One thing I know a lot of us are being challenged with right now in the midst of all these quarantines is how to stay in shape, and how to control what you're eating and drinking. It's even more of a challenge with our gyms being shut down, and spending more time at home close to the refrigerator.

I've always worked out, but I also like to joke that, as acombat veteran,I suffer from Post Deployment Celebration Disorder.I end up eating or drinking too much, especially after getting home from a deployment. Thankfully, I've figured out how to shed that post deployment weight gain, and how to keep it off- so I thought I would just share a few things that seem to be working for me in the middle of these quarantines (although I gotta admit it is definitely more of a struggle for all of us in this quarantine).

That's just a few things that have been working for me. What's been working for you? Any apps you'd recommend? Shoot me a note aaron(at)montanatalks.com

And, if you just need a good laugh (and missed my previous post)...check out Tim Montana's "Quarantine" song with Black Rifle Coffee's Mat Best:

Read the original here:
How I'm Staying in Shape from Home Here in Montana - newstalk955.com

GEMMA Collins says she's "working on her summer body" by plugging the controversial weight loss injections.

The reality star, 38, plugged the 250 injections - which claims to suppress the appetite and helps the body turn stored fat into energy - on Instagram.

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After uploading a video of her riding a bike up a hill, Gemma then filmed herself opening the packet.

She wrote: "So working on my summer body while in isolation and this really helps me. There are a lot of take offs of this pen.

"This is what you get when you order off SkinnyJab. It does help. It really does help. Yeah, cannot wait to be out of lockdown in a nice summer dress in summer."

Gemma has previously said the injections "changed her life" after losing two stone using them.

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The star told her followers in February: "Everyone has been asking 'how the hell have you lost weight, GC?'.

"Well, it's all all down to Skinny Jabs and the amazing team there.

"They have transformed my whole life with regards to dieting."

Insisting her fans can help transform their bodies and lose weight just like she did, the Diva on Lockdown star added: "It's something you can do too.

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"It's so fantastic. Summer's not going to be too far away and you can lose two stone just like me."

The official website states that SkinnyJab "removes hunger from the equation", also reassuring that the suppressant used in the the plan regulates blood glucose levels that allows the body to turn stored fat into energy.

It boasts that the plan is suitable for anyone aged between 18 and 76 and the first programme last three weeks, costing 250.

Repeat jabs are 135 a pop and last two to four weeks.

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Dr Sarah Jarvis, clinical director at patient.info, told The Sun Online: "It should only be used by people who are obese, or who are significantly overweight and also have other medical conditions.

"In studies, the average amount of weight lost by people taking this drug for weight loss was about 4-6kg over a year, and about 4.6kg over 3 years.

"Some people will lose more, some people less. But it clearly is not a miracle cure there really is no side-effect free miracle solution for obesity.

"This injection should only be used under close medical supervision, in addition to effective diet and lifestyle changes.

"Like any other licensed drug, it has side effects among the most common are feeling sick or being sick and diarrhoea."

More here:
Gemma Collins says shes working on her summer body by promoting controversial weight loss injections - The Sun

WACO, TX Freedom Nutrition in Waco had their grand opening just two months ago. Little did they know getting their business off the grown will be harder than anticipated.

As they opened their doors, COVID-19 hit Central Texas and their planned business model took a turn. Although they could close up shop, they're choosing to push through.

"If we close the doors now that's a failure for us. So for us right now it's just focusing on solutions, not getting caught up in all the negativity," owner, Caleb Klous said.

Freedom Nutrition is a place where you can eat healthy while satisfying their sweet tooth. Selling protein-packed, nutrient-dense shakes. Flavors range from fruity to chocolaty and everything in between.

"We can actually help you dial in control your weight, your health, your immunity," Klous said.

Jena McCann is an avid shake drinker. She used to not eat very healthy, wasn't happy with her weight and just had no energy throughout the day.

Thanks to Freedom Nutrition shakes she's been able to get to a goal she's happy with.

"I got down to 115 pounds and now I'm working on gaining muscle because my butt went away when all the fat went away and it's just a consistent journey," McCann said.

She works as a supervisor at Freedom Nutrition and now she's helping others get to their goals as well. Offering wellness evaluations, they work to find a diet that is best for you.

"We look at your daily diet as an overview, we look at your metabolism analysis. We also do body composition tracking and then we customize a personal nutrition plan," Klous said.

As we are stuck inside, it's easy to grab that sweet treat and McCann says eating healthy is more important now than ever.

"You don't want to give up on it just because we're bored dealing with the quarantine 15," McCann said.

The shakes are designed to keep you full and avoid cravings.

"Our large shake is going to keep you full for a about three hours and it's going to taste like ice cream," Klous said.

Freedom Nutrition is open Monday Through Saturday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information visit their Facebook page.

Continued here:
We're Open Freedom nutrition struggles as they just opened their doors before the pandemic hit - KXXV News Channel 25

Microbes Gone Missing

In the early 20th century, biologists began to uncover fascinating relationships between complex organisms and their microbes: in tubeworms that had no mouth, anus or gut; in termites that fed on tough, woody plants; in cows whose grassy diet significantly lacked protein. Such observations generated excitement and prompted follow-up experiments. In those years, the absence of microbial helpers in an animal wasnt considered particularly surprising or interesting, and it often received little more than a passing nod in the literature. Even when it was thought to merit more than that as in a 1978 report in Science that tiny wood-eating crustaceans, unlike termites, had no stable population of gut bacteria it ended up flying under the radar.

And so expectations quietly began to shift to a new norm, that every animal had a relationship with bacteria without which it would perish. A few voices protested this oversimplification: As early as 1953, Paul Buchner, one of the founders of symbiosis research, wrote with exasperation about the notion that obligate, fixed and functional symbioses were universal. Again and again there have been authors who insist that endosymbiosis is an elementary principle of all organisms, he seethed. But counterexamples drowned in the flood of studies on the importance of host-microbe symbioses, especially those that drew connections between human health and our own microbiome.

The human microbiome has completely driven a lot of our thinking about how microbes work, said Tobin Hammer, a postdoctoral researcher in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Texas, Austin. And we often project from ourselves outwards.

But the human example is not a good model for whats going on in a diverse range of species, from caterpillars and butterflies to sawflies and shrimp, to some birds and bats (and perhaps even some pandas). In these animals, the microbes are sparser, more transient or unpredictable and they dont necessarily contribute much, if anything, to their host. The story is more complex, said Sarah Hird, an evolutionary biologist and microbial ecologist at the University of Connecticut, more fuzzy.

A transient, almost nonexistent relationship with bacteria was what Sanders saw in his tropical ants. He brought his samples back to his lab (then at Harvard University, although he is now at Cornell), where he sequenced the insects bacterial DNA and quantified how many microbes were present. The ant species with dense, specialized microbiomes had approximately 10,000 times more bacteria in their guts than Sanders found in the many other species he had captured. Put another way, Sanders said, if the ants were scaled to human size, some would carry a pound of microbes within them (similar to what humans harbor), others a mere coffee beans worth. Its really a profound difference.

That difference, reported in Integrative & Comparative Biology in 2017, seemed to be associated with diet: Strictly herbivorous tree-dwelling ants were more likely to have an abundant microbiome, perhaps to make up for their protein-deficient diet; omnivorous and carnivorous ground-dwelling ants consumed more balanced meals and had negligible amounts of bacteria in their gut. Still, this pattern was inconsistent. Some of the herbivorous ants also lacked a microbiome. And the ants that did have one didnt seem to have widespread, predictable associations with particular species of bacteria (although some sets of microbes were common to individual genera of the insects). That result marked a clear departure from mammalian microbiomes like our own, which tend to be very specific to their hosts.

The reasons why would become clearer as case studies of other organisms started to trickle in.

At around the same time that Sanders was examining ants in Peru, Hammer was in Costa Rica on an independent search for a microbiome in caterpillars. (What better insect to have obligate relationships with bacteria than these cows of the insect world? Sanders commented.) But try as he might, Hammer couldnt find much bacterial DNA in the gut and fecal samples he collected. Something really weird was going on, he said.

When, after months of frustrating lab work, he realized that the animals might simply not have a stable microbiome, it was a shift in thinking for me that was not expected at all. He and his colleagues ultimately found that, like so many of Sanders ants, caterpillars had much, much lower quantities of microbes than was considered the norm. Moreover, those microbes were simply a subset of the ones found in the animals plant diet which supports the idea that theyre transiently passing through and some of them are getting digested, essentially, Hammer said. Theyre not establishing stable populations within the gut.

To determine whether those transient bacteria benefited the caterpillars, the researchers eliminated them with antibiotics. In other insects and animals, such a treatment tends to stunt development or kill the host outright. But it had no effect whatsoever on Hammers caterpillars.

Deepa Agashe, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, India, saw something similar in insects that her team collected from several locations near the greenery of their campus. The microbes they found in dragonflies and butterflies strongly correlated with the insects diets rather than with a particular insect species or developmental stage. The vast majority of the dragonflies bacterial communities seemed to have come together by chance. Most of the bacteria were just there because they got there, Agashe said. The insects do not seem to be selecting for particular species of bacteria or a particular kind of bacteria.

Repeated experiments that disrupted the butterflies microbial populations yielded no effect on the hosts growth or development. Neither did reintroducing the bacteria to their guts. Really, Agashe said, they dont seem to care about their microbes at all even though the butterflies feed on toxic plants and seem like perfect candidates for a full-fledged, functional microbiome that could detoxify their meals.

Like Hammer and Sanders, initially we were scratching our heads, Agashe said. It was a surprising result, and actually it took us a while to wrap our heads around it.

But maybe it shouldnt be so surprising. As the scientists realized, when microbiomes are present, theyre often found in specific tissues and they involve specific bacteria that influence specific traits at specific times. The bobtail squid, for example, has a symbiosis thats limited to one species of luminous bacteria, which is sequestered in a single light-producing organ while the squids gut and skin remain microbe-free. Adult honeybees have important relationships with their bacteria, but the larvae dont.

So its not such a leap to think there could be animals that dont have such relationships at all, or that have relationships that play by different rules. I think theres now an increasing realization that theres this whole spectrum of kinds of associations that you might find, Agashe said.

Hammer agreed. Were just getting a glimpse at the tip of the iceberg, he said.

Read the rest here:
Why Is the Microbiome Important in Some Animals but Not Others? - Quanta Magazine

Today, nearly all of us are in enforced home confinement due to an invisible foe, the coronavirus. So, how do we amuse ourselves? Some pick up books theyve always wanted to read. Others get household chores done. But how about some of us losing weight? If typical busy schedules have interfered with your efforts in the past, could the current context support a concentrated effort on fasting to shed pounds? And what are the best ways to fast?

Fasting diets have generated considerable buzz among diet gurus in the media, not only as an approach to weight loss but also as a way to improve overall health. But do facts back it up?

Researchers say that animals and humans share some comment elements in the evolutionary process. One of these is that neither animals nor humans have always had the good fortune of enjoying three meals a day. Over long eras when our ancestors needed to scrounge for food, humans developed physiology capable of enduring periods without food. So the question arises, is it possible that the occasional fast might be good for us?

That seems to be true for animals. Studies show that fasting produces health benefits in laboratory animals. For instance, restrictive diet experiments involving rats and mice have delayed the progression of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurological disorders.

Research suggests humans derive benefits too. For example, many studies look at the health impact of fasting by large numbers of people during Ramadan. Results show a reduction in inflammation biomarkers, and this in turn can help prevent a wide range of illness, including neurodegenerative conditions. Other benefits include reduced coronary artery disease and a lower risk of diabetes. Several studies have demonstrated that fasting can decrease blood sugar levels, improve blood sugar control, and reduce insulin resistance, facilitating efforts by those with diabetes to keep levels steady and prevent spikes and crashes.

If you decide to fast during home confinement, how should you do it? Some diets involve a complete fast, allowing only water for a period of time. But many people prefer intermittent fasting. This involves eating at only certain times of the day and fasting the rest of the day. Still other fasts involve drastically reducing food intake for two or three days of the week. Remember, fasting is about calorie restriction, and this is only advantageous if there is no overeating when breaking the fast.

Dr. Sai Krupa Das of the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging says, In terms of weight loss and improvement on body composition, intermittent fasting can work, but there is not sufficient evidence to say it is superior to overall calorie restriction. In fact, the two methods appear to be pretty comparable.

A report in the journal Aging Research Reviews looked at various forms of calorie restriction. Researchers concluded that all forms of calorie restriction in overweight human subjects have shown improvement in multiple health indicators.

But Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, has sound advice. He says, Avoiding refined starches, grains, avoiding added sugars and other hyper-processed foods, and eating plenty of minimally processed foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, fruits, vegetables, fish, yogurt, healthy fats, and plant oils activates many natural weight controlling pathways.

The bottom line is to eat and diet in a way that works for you. Many complicated factors, including inherited genetics and socioeconomic context, make it difficult for some of us to maintain a healthy weight. But for too many of us, the problem is not genetic or societal. It is a lack of individual will and poor lifestyle choices that result in overconsumption of too many calories. This, combined with not enough exercise and confinement at home, is a recipe for trouble.

Dr. W. Gifford-Jones can be reached at info@docgiff.com.

Read more from the original source:
Health: Is home confinement a good time to try fasting? - Red Deer Advocate

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Aingeru Zorita

What are some activities you can do, no sweat, thanks to muscle memory? I can dribble a soccer ball, weave a lanyard into a staircase pattern, and summon lyrics to any Top 40 song post-1995.

Alison Bries recall includes jumping from the high corner ropes of a wrestling ring, her body in a horizontal plane, and landing crosswise on the body of another human as they fall in perfect coordination to the ground (a crossbody). She can also hurl herselfagain horizontallyonto someones back and hold on while that person spins (a crucifix). Not only that; she knows how to hold her frame upside down, legs straight up toward the heavens, while supporting herself by grasping the torso of the human below her (a 12 oclock suplex). This is how I find her on a Sunday in February, in a wrestling ring with pink ropes, her body upturned on pro wrestler Chavo Guerrero Juniors and pointing to the sky.

It really does come back pretty quickly, says Alison, stretching afterward, as if she is referencing a golf swing or how to French-braid. By season four of GLOW, we have the muscle memory. The thing to relearn is the fearlessness and commitment. You cant do any of the moves halfway.

Aingeru Zorita

The Netflix series about the 80s TV show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling is entering its fourth and final season, and it has changed a lot for the 37-year-old. It marked the first project for which she was number one on the call sheet, and the first (and, she imagines, only) time shell be in a show requiring dramatic acting, broad comedy chops, and major physicality. Since GLOW debuted in 2017, Alison has been vocal about how it seismically changed her. It helped with my relationship to my body times a million, she says. Before, I always felt at odds with it; I wanted it to be something it wasnt. But I didnt have the tools to do that in a healthy way.

Now, after four seasons, Alison has a confidence that stems in part from seeing her body as useful rather than merely aesthetic. Even Alisons stuntwoman has noticed the shift in her as she learns to trust herself more: Alisons training on GLOW has made her more comfortable doing her own small stunts in other projects, says Helena Barrett. Shes gotten through four years of a highly physical role with zero injuries, echoes her trainer, Jason Walsh, CEO of Rise Nation. Shes doing the jumps, the flips, the lands. Thats typically not what actors do.

"I like to lead the charge against people thinking that strength training makes women bulky."

Alison says she used to approach fitness all wrong. Everything was cardio, cardio, cardio. Nine years ago she started working with Walsh, mostly out of a sense of obligation. I thought, Im in my late 20s, I should probably start doing some strength training. What she did with Walsh changed when she started preparing for GLOW.

It took the motivation out of being skinny for Hollywood standards and made it about being strong for lifting other women, literally. There was a real goal. Because of that, Walsh has Alison focus on primitive movementswarming up by crawling or rolling, then pushing and pulling a heavy sled, performing trap bar deadlifts, and doing squats, presses, or lunges with a FitFighter (a handheld steel hose).

I mention that after she entered the GLOW ring, it looked to me as if her body shrank as she got stronger. Im glad you said that, actually, because being small was a side effect of being super fit and muscular, Alison replies without missing a beat. I like to lead the charge against people thinking that strength training makes women bulky. Jason uses my body as an example at the gym, because I can lift more than a lot of people. You can pack a lot of muscle into a lean little body.

Aingeru Zorita

Given the ways her physical self has changed over the past four years, I ask Alison if she still grapples with body dysmorphia, something Id read affected her, growing up in L.A. Oh, definitely. Still do! she says, matter-of-factly. In the past, she felt it had a hold on her. I go back to red carpet photos where I thought I looked so horrible, and there are some where I now think, God, I looked beautiful. And Ill remember: An hour before that I was in tears; I thought I was so disgusting. I think its something Ill probably be working through my whole life. And depression too.

Mental illness runs in Alisons family; her maternal grandmother had schizophrenia and went through periods of homelessness. The rest of my family then dealt with the trickle-down effects of trauma, she says. And that meant depression more than anything. The issue traces a line on both sides of Alisons genealogy and occasionally comes out of nowhere and really blindsides me. While some of her loved ones have benefited from anti-depressants, Alison says being active is her way of combating the condition. When Ive been in a really serious depression, Ill drag myself to a yoga classeven if I dont want to be around peopletears streaming down my face. But, Get in class, get out of your head, get blood flowing. It ends up helping eventually.

Aingeru Zorita

Working out six days a week (three days with Walsh, three days of activities like hikes and riding her Peloton) is one way Alison maintains her mental wellness. She also credits open communication as something that helps. Im so lucky Im married to a really wonderful, open person, she says of her husband, actor Dave Franco. We have great lines of communication, and I can talk often about my feelings. Dave gave her perspective when she was in the depths of self-loathing about her body. Its been funny talking to him about it. He said, Before I knew you, Im not sure I believed body dysmorphia was a real thing. Its so interesting to me what you seeand what Im seeing when Im looking at youand the frank discussions we have about it.

A streamlined diet is another thing that keeps Alisons mental state balanced. I used to feel more out of control with it, she says, describing how intense sugar cravings would lead to unhealthy choices and spin her into sadness about her body. Being more diligent has been helpful for me mentally.

You wouldnt believe how diligent. As Alison gets closer to shooting a season of GLOW, she ups her lean protein intake, removes sugar, and doesnt eat carbohydrates after 4 p.m. For breakfast, she has oatmeal with protein powder, then she works out and has a post-sweat chocolate and sea salt Aprs vegan protein shake. A few hours later shell make a tuna salad with spinach and whatever she has on handolives, avocado, cucumber. For dinner, she whips up ground-turkey stir-fries; one from a Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook calls for eggplant, and another she makes with onion, ginger, garlic, and low-sodium tamari sauce. When shes not prepping or shooting, she tends to eat vegan or vegetarian.

Aingeru Zorita

Nutrition is just part of the logistics shes navigating as she preps for the Netflix series and shoots Happiest Seasona rom-com led by Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis about a gay couple who go home for the holidays and have to pretend to be straight. Shes been flying back and forth between Pittsburgh and L.A. and exercising in apartments and trailers. I have workouts for any type of situation, she says. Her routines from Walsh are heavy on calisthenics done at a slow tempo, like pushups and Bulgarian split squats. She also uses the PulseTread app for intervals on the treadmill. For recovery, she is loyal to foam rollers, her Theragun, and Epsom salt baths after ingesting a few drops of CBD oil.

A car is idling outside, ready to take Alison to a flight back to Pittsburgh for Happiest Season. (Shell also appear in this springs Promising Young Woman, a chilling #MeToo revenge thriller.) In a week, shell be back in the ring, rehearsing with all the women of GLOW. Its exciting! she says. My chance to rebond with all the girls. Does it feel as if youre on a team more than a cast, I ask, knowing that Alison was a full-fledged theater nerd and unlikely to have soccer in her muscle memory. One hundred percent, she says, beaming. And I feel like the captain. I want to motivate everyone. Shes going to miss her character, Ruthmullet perm and allwhen she has to say goodbye, but shes taking wrestling, and all its lessons, with her. Its part of me forever.

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Photographed by Aingeru Zorita Fashion director Kristen Saladino Hair Mark Townsend for Dove Hair Makeup: Molly R. Stern using Armani Beauty Manicure: Emi Kudo at Opus Beauty using Chanel Le Vernis.

This article appears in the May 2020 issue of Womens Health, available April 21. Subscribe now.

Continued here:
Alison Brie Can Lift Another HumanAnd Not Just On TV - Women's Health

Find more exclusive sleep-related content in Happiful magazine's special sleep-themed May 2020 issue. Order your printed copy to be delivered straight to your door, or subscribe for our free digital edition.

Every night in the UK, 22% of people have trouble falling asleep. Nightmare, right?

When we struggle to sleep, the impact trickles out into the rest of our lives. It can affect our performance at work, our diet, and our relationships with others. The underhand shot is that our diet and lifestyle can also be the reason were not dropping off at night, and we can quickly find ourselves in a never-ending downward spiral.

So how can we break free? With help from a counsellor and a nutritionist, we play out some of the most common sleep problem scenarios, and look at how to address them.

The sceneYou feel fatigued and lethargic, even the small things in your daily routine feel like monstrous, energy-sucking quests. And when things feel that difficult, its easy to let them fall by the wayside. You struggle to concentrate when youre at work, and your to-do list builds up to an overwhelming level. Recalling things that happened even yesterday becomes hard, and you start to notice that youre forgetting more than you normally would. Youre irritable with your colleagues, friends, and family youre at the end of your tether. When you do finally get round to doing the things that you enjoy, you cant engage as you would do normally. You feel anxious and hopeless.

The next actThis scene is all too familiar to counsellor and psychologist Dr Vikki Powell, and to the 16 million adults in the UK who report sleep problems. On Vikkis advice, for many the first step to addressing these problems is to go back to basics. The most effective step is to start a regular routine around sleep, she explains. This involves not only having a regular bedtime and wake time that you maintain throughout the week (including weekends), but also having a regular wind-down routine too.

As Vikki sees it, this routine should involve time away from screens and tech, and you should try not to arouse the brain too much, or do any strenuous physical activity. But rather than listing the things you cant do, look at this time as an opportunity to indulge in some relaxing activities you genuinely enjoy. You could rediscover a love of reading, journaling, or crafting. Or now could be the time to practise light yoga, meditation, or another mindfulness activity sex is also on the cards. Make this time sacred and special, dedicated to winding down, and something that you can look forward to at the end of the day.

The sceneYouve had a bad day. In fact, its been a bad week scratch that, maybe even a bad month. It feels like a million different thoughts are rushing around your head, knocking into, and interlocking with, each other. The moment your head hits the pillow, you start inadvertently working your way through everything that has been worrying you throughout the day like a showreel of your lowest moments. It comes to the point where you begin to dread this time of night, and so stay up later and later, filling your evening with distractions. You wake up physically and mentally exhausted its a vicious cycle.

You take deep, slow breaths and gently let your mind ponder on the things that brought you joy that day

The next act...The reassuring thing is, youre not alone. Periods of poor sleep are very normal and will affect most of us at some point.

This is often related to a trigger event such as illness, stress, change of environment, and extra demands or responsibilities, Vikki explains. When the trigger event or period subsides, so should the insomnia. Worrying about not sleeping, and adopting unhelpful strategies for coping with poor sleep, become the problem and this perpetuates insomnia.

Its easier said than done, but the first step is to take a look at the potential triggers.

You may not be able to do anything about them instantly for example, if you are going through a stressful life change and it may be the case that counselling, or further professional support, is needed, but being able to recognise your triggers will be the first step to controlling them. Vikki also recommends keeping a worry journal, or to-do list, to throw down the things in your head before you go to sleep, meaning you can move them out of your head and on to the paper, leaving room for more positive, relaxing thoughts to send you off to sleep.

The sceneYou wake up in the morning with a headache, feeling exhausted. You force yourself into the kitchen to make the first of many coffees that day. You didnt get much sleep last night, and you feel ravenous, and crave sugary foods. Throughout the day you snack between meals, and have another coffee in the afternoon. To wind down after work, you have a couple of glasses of wine. You feel tired, but when you go to bed you find youre restless, and you wake up several times in the night.

The next actThe relationship between food and sleep is often neglected. But, according to nutritional therapist Sonal Shah, its one that we must start paying more attention to. There is a strong link between lack of sleep and more hunger, Sonal explains. The hunger hormone ghrelin is stimulated, which means you feel like you want to eat more the following day and often the foods craved are simple carbohydrates, or junk food, that provides quick energy to the body and mind.

So a good nights sleep can help us manage our hunger cycle, but how can what were eating help with getting the sleep in the first place? The first tip any nutritionist will give you is youve already guessed it cutting the caffeine. Weve all been told it before, but to really drive the point home, Sonal highlights how caffeine stays in the body for between six and 10 hours meaning you should cut yourself off from 2pm. Alcohol and sugary snacks can also lead to disturbed sleep. Of course, theres nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and then, but these tips are worth keeping in mind while youre working towards healthier routines.

Youve had a long day. Its been a busy one, but you feel proud of yourself for getting through the essentials on your to-do list. The sun has set outside, and everything has started to get quieter. You walk into your dimly lit bedroom, change into fresh pyjamas, and spend half an hour on a hobby youve been looking forward to all day. You slowly sip on a mug of warm herbal tea. Your eyes are starting to feel droopy, so you slip in between the sheets and turn off the light.

Your head sinks into the pillow followed by your neck, your shoulders, your spine, your hips, your knees, and finally your heels. You take deep, slow breaths and gently let your mind ponder on the things that brought you joy that day. Without stress or urgency, you slowly drift off into a deep, calm, rejuvenating sleep.

A good nights sleep wont come easily to all of us, but its not a pipe dream. With deliberate steps, we can find our balance, and bid tossing and turning goodnight. Now, thats what dreams are really made of.

For more exclusive sleep-related content, including co-sleeping and insight into your dreams, pick up the May issue of Happiful in our shop now, or in supermarkets from Thursday 16 April, or subscribe to read for free online.

Happiful shop: Can't see your copy of Happiful in a store near you? Head to our online shop.

In-store: Pick up your copy in Waitrose, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, WH Smiths Travel, Asda or selected newsagents. Find a store near you.

Online: Happiful is completely free to read digitally. To get our May issue in your inbox this Thursday, subscribe now.

Illustration | Rosan Magar

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Sleep Scenarios and How to Put Them to Rest - Happiful Magazine

In a new Instagram post, Cristina Cuomo says her husband of 19 years, Chris Cuomo, has "successfully turned the corner away from his severe symptoms and the potential danger of pneumonia" with coronavirus.

Cristina, who has a long career in journalism and media, has been keeping friends, family, and fans updated on his improving condition via her lifestyle and wellness platform The Purist, where she details Chris's daily diet, exercise regimen, and even his temperature. In her latest Instagram update, she went on to say that her husband, "still feels consistently light-headed, week, fever on, fever off." So, she's continued working with Dr. Linda Lancaster, an energy medicine physician who Cristina says helped cure her "aggressive" Lyme disease last summer, on a diet strong in herbs and vitamins. "It takes a lot of energy to break down raw foods, especially when youre sick," she wrote on Instagram. Chris has been eating a "stress-free diet," according to the post, so as not to tax his liver or consume his energy.

The first photo in Cristina's post featured Chris looking healthy and happy with their son, Mario Jr., 14, named after Chris's late father, the former governor of New York. Swipe, and you'll also see a photo of Chris standing in his pajamas and face mask on the stairs to their basement in Long Island, where he's quarantining. You can see a tray with food, a tissue box, and a tub of Lysol wipes.

Tons of well wishes poured into the comments section, like this note from Chris's CNN co-worker, Lisa Ling: "You are amazing CGC. Chris is so lucky to have you." Another friend wrote, "Hes got the best home nurse ever.... sending well wishes ."

Despite his ups and downs with coronavirus, Chris has still been making appearances on CNN, where he hosts Cuomo Prime Time. As recently as last evening, he told Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "I'm scared by this. And it frustrates me because I can't get out of this basement."

Chris added something new about the emotional toll the virus takes on people as well: "People are afraid to talk about it, and I'm not," he told Dr. Gupta. "This virus creates psychological illness. It is in my head. It is causing people depression, and it's creating brain fog, and it's creating edginess in people. The experts I'm talking to are saying yes, yes, we've seen that. But how do you treat it and what does it mean down the road? We don't know."

We're hoping for Chris's full recovery and discharge from the basement soon. In the meantime we know he's in the best of care thanks to his wife Cristina and their kids!

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Continued here:
Cristina Cuomo Says Husband Chris Cuomo Has "Turned the Corner" With Coronavirus - Prevention.com

Shout out to Trader Joes

There has been much deserved praise for the women and men across the nation who have been treating patients with COVID-19, and deservedly so. Their sacrifice and dedication is humbling to witness.

While we rightfully honor their painstaking work and that of so many others, I would like to give a shoutout to the staff at Trader Joes in Pacific Grove. These women and men have been ahead of the curve when it comes to following guidelines for customer safety and keeping social distancing. They have cheerfully greeted customers and have shown amazing politeness during this extraordinary moment, and done so while keeping the shelves stocked and the store equipment disinfected. Trader Joes staff deserves recognition for doing their jobs so well under unique and difficult circumstances.

I know there are far more important issues in our lives right now but its good to know there are people doing their every day, yet vital jobs with care and kindness. Glad they got Easter off to relax and get ready for what is to come. I hope they all stay healthy and safe.

Michael Bond, Pacific Grove

Celebrate Earth Day by changing your diet

With the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, we are already reducing our carbon footprint during the pandemic by curtailing travel. But we can do so much more by cutting our consumption of animal meat and milk products. Yes, that.

A recent article in the respected journal Nature argues that animal agriculture is a major driver of climate change, of air and water pollution, and of depletion of soil and freshwater resources. Oxford Universitys prestigious Food Climate Research Network reports that solving the global warming catastrophe requires a massive shift to plant-based eating.

In an environmentally sustainable world, we must replace meat and dairy products with vegetables, fruits, and grains, just as we replace fossil fuels with wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.

We can begin with a 1-minute NY Times food test athttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/30/climate/your-diet-quiz-global-warming.html. Then, lets celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day at our supermarket.

Martin Clayman, Monterey

Wildlife during shelter in place

Since the PG golf course has been closed to play it has turned into a dog park and while jogging by I keep seeing deer bolting from the golf course and cemetery into the streets being chased by dogs. I dont know what is more cruel, seeing the wildlife scared to death or seeing the dogs run themselves ragged to complete exhaustion. Unbelievable.

Steven Gray, Pacific Grove

Looking forward to morning read

On reading the letter from George Jaksha, I was reminded of the other morning when I reached for my paper, (which the delivery boy so nicely tucks into my door) how sad and distressed I would be if the Herald didnt come to my door each morning. Coffee without the newspaper to read? It would absolutely ruin my day. In these times it is something, and one of the few things, to look forward to. Thank you, Herald and your delivery person!

Jane Upp,Carmel Valley

Disappointed in story selection

It was very disturbing to open the Herald on Easter Sunday morning -the day Christs resurrection is celebrated and see a long and colorfully illustrated report on how we all could and might die.

Not your best front page, Herald!

Jo-Ann M. Hatch, Carmel Valley,

Unhappy about flight school noise

If you buy a house next to an airport, you expect a certain about of noise. When I was flying out of Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, the realtors would show homes in the surrounding neighborhoods on Sunday when we mostly were not flying. However, while accepting a certain amount of noise we also expect those flying out of the airport to be good neighbors and abide by the established rules. The most annoying chronic offender is the flight school located at Monterey Regional Airport. The flight school is supposed to limit touch and goes to four in a two-hour period. This limitation is routinely ignored, often by a large number of flights. Furthermore, the complaints routinely generated are never acted upon by the Airport. All in all, not very neighborly behavior. Also, I am waiting for someone to explain why flight lessons are an essential service since there has been little reduction of them since the shelter-in-place order was promulgated. Anyone who has flown in a Cessna knows that there is not 6 feet separating the pilot and copilot.

Gary Kreeger, Del Rey Oaks

I take our household recycles out to Marinas Recycling Center about every two to three weeks. I take glass, plastics, cardboard, aluminum, and paper.

My last visit truly upset me. In the paper bin, I saw the entire set of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S, Lewis just thrown in like garbage. This travesty was beyond my reach and there wasnt anyone available to help. There were other books as well.

It is beyond my comprehension how anyone could dispose of books in this fashion without any regard for the libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, daycare centers and senior citizen centers that could benefit from their donation. Not to mention the number of students at the middle and high school level. Ive even seen a number of textbooks in the bin. Why not give those back to the institutions which befit the most?

This was not my first encounter with finding books in the recycling bin. How tough is it to take these books to where they would do the most good.

I dont get it.

Toni Reed, Seaside

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Letters to the Editor: April 15, 2020 - Monterey Herald

As many people are working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown without a proper desk, they could be sitting in the wrong posture for hours which can lead to pain in the neck and lower back. Health experts have suggested that simple tips like not taking their laptop to bed, taking adequate breaks and having a healthy diet can help you avoid these problems.

People should be extra careful not to fall sick during this period as the work from home mode and closure of gyms have disrupted physical activity schedules of many, the experts said.

We should keep in mind that this lockdown period is for our safety from a disease, and doesnt allow us to be careless and invite other diseases like cervical pain, backache, arthritis etc., Monu Singh, Senior Consultant in Orthopaedics at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Gurugram, told IANS.

As people are not going out daily for office now, it has definitely broken their physical activity schedule including walking, gymming and to balance that schedule they should take out at least one hour everyday for routine exercise and other physical activities which can be done at home like yoga and other free hand exercises, he said.

The doctor suggested that while working from home people should use a table and chair, keep their back straight and posture right.

They should keep taking adequate breaks to avoid sitting for too long in front of a laptop or any screen for that matter, he said, adding that diet is extremely important in these times of restricted activity.

Avoid snacking, dont keep munching unhealthy food, add more fruits and fibres to your daily meal with plenty of fluids and keep your calcium intake right, Singh said.

Subhash Jangid, Director and Unit Head, Bone & Joint Institute, Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram has advised people to do neck stretching exercises and keep the neck and back muscles strong in this period of lockdown.

People with cervical issues should avoid any heavy weights, Jangid said.

For people with back problems, you can walk in your home. Make a schedule, fix a time and walk at a length for half-hour to stay active. In case you do not have ample space for a walk, take out your yoga mat or a bedsheet, you can do pilates or soft yoga poses to improve your core strength and stability, he said.

Some such exercises are chair stand, single leg raise, heel raise, front plank on table.

People can also do a plank and a childs pose to gain strength for the back.

The doctor added that dancing is a great way of staying active and keeping the family bond strong.

Alternatively, one can do skipping, Zumba, yoga or pilates or floor exercises.

Stand or walk around while talking over the phone, rather than sitting down, the doctor said.

According to Viju Thomas (PT), Head Of Department, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in New Delhi, people who are working from home need to be more careful.

Do Surya Namaskar every morning and walk in your room. If one is already on therapy then be in contact with your physiotherapist and keep taking advice to follow, said Thomas.

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Working from home? Follow these tips to avoid neck, lower back pain - The Statesman