Posts Tagged ‘education’
Eat On Exam Day
Monday, November 9th, 2009Healthy eating is probably the last thing on the minds of the more than 200,000 school students preparing for exams this month. But according to Australia’s leading nutrition organisation, eating the right food is one of the keys to exam success.
Clare Evangelista, Spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) said eating a balanced diet can help improve concentration.
‘What we eat has a big impact on mental performance, so we need to give our brain the right fuel to help it perform at its peak. Eating energy bars, lollies and chocolates will give students a short-term spike in energy, but this doesn’t last,’ said Ms Evangelista, an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
Clare has these top five tips for improving energy and concentration levels on exam day:
Eat breakfast – Stick with familiar foods and serve sizes on the morning of an exam as this is not the time to try anything new. Breakfast provides your brain with carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Try: – A bowl of cereal with reduced-fat milk, topped with chopped fruit and a sprinkle of almonds – Wholegrain or wholemeal toast with reduced-fat cheese and tomato, and a small fruit juice.
Eat regularly throughout the day – Eating energy-sustaining foods at meals and snacks will help to fuel the brain, maintain energy levels, and avoid dips in concentration. Try: – Sandwich, roll or wrap filled with salad vegetables, reduced-fat cheese, lean meat or tinned tuna – Fruit smoothies made with reduced-fat milk and/or yoghurt – Fruit (fresh, tinned or dried) or fruit and nut snack packs – Crackers with tomato and reduced-fat cheese, toast and spreads, fruit bread, cereal with reduced-fat milk.
Drink plenty of water – This will hydrate your body, help reduce fatigue and help your brain work. If possible, take a water bottle in to the exam with you.
Limit excess caffeine – Limit coffee, caffeinated soft drinks or guarana-containing drinks. Caffeine can act as a mild stimulant, boosting alertness and staving off fatigue, but too much can make you feel nervous and restless, and may affect how well you sleep.
Exercise – Schedule in some physical activity before or in between exams. Exercise can help reduce stress, clear your mind and improve sleep patterns.
The Best Areas to Visit in Manhattan
Sunday, November 8th, 2009I’m a native New Yorker, and I never plan to leave this city. Having grown up outside of Manhattan, I was lucky enough to move into this borough a few years ago, and I’ve really enjoyed my time spent here.
I’ve lived in a few neighborhoods throughout the city, and I plan on spending time in more as time allows me to. My favorite thing about Manhattan is that you could relocate by something as small as ten blocks, and you’ll be in a completely different world.
I try to get to each corner of the city as often as possible, but I still find myself yearning for more free time. There are literally tens of thousands of restaurants and bars.
This article is going to hone in on some of my favorite neighborhoods in this great city. While all of them are great, here are the ones that I enjoy most.
The first neighborhood that I’d like to bring up is the East Village. This area is home to some of my favorite restaurants and bars in the city.
Catered to a younger crowd (think 20s and 30s), there are so many different styles of food, bars, lounges, and clothing shopping, all immersed in one area no bigger than a square mile at most. The East Village morphs into the Lower East Side as you go down, and the areas are very similar.
If you want to try something a bit more subdued, the West Village is very similar in terms of its offerings, but a little more laid back. The tree lined blocks here add a lot of character to the neighborhood, and it’s one of the city’s most scenic areas.
If you prefer something a bit less Bohemian and more scenic, have a look at the Upper West Side. With Central Park in the backdrop, this is an excellent blend of nature, combined with the rest of what you’d come to expect in traditional Manhattan.
As you can see, there’s so much to do in this great city. What’s scary is that I’ve only mentioned a few of the many wonderful places to choose from.
Truths Every Health Freak Needs To Hear
Sunday, November 8th, 2009Every once in a while you just have to vent. I had to get the following off my chest;
You can’t spot reduce. If you could, people who chewed gum would have skinny faces and Jillian Michaels wouldn’t have “kankles”.
Stop telling us that all fat isn’t bad like you just discovered penicillin. Calories matter: They always have, they still do and they always will. Creatine is still the best performance supplement on the market. The “next creatine” is still creatine.
Dear gym guy: Please stop doing the following; Bicep curls in the squat rack Any exercise other than the bench press on the bench press Resting for 8 minutes between sets and not letting others “work in” Leaving your weights all over the floor The “secret” to fat loss is good nutrition and hard work. That’s it.
Don’t ask me about intermittent fasting, macro-patterning, cyclical ketogenic diets or meal replacements if you aren’t eating enough vegetables. Learn to prioritize if you can do 45 hard minutes on the elliptical while still easily belting out every song on your iPod but crumple under the weight of mauve-colored dumbbells – focus more on weight.
If you can bench press 350lbs (or could in high school) but can’t walk up a flight of stairs without coughing up radial snow tires – mix in a bike ride or a hike in place of your 4th “chest day” of the week.
If you can put your knees in your ears – quit stretching and build some strength and stability. If you are “bench press guy” from above and have posture that would make Quasimodo cringe, add some mobility and postural work. (Sorry to pick on bench press guy again but) if you can bench press small buildings but can’t deadlift your birth weight – try deadlifting. You won’t likely be able to out-exercise a poor diet.
If you are losing weight by diet alone – you will look like a different kind of crap. Your way isn’t the “best way” it just may be the best way for you. You can live a very healthy life eating both vegetarian and Atkins and most things in between provided you are eating healthy, mostly un/minimally processed foods that provide adequate nutrients.
The most likely reason you aren’t getting results: Trying to “fix” something that requires a lifestyle makeover that starts with changing habits. Have a beef about health trends? Rant away!
Why To Eat Nuts
Saturday, November 7th, 2009Nuts are tasty, loaded with good fat, protein, fiber, nutrients and phytochemicals that are heart healthy and potentially good for the waistline. Barring allergies, there aren’t many reasons not to include nuts in your diet. Let’s take a look at some interesting studies, tips and tidbits about nuts.
Nuts and the Heart
A study of 31000 Seventh Day Adventists that ate nuts more than 4 times per week were half as likely to die of a heart attack than those who ate nuts less than once a week. The Iowa Women’s Health Study came to a similar conclusion: Women who ate nuts or seeds 4 times per week were 40% less likely to die from heart disease than similar women who didn’t eat nuts. The Nurses’ Health Study showed that those who ate at least 140g/week of nuts were 35% less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease than those who ate less than 30g/month. Nuts and Weight
Most studies have shown that adding nuts to the diet does not cause people to gain much weight, if any at all. As an example, researchers gave participants 45-70g of almonds every day (320 calories worth) and gave them no further instructions about food intake. After 6 months, participants gained a very miniscule amount of weight (.2 lbs in women, 1.4 lbs in men). This study was funded by the almond industry.
There aren’t many studies that show nut consumption to help people lose weight, but one study showed that a low calorie diet that included almonds led to greater weight loss than an equal calorie diet that did not include almonds.
The Seventh Day Adventist and Nurses Health Study showed that those who regularly ate nuts weighed less than those who did not.
The Best Nuts
Are some nuts better than others when it comes to health benefits? All nuts contain good fats, fiber and proteins, but different kinds of nuts have different nutrient profiles.
Almonds are richest in vitamin E (35% recommended daily intake) and calcium (8%) per 1 oz. (30g) serving. Brazil nuts are highest in selenium with just 1 supplying a days worth. Cashews are richest in copper and zinc Peanuts (technically a legume) contain the antioxidant resveratrol, and are highest in protein and arginine content Walnuts have the most alpha linolenic acids (plant-based omega-3’s) How much?
Nuts are healthy but are a dense source of calories. 1oz/30g of nuts supply about 170-180 calories. Here is a chart that shows how many nuts are in 30g.
Number of Nuts in 30 grams (1oz)
Almonds: 20-24 Brazil nuts: 6-8 Pecans: 18-20 (halves) Cashews: 16-18 Pine Nuts: 150-157 Pistachios: 45-47 Walnuts: 8-11 Hazelnuts: 18-20
Severe Liver Disease In Offspring
Saturday, November 7th, 2009Scientists have discovered a previously unknown link between a mother’s diet in pregnancy and a severe form of liver disease in her child.
In a study, published in the journal Hepatology, researchers at the University of Southampton found that a high fat diet during a woman’s pregnancy makes her offspring more likely to develop a severe form of fatty liver disease when they reach adulthood. The findings are another piece in the jigsaw for scientists who believe diets containing too high levels of saturated fat may have an adverse effect on our health.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition associated with obesity and caused by the build up of fat in the liver. The condition advances in some people and it is important to understand the factors that contribute to disease progression. Until recently, NAFLD was considered rare and relatively harmless but now it is one of the most common forms of liver disease that may progress to cirrhosis a serious life threatening chronic liver disease.
Professor Christopher Byrne, with colleagues Dr Felino Cagampang and Dr Kim Bruce, of the University’s School of Medicine and researchers at King’s College London, conducted the study, funded by the BBSRC. Prof Byrne explained: “This research shows that too much saturated fat in a mother’s diet can affect the developing liver of a fetus, making it more susceptible to developing fatty liver disease later in life. An unhealthy saturated fat-enriched diet in the child and young adult compounds the problem further causing a severe form of the fatty liver disease later in adult life.”
The next stage of this research, also funded by the BBSRC, will be to understand, more precisely, the reason why fatty liver disease develops and to intervene to prevent the fatty liver disease occurring.
The University’s School of Medicine has a worldwide reputation for its pioneering research into the relationship between mothers’ diets in pregnancy and future health problems in their offspring.
Coca-Cola vs Pepsi: Who Wins in Taste Tests?
Friday, November 6th, 2009For nearly a century now, people have gone back and forth about Coke and Pepsi, each side of the debate claiming that their brand is the better of the two. Much of it comes down to a matter of opinion in the end, but we can still look at public opinions.
Let’s take a look at four of the more popular types of soda and see who wins the debate in the most recent of taste tests and surveys. Are your favorites their favorites too?
This is based on a collection of surveys as opposed to just one, so while there’s no scientific method behind my findings, you can still take these with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your personal opinion anyway.
Coke vs. Pepsi. This is the big one, as each main cola is the top seller for the respective brand. Maybe it’s their marketing budget, their history, or their worldwide appeal, but the taste of Coke wins out marginally over Pepsi. Some find Pepsi to taste too sweet.
Diet Coke vs. Diet Pepsi. A huge portion of the population prefers these diet drinks over the regular kinds, as they contain no calories and are therefore more conducive to people on diets. In this test, Diet Pepsi wins out. People state that the diet version of Pepsi simply tastes more like the real thing than Diet Coke does.
Sprite vs. Sierra Mist. There’s 7up on Pepsi’s end too, but it looks like Sierra Mist has been pushed harder in recent years. While Sprite enjoys higher sales (probably due to more recognition and a longer track record), people have preferred Sierra Mist in blind taste tests.
Cherry Coke vs. Wild Cherry Pepsi. People were very divided on this issue, though most preferred the taste of fountain Cherry Coke to fountain Wild Cherry Pepsi. This aside, Wild Cherry Pepsi marginally won out in taste tests.
That wraps up my findings. I hope you enjoyed them!
Ways To Lower Anxiety
Friday, November 6th, 2009Skimming through Real Simple magazine at the check out line of the supermarket, I came across Dr. Robert Leahy’s “10 Ways to Cope with Anxiety.” Dr. Leahy is the director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy and the author of many books on the subject. His suggestions will help you calm your nerves:
1) Repeat your worry until you’re bored silly.
“take the troublesome thought that’s nagging at you and say it over and over, silently, slowly, for 20 minutes. It’s hard to keep your mind on a worry if you repeat it that many times.”
Dr. Leahy calls this technique “the boredom cure. “Behavioral scientists call it ‘flooding’. I’m not so keen about this technique for my extremely anxious patients who are having trouble regulating their thoughts and emotions. If your anxiety is on the milder side, however, and you have the courage to do this, I recommend you think about your worries while practicing relaxation techniques to keep your body as calm as possible.
2) Make it worse.
“When you try too hard to control your anxieties, you only heighten them. Instead exaggerate them and see what happens.”
This is a good one. When I suggest it to my patients I call it the ‘Bring it on’ technique or ‘Fake it ’til you make it’. By inviting what scares you, you learn on your time that you can survive your fears instead of waiting to be bushwhacked by them.
Sports psychologists use this all the time. When I was terrified my horse would shy and dump me on the ground, my coach told me to stop trying to keep my mare from bolting. Instead she told me expect her to shy, to look forward to it. That attitude helped me relax and so did the horse.
3) Don’t fight the craziness.
“You mayhave thoughts that lead you to think you’ll do something terribleor that you’re going insane Remember – our minds are creativeevery now and then ‘crazy’ thoughts jump out. Everyone has them.”
In the weeks after my first child was born, when I was exhausted, sleep deprived and in the grips of baby blues, I had thoughts of throwing my screaming baby out the window. Those thoughts terrified me. Tearfully, I confessed my horrible thoughts to my mother who shrugged and said, “We all think something like that at some time. You didn’t act on it, did you?” She assured me I wasn’t crazy. I could relax.
My patients are sometimes surprised when I suggest they allow themselves to imagine doing something outrageous like throwing a banana cream pie at their nasty boss’s puss. Unleashing our creative minds may be just what we need to de-stress.
4) Recognize false alarms.
“Many thoughts and sensations that we interpret as cues for concern-even panic-are just background noise. Think of each of them [rapid heart beat, tensing of muscles] as a fire engine going to another place.”
5) Turn your anxiety into a movie.
“..imagine that your anxious thoughts are a show while you sit in the audience, eating popcorn, a calm observer.”
This is a good way to exercise ‘detachment,’ stepping outside of the anxiety just enough to keep your thinking brain working. Another technique I suggest is to imagine the worry happening to a friend, not you. Then imagine talking to your friend. What would you say to them? How can you be supportive?
6) Set aside worry time.
“Try setting aside 20 minutes everyday-let’s say 4:30 PM-just for your worries. If you are fretting at 10 AM, jot down the reason and resolve to think about it later. By the time 4:30 comes around, many of your troubles won’t even matter anymore.”
7) Take your hand off the horn.
“When you desperately try to take command of things that can’t be controlled, you’re more like the swimmer who panics and slaps the water screaming Instead, imagine that you are floating along on the water with your arms spread outIt’s a paradox, but when you surrender to the moment, you actually feel far more in control.”
Breathe it out.
“Focusing on breathing is a common but effective technique for calming the nerves.”
This a classic, oldy, but goody. If you do it right, deep, mindful breathing is better than Valium.
9) Make peace with time.
“Every feeling of panic comes to an end, every concern eventually wears itself out, every so-called emergency seems to evaporate.”
When we are in the midst of a panic attack we feel it will last forever or else we will die. Remembering the fact that panic attacks and anxiety in milder form is finite, usually not lasting more than ten minutes. Dr. Leahy also counsels:
“Ask yourself, ‘How will I feel about this in a week or a month?’ This one, too, really will pass.”
10) Don’t let your worries stop you from living your life.
“What can you still do even if you feel anxious? Almost anything.”
Not all anxiety is bad. Keep in mind that some highly productive people transform their anxiety into motivation to do better and achieve much, both great and small.
The Psychology Of Balloon Boy
Thursday, November 5th, 2009This past week we saw the news media captivated by the idea that a 6-year-old boy, Falcon Heene had been carried off by a weather balloon. That is until the boy was later found in his own garage attic and shortly thereafter it was revealed on a television news show that the entire incident was likely a hoax. In replying to a reporter’s question, the young Falcon turned to his dad on camera and said, “You guys said that, umm, we did this for the show.” Oops.
The parents – Richard Heene and Mayumi Heene – have all along claimed it was not a hoax or a publicity stunt. Now, according to The New York Times, the parents will voluntarily surrender to police as soon as charges are filed, which is expected to happen on Wednesday.
While the truth continues to unfold, the police in the investigation have concluded it was likely indeed a publicity stunt: “We have evidence to indicate it was a publicity stunt done with the hope of marketing themselves to a reality-television show sometime in the future,” said Larimer County sheriff Jim Alderden on Sunday afternoon at a news conference in Fort Collins, Colorado.
So that leaves us with the inevitable question – what could possibly psychologically motivate parents to use their child’s very life in order to further themselves?
We see clues to the answer in some other information that’s trickling out about the parents. ABC News noted that former business partner Barbara Slusser – who chased hurricanes and other storms with the Heenes – that they parted ways when Slusser felt that the Heenes often put their kids in harm’s way. Slusser told ABC News, “The last straw for us was when Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike were heading toward the Texas coastline and Heene wanted to go back there and take the kids.”
So we seem to have a set of parents who already don’t quite understand the idea of how to raise children in a safe, responsible and thoughtful manner, thinking nothing of storm-chasing hurricanes and tornadoes with their young children in tow. Storm-chasing, of course, can be a very dangerous and unpredictable endeavor. One of the reasons adults do it is for the thrill of the unpredictability of the storm – putting oneself in harm’s way to experience a ferocious component of nature. But your children? They aren’t old enough to make such decisions for themselves – they trust their parents’ good judgment and experience.
But an account on Gawker by someone who worked with Richard Heene sheds even more light on the Heenes’ motivation – money and additional fame. This was a family that had been on the television program, Wife Swap, and they had already tasted celebrity. They wanted more of it.
Parents Of Balloon Boy
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009This past week we saw the news media captivated by the idea that a 6-year-old boy, Falcon Heene had been carried off by a weather balloon. That is until the boy was later found in his own garage attic and shortly thereafter it was revealed on a television news show that the entire incident was likely a hoax. In replying to a reporter’s question, the young Falcon turned to his dad on camera and said, “You guys said that, umm, we did this for the show.” Oops.
The parents – Richard Heene and Mayumi Heene – have all along claimed it was not a hoax or a publicity stunt. Now, according to The New York Times, the parents will voluntarily surrender to police as soon as charges are filed, which is expected to happen on Wednesday.
While the truth continues to unfold, the police in the investigation have concluded it was likely indeed a publicity stunt: “We have evidence to indicate it was a publicity stunt done with the hope of marketing themselves to a reality-television show sometime in the future,” said Larimer County sheriff Jim Alderden on Sunday afternoon at a news conference in Fort Collins, Colorado.
So that leaves us with the inevitable question – what could possibly psychologically motivate parents to use their child’s very life in order to further themselves?
We see clues to the answer in some other information that’s trickling out about the parents. ABC News noted that former business partner Barbara Slusser – who chased hurricanes and other storms with the Heenes – that they parted ways when Slusser felt that the Heenes often put their kids in harm’s way. Slusser told ABC News, “The last straw for us was when Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike were heading toward the Texas coastline and Heene wanted to go back there and take the kids.”
So we seem to have a set of parents who already don’t quite understand the idea of how to raise children in a safe, responsible and thoughtful manner, thinking nothing of storm-chasing hurricanes and tornadoes with their young children in tow. Storm-chasing, of course, can be a very dangerous and unpredictable endeavor. One of the reasons adults do it is for the thrill of the unpredictability of the storm – putting oneself in harm’s way to experience a ferocious component of nature. But your children? They aren’t old enough to make such decisions for themselves – they trust their parents’ good judgment and experience.
But an account on Gawker by someone who worked with Richard Heene sheds even more light on the Heenes’ motivation – money and additional fame. This was a family that had been on the television program, Wife Swap, and they had already tasted celebrity. They wanted more of it.
Ten Ways To Lower Anxiety
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009Skimming through Real Simple magazine at the check out line of the supermarket, I came across Dr. Robert Leahy’s “10 Ways to Cope with Anxiety.” Dr. Leahy is the director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy and the author of many books on the subject. His suggestions will help you calm your nerves:
1) Repeat your worry until you’re bored silly.
“take the troublesome thought that’s nagging at you and say it over and over, silently, slowly, for 20 minutes. It’s hard to keep your mind on a worry if you repeat it that many times.”
Dr. Leahy calls this technique “the boredom cure. “Behavioral scientists call it ‘flooding’. I’m not so keen about this technique for my extremely anxious patients who are having trouble regulating their thoughts and emotions. If your anxiety is on the milder side, however, and you have the courage to do this, I recommend you think about your worries while practicing relaxation techniques to keep your body as calm as possible.
2) Make it worse.
“When you try too hard to control your anxieties, you only heighten them. Instead exaggerate them and see what happens.”
This is a good one. When I suggest it to my patients I call it the ‘Bring it on’ technique or ‘Fake it ’til you make it’. By inviting what scares you, you learn on your time that you can survive your fears instead of waiting to be bushwhacked by them.
Sports psychologists use this all the time. When I was terrified my horse would shy and dump me on the ground, my coach told me to stop trying to keep my mare from bolting. Instead she told me expect her to shy, to look forward to it. That attitude helped me relax and so did the horse.
3) Don’t fight the craziness.
“You mayhave thoughts that lead you to think you’ll do something terribleor that you’re going insane Remember – our minds are creativeevery now and then ‘crazy’ thoughts jump out. Everyone has them.”
In the weeks after my first child was born, when I was exhausted, sleep deprived and in the grips of baby blues, I had thoughts of throwing my screaming baby out the window. Those thoughts terrified me. Tearfully, I confessed my horrible thoughts to my mother who shrugged and said, “We all think something like that at some time. You didn’t act on it, did you?” She assured me I wasn’t crazy. I could relax.
My patients are sometimes surprised when I suggest they allow themselves to imagine doing something outrageous like throwing a banana cream pie at their nasty boss’s puss. Unleashing our creative minds may be just what we need to de-stress.
4) Recognize false alarms.
“Many thoughts and sensations that we interpret as cues for concern-even panic-are just background noise. Think of each of them [rapid heart beat, tensing of muscles] as a fire engine going to another place.”
5) Turn your anxiety into a movie.
“..imagine that your anxious thoughts are a show while you sit in the audience, eating popcorn, a calm observer.”
This is a good way to exercise ‘detachment,’ stepping outside of the anxiety just enough to keep your thinking brain working. Another technique I suggest is to imagine the worry happening to a friend, not you. Then imagine talking to your friend. What would you say to them? How can you be supportive?
6) Set aside worry time.
“Try setting aside 20 minutes everyday-let’s say 4:30 PM-just for your worries. If you are fretting at 10 AM, jot down the reason and resolve to think about it later. By the time 4:30 comes around, many of your troubles won’t even matter anymore.”
7) Take your hand off the horn.
“When you desperately try to take command of things that can’t be controlled, you’re more like the swimmer who panics and slaps the water screaming Instead, imagine that you are floating along on the water with your arms spread outIt’s a paradox, but when you surrender to the moment, you actually feel far more in control.”
Breathe it out.
“Focusing on breathing is a common but effective technique for calming the nerves.”
This a classic, oldy, but goody. If you do it right, deep, mindful breathing is better than Valium.
9) Make peace with time.
“Every feeling of panic comes to an end, every concern eventually wears itself out, every so-called emergency seems to evaporate.”
When we are in the midst of a panic attack we feel it will last forever or else we will die. Remembering the fact that panic attacks and anxiety in milder form is finite, usually not lasting more than ten minutes. Dr. Leahy also counsels:
“Ask yourself, ‘How will I feel about this in a week or a month?’ This one, too, really will pass.”
10) Don’t let your worries stop you from living your life.
“What can you still do even if you feel anxious? Almost anything.”
Not all anxiety is bad. Keep in mind that some highly productive people transform their anxiety into motivation to do better and achieve much, both great and small.