It's easy to criticize everyone else's use of social media: the unwanted photo flash for Instagram posts, the interruption of a deep conversation by the blink of Twitter. We admonish people to get off screens and put phones away while adding more features to our own online lives.

Perhaps that's because it's easier to tell others what to do than to curb our own behavior. Social media operates on our physiology in a way that's similar to other addictive behaviors. While there's a growing awareness of the danger of social media addiction, our understanding of what it takes for people to actually change their behavior is less well documented.

Supersize portions of screen time are becoming normalized, with dire results. We talk about binge-watching shows as if there is no harm in it, when in fact binge behavior of any sort is unhealthy.

Complicating any effort to curb an addiction to social media is that, unlike alcohol, drugs, smoking, sex and gambling, which we can live without, screens have so infused our society that total abstinence isn't an option for most of us. In fact, there is a growing subset of people who are required to have active presences online as part of their jobs.

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I am increasingly seeing people with this predicament in my psychotherapy practice. One such patient has a marketing job that requires her to be on social media. In order to be successful, she was spending most of her day (and much of her night) creating and responding to posts on various platforms. She couldn't afford to quit her job, but her deepening depression stemming from an addiction to technology meant she was very dissatisfied with her life.

We know from research that social media sites and apps increase the release of dopamine in our brains, which gives us a jolt of pleasure. When we connect a behavior to our sense of pleasure, we want to scratch the itch repeatedly, and withdrawal is painful. But we also know from research that addictive behavior exacerbates loneliness and sadness.

As I pondered my patient's dilemma, I realized what I was hearing from her was very similar to what I hear from my patients who suffer from eating disorders (be it bulimia or compulsive overeating). In fact, with PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay and Amazon, technology's omnipresence also means our access to food is 24/7. We are not going back to the way of the landline or pay phones, any more than we are going back to curtailing store hours or delivery services. So we can apply the research done on eating disorders to dealing with addiction to social media.

Because we need to continue to consume food and social media, these dependencies can't be handled by the most effective means of ending addictions going cold turkey. The feedback loop between our behavior and the part of our brain that responds to pleasure makes moderation very difficult to achieve. Few people can take one bite of a delicious chocolate cake and feel satisfied. Our hunger for more is powerful, and, as hard as it might seem, not taking the first bite can be easier than trying to stop after just one bite. I've had patients tell me that they recognize their helplessness in the face of food and wish they could totally give it up.

So. like patients who need to take control of their eating, could my patient use similar techniques to take control of her online life and start to feel better while keeping her job? Substituting the word "screen" for "food," I asked my client to assess her relationship to social media and screen use in general. For example: Is my relationship to social media healthy? Does it reflect my values? At the end of each day, how has my time on screens helped me improve myself? What is one modification I can commit to to bring about sustained change with screen time in my life? If I think of every megabyte as a bite of food, what percentage of what I consumed online today was empty calories?

As my client and I began to address these questions, she saw ways she could modify her behavior with screens and find mechanisms for setting limits. She needed to do that because, to change her emotional response to her online engagement, she first needed to go through withdrawal. We used cognitive behavioral techniques to address her irrational fear that being separated from her phone would mean she wouldn't know if there was an emergency. This mirrors patients' initial fears of going hungry if they don't have access to food at all times.

So she made her bedroom a screen-free environment. She bought an alarm clock to use instead of her phone. She no longer went to sleep with Netflix playing on her laptop. She stopped consuming Facebook posts as a way to stay connected with friends. She began to take a 24-hour break from all screens every month.

By making these changes, she started to feel in control of her life again, and her self-esteem improved. Delayed gratification entered her repertoire, which meant she was no longer a slave to instant gratification. And she had to create more fulfilling patterns of behavior to fill the social media void. She found her phone conversations with friends more satisfying than looking at their posts, and she was able to sleep better with no screens in her bedroom.

Once she regained control of screen time in her personal life, she was motivated to engage her employer in a conversation about setting limits on her online availability after hours. On the surface, her request was well received, but the jury is still out. She is waiting to see whether she continues to be promoted at work. There may be consequences for limiting her use of social media and her availability but there are consequences for her not changing, as well.

Supersize portions of screen time are becoming normalized, with dire results. We talk about binge-watching shows as if there is no harm in it, when in fact binge behavior of any sort is unhealthy. Addiction is a complex phenomenon, and unfortunately recidivism is very high. But if we tame the beast of social media by moderating our diet of screen time, hopefully we can realign our priorities and live healthier lives.

Maggie Mulqueen

Maggie Mulqueen, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. She is the author of "On Our Own Terms: Redefining Competence and Femininity," as well as essays inThe Boston Globe,Psychotherapy Networker,Psychotherapy.netand other publications.

Original post:
A social media addiction is like binge eating. Here's how to find the right diet. - NBC News

You havent been eating your greens all these years just to appease your grandparents, parents, concerned uncles and doctors, have you? The latest research suggests that your diet doesnt just affect your physical health, it plays a significant role in regulating your mood and mental health as well.

Here's how: low blood sugar, low levels of hydration, use of alcohol and caffeine can all affect our mood that can devolve into feeling anxious. Similarly, eating meals at different times every day, without a set routine can also lead to hypoglycemia and cause emotional dysregulation.

Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.

Recently, a large study done by the University of Toronto looked into the connection between diet and the chances of getting an anxiety disorder. The study, published in theInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that unhealthy diets caused significant emotional impairment and were one of the risk factors for anxiety disorders.

All of this leads us to one clear conclusion: well-balanced diets that consist of complex carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables are our best bet for overall good health. But how do you get the requisite three to five servings of fruit-and-veg daily, without getting tired of eating the same seasonal fruits every day? Here are some ideas:

Getting the requisite servings of fruits and vegetables can feel boring and repetitive. Here are some ways you can make these targets more appetizing:

1. Start right:Include fruits and vegetables in your breakfast to get off to the right start and cover a part of the requirement before you even leave home. Have a banana or an apple as youre getting ready. Or a mushroom and spinach omelette. You can also add grilled tomatoes to your egg sandwich or have a hearty with vegetable juice with carrots and apple. A spinach-banana smoothie is another winning combo.

2. Keep the fruit visible:This is a handy trick since fruit is inviting to look at and is an easy snack to consume. If the fruit is accessible as you are leaving the house, or foraging for food, you are more likely to eat it over sugary snacks. Try setting up a gorgeous fruit basket in your living room, and notice if it encourages you to grab an extra orange while watching TV or guava on your way out of the house for work.

3. Make desserts a little healthier:Desserts allow us a touch of indulgence - often it is not practical to give them up entirely but you can modify desserts to remove the sugar and add fruit for sweetness instead. Try using a mix of fruits - mix seasonal berries with cream for a quick treat. Or have a baked pear with honey and walnuts if your sweet tooth can wait for the 40 minutes it takes to prepare this dish.

The recent study in Canada focused on women and found that those who consumed less than three fruits and vegetables a day had 24% higher odds of getting anxiety disorders. Diets lacking balance and containing a limited amount of fruits and vegetables were associated with being overweight. If total body fat exceeded 36%, the likelihood of having an anxiety disorder increased significantly - by 70%.

Poor diets leading to excess body mass are known to cause inflammation in the body which, in turn, can cause anxiety. Consuming highly processed foods and avoiding nutrient-dense ones can lead to nutrient deficiencies and lead to inflammation as well.

An emerging field of study, the gut-brain axis is beginning to show the relationship between gut health and emotional wellbeing. The neurotransmitter serotonin is synthesized mostly by the gut microbiome (about 95% receptors are also in the lining of the gut) and alterations in this chemical affect brain functioning and mental health.

In short, eating at least three pieces of fruit a day and an equal number of veggies daily is the key to fitness as well as happiness. Eat five, and you get a thumbs-up from preventive cardiologists, too!

Read HowFruits Lower the Risk of Depressionfor more information.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.

Updated Date: Feb 28, 2020 14:28:25 IST

Tags : Balanced Diet, Benefits Of Fruit, Diet And Anxiety, Diet And Depression, Diet And Mood, Diet For Good Mood, Diet News, Diet Study, Fruit In Diet, Good Diet News, Happiness Diet, Is Fruit Good For Health, NewsTracker, Vegetables For Health, Weight Loss

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Live to eat: How to add the right number of fruits and veggies to your daily diet - Firstpost

WANT to lose weight and achieve glowing skin at the same time? Don't we all.

Increasing your collagen intake might be the answer, says best-selling author Dr Josh Axe in his new book The Collagen Diet.

1

Through various research studies and food plans, Dr Axe has pinpointed collagen to have invaluable benefits including weight control and clearer skin.

Having gone through his own personal journey with collagen after he found its benefits to improve his gut health and irritable bowel problems, he has since identified collagen to be the "missing link to modern health".

Collagen is a strong fibrous protein woven into your bodys thread of tissues, all inter-connected like one big fusion of wires.

"Collagen is the glue that holds you together", says Dr Axe.

Naturally found in our bodies, from skin to nails to bones, muscles, blood vessels and in lining of our gut, collagen is hidden everywhere throughout our bodies.

For a small substance it ranks highly for anti-ageing benefits which is why its found in so many beauty products promoting healthy and radiant skin.

Research has shown collagen can:

Besides these glorious benefits, it can also support weight loss and help you to achieve glowing skin.

Collagen being the strong fibrous protein that it is, helps to maintain your skins elasticity and springiness by working alongside the proteinelastinwhich is found mainly in the dermis layer of your skin thats the toughest layer of your skin that helps keep tissue strong and flexible.

But as we age, these features unfortunately start to lose their benefits as your bodys natural collagen reserves start to decline from the start of your mid-twenties at a rate of one percent per year.

Collagen is the glue that holds you together

Before you know it by the time youre in your early fifties and above,research has shown that there is a significant decrease in the rate of collagen production by 75 per cent compared to those younger than thirty.

Lifestyle factors can play a key role in reducing your natural collagen levels, such as increased sun exposure, smoking, stress and poor gut health.

Although hard to resist, high sugar consumption is one of the main culprits in destroying your bodys natural collagen production.

Often weight loss can lead to more sagging skin.

But adding collagen to your diet can protect your muscle tissue as you shed pounds and help you keep the weight off for good, asserts Dr Axe.

Research published in theAmerican Journal of Physiology- Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiologyfound that rats given a diet high in glycine (an anti-ageing building block found in collagen) were protected from accumulating fat in the abdominal area.

The study also showed the rats were able to break down fat at a higher rate, implying the role of collagen may affect your weight in a positive way by also heavily reducing your risk of developing serious diseases associated with extreme weight gain such as diabetes and heart disease.

A low-carb, low-sugar diet rich in collagen is the best way to reduce the deep fat that surrounds the organs in your belly known asvisceral fat this is the kind of fat most often found around the middle of the body.

This kind of fat can put pressure on your collagen-rich tissues such as those found in knee and spine cartilage, causing collagen production to diminish at a quicker rate than normal.

High levels of this abdominal fat can also cause a spike in inflammatory cytokines, which are proteins that promote inflammation, leading to a greater chance of developing inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. These proteins can also damage your natural production of collagen too.

The foods to avoid which increase inflammation, destroy your collagen production and also reduce the quantity of collagen in your body are:

To achieve a diet high in collagen and anti-inflammatory whole foods pack your meals with the following:

NO WEIGHLose weight fast by avoiding overeating at these three 'danger times' every day

WEIGH TO GOLose weight by cutting calories - but eat MORE to blast fat faster, expert says

LOSE WEIGHT FASTSpeed Keto diet boosts weight loss but experts warn of side effects

WEIGH TO GOWhat is the keto diet and what are the best keto recipes?

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TIME TO TICK TUCK INHow WHEN you eat could improve your wellbeing and help you lose weight

TOP PRIZEWoman, 26, crowned Miss Great Britain after shedding HALF her body weight

NO WEIGHCan't lose weight? The 5 cooking mistakes derailing your diet revealed

MASTER-SHREDHow MasterChef star Gregg Wallace shed 3st & STILL ate McDonalds

SUPER SLIMMERSSmart diet app could help you shed a stone in 12 weeks

Read more here:
The collagen diet could help you lose weight and leave you with glowing skin - The Sun

I believe convenience, time and lack of discipline are three blockages that can be hard to work with. Changing habits takes a discipline and if a person is not committed its easy to deviate from a healthier routine. Being busy, which is part of our culture, can make eating healthier and spending time getting exercise a little harder because it might be more convenient to just grab food out, rather than taking lunch or forgoing exercise to work longer or sleep longer.

As a part of my series about 5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve Ones Wellbeing, I had the pleasure of interviewing Val Minos. Val has been practicing yoga for 18 years and teaching for over five years. When she teaches she tries to create an experience for students that will leave them feeling strong, powerful and flexibility both physically and mentally. She currently teaches private and group yoga classes and is a holistic wellness coach both online and in-person, while also spending time writing on her blog where she speaks to yoga, holistic nutrition and wellness.

Thank you so much for doing this with us, Val! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

Istarted swimming and dancing when I was 8. When I was 10, I started running and have been a distance runner ever since. Spending much of my life as an athlete, yoga seemed like the next step which has allowed me to slow down, listen and enhance inner and outer strength and flexibility.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

When I was a public educator, I would teach yoga to my kindergarten students. It turned out one of my students dads, who was single, was interested in yoga because his 5 year old would tell him about the poses she did in school. We ended up bonding over our similar interests in yoga and wellness. Eight years later, hes my husband and we practice yoga together while our four year old jumps all over us!

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

When I started teaching yoga and fitness classes I was really bad at keeping my left and rights straight. I would say left when I was stepping my right foot forward and have to correct myself. Its gotten better but now I have decided to laugh and make little jokes about any mistakes or mixups. It helps my students to see that Im human and that I dont take myself too seriously.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

After spending almost two decades working in health and fitness as a school classroom and physical education teacher, yoga instructor and holistic wellness coach on top of living with an autoimmune disease, I have found that family, friends and fitness class students have asked for help. Living with Celiac Disease means I have to be careful with my dietary choices and I have days where I need to tone exercise down. Im able to support clients in picking up the intensity to get results while allowing for self-care and down time.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I taught yoga, mostly for free my first year after teacher training mainly because I lived in a small town that only had two yoga studios and too many yoga teachers to count. I took a year off from my full-time job to have a child and focus on making private yoga my new career. Being super pregnant and later having a newborn, proved to be very difficult in starting a brand new business all on my own. I ended up getting a very flexible yoga teaching position at a local recreation center. It turned into the best opportunity. I build many relationships that ended up allowing me to continue to grow my yoga business by teaching private groups and at a local private golf club community. I owe the coordinators at the recreation center a lot for taking a chance on a pregnant lady with a dream!

Ok thank you for all that. Now lets move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that its important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, its often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

I believe convenience, time and lack of discipline are three blockages that can be hard to work with. Changing habits takes a discipline and if a person is not committed its easy to deviate from a healthier routine. Being busy, which is part of our culture, can make eating healthier and spending time getting exercise a little harder because it might be more convenient to just grab food out, rather than taking lunch or forgoing exercise to work longer or sleep longer.

Can you please share your 5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve Ones Wellbeing? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

Numerous studies have been done showing that exercise helps fight many life threatening illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Exercise can also help improve cognitive function for a time after exercise. It also boosts mood!

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

Strength training, aerobic exercise and stretching is very important for aging. Specific exercises would depend on the person and her/his current activity level. Walking or biking might be a great way to start with aerobic exercise. Starting with simple body weight exercises like push-ups, planks and air squats would be a great place to start for strength training. Yoga or pilates are good places to start for working on flexibility.

In my experience, many people begin an exercise regimen but stop because they get too sore afterwards. What ideas would you recommend to someone who plays sports or does heavy exercise to shorten the recovery time, and to prevent short term or long term injury?

Making sure to stay hydrated and add protein right after or very soon after playing sports or working out can help keep the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from kicking in at high gear. Adding some active recovery or massaging of sore spots can also help bring some relief as well. The most important thing to remember is to continue with physical activity!

There are so many different diets today. Can you share what kind of diet you follow? Which diet do you recommend to most of your clients?

Food as medicine and having Celiac Disease means I cant eat gluten but I also have other sensitivities so Ive found sticking to a grain free diet is the most helpful for me to maintain optimal health. Diets are hard to stick too and many people end up restricting food too much so I tell clients to make little sustainable changes that can be lifelong not just short term.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

Born to Run has been one of the best books Ive read in the past few years. I enjoy books that have real stories that inspire me to be better. Running has been a big part of my life and reading that book gave me the confidence to train for and run a full marathon, which is something I never thought I would do.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Using yoga and wellness practices to bring more awareness to the crisis our Earth is in. Being someone who is into health and fitness, taking care of myself goes hand in hand with taking care of the Earth. Consuming less, re-using and actively staying away from plastics and toxins as much as possible. If we put toxins into our body, we are basically undoing all the good from focusing on health and wellness.

Can you please give us your favorite Life Lesson Quote? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

Being like a tree, let the dead leaves drop. -Rumi

Ive always had a hard time letting things go. Keeping this in mind has allowed me to move forward, face things that seem scary or difficult and pursue my dreams.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

Honestly, there is not one specific person I admire. There are traits I see in successful people that I aspire to like honesty, drive, willingness to help others and who dont apologize for their beliefs. People who stay true to themselves no matter how successful they are.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

Im on Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook.

Instagram: @altyogavibe

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM2uqunvOX3k8hZhyLvuRow

Pinterest:www.pinterest.com/altyogavibe1

Facebook: @altyogavibe

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Read more:
5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One's Wellbeing, with Val Minos and Dr. William Seeds - Thrive Global

The menu in many government-run hostels in the State has been downgraded over the past few months following delay in supply of rice and wheat under the Public Distribution System.

Several hostels have not had supplies of rice and wheat that was expected to be supplied in October 2019 to this day and the local authorities have cut out non-veg items, eggs, sweets or fruits to be able to buy the staple grains from open market.

The Social Welfare Department runs pre-matric, post-matric hostels, residential schools and ashrama schools. The Union government, under the Public Distribution System (hostel scheme) provides rice and wheat for students in two instalments in a year. Hostels get rice at the rate of 10 kg per student per month and wheat at the rate of 5 kg. In the current financial year, the second instalment of foodgrains, which was expected to be provided in October 2019, has not been released so far.

The government has fixed the food expenses for pre-matric hostels at 1,500 per student per month, post-matric hostels and residential schools at 1,600, and ashrama schools 1,400. Hostel wardens have to manage the ration within this amount. Under the scheme, rice was available at 5 to 6 per kg. But as the supply has been delayed, wardens are procuring rice from open market paying 25 to 35 per kg.

When the cost of procuring rice increases by six times, we cannot afford to provide egg, banana, sweets, and non-veg. That has to be cut to meet the expenses, said a Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Department, who did not wish to be named.

A student at a pre-matric hostel in Hassan district, on condition of anonymity, said that menu had been cut, but the warden had pleaded helplessness and said that they had no option as they had to arrange money for rice.

Another student, who stays at a hostel in Koppal, said that over the past two months, they were using too few vegetables in the food.

R.S. Peddapaiah, Commissioner of Social Welfare Department, in January, wrote to the Additional Chief Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) of the State government requesting him to send a proposal to the Centre or provide 38,666.34 tonnes of rice and 19,333.16 tonnes of wheat.

When The Hindu spoke to the Commissioner, he said: Rice and wheat would be supplied to hostels soon. However, he did not mention any time frame. He denied any cut in the menu. The hostel staff have been managing with the available stock of rice and wheat. If there are any instances of cutting menu, I will take action against the staff, he said.

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Its a frugal diet in government hostels sans rice and wheat - The Hindu

Muscle at rest burns very few calories compared to the brain, heart, and kidneys. iStock

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that break down the food we eat into energy and muscle.

Though many people think that they will lose weight if they speed up their metabolism, this isn't necessarily true. Here's what you need to know about the complicated relationship between metabolism and weight-loss.

When people refer to metabolism being "fast" or "slow" what they are really referring to is a measure of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR determines the number of passive calories that you burn these are the calories that your body uses up while at rest.

A popular misconception is that adding muscle will help you metabolize calories faster and while this is partially true, muscles at rest actually burn very few calories. Most of the metabolizing energy you expend is through your brain, heart, kidneys, and other organs that are constantly at work keeping you alive and healthy.

There is evidence that cardiovascular exercise can help boost your metabolism for a short period after you work out, but this effect only lasts for an hour or so and is not usually enough to cause significant weight loss.

There's also the myth that eating certain foods will speed up your metabolism. But the reality is that even if certain foods can affect your BMR it's not nearly enough to make a noticeable difference in your weight.In order to lose weight, you must create a deficit between the calories you consume through food and the calories you burn through a combination of diet, physical activity, and passive metabolic processes that are largely out of your control.

The sad truth is that it's hard to change your BMR in any significant way. The fact that some people naturally have a faster BMR than others is largely due to genetics.

A review, published in 2011 in Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, that examined 9 twin studies and 19 family studies found that metabolic syndrome and some of the symptoms associated with it including obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance are common among families, suggesting a significant heritability factor.

The exception to this rule comes up only for rare illnesses like Cushing's syndrome or hypothyroidism, which both slow metabolism.

As you age, your metabolism becomes less efficient, or what we think of as "slowing down," says Heather Seid, a registered dietician and Bionutrition Program Manager at ColumbiaUniversity.

There are many reasons your metabolism slows down, including losing muscle mass and changes in your cells. But the main reason for metabolism change is that people become less active as they get older.

Unfortunately, you can't completely stop your metabolism from slowing down as you age but exercise may give you a boost. Studies show that keeping active as you grow older can help curb a metabolism slowdown.

View post:
How metabolism works and why you can't speed it up to lose weight - Insider - INSIDER

That pixie cut seemed like a good idea at the time. But nowyoure staring in the mirror, and the reflection looking back is more, Eek!than chic.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.Policy

Is there anything (anything?!) you can do to speed up the growing-out process? Dermatologist Wilma Bergfeld, MD, gives us the long and short of it.

The hair on your head grows in cycles. At any time, about80% of your hair is actively growing. The remaining strands are either in aresting state or preparing to die and fall out.

If your hair is shedding like crazy, see a doctor to rule out any illnesses or nutrient deficiencies that might be responsible. But if scissors not shedding are at the root of your problem, youll have to summon some patience: Hair grows a measly 4 to 6 inches per year.

When you want your hair to hurry up and grow already, Dr.Bergfeld recommends these tips:

Take care of your health issues, she says. Hormonal abnormalities, anemia and other nutrient deficiencies can short-circuit the growth pattern. Before experimenting with supplements and vitamins, Dr. Bergfeld recommends having your doctor do some tests to identify any possible deficiencies.

A well-rounded, nutritious diet is important for head-to-toe health, including the hairs on your head. Avoid diets that cut out entire food groups, Dr. Bergfeld cautions. And if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, make sure youre getting all the protein types and nutrients your body needs. A doctor or dietitian can help you create a well-balanced eating plan.

Hair thats weak and damaged will break long before it reaches great lengths (or even medium lengths). Avoid bleach and chemical treatments that can damage hair.

Like chemicals, heat styling can damage your hair. Try to avoid frequent blowouts and step away from the curling iron. If you cant resist, use a heat protectant before you style.

Fine, coarse, curly, colored different hair types have different needs. If your hair is dry, for instance, wash it less frequently and use a heavier conditioner. If your hair is fine or very curly, it can be easily damaged. Avoid brushing while its wet and use products designed for your hair type.

Scheduling a haircut can feel counterproductive when you want your hair to get longer. But regular trims keep hair from breaking and getting even shorter, Dr. Bergfeld notes.

Split ends run up the hair fiber like a rip in your stockings. You need to clip those off.

Look to the root of the problem, Dr. Bergfeld suggests. If your scalp is itchy or flaky, that translates to inflammation, which turns off hair growth. To keep your scalp happy, try anti-dandruff shampoos or avoid heavily fragranced shampoos and conditioners, which can irritate sensitive skin. If your scalp is healthy, your hair will be the best it can be, she says.

Dr. Bergfeld adds that its best to skip shampoos and serums that claim to contain hair-growing vitamins. Those dont penetrate the hair, she explains.

Sadly, theres no magic formula to transform you into Rapunzel at least not yet. Major cosmetic houses have some of the best chemical scientists in the world, she says. Lots of researchers are working on this.

See the article here:
Is There Any Way to Make Your Hair Grow Faster? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion three years running.UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a Great College to Work for" two years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers." We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the states top hospital for four straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the UniversityforKentucky.

Read more from the original source:
Discover Moon Rocks, Isotopes and Earthquakes at EES Open House - UKNow

Alongside that realisation was an emerging body of research that showed the body has a biological imperative to maintain its weight.

Interval Weight-Loss for Women.

The concept of the set-point theory is that our bodies attempt to regulate themselves by returning to a certain set-point when we either eat too much or not enough. In the case of not eating enough, when the diet stops as it inevitably does, the bodys evolutionary response is to store a little extra fat for the next time it is starved.

According to the theory, we can redefine our bodys set-point without dieting, removing food groups or counting calories. Rather people focus on eating whole foods, paying attention to portion sizes and satiety as well as going slowly; aiming for one month of minimal weight-loss (about two kilograms) followed by one month of maintenance to allow the body to adjust and reset.

Set-point not only helps to explain why dieting or just eating less doesnt work in the long run, but it has also changed the approach of many clinicians working in the space, including Fuller's.

His latest book is Interval Weight Loss for Women.

[Women] go through significant life events that men never have to worry about, Fuller explains. We see these struggles with patients in our clinics.

Three of the biggest life events are transitioning into adulthood, pregnancy and menopause.

Theyre buying into social media influences, they are dieting younger and they are dieting themselves into a weight problem.

Were seeing the greatest increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the young, particularly young females, Fuller says. The young are following unhealthy eating practices, theyre buying into social media influences, they are dieting younger and they are dieting themselves into a weight problem when they may not have had a weight issue.

Pregnancy and becoming a parent often means less sleep, less time, more stress and unhealthy cravings as well as a sense of pressure to return to pre-pregnancy weight, he explains.

Later on in life, there is that transition through menopause and the struggle with weight that comes with that, Fuller says. Theres a large factor going on there with sarcopenia [progressive and generalised loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength] and the declining muscle mass ... and theres also the progressive decline of oestrogen from the ovaries which make certain areas more prone to weight gain.

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On top of this, Fuller adds, is the unfair targeting of women by the weight-loss industry, which means they are more susceptible to it.

There are a few surveys out there that its something like 60 diets by mid-lifetime that women and men have been on, Fuller says, And because women are unfairly targeted and more likely to do something about it ... this leads them to gain weight quicker.

Despite the title of the book, Fuller insists his aim is to help women escape the diet trap for good and, in doing so, improve their health in the long-term.

The purpose of it is to empower, particularly women, to understand what is happening in their bodies at these times in life and if you go and react to that problem, by buying into the $100 million weight-loss industry and the shakes that go with it, you will accelerate the problem, Fuller says.

Setting goals that arent weight-loss oriented, but about family, the life people want to live or their health, is an important part of process, he adds.

The book is named weight-loss because that is unfortunately what people are reacting to in terms of their struggle, Fuller explains. People are looking for that weight-loss solution and then, when they read the information, they understand the focus needs to come away from weight-loss and towards health.

Its equipping the person with the education around weight-loss and hopefully when theyve read that information theyre able to make that shift towards health.

Interval Weight-Loss for Women, RRP $32.99, is available through Penguin Life

Sarah Berry is a lifestyle and health writer at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Read more:
Why we need to 'overhaul' our attitude to weight - The Sydney Morning Herald

As a single woman, I'm familiar with those "joys of cooking for one" articles and books the pieces encouraging women to nourish themselves without needing a partner to justify the culinary effort.

It's all very romantic, the push to treat yourself as the love of your life. But I say screw self-partnering.

Instead, why not cook as if we're feeding our own imaginary kids? We all know offspring are far more special. They come from your bodily organs, whereas a partner only hails from an app or a bar.

For one week, I decided to devour this concept by eating the meals of a toddling child and reporting on my findings.

I am a childless adult, and damn do I eat like one. I love my kitchen time.

My mother is from a large Portuguese Malaysian family, so I grew up with exquisite fusion dishes that took both time and spice. I was the kid with tiered steel containers of homemade dumplings and a ginger-sesame reduction to make my white-bread peers weep.

These days, living far from home, I make an effort to cook for myself. I spend Sunday shopping for fresh produce, fondling avocados with the care of a prostate specialist, smelling herbs with the vigor of a mid-level apothecary owner in the 1600s. I spend most of the afternoon preparing meals for the week. I own seven kinds of balsamic vinegar. There's chili sauce in my bag. You get it.

It's fair to say I had the organizational, meal-prep aspect of this eating challenge covered. I just lacked the ability to keep flavors simple.

It certainly wasn't Christmas, but a tree and gingerbread person cutter were all I had first thing in the morning. Serena Coady

The last time I ate like a baby, it was when I had all four wisdom teeth extracted. The last time I ate like a toddler, I was a toddler. The last time I fed a toddler, I gave him homemade sweet-potato gnocchi with burnt sage butter. Evidently, some research was required.

According to the National Health Service, children ages 12 to 26 months old require omega-3 to support their rapidly evolving brains, iron for healthy blood, calcium for bone growth, and protein so they can get supremely jacked (just kidding).

As a vegetarian kidult, this meant I had to incorporate protein-rich ingredients like eggs, legumes, and dairy, and omega-3 rich ingredients like chia seeds and walnuts instead of fish.

I normally do this, but this time I needed to make the food bland, yet somehow more appetizing to a toddler.

The NHS also recommends avoiding salt, sugar, spice, and sweet drinks like juice or flavored milk. Another takeaway from my research is that toddlers do not drink alcohol.

Toddlers also require consistent meal times each day to regulate their appetite. For the week, I ate breakfast at 7 a.m., lunch at noon, and dinner at the humble hour of 6 p.m.

I've never loved porridge for breakfast, but apparently kids do. Or are expected to. Serena Coady

Armed with NHS knowledge and Pinterest screenshots of "colorful fun healthy kids food," I shopped for ingredients and meal-prepped for the week.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

I made sure each meal was packed with nutrients and color. It needed to look fresh, exciting, and appealing to a young child.

I also chopped everything to prevent choking. Even though I'm proud of my fully developed chewing skills, I needed to get into character.

By the end of the week, here's what I had learned.

I learned that boiled eggs are the most comforting breakfast. Serena Coady

I eat breakfast most days, but it's not a priority. I scoff Vegemite toast as I'm walking out the door or ladle granola into my mouth on the train. And when I'm hungover? Catch me in the McDonald's, station-side.

My week eating like a toddler changed this. The suggested mealtimes got me out of bed earlier than usual. Rising to prepare a filling breakfast and sitting down to enjoy it was satisfying; I was starting the day by taking quality time for myself.

One parenting guide proposed that the dining table be a distraction-free zone, so the child can focus on eating. So the phone went away. As a result, breakfast became more of a sacred time, which helped me mentally prepare for work.

Eating wholesome toddler's breakfasts also made me realize that I need to eat more in the morning. Or rather, eat differently. I usually feel hungry about two hours after breakfast and end up snacking to avoid my trademark mid-meeting stomach grumbles. After incorporating more protein into my breakfast this week, however, I remained full until lunch.

Boiled egg with soldiers was my favorite breakfast of the week. Chopping toast into fingers made me eat the bread slowly instead of wolfing it down in one heartburn-inducing chomp. It also helped me savor how delicious melted butter tastes in the morning.

This week taught me that breakfast should be enjoyable. It's a reward for bothering to wake up early.

Being this organized is fairly satisfying. Serena Coady

Sitting in the breakroom, surrounded by colleagues eating premade supermarket meals or last night's leftovers tossed into old Tupperware, I experienced a range of emotions.

My food stood out. It looked so curated. Most adults don't compartmentalize every ingredient in this way.

As I gazed down at the cheese, Emily Blunt's iconic "The Devil Wears Prada" bit came to mind: "Right before I feel I'm going to faint, I eat a cube of cheese." Perhaps my colleagues would wonder if I were on a crash diet.

At the same time, I felt strangely proud of my lunch. When I looked at the chopped carrots and perfectly bite-size tomatoes, I had to acknowledge it looked as if love had been put into it. As a child, I never fully appreciated the effort my mother put into my lunches every day. Looking back, I wish I thanked her more.

As I usually bring leftovers for lunch, having such a basic meal made me recognize the freedom that comes with not having to heat up food, too. With my packed container of goods I was more willing to head out for a picnic-style lunch. Fun!

One parenting tip I received was to finely dice prunes and sneak them into meals. I presumed this was another parental stealth tactic to summon stools out of their children, only I didn't understand just how well it would work on me. I will not be using this ingredient in the future.

Another toddler diet tip was to drink water between meals, instead of juice or milk, as these will only lead to "mealtime battles." Therefore, rather than drinking a midafternoon hot chocolate which never fails to make my jeans stress against a bloated stomach I stuck to water.

The disciplined nature of mealtimes also improved my routine. Avoiding stodgy beverages between meals and skipping beer or wine with dinner made me feel lighter and more ready to exercise later that evening.

Welcome to bland land: We don't have any condiments here. Serena Coady

Once I got into the mindset of eating to nourish a child, it was easier to refrain from eating junk and drinking alcohol. If I was in doubt about giving into my desires to demolish a block of chocolate or a pint of beer, I'd ask myself: "Would I want my niece or nephew to have this?"

One parenting guide implores parents to find out whether their child is actually hungry. "Try distracting him with a fun activity he might just be bored!" Strong4Life said. The presumption of gender aside, I figured this information would be useful.

When I found myself wanting to eat between meals, I took myself for a walk. Turns out it makes sense to step away from my desk instead of reaching for snacks.

Forgoing my standard dash of hot sauce was the most difficult part of the week, but eating basic meals with mild flavors made me appreciate the simple goodness of individual ingredients. In my typical diet, I would be less inclined to notice the sweetness of a cherry tomato or the umami hit of cheese because these would be drowning in Cholula.

In a millennial world in which Sunday drinks and midweek work meetings are likely to run overtime, I wouldn't be able to keep this rigid diet going, but there are elements I plan to take away.

By following a toddler's diet, I found that instead of lunch being leftovers, a selection of fresh vegetables that aren't just salad is an easy way to add variety to the midday meal.

By the end of the week I had given up on the cute presentation and the plastic plates. Serena Coady

I also learned that my breakfast lacks protein. I'm not being filled up with toast and granola alone. So, I'll add more protein-rich ingredients like eggs, scrambled tofu, or peanut butter to my morning routine.

In terms of mindfulness, I hope to make more time to sit down and eat breakfast. This won't be realistic on days when I'm so beer-brained I press snooze six times, but I'd like to try.

Read more from the original source:
I ate like a toddler for a week, and it transformed my relationship with breakfast - Insider - INSIDER