Andrew Thomas says his roommates understand the deal: For multiple hours a day, hes going to be posted up in the dining room area of their apartment, doing Zoom calls with teammates and coaches on the New York Giants.

In April, Thomas was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the Giants are hoping their highly-rated rookie will anchor their offensive line for a decade or more. But Thomas, like many other recent draftees, hasnt even signed a contracta side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted the traditional NFL offseason schedule. For now hes working out and studying the playbook in Athens, Georgia, where he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, though hes begun checking out some spots in New Jersey that arent too far from MetLife Stadium.

Thomass schedule is largely dictated by the aforementioned Zoom calls: He plans his day around them, and gets his meals and workouts in accordingly. In his limited downtime, he says he actually doesnt obsessively play video games; his stress-reliever is the piano.

In an interview with GQ, Thomas discussed how he altered his NFL Draft preparations and training, why hes on a carb-heavy diet at the moment, and how his interest in music has helped him absorb the Giants playbook.

GQ: Before the NFL Draft, when the pandemic really arrived in the United States, how did your day-to-day change?

Andrew Thomas: When the pandemic happened, Pro Day and all those events were cancelled. I had about 10 visits scheduled with different teams. That was the first big differenceinstead of going to the facilities to have my workouts, I started having lots of Zoom calls. Id wake up and have two or three Zoom calls with different coaches and members of their staff. And then Id drive 50 minutes to this place called DASH Performance in Gwinnett County. It was shut down to the general public, but I had a relationship with the owner, so he let me come in there with my personal trainer to do some social distanced workouts. It was very different to not be able to come as you please; we had to come at a certain time, and avoid working out in a group. I adjusted and made it work.

What kind of workouts were you doing in the leadup to the NFL Draft?

After the NFL Combine, my workouts switched to more football-specific stuff. Before the Combine was more speed training. But after that, it reverted more to conditioning and strength training to be in better shape. Lots of position-specific drills that work your lower body and your hips. So, squats, power cleans, any explosive movements that you do when youre making a block. And then there are some run-block drills, different techniques with different weights, working your hands, stuff like that.

What does your diet look like lately?

Im not a huge breakfast person. Usually Ill just eat something quick on the way out of the apartment. I dont like to work out with a lot of food in my stomach. After I got drafted and we started having Zoom meetings that are pretty long, I had to adjust what times I work out. Ive been planning my meals more than I used to so I can make sure Im not running on fumes.

For lunch, I like some type of Mexican food, like a burrito, nachos, something like that. Lots of carbs. Usually theres brown rice, chicken, or ground turkey. Dinner is where I really sit down and eat. Thats steak and potatoes, maybe more chicken, maybe spaghetti and meat; thats my biggest meal of the day.

Are you cooking any of that up yourself?

I cannot cook. I can do breakfast, but my girlfriend helps with cooking, and other times I go get stuff from different restaurants. If I had to cook something up, itd be some type of chicken alfredo.

Have you always been eating lots of carbs and protein?

I used to be on more of a cut diet. I wasnt really eating as many carbs because I was trying to lose weight. Now Im trying to maintain, so Im eating more carbs. I want to get a little stronger too, build some more body muscle, which is why Im eating more protein.

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Andrew Thomas is Prepping for His First NFL Season with Burritos, Zoom Meetings, and Piano Breaks. - GQ

Think youre one of the lucky people who never gets hangovers? You might want to think again. In all likelihood, most people who claim theyre immune to post-partying symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, stomach pains, and vomiting, probably just arent drinking enough to feel hungover the next day, suggests a review published in January 2018 in the journal Current Drug Abuse Reviews.

It proves the point that drinking in moderation or abstaining altogether is the best way to avoid a hangover. In fact, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), theres no proven way to cure a hangover; it just takes time for the body to recover.

Still, that hasnt stopped researchers and everyday imbibers from trying to learn how to lessen the effects of a night of too much drinking. Shaunessy Bishop-Stall, author of Hungover: The Morning After and One Mans Quest for the Cure, spent more than 10 years researching ways to prevent the aftereffects of overindulging in alcohol and trying them out himself.

Heres what science has to say about what might help ease the severity of a hangoverand what definitely wont work, no matter what your perceived propensity for hangovers.

Had a little too much to drink? Theres one concoction you might want to add to your post-party plan. A study published in April 2020 in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health found that people who took a combination of plant extracts such as prickly pear, ginkgo biloba, and gingerroot reported less severe hangover headaches and nausea than those who took a placebo or a supplement with nutrients such as magnesium and potassium. Remember to talk to your doctor before taking any kind of supplement.

Compared with lighter spirits, such as vodka, darker alcohol contains more compounds called congeners, which are produced during the fermentation process and can worsen the severity of a hangover, according to research published in November 2013 in the journal Current Drug Abuse Reviews. The study authors note that congener content can vary from spirit to spirit, but bourbon tends to contain particularly higher amounts.

Celebrating with some bubbly? You might want to sip that champagne slowly and in moderation. Two small studies, published in July 2003 and October 2007, found that carbonation may increase the rate of alcohol absorption, which could cause some people to become more intoxicated more quickly.

When it comes to supplements that have been shown to be effective in helping hangovers, vitamins B3 and zinc top the list. A small study published in August 2019 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that nicotinic acid (vitamin B3) and zinc significantly reduced hangover severity in 23 healthy social drinkers.

You may want to rethink that diet soda and rum and opt for regular cola instead. Thats because one small study published in April 2013 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Researchfound that people who downed vodka mixed with an artificially sweetened soft drink registered higher blood alcohol levels than those who had the same cocktail with sugar-sweetened soda. The theory is that because the body treats sugar as food, drinking a diet beverage is similar to drinking on an empty stomach.

Not only will this be ineffective in preventing a hangover, but it may also be harmful. According to the NIAAA, taking acetaminophen with alcohol can cause liver damage. If you need to take something for your hangover headache, you can try aspirin or ibuprofen, but keep in mind that they can increase the amount of acid in your stomach and irritate the lining. Just dont make it a regular practice, and dont take it preventively.

Some people believe downing an electrolyte-infused sports drink before bed can prevent a hangover, says Bishop-Stall. The NIAAA says theres little evidence that this is effective.

Electrolytes sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, magnesium are minerals in your blood, urine, tissues, and other bodily fluids that have an electric charge. They help move nutrients into and waste out of your cells and ensure your nerves, muscles, heart, and brain work properly. Dehydration, which can happen when you drink alcohol, can throw the levels of electrolytes out of whack.

Contrary to the commonly held belief that drinking electrolytes may help reduce the severity of hangovers, research has increasingly shown thats not the case. The BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health article found that drinking a supplement of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium and potassium, was not effective in improving peoples hangover symptoms.

Additional reporting by Katherine Lee

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7 Myths and Facts About Hangovers - Everyday Health

During a recent interview on The Tim Ferriss Show, X-Men and The Greatest Showman star Hugh Jackman discussed what he's learned about fitness through years of putting on muscle to play characters like Wolverine and then leaning down for other roles.

The actor has previously spoken about how rowing is his exercise of choice when it comes to maintaining a lean physique, and on the podcast he explained to Ferriss why a rowing machine is pretty much the only piece of equipment he needs.

"There's a reason the rower's usually empty at the gymbecause it's difficult," he said. "And a lot of people want to say it and feel theyve worked out, and they want to get a sweat, but they don't necessarily And the rowing machineI think if you add in some chest work, some pushups, that's everything you need to keep fit, healthy, strong... It's such a good building exercise for deadlifts and all these core movements, compound movements, getting your scapulaeverything sort of in the right placeand your breathing and relaxing your neck, you know, at the same time as doing it."

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The actor went on to sing the praises of his trainer, powerlifter and dancer Beth Lewis, and the "85 percent" approach, which originated in sprinting.

"It really is great for me because, I mean, in the past, even with someone like Wolverine, I have to prepare to look physically a way, but I can't get injured. So I can't prepare as a bodybuilder. I have to be able to prepare as a really jacked, ripped athlete-slash-dancer, because fighting is dance. It is more relaxation in a fight scene than there is strength, which is probably the case for, if you think about all the great athletes you see, there's relaxation, and then movement has moved in sports. That's why you see every sprinter poking their tongue out now and dancing around with joy before they run the hundred meters. You know, that sense of having the right level of relaxation. I think that they call it the 85 percent rule. If you tell most, sort of, A-type athletes to run at their 85 percent capacity, they will run faster than if you tell them to run 100 because its more about relaxation and form and optimizing the muscles in the right way."

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That mindset, which allows athletes to be a bit more forgiving of their own performance and take the pressure off themselves, has also changed the way that Jackman motivates himself to train.

"If I was coaching me, myself, like if I was the coach and Hugh Jackman was on my team, I wouldnt put more pressure on him, push him more," he said. "I wouldnt yell at him, scream. Ive got that motivation. If anything, I have had to work from building up insecurity. So: Im not good enough. I need to work extra hard. If I do everything perfectly and I work my ass off, then Ill be OKthat kind of thing, which in the end does certainly limit your ability to enjoy life or enjoy the row or the show or anything like that. But it doesnt get the best out of you. It really doesnt. So I mentally, quite often during the day, just, before I do an activity, imagine that its done. That feeling I have when its done and gone well. And I go into it with that."

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Hugh Jackman Just Shared Some of His Best Workout and Training Advice With Tim Ferriss - Men's Health

SKY News sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao bravely released an emotional video this week explaining that her breast cancer had returned.

Revealing it is now at stage three, the inspirational 55-year-old outlined a number of alternative treatments she has added to 16 brutal rounds of chemotherapy, including starting a keto diet.

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In this country, going keto is still considered some sort of wacky and unworkable fad.

But if you walk down the aisles of any major supermarket or chemist in the USA, Australia or New Zealand you are overwhelmed by products specifically designed for such a lifestyle.

Thats because keto is increasingly becoming a favourite of doctors who need their patients to lose weight fast or, in the case of people like Jacquie, want them to cut the vast majority of carbs from their diet to stop feeding cancers or other diseases.

Keto is the anti-sugar, pro-fat diet that has ripped up two decades of mainstream advice about how to lose weight.

As you may remember, I started it last August and, while Im far from looking like Harry Styles, Ive kept off the three inches I lost from around my waist, have stopped trying to starve myself three days a week on a ridiculous fast, and can never imagine going back.

The Suns picture editor started at the same time as me and is, quite literally, half the man he once was.

Keto works for folk like us who adore food more than life itself, because youre allowed to eat a lot of naughty stuff chicken wings, cheese and even cream that tastes great and keeps you full.

But for the diet to work properly its critical that you know the sugar content of every single thing you put in your mouth.

In my case carbs are only meant to make up six per cent of my overall food intake.

I am completely supportive of Boris Johnsons war on obesity resulting from his Damascene conversion after nearly dying from coronavirus.

However, Im certain his aim will NOT be achieved by adding sugar taxes to unhealthy foods.

When I used to binge, if I wanted to down an entire tub of Hagen-Dazs cookie-dough ice cream, an extra 50p on the price certainly wouldnt have stopped me. Nothing would have.

Anyone with an overeating problem will understand that the only way you stop is by deciding to make change from within.

External factors like the price dont make a blind bit of difference. Its largely psychological.

The solution, I have no doubt, comes in the form of education alongside clear and detailed food labelling to make these lifestyle changes manageable.

I like to think Im a relatively intelligent guy, but trying to work out the carb and sugar content in many foods based on the complicated labels is nigh on impossible.

It shouldnt be difficult, which makes it obvious food companies dont want us to be able to easily consume that information.

Thats why the idea of doctors sending obese patients to Weight Watchers, with a government-funded subsidy, is one of the best fat-busting ideas Ive heard in years.

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Having successfully completed its programme in the past, WW is all about practical food education, and it really works.

But as a keto convert now, I stress that providing the calorie content of food is not enough any more its necessary to see the breakdown of carbs, sugar and protein to deliver to a range of regimes.

Once that happens, the commercial sector will quickly catch up theres a small fortune waiting to be made from these diet products.

I mean, Id pay double if an entrepreneurial ice-cream company ever managed to develop sugar-free cookie dough...

IN Australia at the moment Victoria, which includes the countrys second biggest city Melbourne, is viewed as a pariah state.

After a relatively minor coronavirus outbreak, residents have been banned from travelling to football games in Sydney, while the rest of the country is relentlessly mocking them.

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Its led to jokes like this one: Covid and Australia are like the Spice Girls. People are doing their best but Victoria is ruining it for everyone.

While I did have to laugh, its this sort of divisiveness that makes me incredibly nervous about the impact of local lockdowns like the one in Leicester.

We dont need that sort of toxic parochialism here at a time of great social unrest.

I remain convinced that the best way to beat coronavirus is by a great international effort, shared by major democracies, that allows responsible movement.

Ive said right from the moment the US closed its border to China in the early days of this pandemic that these types of measures are short-sighted and nonsensical.

Viruses dont care about borders. Not between countries, where they can still get in via air travel, and certainly not between cities.

Not to mention the fact it seems inevitable that inner-city suburbs or metropolitan areas where more working-class and BAME folk live are going to be hit hardest by spikes in Covid-19.

These local lockdowns could end up increasing the disparities and social tensions between the wealthy and the struggling, which goes completely against the Governments agenda to level up.

The UK has flattened the curve with a sensible and measured lockdown that is being gradually lifted by each nation at similar times, broadly in line with the public mood and our changing behaviours.

Thats the way to keep united and beat this thing together.

SO now were supposed to feel sorry for a multi-millionaire Hollywood actress who decided to join the British Royal Family knowing EXACTLY what the role would entail?

I know most of you are well and truly sick of the woe-is-me moaning coming from His Royal Wokeness Harry and his shy and retiring wife Meghan.

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But how mortifying that theyve chosen to bring their self-involved nonsense to a time-wasting court case, in the middle of a pandemic, that drags her poor father through more hell.

If only self-help guru Oprah (Meghans BFF since she became famous) would have the balls to tell them both to grow up.

LONDON BRAWLINGCops chased & pelted with missiles by mob after trying to stop illegal rave

SWIG BREAKFASTThirsty Brits hit the pubs to sink breakfast pints as boozers open from 6AM

CLEANING UPCouple who set up hand sanitiser company just 12wks ago set to make 30 MILLION

TRIMDEPENDENCE DAYHairdressers reopen at MIDNIGHT as shaggy-haired Brits queue round block

IT'S HERE!July 4 is finally here - everything you can do now coronavirus lockdown eased

24-CARAT SPOILT BRATGhislaine was a spoilt daddy's girl drawn to powernow she's in jail

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Sugar tax wont workif you really want it, youll pay double - The Sun

It's important to take care of diet to maintain immunity post lockdown.

Highlights

COVID 19 or Coronavirus has kept us at home for the past few months, but with the announcement of Unlock 1.0, we are slowly going back to normal life, reclaiming our world. Stepping out means exposing ourselves more to the virus. The need of the hour is to keep up the immunity and stay protected to the best of our ability. So wearing a mask and social distancing is a must, but a healthy lifestyle will help us now more than ever to keep us protected.

Food is important for maintaining the integrity of our body. Certain foods have been associated with the ability to boost the immune system, but there is no one single food that does it all. Actually, research tells us that immunity is built up over a period of time, so daily intake of variety of nourishing, wholesome foods along with a healthy lifestyle is necessary to connect the dots.

Let's start with some simple steps to stay protected.

(Also Read:Immunity-Boosting Summer Foods You Must Include In Your Daily Diet)

Low immunity makes you vulnerable to illnesses.

Nutrition Intervention:Eat a healthy balanced meal daily. A healthy meal plan is one that includes whole grains and millets, which in addition to energy-filled and healthy carbs, add fiber and phytonutrients, both of which help keep our body healthy. Lots of fresh whole fruits and vegetables are rich sources of important vitamins and loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that keep our body de-stressed. Consume adequate milk, yogurt, and other milk products for calcium, Vitamin D (fortified milk), and quality proteins, which is the building block for our cells.

Healthy fats from vegetables oils are also helpful, so are healthy protein packages like lean meats, chicken, eggs, fish and plant proteins like beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. Plant proteins also add fiber and phytonutrients to boost the immune system

Emphasise on these nutrients: Certain vitamins and minerals are associated with a more robust immune system. Vitamins A, C, E, D and B6 are helpful in maintaining a healthy immune system. Minerals that work positively for our immune system include zinc, copper and selenium.

Prebiotic and probiotic foods, which encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria, are also important. They include non-digestible carbohydrates that become food for healthy gut bacteria. Whole foods like grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits are good sources. Probiotics are live bacteria that are beneficial for gut health. Fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, idli, dosa, are all good sources of probiotics. Both Pre and Probiotics have a positive effect on enhancing the immunity quotient of our body.

Spices also play a major role in protecting our body as they have shown to have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Traditional medicine has established the role of spices like turmeric, and herbs like Ashwagandha roots, in enhancing our ability to fight infections and inflammatory processes.

(Also Read:Top 7 Zinc-Rich Foods For Immunity You Can Include In Your Summer Diet)

Other than food, habits that promote a healthy lifestyle also build up immunity, so...De-Stress: Stress causes the immune system to work less efficiently, as the ability of the system to fight antigens reduces. Stress increases the release of Corticosteroid, the stress hormone, which is known to suppress the immune system. Also, when we are stressed, we may eat soul food, high sugar and fat foods or indulge in unhealthy binge-eating.

Coping with stress needs you to do simple things that make you happy. Talk to people who make you happy, revisit or start a hobby to keep your mind occupied. If you are working from home, then organise your day and be stress free. Take short breaks, eat at regular times - it helps calm the body's physiological system. Don't fret and worry, get correct information from the right source, so that you can understand your risk profile and take correct precautions.

Get Active: Set aside 30-45 minutes for good physical movement, you can do it at home. Include your family and make it a fun time.

Stay Hydrated: Drink lots of water; hydration keeps you feeling energetic and also helps with a good response to infections.

STAY SAFE, PRACTISE SOCIAL DISTANCING, WEAR A MASK .

Disclaimer:The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

About Rupali DattaRupali Datta is a Clinical Nutritionist and has worked in leading corporate hospitals. She has created and lead teams of professionals to deliver clinical solutions for patients across all medical specialties including critical care. She is a member of the Indian Dietetic Association and Indian Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

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UNLOCK 1.0: How To Boost Immunity And Stay Healthy Post Lockdown - Expert Diet Tips - NDTV Food