Andrea DeGaetano stops at Target every morning before she goes to work. She needs to stock up on paper towels, sanitizer and other supplies for her one-woman home-cleaning service.

"There was a solid two months where I couldn't find what I needed or I was only allowed to buy one," she lamented, like just about everyone else. "That's extremely difficult when you're running a business. I do order some hospital-grade cleaning products online. It's a lot more expensive to use."

Besides shopping more often for cleaning essentials, DeGaetano has a whole new COVID-era routine: Mask on at work; windows open while she cleans; higher-grade disinfectant instead of nontoxic green cleaning products; minimal schmoozing with clients and condo front-desk staff (traditionally her best source for referrals); change mop heads and disinfect her vacuum cleaner and footwear after every customer; and, of course, wash hands, apply lotion and repeat. And, as a lovely parting gift, she leaves a clean sponge, sprayed with disinfectant, under each client's kitchen sink.

"I really have to take extra steps now to make sure they're [customers] safe and I'm safe," said DeGaetano, who has been in business for 18 years. "I take my temperature every day."

She even had to take a few days off in October after one of her clients tested positive for COVID-19, and therefore she had to get her own test. (It came back negative.)

"There are no sick days," she said. "If I don't work, I don't get paid."

Not to mention that her St. Paul-based business was shut down for two months at the beginning of the lockdown. And that she lost 40% of her clients for one reason or another when she reopened.

Same thing happened with Merry Maids, the nation's largest cleaning service.

"We lost probably about 45% of our customers," said Laurel Lungstrom, owner of Merry Maids of Hopkins. "People are afraid to let strangers in. It's just a real uneasy time."

By fall, business had bounced back noticeably for Lungstrom and DeGaetano. Not wanting to work with strangers, DeGaetano seeks clients only via referrals.

For Lungstrom, the pandemic has been something of a blessing in disguise. "We're finally staffed where we can handle the demand for cleaning," she said. "Before the pandemic, we were constantly saying 'We have a waiting list,' 'We're three weeks out.' We were having a terrible time getting help and have been for probably the last year and a half to two years."

Typically, one staffer in each two-person Merry Maids cleaning crew has been a regular visitor to the same client, Lungstrom said. She has maintained that approach during the more cautious coronavirus period.

Calling it one of the most stressful times in the 37 years she's been in the business, Lungstrom, like DeGaetano, has increased overhead because of protective equipment and stronger cleaning products, but neither has raised her rates.

"I probably use at least one mega-roll of paper towels a day. I hate the fact that I'm going through so many," DeGaetano said with a sense of guilt at the waste. "But I think my vegan diet balances it out."

No socializing with clients

There are two particular challenges now for DeGaetano, who considers some of her clients like family: social distancing and socializing.

About 30% of her customers are working from home. When she's there, the homeowners typically leave or go to another room, often the basement, where DeGaetano doesn't clean. Of course, there's juggling children schooling at home, including a preschool pod at one client's home.

A bigger issue is connecting with her beloved customers, whether it's toddlers who want to hug her or the lonely 85-year-old woman who wants to follow her around and yak about the news for three hours as she cleans.

"Interaction has been cut probably 75%," DeGaetano said. "It feels so surreal to me. I'm so used to having conversations with them.

"For kids, it's hard for their little brains to wrap their heads around social distancing. So I'll do something to make them smile. I'll set up a tea party on their bed with their stuffed animals. I surprise them with something off the wall. One of my clients has this six-foot [stuffed] giraffe, and I put it on the 5-year-old's bed and she laughed so hard."

As for the 85-year-old, "She's my buddy. I just adore her. I call her 'dude.' She named her cat Dude. I'm always on her to wear a mask."

Then there are customers who understand the safety precautions and protocols but don't necessarily like them.

"There is zero interaction now," said Bruce Erickson, of Minneapolis, a client of DeGaetano Household Cleaning Service for 15 years. "It's frustrating. I'm a pretty social person, as is she. I miss that time. We probably socialize more via text and phone calls than we used to. Occasionally she'll send us a picture of our dog while she's cleaning."

After DeGaetano finishes at the Erickson house and her other clients,' she drives home, removes her socks at the door and heads directly to the washing machine for the antibacterial setting for her entire outfit.

"I am running about 30 to 45 minutes later by the end of the day," she pointed out. "I'm busy sanitizing everything!"

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House cleaners in the Twin Cities have changed how they work to keep safe - Minneapolis Star Tribune

This year will be remembered as one in which we all faced significant challenges and opportunities, but despite the turbulence, the vegan food and drink industry has once again come out thriving.

Kantar Worldpanel found that tofu sales in the UK increased 81.7% between April and June 2020, and in the same timeframe, sales of vegan mince and vegan burgers shot up 50.1% and 37% respectively.

Whilst we recognise that booming sales figures are a great indicator of increasing popularity, behind the scenes, we continue to face difficulties in defending vegan consumer rights and issues. One of which is the complexity surrounding vegan food and drink labelling.

We are very proud to say that the term vegan was coined in 1944 by The Vegan Societys founders. As such, history unites the terminology with our organisations identity and gives us unique authority in defending its use. The creation of the term, and our official definition, has been pivotal in creating the vegan movement that thrives today.

The British Dietetic Association defines a plant-based diet as based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruits, with few or no animal products. Of course, this is looking at diets, rather than specific products. The Cambridge Dictionary states the definition as consisting or made entirely of plants, or mainly of plants. From these two definitions alone, there is ambiguity around the presence of animal products. To make matters more confusing, published research states that a plant-based diet excludes all animal products.

So which definition is correct? With veganism on the rise year by year, and vegan food manufacturers increasingly using plant-based to describe their products, it is becoming ever more essential to protect vegan consumers. Its also vital to ensure that food labelling is clear enough to allow people to live without compromising their ethical beliefs.

Asthe national standards body of the United Kingdom, TheBritish Standards Institution(BSI)developsvarious standards includingPublicly Available Specifications (PAS)fast-track standardisation documentsrelating to variousindustriesand consumer products.Over the last 12 months, the Society has been able to feed intoone such PASaimedatclarifyingrecommendations about the composition and characteristics of plant-based foods.

Within this document, the BSI stated that plant-based foods may be understood to occupy a position between vegan and vegetarian and that foods labelled as plant-based could contain limited amounts of egg and milk products. They stated: Plant-based foods: should not contain any ingredient derived from slaughtered or dead animals; and should contain a maximum of 5% ingredients in the final product that are animal-derived.

Centringtransparencyfor all consumers,the Society hasmaintained the distinction betweenthecurrentconsumer perception ofaplant-basedfoodanda plant-baseddietandhighlightedthe challenges faced by vegans withthe termplant-basedandvegancurrently being usedinterchangeablyby big brands.

In the public consultation to this PAS, we commented that The Vegan Society supports transparency for consumers via product labelling. After considering feedback from our supporters we strongly believe that a product labelled as Plant-Based would be considered by most vegans to be free from animal-derived ingredients. As a term closely linked with veganism, we would, therefore, only support a Plant-Based PAS which observed a completely free from animal-derived ingredients standard.

To find out what the public thought of this issue, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people across Great Britain[1].

Our results found that:

We also looked at which of the two terms vegan and plant-based the public preferred, and found that:

From the feedback from our supporters and our research with the public, it is clear that the consensus is: if a product is labelled plant-based, then it is considered vegan. Additionally, although plant-based has risen in popularity, the term vegan still wins as the preferred term. Although our research did not ask why respondents preferred this, we believe it comes down to this: consumers want clear and precise labelling so that they can make quick and informed decisions. Thanks to our founders, the term vegan does just this.

Our work with BSI and theplant-basedPAS is coming to a close, andwe hope the final document will reflect the current perceptions of consumers protecting them from misunderstanding product labelling terminology and helping them find products that suit their diet andlifestyle.

The Vegan Society will continue to use the term vegan where we mean vegan. However, there are times where we may use the term plant-based when working with professions who are using it in their work. The scope of this includes health professionals, campaigns and policy work, market insights, and so on. Language is an important tool for connecting with broad issues and finding common ground, which are essential aspects to progress the vegan movement.

Louisianna Waring, Insight and Commercial Policy Officer

Louisianna is the Insight and Commercial Policy Officer at The Vegan Society. She leads on policy issues that affect vegan businesses and researches the latest trends, consumer insights and market data on veganism.

[1] Attest consumer survey for The Vegan Society (Food labelling) of 1,000 GB adults conducted 2-3 September 2020

See more here:
The Vegan Society's Stance on the 'Vegan' Vs. 'Plant-based' Debate - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

Extra emission controls, but with a difference.

In efforts to keep diesel-fuelled engines on the right side of emissions laws, manufacturers are turning to more and more aggressive means of reducing the kind of bad stuff coming out of the tailpipe.

And when things like exhaust gas recirculation and diesel particulate filters arent cutting the mustard, something called selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is employed.

Such technology is particularly prevalent in European vehicles, where ever-tightening emissions laws are forcing the hand of manufacturers.

So, what is it? And how does it work?

AdBlue is a trading name that has gone into common vernacular, like Hoover and Kleenex. A more common name is diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), which enables that process called selective catalytic reduction. In particular, it targets your exhaust's nitrogen oxide (NOx) content and looks to reduce it.

Essentially, a bunch of sensors in your exhaust system monitor the contents of your exhaust gasses. When required, a spray of DEF is injected into the exhaust system.

This fluid, which is a solution of urea and distilled water, causes a reaction. Urea contains ammonia, which reacts with the nitrogen oxide inside a catalyst and breaks it down. So, instead of nitrogen oxide leaving the tailpipe, its nitrogen and water.

DEF consumption is typically very low, around 25 per cent of your fuel consumption. For example, a Ford Everests 18-litre tank will cover 2400km of driving. Other vehicles will have enough range to only require top-ups at service time.

However, its worth knowing that under law, a vehicle with an empty DEF fluid tank will not start. And under hard working conditions (like four-wheel driving and towing), consumption will increase along with your fuel consumption. Dont get caught out; its just as bad as having no fuel.

This technology has allowed diesel-powered vehicles to remain on sale in some markets, but has also allowed manufacturers to turn up the wick, so to speak, with efficient and high-performance diesel-powered vehicles. Heres looking at you, Audi SQ5.

While most vehicles have a filler point next to the fuel tank, they are sometimes tucked away in the boot. Its worth knowing where your filler point is, and knowing how to check on the level. Often, its hidden somewhere within your multifunction display.

Not all diesel-powered vehicles require this system, and it depends mostly upon emissions laws for particular vehicles in different markets.

For example, Volkswagens early and higher-specification Amaroks with 580Nm made in Hannover Germany have selective catalytic reduction. As production has been taken over by the Argentine factory at Pacheco, the additional emission controls were removed.

As time rolls on, the availability of diesel exhaust fluid (or AdBlue) is becoming greater and greater. While some of your country and outback servos might be a bit hit-and-miss, the fact that many trucks have SCR means you should be able to find it in most places these days.

Some service stations will have AdBlue available through a bowser, which often works out to be the cheapest way to top up. Other service stations (and auto stores) will have bottles in various sizes. This is handy if you want some spare in the boot for that long road trip you are planning.

For example, Caltex has 130 locations around Australia with AdBlue available at the pump, along with 330 additional locations with bottles.

Diesel exhaust fluid has a shelf life of 12 months. We arent sure how bad out-of-date stuff is, but if youve got an ageing bottle sitting around, you might as well dump it in your tank and buy a fresh one.

Diesel exhaust fluid is another complication that serious 4WDers will need to accommodate. Along with calculating your fuel range on big trips, know how long you can comfortably go between DEF refills, and carry some extra with you.

Additionally, depending on how your four-wheel drive is designed, the DEF tank might be in an unprotected location underneath. Consider some additional protection if you're planning on dragging yourself over plenty of rocks, especially if its a plastic tank.

While human urine also contains urea, its only a few per cent (depending on your diet). The concentration isnt strong enough to act as a substitute, and it contains all manner of other things (once again, depending on your diet) that could damage your AdBlue system. Repairs and replacement will cost well in the thousands, not the hundreds.

MORE: Which fuel type do I need? MORE: Fuel economy testing: What is WLTP and how does it work?MORE: The cars with the best (and worst) driving range in AustraliaMORE: All advice stories

What is diesel exhaust fluid (AdBlue), and how does it work?

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What is diesel exhaust fluid (AdBlue), and how does it work? - CarAdvice

Fighting the one-pack: The term was invented on a Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. by one of my clients.

It was pitch dark, as the sun was still asleep. My client was pulling a car tire at a very decent speed in front of my Studio. It was a part of his workout that day. (I am still extremely grateful to the Spirits that it was not me, doing the pulling part).

As I was sipping my morning espresso while watching him doing all the work and encouraging him to go even faster, we reflected on all the reasons why he was even doing this, in the first place.

I casually mentioned that the cardio intervals contribute to a flatter tummy and the six pack. Trying to sound more knowledgeable than I am, I said that really, we have an eight-pack, but the lowest two muscles are not visible. So, having a notion of a six-pack should already be a comforting concept to any of us.

My client wittingly commented that by working toward that six- or eight-pack, we are, effectively, fighting the usual one pack You know, the hilly mountain, protruding in front of us, just under the navel. The one which makes it hard for us to bend and lace the shoes. (I am sure this is why we dont bend and lace the shoes to exercise in the first place because of that blobby obstacle).

In my pursuit to avoid the disappointing and depressing Catch-22 of not lacing because we cannot bend and not bending because the one pack is in the way, I want to share with you how we can, actually, fight the one pack.

In my old times, any kind of crunches was the must to successfully annihilate the bulge. At least we thought so. Thousands of various crunches later (regular crunches, the side ones, the ones with a twist) I still had my own pouch. Obviously, the crunching and dieting approach really did not work much.

In hopes of improving the one pack situation, I experimented with other approaches. What worked the best?

Sensible nutrition, full of proteins and minimal in sugar. Sugar is inflammatory and results in some localized bloating not to mention the additional pounds, which go right there into the one pack.

Short bursts of cardio intervals. Cardio is a relative term and for somebody, it can be walking, for somebody else, it can be sprinting. As long as you manage to get your heart rate up, you would be doing intervals. Sex is a great cardio, too.

Planks, not crunches. Crunches, actually, thicken your abdominal grid. One study participants were subjected to various planks while wearing electrodes on their bellies. Planking activated the abdominal muscles way better than anything else.

You can do static or dynamic planks (where you move your legs to the side, or go from the forearms onto the extended hands and back down, or some side planks).

Another exercise which engages your core (if done correctly and slowly) is the deadlift.

Truly, there is hope. Text me if you need more ideas to get rid of that one pack. I am here for you.

Magdalena is the owner of the Be Fit Fit Personal Training Studio (www.befitfit.biz). Visit her Be Fit Fit blog at http://www.verdenews.com.

Continue reading here:
The Fit Life: Fighting the one-pack - Verde Independent

Is there any better compliment than being cast as Superman on the big screen?

Youll have to ask Henry Cavill. In real life, he may not be leaping over tall buildings in a single bound, but theres no arguing that he certainly looks the part of Superman in Man of Steel.

The British actor underwent a grueling training regime for 6 months to prepare himself for the role. His training consisted of a mix of:

In a 2013 interview with ShortList, Cavill admitted that his training was excruciating but that hed also broken through boundaries he didnt know were possible.

Despite what some people may tell you, theres no secret to getting fit. If youre willing to put in the time and effort that Cavill did while filming, you can surpass boundaries you didnt know were possible, too.

Keep reading to learn how the actor was able to achieve his impressive level of fitness.

To get in shape for Man of Steel and his two subsequent Superman roles, Cavill worked with trainer and former professional climber Mark Twight.

As a climber, Twight gained a reputation for attempting routes deemed impossible. In his 2002 book, Kiss or Kill, he explained: I made life or death decisions like I was choosing between brands of beer.

After retiring from climbing in 2000, Twight opened his training center, Gym Jones, in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, he brought the same level of intensity to his training with professional athletes, actors, and military personnel. In 2005, he trained the cast of the movie 300.

Later, when Cavill was preparing for his role in The Witcher, he worked with Dave Rienzi, whos also Dwayne Johnsons strength and conditioning coach.

In a 2020 interview with BodyBuilding.com, Twight explained his personal training philosophy: One reason that actors and actresses who train with us continue their training afterward is because of the psychological involvement we have.

In the same article, Twight explained that one of the challenges working with Cavill was holding his condition for the entire 6 months of shooting.

The main goal of the program was to increase muscle mass while staying lean enough to retain a high level of muscular definition.

In the ShortList interview, Cavill described the training process as excruciating but wonderful because he was pushed to a level that he didnt know was possible.

In another interview with TRAIN magazine, Cavill compared his training with his character on screen: Marks whole ethos is that fitness is not just physical strength and conditioning, its also strength of character, and that is so in tune with the character of Superman.

The exact details of Cavills workouts while training with Twight havent been released, but some details have been revealed in various interviews.

Exercises hes known to have included in his training are:

As Cavills coach, Twight put a focus on functional exercises and training movements over specific muscle groups. This helped build functional stretch as well as muscle mass.

Many of the exercises used in the program, such as the Olympic lifts, are also used in CrossFit.

If you want to build a specific routine using similar types of exercises that Cavill used to prepare for his Superman roles, you can search the CrossFit website for inspiration.

A CrossFit gym will also have most of the equipment that Cavill used in his workouts, such as:

While training to prepare for The Witcher, he performed two workouts per day, with fasted cardio in the morning and resistance training later in the day.

His fasted cardio was performed for 20 minutes at a heart rate of 125 to 135 beats per minute.

Henry Cavills workouts focused heavily on functional movements, such as kettlebell swings and Olympic lifts.

These types of lifts dont fit nicely into traditional weightlifting categories like core, lower body, and upper body. Instead, they work multiple muscle groups think of them as full-body exercises.

Some examples of exercises you can add to your program include:

One specific exercise Cavill performed while training with Twight is called the Tailpipe. This exercise involves:

Cavill reportedly included fasted cardio in the mornings for 20 minutes while training for The Witcher. Some cardio options you could perform include:

If you want to build muscle, youre going to have to eat more calories than youre burning. Henry Cavill was allegedly eating more than 5,000 calories per day when preparing for his Superman role.

During the weight-gaining phase, he kept his calorie intake high and ate many high-protein and calorie-rich foods like:

When working with Twight, Cavill also took few supplements. The only supplements they included were:

In a Mens Health 2019 interview, Cavill said, Out of all the things Ive done in the past, I think the fasted cardio stuff is actually working best for me.

He has also included days where he eats basically anything he likes.

Before you embark on an intense fitness program like the Henry Cavill workout, its important to take a moment to assess your current level of fitness.

The cornerstone of any successful program is to gradually increase the difficulty over time. If you jump into strenuous training too quickly, youre setting yourself up for injury.

Cavill worked alongside a trainer while he was preparing for his movie roles. You may consider working with a trainer, too, especially if you havent done Olympic lifting or functional training in the past.

A trainer can teach you how to perform each exercise and keep you at an appropriate level.

If you have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions that could be made worse by working out, its a good idea to talk with your doctor before starting a new program.

Theres no secret to getting fit. It all comes down to consistency, good habits, and hard work.

Theres no reason why you cant improve your current level of fitness if you:

Even though its possible to reach the same level of fitness as Henry Cavill, its also important to keep in mind that its going to take a lot of hard work and its not going to happen overnight.

Generally, it takes roughly 8 weeks to see noticeable changes to your body after starting a new program.

Cavill worked out for hours each day for 6 months to prepare for Man of Steel, and he was already relatively fit beforehand. If you want to achieve the same results, youll likely also need to train for about this amount of time.

If youre not currently exercising regularly, its a good idea to build up some base fitness before jumping into a more advanced program.

You can start by meeting the Department of Health and Human Services recommendation to perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, along with strength training all muscle groups twice per week.

If youre already relatively fit, you can try including functional exercises, like kettlebell swings, into your program.

As mentioned, many of the principles of Cavills training are similar to those of CrossFit. If you live near a CrossFit gym, you may find it helpful to train with a coach or trainer who can show you how to properly do the exercises.

Few specifics of Henry Cavills workouts have been released. But various interviews have revealed that his training has focused on functional exercises like kettlebell swings and Olympic lifts.

There are many different types of workouts you can perform to get fit. You may find that what worked for Cavill also works for you, but its only one of many options.

If you want a custom workout plan but dont have experience making them yourself, you can try working with a personal trainer.

See the article here:
Henry Cavill Workout: How to Do It, Cautions, and More - Healthline