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Source https://www.foodpolitics.com/2019/06/industry-funded-study-of-the-week-blueberries-again/

I love blueberries and grow two different kinds on my 12th-floor Manhattan terrace, both delicious if I can get to them before the voracious birds do.

I wish the blueberry industry could just accept delicious and leave it at that, but no such luck.  It is desperate to get research it can use to promote blueberries as a superfruit (I wrote about the history of blueberry-funded research in Unsavory Truth).

Here’s the latest.

The study: Blueberries improve biomarkers of cardiometabolic function in participants with metabolic syndrome—results from a 6-month, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.  Peter J Curtis, et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2019;109:1535–1545.

Method: Participants were fed powdered blueberries equivalent to a half or full cup a day, compared to placebo.

Conclusions: Despite insulin resistance remaining unchanged we show, to our knowledge, the first sustained improvements in vascular function, lipid status, and underlying NO [nitric oxide] bioactivity following 1cup blueberries/d. With effect sizes predictive of 12–15% reductions in CVD risk, blueberries should be included in dietary strategies to reduce individual and population CVD risk.

Funder: Supported by the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) with oversight from the USDA and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, UK). AC and ERB both act as advisors to the USHBC grant committee. The funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.

Comment: The press picked this one up:  “Study: Blueberries benefit heart health.”  This study used powdered blueberries.  Trust me, the fresh ones are much better.  You can tell this is an industry-funded study because the published study is open access, which somebody has to pay for—a clue that it is about marketing.  And what about the comment that funders had no influence?  They didn’t have to.  The study did not compare blueberries to any other fruits.  The science here provides some interesting information about how anthocyanins in this fruit might work, but wouldn’t they work the same way in any other fruit?  Are blueberries the only fruit that contains these particular anthocyanins?   This questions suggest that this study is not about the science, it is about demonstrating that there is something special about blueberries.  Dietary advice?  Eat whatever fruits you like.  And vegetables.  And nuts.  They all have something good about them.

 

Source http://zenhabits.net/simplify-challenge-2/

By Leo Babauta

Our lives naturally get busy, complicated, stressful, hectic, overwhelming. It’s the nature of things: we say yes to too much and overcommit ourselves; we fill in all the spaces with possessions, things to do, distractions; we give in to urges to do more, read more, watch more, buy more, want more.

So what can we do in the face of this overwhelming swarm of busyness?

We can simplify.

This month, I’m issuing a challenge to simplify your life — not the possessions and physical clutter, but the things you do and the clutter of your time and commitments.

I’m calling it the Simplify Your Life Challenge, and you can join my Sea Change Program to participate.

Here’s how the challenge works:

1. Commit to the challenge in the #simple-challenge channel in our Sea Change community on Slack.
2. Each week, there will be a different focus or mini-challenge to try to stick with.
3. Check in each week on Monday in the #simple-challenge channel to stay accountable, review how you did, and adjust how you’re doing things so that you can overcome any obstacles.

Pretty simple!

So here are the focuses for each week:

1. Week 1: Examine & reduce commitments. In this week, we’ll do an inventory of our work and personal commitments, and start to reduce them where possible, starting with the easy ones.
2. Week 2: Simplify your routine. Create a simple morning routine, keeping yourself from overloading yourself, and leaving space in your day for not being busy.
3. Week 3: Do one thing at a time. This week, you’ll focus on doing one thing at a time. And work on have one project or goal focus at a time.
4. Week 4: Reduce screen time and distractions. In this week, you’ll experiment with ways to reduce your screen time so that you can have disconnected time, and go into focus mode without distractions more often.

Sound good? It will be amazing!

You can join Sea Change today (free for 7 days, then $15/month) to be a part of the challenge, and you’ll get:

1. An article on each week’s focus.
2. A live video webinar with me on the Power of One Thing.
3. A challenge channel and Slack community to hold you accountable and support your progress.
4. You can join a small team of about 4-7 people for even more support and accountability.
5. There’s a huge library of content — video courses, articles, past video webinars and more!

You can join Sea Change today for immediate access to the challenge, Slack community and library of content.

Source https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/602542582/0/griswoldhomecare~Announcing-the-Griswold-Annual-Scholarship-Winner/

Griswold Home Care offers a $1,000 annual scholarship to a qualified student pursuing a bachelor’s, associate’s, graduate, or professional degree at an accredited college or university. Winners will usually have at least a  3.75 GPA, and have experience in caregiving. We would like to congratulate Samridhi Singh as 2018’s Griswold Home Care Annual Scholarship winner!
Read more about Samridhi, how she started on the path to a nursing degree, and what she plans to do with that degree after graduation.

About Samridhi Singh:

My name is Samridhi Singh and I am a freshman majoring in nursing with a psychology minor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. For as long as I can remember, my family used to encourage me to be an engineer, but when I started as an inpatient volunteer at Mary Bridge Hospital, my vision changed completely. I held a toddler in my arms and learned that he had been in the hospital for 200 days, fighting leukemia. When you see the unfair realities of life, it makes you take a deep look at what is versus what can be. Each week, holding those babies warmed my heart as I became entrenched in their joys and sorrows, trials and tribulations, and smiles and tears. It made me wish that they would get to have long, healthy lives ahead of them. Thus I decided to pursue nursing.
Another thing that sent me down the path to nursing was when I completed my CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) training in high school. Since then, I began visiting and volunteering at adult care homes. Adult care is one issue I am passionate about because it is important, yet currently sidelined since our society sadly considers seniors as those who have outlived their utility. Nuclear family systems don’t support the care of aging parents, so although adult homes are a good solution, the care provided varies immensely based on how expensive the facility is. This is quite unfair. I would like to complete my nursing program and specialize in adult care to provide affordable yet ideal care. To this effect, I would like to start a non-profit organization to make available health care services for adults with physical disabilities and/or cognitive impairments and also provide social-emotional support so they do not feel lonely, sad, or uncared for. I’d love to have partnerships with elementary schools, arrange for children to spend time with the seniors, organize music recitals, celebrate birthdays, have partnerships with flower shops and bakeries that can donate goodies – anything to improve the seniors’ mental wellness and quality of life.
I am also aware of how differently the medical system runs in many underdeveloped or developing countries of the world. If you don’t have the money up front for the hospital care that you are seeking, you are not allowed inside the hospital gates. Most hospitals are either massively expensive, while the others are at best mediocre. The care provided is not enough. There are too many patients and underpaid, overworked employees who work unhappily and merely for the paycheck. Therefore, looking at the medical care that is provided here, I appreciate how a person is treated as a person, with dignity and respect. The doctors, nurses, and all hospital staff seem to care about the patient – not only the physical, but also the emotional well-being. They smile, talk to you decently, want to know more about you as a person, and give you the best care possible. They are considerate and have abundant patience. It gives you the feeling of being cared for. Watching my grandparents battle serious health issues and not receive adequate care while living in a different part of the world makes me value the care that is provided here, and I want to be part of this system.
I would like contribute to the nursing profession by bringing in my own insights, using critical thinking in fast-thinking situations to look at the consequences of my actions as well as being able to see the benefits. I truly believe it is essential to help the patients by not only giving them medications but also by talking to them and reassuring them. St. Francis Xavier says, “Be great in little things.” I see myself as a transformational leader, who believes in setting a personal example. I am a doer and staunchly believe in working together to bring our community together. For me, service towards others is the foundation to uplift those around us and I plan to do just that, no matter when, how, and where I am. Being a good human being is most important to me so I not only become a productive individual but also a contributing member of our society.

Source https://www.clubindustry.com/fitness-studies/new-study-suggests-taking-10000-daily-steps-arbitrary-goal-longevity

Researchers concluded that women who averaged about 4,000 daily steps were 40 percent less likely to die versus those who took fewer steps. They also found that longevity benefits largely maxed out near 7,500 daily steps.

Source http://zenhabits.net/coaching/

“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”

― Rumi

By Leo Babauta

My friends,

I’m opening up two spots for my 1-on-1 coaching service, which is aimed for those who would like to start changing their lives, shifting their patterns, and starting true transformation.

I’m looking for people who:

• Are doing meaningful work: You’re creating, you’re starting a non-profit, you’re volunteering, you’re changing lives, you’re serving a team or community, you care about the people you’re serving.
• Are being held back by their patterns in uncertainty: Your meaningful work is filled with uncertainty, which brings up habitual patterns … maybe you put things off, you try to control everything, you feel overwhelmed, you feel anxiety, you shrink away from public speaking or putting your work in public, you take on too much, you play a smaller game than you should, you feel resentment, you run to comfort and distraction, you don’t delegate. Maybe not all of these, but possibly a few of them.
• Are ready to take action and commit to training: I’m not looking for someone who will sign up and then not actually do the training. Maybe you’ve put things off before, but if you sign up with me, I want a commitment that you’re going to make the time to do the training, show up fully for the calls and your practices, and be all in.
• Are not afraid of mindfulness practices and are willing to go deeper: You’ve meditated for a little bit now, and don’t mind going deep into mindfulness practices, being vulnerable, being radically honest, and opening up to new training.
• Are ready to commit some time, effort and money into something meaningful: What is so important to you that you’re ready to commit a significant amount of time, effort and money to it?

Is that you? What is meaningful to you? Who do you care deeply about? What change do you want to create in the world?

How the Training Works

We’ll start with a free call, to get to know each other, and see if it’s the right fit. You won’t be under any obligation after the call. Then I’ll send you a proposal, and if you sign on, we’ll commit to training together.

Then we’ll meet twice a month, on video call, and dive into your patterns, what’s holding you back, what you want to create, and how you can train to shift those patterns. We’ll work flexibly, but with commitment and accountability.

I’ll give you practices/assignments to do between calls — this is where the real change takes place. You’ll log your training, and I’ll give you feedback on your log so that you can adjust the training if needed.

Then we’ll see what magic happens.

Ready to train with me?

Apply here today for one of the two spots.

Client Testimonial

Here’s a testimonial from one of my recent clients:

“I had the usual goals to start with (more mindfulness, more discipline, less procrastination – you name it) which I have been aiming at – and missing – for a long time. Leo’s kind and extremely open approach made me feel safe and capable of sharing honestly my wins and failures. During our work together, Leo helped me to flank the obstacles that was resisting my futile head-on attacks. Due to the coaching experience, I am more capable of picking the right battles, distinguishing the important from irrelevant and accepting discomfort as a natural part of the journey.”

— Ales Balcar, trainer for Amazon.com

Source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/D8iw2aHmeFY/

“Change your thoughts and you can change your world.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

Making a major life change, such as changing careers or moving to a new state, can be really scary.

Even if our hearts are pulling us in one direction, we may still be plagued with doubt, fear, and anxious thoughts, such as: How do I know if I’m making the right decision? What will my family think if I do this? Will I regret this?

Even after we make the change, doubts and worries can still linger.

In 2016, I was on the brink of a major life change. At the time, I was enrolled in a doctorate program in psychology. I had always dreamed of getting my doctorate. But after two semesters in the program, I realized the path I was on was making me miserable. While my advisor was passionate about his research, I didn’t feel anything close to passion.

I came to realize I wasn’t in graduate school for the right reasons. I wasn’t there because I wanted to contribute to the field. What I wanted was to win the support and approval of my family.

Once I realized that, I knew pursuing a doctorate wasn’t the right path for me. However, even though my intuition was screaming at me to leave, I didn’t trust those feelings. I fought with myself. I kept coming up with rational reasons for staying: I worked so hard to get here. I should be here. I’m smart enough to be here—I even passed the comprehensive exams in only my third semester!

But no matter how hard my rational self struggled to sway me, my inner voice kept reminding me how unhappy and unfulfilled I was.

I vacillated between leaving and staying. Deep down, I knew what I wanted to do. But I was terrified. My self-worth had always been linked to academic achievements. Without my status as a graduate student, I worried I’d feel worthless. Plus, what would my family and professors think if I left?

Soon the pull of my intuition became too strong to ignore. I decided to leave my program. While my husband was very supportive of my decision, my family was not supportive—just as I feared. I tried to reassure myself. I continually reminded myself that I had left for the right reasons: to prioritize my happiness and pursue a more fulfilling life path.

But the doubts and negative self-talk lingered. I started to believe that I was a failure, a loser. My family even said as much. A former professor was also disappointed with me.

I became so wrapped up in my doubts and negative self-talk that I lost sight of the reasons why I left in the first place.

Then serendipity hit.

For some time, I had a side project in writing uplifting letters to strangers. I would write positive messages and leave them in places I thought would be helpful, such as inside self-help books at used bookstores.

One day, while writing a letter, I suddenly got the idea to write a letter to myself, a letter reminding myself that in leaving graduate school, I was doing what was right for me—being true to myself and prioritizing my happiness.

“Dear You,” I began. I spent the next hour crafting a letter to myself. I wrote as if I were a compassionate friend writing to myself.

In the first paragraph, I briefly acknowledged my doubts and feelings.

Next, I told myself to stop being so hard on myself—I had left graduate school to do what was right for me and my happiness.

Then I wrote about why I knew graduate school was the wrong path for me. I recalled how happy I was before starting graduate school, and that my happiness rapidly declined since pursuing this path. I reminded myself that I was now free to let happiness back into my life. In the end, the letter ran to just under one thousand words.

After particularly hard days, I would read the letter. What I found was remarkable: the letter instantaneously swept away all of the self-critical thoughts I had about leaving graduate school. It broke the pattern of my thinking negatively about myself and made me see, in my own words, why what I had done was right.

Each time I finished the letter, I would be confident about my decision again and proud of my choice.

But then, a day or two later, something would trigger me to feel badly again. The negative thoughts and fears and doubts would return. In the evening, I’d read the letter again and feel confident once more.

Clearly, reading the letter was helpful in boosting my mood and confidence in the moment. So I thought: What if I started reading the letter every day? Would it help me feel better about my decision in the long-term? And so I started reading the letter every morning. It was often one of the first things I did after I woke up. In the beginning, I read it several times a day.

Reading the letter every day proved to be powerful. Within a couple of weeks, I noticed that the things that had triggered me to feel badly, no longer had that effect. Instead, when confronted with these triggers, I found myself automatically thinking about the sentiments I had expressed in my letter.

After a month of reading the letter every single day, my thought patterns had completely changed. No longer did I think less of myself for leaving my graduate program. Instead, I felt proud.

In leaving my doctorate program, I had done what was right for me. I had listened to my intuition and bravely made a move toward pursuing a more fulfilling path. Sure, I was more than capable of being in graduate school and finishing the program, but it wasn’t the right path for me, and that was okay.

And my letter had helped me stay on the path that was right for me.

Are you facing a major life change and struggling with doubt, fear, or negative self-talk? If so, writing a letter to yourself and reading it consistently may be helpful in transforming your thoughts.

Tips on Writing a Letter to Yourself

1. Acknowledge your current thoughts and feelings.

In the first paragraph, you might start off by acknowledging your current feelings or thoughts. For example, I started off my letter by writing, “I know you may be doubting yourself right now…” Reading this made me feel comforted and soothed, as if I were reading a letter from a friend who completely understood where I was coming from.

2. If you’re having trouble coming up with reassuring thoughts to include in your letter, talk over your situation with a supportive friend.

I talked over my situation constantly with my husband. I thought that my being sad to let go of my program was evidence that I was about to make the wrong decision. But he reminded me that it was normal to feel that way; after all it was a dream I had held for so long. It made sense that it would be a little sad to let that go, even if I knew it wasn’t right for me. This sentiment made its way into my letter.

3. Make it conversational.

I found my letter more impactful when it was written in a conversational way. Don’t worry so much about spelling or grammar. It doesn’t need to read like an essay.

4. Use positive words.

In her studies of the subconscious mind, Dr. Sherry Buffington found that the subconscious can only understand words that produce a mental image or picture. Words such as don’t, not, and no do not form an image or picture. Therefore, the subconscious doesn’t recognize them.

For example, when you write, “You are not weak,” your subconscious only recognizes you and weak, and interprets this statement as, “You are weak.” Yikes! That’s not at all what you meant! If you use positive words, your subconscious will recognize the words and interpret the statement correctly. In this example, if you write, “You are strong,” your subconscious sees exactly as you intend: “You are strong.”

5. Make it accessible.

I wrote the letter in a Google Doc, which is stored within my Google Drive. That way I could access it easily on my phone. This might be helpful for you, or you may prefer a handwritten letter instead. Ultimately, you want to choose a method that will allow you easy access every day.

6. Be open to revision.

I know that my letter is just right when I feel comforted and soothed when reading it. If a sentence or paragraph doesn’t have the right effect, you may need to revise it a little.

7. Read it every single day!

For the letter to help you stay the course, it’s important to read it every day—for as long as you need to.

—

Making a big life change can trigger a lot of fear, doubt, and negative self-talk. These overwhelming feelings and thoughts can become so habitual that you can feel stuck and unable to break free from them.

Writing an empathetic, empowering letter to yourself can remind you why making a life change is so important to your happiness and well-being. And reading it regularly can help reprogram your thought patterns and keep you on the right track.

Get in the conversation! Click here to leave a comment on the site.

The post An Exercise That May Help You Make a Big, Scary Life Change appeared first on Tiny Buddha.