derek Irvine
Correction does much, but encouragement does more. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If people did not compliment one another there would be little society. ~ Luc de Clapiers
What every genuine philosopher (every genuine man, in fact) craves most is praise although the philosophers generally call it recognition! ~ William James
Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing. ~ Arnold H. Glasow
Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. Theyre absolutely free and worth a fortune. ~ Sam Walton
Note how good you feel after you have encouraged someone else. No other argument is necessary to suggest that never miss the opportunity to give encouragement. ~ George Adams
Being told something positive about yourself, whether from someone youre close to, or a passing acquaintance, should really lift the spirits. Just the fact that someone has taken the time to let you know, should have you feeling noticed and appreciated. ~ Paul Bailey
Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. ~ Stephen R. Covey
Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts. ~ Alan Cohen
Also read - 152 Greatest Motivational Quotes for Work We Hand-Picked For You
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. ~ Northrup Christiane
Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy. ~ Jacques Maritain
It is a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation. ~ Roberto Benigni
Feeling gratitude, and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~ William Arthur Ward
Life isnt about getting and having; its about giving and being. ~ Kevin Kruse
Even a brief interaction can change the way people think about themselves, their leaders, and the future. Each of those many connections you make has the potential to become a high point or a low point in someones day. ~ Douglas Conant
Paychecks cant buy passion. ~ Brad Federman
People want to be appreciated, cared for, loved, trusted, and respected. But they also want to be understood, and if you master the skills to achieve that, you truly become exceptional. ~ Joe Navarro
Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy. ~ Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer
Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other. ~ Randy Pausch
Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you. ~ Brian Tracy
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ~ James Allen
The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest. ~ William Blake
If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. ~ W. Clement Stone
Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. ~ Margaret Cousins
I was very pleased with your kind letter. Until now I never dreamed of being something like a hero. But since youve given me the nomination I feel that I am one. ~ Albert Einstein
Thanks will be a worthless word until a person tells it from heart. When a person thanks someone with full heart then the word will be big and worthy word and will have full meaning to the person. Or else it will remain small and valueless word if a person says it just for saying. ~ Salman Aziz
Dont forget, a persons greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. ~ William James
It does not matter who is in your team, what matters is who they will become because of you. ~ Sunday Adelaja
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a mans growth without destroying his roots. ~ Frank A. Clark
Everybody is looking for validation, no matter who you are, and I think that's a need of the human condition - to look for affection or recognition or validation. ~ Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
People want to be understood and respected as individuals. Years ago, an executive editor of mine said, You should count the number of times you praise somebody and then double that. Even the toughest, steeliest writer or editor often really wants to be told, Hey, that was a great piece. Early in my career as a manager, it probably took me a while to realize that everyone wants that. Its just a human need. ~ Cindi Leive
Make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, has meaningful impact and is contributing to the good of the society. ~ Larry Page
People are the most important thing. Business model and product will follow if you have the right people. ~ Adam Neumann
What we need to do is always lean into the future; when the world changes around you and when it changes against you- what used to be your tail wind is now your head wind. You have to lean into that and figure out what to do, because complaining isnt a strategy. ~ Jeff Bezos
Treat your employee right so they wont use your Internet to look for new jobs. ~ Mark Zuckerberg
The way your employees feel is the way your customers feel. And if your employees dont feel valued, neither will your customers. ~ Sybil F. Stershic
Productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager. ~ Peter F. Drucker
If I had to run a company on three measures, those measures would be customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and cash flow. ~ Jack Welch
Every employee can affect your companys brand, not just the frontline employees that are paid to talk to your customers. ~ Tony Hsieh
Motivating employees to work at their full potential is the main premise of successful management. ~ Eraldo Banovac
Good management consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people. ~ John D. Rockefeller
At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies. ~ Lawrence Bossidy
In order to build a rewarding employee experience, you need to understand what matters to your people. ~ Julie Bevacqua
Human resources isnt a thing we do. Its a thing that runs our business. ~ Steve Wynn
Treating employees benevolently shouldnt be viewed as an added cost that cuts into profit, but as a powerful energizer that can grow the enterprise into something far greater than the leader could envision. ~ Howard Schultz
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Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours - Vantage Circle
Bitcoin’s short-term holder realized price hits $64,000, confirming BTC rally – Cointelegraph
Posted: at 2:50 am
The realized price of Bitcoin short-term holders (STHs) is increasing, indicating that BTCs uptrend will continue as the price broke above $70,000 on June 10.
When the price of Bitcoin (BTC) rose from around $68,000 to $70,232 over the last seven days, the realized price of short-term holdersthe average acquisition price for coins moved within the last 155 days and held outside exchange reservesrose by 1.5% over the same time frame, according to James Van Straten, a lead analyst at Cryptoslate.
This group mainly consisted of those who purchased BTC before and after the approval of the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF in January, just before it breached its previous all-time high of $69,000 in March.
Using data from market intelligence firm Glassnode, Van Straten noted that STH realized price has been steadily increasing, nearing $64,000, indicative of Bitcoins uptrend over the last 18 months.
As long as Bitcoin holds above $64,000 for the next few months, the long-term outlook for Bitcoin price will remain bullish as this level acts as a significant support zone.
At the time of publication, BTC is trading at $70,090 and is enjoying robust support on the downside compared to the resistance it faced in its recovery path.
This was corroborated by data from IntoTheBlock, whose In/Out of the Money Around Price (IOMAP) model showed that the immediate support for the price around $69,000 was where approximately 1.3 million were previously bought by more than 2.22 million addresses.
Any attempts to pull the price lower may be met by aggressive buying from this cohort of investors who would like to increase their profits.
Related: BTC price settles at $69K after dip wipes $1.3B Bitcoin open interest
Additional data from CryptoQuant reveals a spike in Taker Buy Sell Ratio on the HTX crypto exchange.
The Taker Buy Sell Ratio is a key metric used by traders to gauge market sentiment and potential price movements. A ratio above one suggests more takers are buying than selling, indicating bullish sentiment, while a ratio below one suggests the opposite.
Independent trader Ali Martinez observed that this ratio had spiked to 730, a rare occurrence signaling exceptionally strong buy-side pressure on the HTX exchange.
Generally, the spike in the Taker Buy Sell Ratio suggests that a significant number of investors are currently buying Bitcoin in anticipation of further price increases. This surge in buying activity often precedes notable price jumps.
In another X post, Martinez observed a spike in the number of daily active addresses on the Bitcoin network, breaking a downtrend that started on March 5! He shared a chart from Santiment showing that 765,480 more addresses were active on the Bitcoin blockchain over the last 24 hours.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
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Bitcoin's short-term holder realized price hits $64,000, confirming BTC rally - Cointelegraph
Semler Scientific now holds 828 Bitcoin and has $150M plan to buy more – Cointelegraph
Posted: at 2:50 am
Nasdaq-listed medical manufacturer Semler Scientific which made headlines last month for adding Bitcoin (BTC) to its treasury has bought another $17 million worth of the asset and may raise up to $150 million to buy more.
The firms latest Bitcoin purchase was revealed in an S-3 filing to the United States securities regulator on June 6. After making its first 581 Bitcoin purchase on May 28, it now holds 828 Bitcoin, worth over $58.5 million.
Semler isnt wasting too much time, either. It announced that it can raise an additional $150 million of debt securities, with a portion of the proceeds used to buy more Bitcoin.
We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus primarily for general corporate purposes, including the acquisition of bitcoin, the firm wrote.
In a June 6 statement, the firms CEO, Doug Murphy-Chutorian, said Semlers Bitcoin investment strategy has become the firms other top-line priority alongside its healthcare business.
Bitcoin, now Semslers primary treasury reserve asset, can serve as a reasonable inflation hedge and safe haven amid global instability, the firm said in its SEC filing.
We also believe that its digital, architectural resilience makes it preferable to gold, which has a market value that greatly exceeds the market value of bitcoin, Semler said. Given the gap in value between gold and bitcoin, we believe that bitcoin has the potential to generate outsize returns as it gains increasing acceptance as digital gold.
The firm iterated that it has no plans to purchase cryptocurrency assets other than bitcoin.
Semlers (SMLR) stock spiked 30% on news of its May 28 purchase. However, it wasnt able to pop this time around, falling 2.5% to $29.13 on June 6, Google Finance data shows.
Related: Billionaire investor Bill Miller puts 50% of net worth in Bitcoin
Japan-based investment firm Metaplanet is another firm that has followed MicroStrategys Bitcoin playbook.
It first bought $6.5 million of Bitcoin on April 8 and has bought multiple purchases since, totaling 117.7 Bitcoin or $8.3 million at current prices.
Metaplanets last Bitcoin purchase on May 22 contributed to its being the best-performing stock on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for two consecutive days.
Magazine: How to protect your crypto in a volatile market Bitcoin OGs and experts weigh in
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Semler Scientific now holds 828 Bitcoin and has $150M plan to buy more - Cointelegraph
Bitcoin network transaction fees temporarily soar to nearly $52 – Cointelegraph
Posted: at 2:49 am
The Bitcoin network is currently experiencing a sharp increase in network fees driven by 332,000 unconfirmed transactions as of 12:05 pm Eastern Time on June 7.
Network fees at the time hit 514 sats for high-priority transactions and 513 sats for low-priority transactions, with prices climbing to around 520 sats per transaction earlier in the day. In United States dollars, this represents $50$52 in fees per transaction. Priority fees have since dropped to around $46 per transaction.
According to blockchain reporter Colin Wu, the 332,000 unconfirmed transactions are suspected to be the result of centralized exchange OKX collecting and sorting through wallets, though this wasnt confirmed by the time of publication.
Concerns surrounding miner difficulty, high network fees and miner profitability on the Bitcoin network have come into sharper focus post-halving.
The slashing of the block reward from 6.25 Bitcoin (BTC) to 3.125 BTC at the end of April has significantly impacted miner profits.
Bitfarms reported a 42% drop in mining revenue for the month of May the first full month since the latest halving event. The Bitcoin mining company disclosed in its end-of-month report that 156 BTC was earned in the month of May compared to 269 BTC in April.
The Bitcoin miner also explained that temperatures in its Argentina facility were unusually low in May recording some of the worst weather conditions in 44 years. These poor weather conditions caused the companys Rio Cuarto facility to shut down for eight days, contributing to a drop in the total number of Bitcoin mined.
Related: Can Bitcoin close above $70K amid strong labor market?
Since the start of 2024, Bitcoin miners in the U.S. have spent a total of $2.7 billion on electricitydespite rising computing difficulty and lower rewards.
According to analyst Paul Hoffman, Since the start of 2024, Bitcoin mining in the U.S. has consumed an enormous 20,822.62 GWh of electric power. The analyst added that the amount of energy used by Bitcoin miners since the start of 2024 alone could power 1.5% of U.S. households for an entire year.
In April, it took an average of $52,000 to mine a single Bitcoin. Following the halving event, the cost to mine a single Bitcoin has more than doubled to an average of $110,000.
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Bitcoin network transaction fees temporarily soar to nearly $52 - Cointelegraph
Forget Bitcoin: 3 Cryptocurrencies to Consider Instead – Yahoo Finance
Posted: at 2:49 am
While Bitcoin arguably remains one of the best cryptocurrencies to buy and hold for the long term, it's hard to ignore the fact that the oldest name in crypto hasn't done much of anything recently. Bitcoin has largely been trading sideways for the past two months, and is not showing many signs of going full beast mode anytime soon.
With that in mind, it could be time to forget about Bitcoin for a little while and find other cryptocurrencies that have strong catalysts in place right now. The three cryptocurrencies that are on my radar right now are Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), Fetch.ai (CRYPTO: FET), and Chainlink (CRYPTO: LINK).
The obvious non-Bitcoin pick right now is Ethereum, and that has everything to do with the SEC's recent pre-approval of new spot Ethereum ETFs. Once these ETFs start trading, perhaps as early as this summer, they could lead to a massive influx of new investor money into Ethereum, and that could push up its price for the foreseeable future. The current thinking from JPMorgan Chaseis that these ETFs could see an influx of $3 billion in 2024.
We saw the same pattern with Bitcoin as soon as the new spot Bitcoin ETFs started trading. Massive new inflows led to Bitcoin hitting a new all-time high of $73,750 in March before settling into its current trading range. So could we see the same thing with Ethereum, which is just 22% below its all-time high of $4,891? Ethereum super-bulls are already projecting that the ETF investment narrative could be enough to send this crypto soaring past $5,000.
If we're really going to forget about Bitcoin, then we need to find a crypto alternative with truly stratospheric upside. That alternative is Fetch.ai, which is currently one of the hottest AI crypto tokens in the world right now. For the year, Fetch.ai is up a blistering 195%, and the upward trajectory could continue as long as investors are interested in everything AI-related.
What makes Fetch.ai particularly interesting right now is that it is becoming part of a new "AI super-alliance" featuring two other popular AI crypto tokens: SingularityNET (CRYPTO: AGIX) and Ocean Protocol (CRYPTO: OCEAN). Starting on June 11, Fetch.ai will be rebranded as the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) token, and FET tokens will be converted into new ASI tokens on a 1:1 basis.
From my perspective, the creation of a new "super-token" makes the task of investing in AI crypto tokens much more appealing, because you're essentially getting three tokens for the price of one. Fetch.ai will become an integrated AI crypto token that combines the resources and intellectual property of three distinct AI projects. If you combine the market caps of these three tokens right now, it would give you a value of nearly $3.5 billion, good enough to rank among the Top 30 cryptos in terms of market cap.
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Finally, there's Chainlink. Long-time crypto investors probably remember this so-called oracle coin from the previous crypto bull market cycle, when it absolutely exploded in value. Back then, the investment thesis was all about decentralized finance (DeFi), and how Chainlink was becoming an integral part of this exciting new blockchain niche.
Fast forward to 2024, and the new investment thesis for Chainlink is all about real-world asset tokenization. Often referred to as just RWA tokenization, this describes the process of transforming real-world assets (such as stocks and bonds) into digital assets that can be traded on a blockchain.
RWA tokenization is one of the hottest topics on Wall Street right now, and one of the pet projects of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. As BlackRock CEO Larry Fink sees it, real-world asset tokenization could be the next big step after the introduction of spot Bitcoin ETFs.
So it's definitely worth trying to understand how this powerful new trend could revolutionize Wall Street. According to a growing number of experts, Chainlink could play a very important role in how this trend develops. For example, its new CCIP (Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol) platform was specifically designed with the transfer of tokenized assets across blockchains in mind. In September 2023, a test case involving ANZ Bank in Australia showed how this could be done using stablecoins.
So there you have it: Three big trends, and three cryptos that could be well-positioned to benefit from those trends. While it's close to impossible to forget about Bitcoin (which should be part of your crypto portfolio if it is not already), these three cryptos arguably have much stronger tailwinds heading into the second half of 2024. Adding a light sprinkling of these cryptos to your overall portfolio could be the key to supercharging your returns for the year.
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Forget Bitcoin: 3 Cryptocurrencies to Consider Instead was originally published by The Motley Fool
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Forget Bitcoin: 3 Cryptocurrencies to Consider Instead - Yahoo Finance
Fitness expert critiques Zac Efron’s exercise routine – and gives his verdict on the star’s ‘organic only’ die – Daily Mail
Posted: June 2, 2024 at 2:46 am
By Emily Joshu Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com 22:38 29 May 2024, updated 12:20 30 May 2024
An exercise expert has slammedZac Efron's workout and diet routine, calling several of his signature moves 'a waste of time.'
Podcast host Dr Mike Israetel, a professor of exercise and sport science at Leman College in New York City, posted a video in March where he examined Efron's routine that has jacked him up for movies like Baywatch and The Iron Claw.
In the video, which has more than 1.1million views, Dr Israetel praised Efron's physique as 'lean,' and said the star was 'in great shape.'
'Most of what's in here is pretty good,' he added.
However, he criticized the trainer Efron worked with for his 2017 Baywatch film Patrick Murphy, who has worked with the likes ofKeanu Reeves, Aubrey Plaza, and Cameron Diaz, for giving the High School Musical alum shoulder exercises that 'do almost nothing.'
Additionally, he criticized the 36-year-old actor for claiming he only eats organic food and suggesting that all processed foods are unhealthy.
Dr Israetel's video was a reaction to an interview Efron did with Men's Health, in which the actor said he worked out the hardest for his role in the remake of Baywatch.
Looking at a clip from the film, Dr Israetel said: 'First of all, he's in shape. He's lean. You can see some of the serratus muscles, the ribs separated. You're in good f****** shape.'
The serratus anterior is a fan-shaped muscle that attaches the shoulder blade to the rib cage.
'Another trick to see who's lean or not, his face is really sunken in, not a lot of fat face. This is already very good because when you're lean, some s*** you're doing has to be working, I think,' Dr Israetel said.
In the original interview, trainer Murphy claims he gave Efron 'one of the most dynamic programs I've put together' to 'get him in the best shape of my life.'
EMAIL: health@dailymail.com
He said: 'When I had to get Zac in the best shape of his life, I decided to introduce the super setting workouts, and what that entailed was two exercises followed back to back without rest.
'This created an elevated heart rate, which maxed calorie burning. This created muscle efficiency, high muscular endurance, and I created an unstoppable machine'
Dr Israetel admitted that while super setting 'is a good idea' that 'burns a ton of calories and gets the person sweating and really excited about working out,' he criticized the use of several of the specific moves.
These included external rotations, which involves flexing the elbow at a 90-degree angle so the hand moves away from the body.
'External rotations do almost nothing,' he said.'Unless you have some kind of problem in your shoulders, you can just start warming up for whatever exercise you're actually going to load that day first.'
He also noted this move should be saved for people with past shoulder issues or other similar issues, otherwise 'it's a f****** waste of your time.'
Another move involved standing on one leg and performing lateral raises, lifting your arms forward in front of you while holding weights.
'That's f****** stupid unless you have brittle ankles and you can't move them and you need stabilization training, which is true for almost no one,' Dr Israetel said.
He added: 'Standing on one leg and doing lateral raises only reduces the activation to your side delts because stability is the number one promoter of muscle activation.
'As soon as you move some amount of stability, some amount of muscle activation goes down, and it's usually the biggest, most growth-prone parts of the muscle that lose activation.
'So this standing on one leg nonsense is exactly that: nonsense. Otherwise, this technique on lateral raises is just fine.'
Dr Israetel's video also examined Efron's diet, which the actor said includes 'intermittent fasting mixed with getting enough nutrition to sustain me throughout the day.'
The expert noted while this 'works fine,' he would instead recommend eating three to five high-protein meals throughout the day, as protein is essential for muscle growth and repair.
His main dietary criticism was about Efron saying he avoids processed food and only eats organic.
In addition to calling organic a 'nonsense term' that 'means nothing at all,' Dr Israetel argued that several healthy foods have some degree of processing, including whey and casein protein, which are popular among fitness buffs.
He said: 'These are insanely good for you and all those little herbs and mushrooms you take as pills, that's great for you too, but that is insanely processed.
'Most of the time, having minimally processed foods is a good idea, but that's not always the case, and it sure as s*** has nothing to do with organic, which is a waste of money and a f****** scam.'
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Fitness expert critiques Zac Efron's exercise routine - and gives his verdict on the star's 'organic only' die - Daily Mail
I’ve lost 85 pounds over the last 2 years. It’s stayed off because of my slow and steady approach. – Yahoo Singapore News
Posted: at 2:46 am
Mark Slaughter described himself as a"lean, mean machine" until he hit his 30s.
The 55-year-old overfilled his plate, didn't exercise, and ended up weighing around 310 pounds.
He slowly but surely lost 85 pounds over two years at a rate of about three pounds a month.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mark Slaughter. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I've lost 85 pounds and don't think I'll ever regain that weight.
It has much to do with permanently changing my approach to food and exercise. I ensured I lost weight slowly but surely often around three pounds a month. I feel great.
I was always pretty slim as a teen and young adult. Basketball was my favorite sport, and I played it every day. I'm 6ft 3in tall. I called myself a "lean, mean machine."
Then, as I got older and married, I became complacent. I stopped exercising in my early 40s, working nights as a server at an upscale restaurant. My shift was usually from 4 p.m. to midnight. I'd grab a big lunch before work and then snack on tortilla chips and salsa when I got home.
I'd often eat good quality food like steak a lot of cheeseburgers and pizza as well. I wasn't discriminating.
Meanwhile, my wife would make something amazing like pasta with sauted vegetables for me and our three sons. I wouldn't stop at one plate. I'd go back for a second and third round.
I ate like it was Thanksgiving every day. I'd feel bad after a meal because I'd consumed so much.
The turning point came about two years ago. I looked at a photograph of myself with the stand-up comedian Jeff Ross, known as the "Roast Master General." We'd been to see him at a comedy club in my hometown of Dallas.
He's not the smallest of people, but I towered over him like a giant. I usually angled myself in photos so you couldn't see how big I was, but this time, there was no disguising my size.
I weighed myself, and I was 307 pounds. Things had to change. Within a few days, I signed up for the Life Time gym and started doing cardio and weight training. These days, I go there three or four times a week.
For my diet, I trained myself not to eat to fullness and slowed down when I was eating. When you slow down, you start realizing, "OK, I've had enough now."
I don't deny myself anything, but my portions are smaller. I don't believe in dieting all week and then giving yourself the reward of a big meal at the weekend. It's about moderation and consistency.
Intermittent fasting worked for me, too. I'm now a high school teacher, and my lunch is early: 11 a.m. I rarely eat before then or after 7 p.m.
Although I lost more when I started out, I gradually lost around three pounds a month. I was more like the tortoise than the hare, and I didn't yo-yo as a result. By cutting back on food and exercising, I went down to just over 220 pounds.
It's a slow change. But I went from a size 46 waist to a 34 and don't wear 3X T-shirts anymore. I can move about my day more easily. I can cross my legs in a different way than I ever could. I could comfortably fit in a plane seat. I can skip stairs when I'm walking. I'm sleeping much better for seven-and-a-half hours straight.
But, honestly, I don't worry too much if I pick up a couple of pounds here and there. You have to give yourself grace.
Do you have an interesting story about weight loss that you'd like to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Research Shows The Time Of Day You Exercise May Actually Affect Fitness Results – mindbodygreen
Posted: at 2:45 am
mbg Associate Food & Health Editor
mbg Associate Food & Health Editor
Merrell Readman is the Associate Food & Health Editor at mindbodygreen. Readman is a Fordham University graduate with a degree in journalism and a minor in film and television. She has covered beauty, health, and well-being throughout her editorial career.
Image by BONNINSTUDIO / Stocksy
May 27, 2024
Fitting exercise into a hectic schedule usually means finding any free moment to get your workout done, no matter the hour.
While it's clear that any exercise is beneficial for your health, studies1 suggest that aligning your workout timing with your specific fitness objectives can enhance your results.
In order to determine the benefit of fitting training into certain times of the day, one small study took 27 active women and 20 men and measured their fitness progress over the course of 12 weeks.
Participants began at the same baseline fitness level, and the study monitored various measures of strength progress, abdominal fat loss, and other health markers.
The researchers ensured that participants also followed a similar macronutrient-dense diet.
In this study of active people, female participants who completed their strength training in the morning (6 to 8 a.m.) displayed not only improvements in lower-body power in exercises such as jump squats but also a significant reduction in total and abdominal fat.
"It's important to highlight these favorable body composition changes occurred in the absence of changes in body weight," the study specified.
As for evening workouts (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.), female participants in this group were found to have better success in increasing upper-body strength, power, and endurance.
In terms of body composition, women who exercised in the evening still experienced a reduction in total body fat but less significantly than their morning workout counterparts.
Instead, they were found to have better success with overall muscle growth, which can be useful to take into consideration when looking at fitness goals. "Exercise in the evening may provide improvements in upper body muscular performance, and possibly mood enhancement," the study authors note.
As for men, those who exercised in the evening experienced the same change in body composition as the a.m. fitness group, but working out in the evening offered a more significant reduction in blood pressure.
Outside of exercise and a balanced diet, including probiotics within your routine may be beneficial for improving digestion time and supporting the maintenance of a healthy weight. In fact, mbg's probiotic+ contains several key strains used to ease bloating and promote gut health while reducing abdominal fat mass.*
For example, the targeted probiotic strain Bifidobacterium lactis B420 is clinically shown2 to combat stubborn belly fat and reduce waist circumference, making it a valuable addition to your wellness routine in combination with a healthy diet and exercise.*
One probiotic+ user, Adrienne B., shares, "I'm on my third bottle and will be making this a forever supplement. My digestion seems improved, and my stomach looks flatter. Very effective overall."*
Naturally, it's still vital to maintain the other aspects of a healthy lifestyle, but this can help give your gut and body a little extra support.
It should come as no surprise that women and men react differently to exercise, but this study reveals exactly how much gender and the time at which you work out can play into body composition, strength gains, and overall fitness improvements.
Separate from even your diet and the workouts you're doing, catering your exercise time to specific goals can allow you to create a more targeted approach to fitness (and even boost your mood, in the case of evening workouts!)
At the end of the day, what really matters is that you're taking the time to work out and prioritize moving your body whenever works best for you. But if you want to get granular, looking at the time you're exercising may play a role.
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Research Shows The Time Of Day You Exercise May Actually Affect Fitness Results - mindbodygreen
ICMR recommends women who dont exercise to follow these specific guidelines – The Indian Express
Posted: at 2:45 am
Maintaining a balanced lifestyle can be a challenge, especially for women juggling multiple responsibilities. While regular exercise is widely recognised as a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle, not everyone has the time or ability to engage in physical activity consistently.
Recognising this reality, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in its latest dietary guidelines has released a detailed dietary chart for women who do not or are unable to exercise regularly.
Dr Vinutha G, senior consultant gynecologist and women health expert at Athreya Super Specialty Hospital elaborates on this. When it comes to nutrition for women who arent getting regular exercise, the ICMR guidelines provide some essential advice.
If youre not very active, paying attention to what and how much you eat becomes even more crucial. The ICMR suggests focusing on portion control to avoid overeating. Make vegetables a big part of your mealstheyre low in calories but packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Think of ways to cook them that keep them tasty but healthy, like roasting or steaming with minimal oil, explains Dr Vinutha.
Lean proteins are also essential, she states. Go for options like skinless chicken, lean cuts of meat, and fish. These provide the needed nutrients without too many extra calories or unhealthy fats. Also, keep an eye on your drink choices. Water, herbal teas, and unsweetened beverages are best. Sugary drinks can sneak in a lot of extra calories without you even noticing.
Dr Vinutha says, Women who dont exercise regularly need fewer calories than those who are more active. This doesnt mean you should eat less food overall, but rather that you should eat foods that are rich in nutrients, not in calories. High-fibre foods are particularly helpful because they aid digestion and keep you feeling full longer, which helps control your calorie intake.
Balancing your intake of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates remains important. However, with a sedentary lifestyle, she asserts one should also place a greater emphasis on getting enough vitamins and minerals to support your overall health.
The guidelines provide clear strategies to help maintain a healthy weight and metabolism for those with a sedentary lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet, according to Dr Vinutha, that includes plenty of whole grains, lean proteins, and lots of vegetables and fruits is key. Regular meals can help you avoid the temptation of unhealthy snacking. Staying well-hydrated supports your metabolism and overall health.
Processed foods, especially those high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, should be limited. These can contribute to weight gain and metabolic problems, which are harder to manage when youre not physically active, she recommends.
Here are some practical tips to keep your diet on track according to the ICMR guidelines, Dr Vinutha mentions:
Colourful Vegetables: Fill your plate with a variety of vegetables. Theyre low in calories but high in important nutrients.
Whole Grains: Swap out refined grains for whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat, and millets. They provide energy and fibre.
Lean Protein Sources: Include beans, lentils, skinless poultry, and fish in your diet. These help maintain muscle mass without adding unnecessary fats.
Healthy Snacking: Choose nuts, seeds, plain yogurt, or fruit instead of high calorie, low-nutrient snacks.
Mindful Eating: Be aware of your portion sizes and try to limit your intake of sugary drinks and processed foods.
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ICMR recommends women who dont exercise to follow these specific guidelines - The Indian Express