http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Sure, this post comes right on the heels of Cyber Monday…but is there ever a perfect time for a message like this? Yes, I run a business, but I still don’t mind kicking the cultural hornet’s nest. Some things don’t change.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t contradiction. Here I am doing my own holiday shopping today (don’t tell Carrie)—and offering my own deals to those who are interested. The holidays—with all the shopping and parties and prep—are fun. No doubt. Simultaneously, I know financial stress takes a major toll this time of year, and it doesn’t have to be that way.

Estimates for last year’s Christmas gift spending placed the average American in the vicinity of $936—with the average parent spending an additional $422 per child on top of that already princely sum. (Whether that figure still holds true in a family of four or five is debatable.)

And that may not even be the half of it. Holiday dinners, events, decorations, clothing, and trips add to the price tag. The result? More than half of us rack up debt for holiday expenditures, a sizable portion of which will take more than half a year to pay off.

Financial stress carries over past the festivities of the season, and its costs can be much higher than a credit card total. 

Financial Stress at The Holidays

Let’s talk numbers. According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. retail sales during the 2015 holiday season surpassed the GDP of 181 other countries. That’s more spending on presents, food and holiday sundries than the combined GDP of countries like South Africa, Sweden and Norway…amounting to a whopping $630+ billion.

Perceived social expectations set the stage. A few years back, a survey of 1000 Americans across all income brackets found that 45% of those polled were under so much financial pressure that they’d prefer to skip the holiday scrabble altogether. Another 45% said they didn’t have enough money set aside to cover holiday expenses.

It gets worse. While 41% of people are unable to survive more than two weeks without a paycheck, 59% of people are carrying debt into the new year. Not surprisingly, a 2015 Healthline survey showed that over 60% of people get stressed out just thinking about the holiday season, with finances being the biggest cause of that stress.

The Health Costs

Even within the Primal community, there’s a tendency to focus on tangible sources of stress—inflammatory foods, toxic compounds in our living environment, etc. Yet, financial woes crop up again and again as one of the most pervasive forms of stress. 

A 2008 study found that college students with a debt of $1000 or more were at significantly higher risk of obesity, excess TV viewing, infrequent breakfast consumption, fast food consumption, binge drinking, substance abuse, and lack of exercise.

In another study, financial strain held a particularly strong association with heavy drinking and smoking among elderly men. Further research indicates that smokers with financial stress are less likely to try to quit, less likely to succeed if they do try, and more likely to relapse. Presumably, it’s something of a vicious cycle, with smoking leading to financial strain, which in turn promotes more smoking. Stress can send us into a cul-de-sac of bad habits.

Over time, these stress-justified bad habits are likely to create their own slew of health problems, the most common of which is weight gain. In a study involving 1,355 U.S. men and women, increasing levels of psychosocial stress in the form of “difficulty paying bills” was associated with a higher propensity for weight gain. The mechanisms behind this are well understood, with higher levels of stress leading to the development of “palatable food” (aka junk food) motivation and engagement in overeating to offset the negative emotional effects of stress. This higher energy intake, coupled with a reduction in physical activity, stimulates visceral fat accumulation. The rest is history.

Perhaps most famously, higher levels of stress, both acute and chronic, have been associated with impaired cardiovascular health and life-threatening complications. Research shows that work-related stress, which often goes hand in hand with financial stress, can increase a person’s risk of a first coronary heart disease (CHD) event. Among existing CHD patients, long-term stress can increase the risk of repeat CHD events and mortality. Other studies indicate that psychological stressors can lead to sudden death, myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, and wall motion abnormalities.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In the brain, stress undermines well-being by releasing corticosteroid hormones that control neuronal and network responses tied to behavioral adaptation. In acutely stressful scenarios, this process is beneficial to our survival, heightening awareness and honing reflexes. But over the long term, such as is the case in chronic financial strain, these corticosteroid binary control mechanisms can erode mental health and promote brain disease.

In the early days, this detrimental effect of stress on the brain can manifest in impaired cognitive function. For example, male rats exposed to 21 days of restraint stress exhibited both reduced visual and spatial memory, while chronic unpredictable stress can drastically alter the behavior of rats and promote a rapid shift towards habitual tendencies. The mechanisms by which humans respond to stress aren’t all that different.

Then there’s sleep. Even among the elderly, financial stress appears to be a key contributor to poor sleep, with ongoing financial strain correlated with difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and impaired sleep efficiency. Another study involving a wider age range of subjects found that financial strain was associated with decreased sleep quality and lower sleep efficiency.

And if you’re not sleeping well, you’re probably not aging well. Researchers postulate that chronic psychological stress “is significantly associated with higher oxidative stress, lower telomerase activity, and shorter telomere length, which are known determinants of cell senescence and longevity.” In other words, financial stress leads to oxidative stress, which undermines the health and longevity of your cells—making you age faster.

Then there’s all the digestive issues that come with chronic stress. In animal models, stress has been shown to promote the “development of gastric ulcers, altered gastrointestinal motility and ion secretion, and increased intestinal permeability.” Stress also teams up with other pathogenic factors in the GI tract, including H. pylori and NSAIDs, to encourage gastrointestinal disease.

Indeed, the type of stress induced by financial strain has been associated with almost all of the most common chronic digestive diseases, including functional gastrointestinal disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. So many of us have been there at some point….

Final Thoughts: Sidestepping the Financial Circus 

Short of packing the car and whisking the kids away from all civilization, there are plenty of steps we can take to keep budgetary sanity. I’ll share a couple thoughts, and I invite you to offer your own strategies for keeping a handle on the finances as you enjoy the best of the season.

Ditch Debt

With the deceptive ease of credit cards, it’s all too easy to blindly spend and worry about the consequences later. No rocket science here of course, but we can all benefit from figuring what we can afford to buy without borrowing this month, and to stick to that amount. Clarity around financial matters isn’t a killjoy. It just offers the objective facts we have to work with. 

Smart shopping, deep discount or consignment bargains, secret Santa exchange, or a one-gift-per-family-member policy can ensure present spending doesn’t break the bank. For the holiday meal, consider taking a drive to the farmgate to purchase your turkey and ham and save a considerable sum.

More importantly, make a point of not using your credit card for your holiday spending— meaning when the cash runs out, the buying stops and there’s no debt accruing. (Anybody still use the old envelope system? Some things shouldn’t ever go out of style.)

If need be—and there’s nothing wrong with hardcore accountability, give your credit cards to a (trusted) friend and tell them not to give it back until after the festivities are truly done and over.

Forget the Crowds

We’ve all been there: a shopping mall packed to the rafters in the weeks leading up to the holidays, filled with people like you desperate to get their last minute gift buying and food acquiring out of the way. It’s not an enjoyable time in anyone’s life, even if there are no budgetary constraints. I know I personally don’t make good decisions in that environment. 

My solution is to ditch the crowds altogether and do most of my holiday buying online. It means something to shop from the sanity of your own home and walk away from the computer when you’ve had enough—financially or otherwise. It’s open anytime, so I can research, mull, and make decisions when I’m ready to make them. And let’s be honest…the experience is more pleasant with a glass of wine anyway. 

Thanks for reading folks. What’s your strategy for staving off financial stress over the holiday season? Take care.

The post The Health Toll of Financial Stress appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

When it comes to adding vegetables to dinner, there are two camps: the ones I pick in an effort to feel like I’m doing something good for myself (aka all the green things), and the ones that can really bring some oomph to a recipe. Small but mighty mushrooms fall solidly into the second camp. They’re rich and savory, with a hearty texture that makes meat-free meals feel more substantial.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

We all get a lot of help throughout the year. There’s your kid’s teacher, who taught him that it’s not okay to pull Avery’s glasses off her face. There’s your coworker, who pumped you up before your big quarterly presentations. And there’s your friend, who just listened to you vent … for three hours … a couple dozen times.

Where would you be without those people? Let’s not even go there! Instead, let’s make a list and get everyone on it a present to thank them appropriately.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

An ice cream adventure in Seattle inspired what I would not very humbly call the greatest Christmas gift you can give to anyone on your list. It was at Molly Moons ice cream that I first experienced salty sprinkles, a topping made from chocolate flakes, crunchy sea salt, and bits of toffee. The idea is so stunningly simple — combine chocolate with some sweet crunch and a little salt, and you have a sprinkle that makes ice cream sing but is also transformative for coffee, buttered toast, or even chili.

This pour-and-stir recipe makes a shelf-stable, shippable gift that will be loved by any recipient. Honestly, I’m worried how I might possibly top this office gift this year.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

You may already know that baking soda has many properties that make it an amazing cleaner, including the fact that it absorbs odors and is just slightly abrasive, so it can scrub delicate surfaces without scratching them. Plus, it’s inexpensive and probably already in your home, making it a good candidate for impromptu cleaning sessions when the mood strikes or you find yourself with a few minutes.

We already ran a list of 10 things you can clean with baking soda. Here are 10 more things.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Like any great stew should, the aroma of this hearty pork and apple stew will seep from the slow cooker and waft through the kitchen and beyond, long before you ladle it into bowls. And the anticipation is well worth it because this family-friendly stew delivers, big time. It tastes even better than that mouthwatering fragrance you’ve been smelling for hours.

It’s deeply savory with a subtle tang, and just the right balance of sweetness from apple cider and chopped apples. Serve it with a generous chunk of bread (even egg noodles or cauliflower rice) — you’re going to want something to help you savor every last drop of the sauce.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

You cooked an elaborate Thanksgiving feast, you ate up all the leftovers (even though, by day three, you thought they’d never end), and now you’re ready for some lighter, easier meals. This spicy pasta with spinach and chickpeas is just the ticket. It comes together in 20 minutes and doesn’t taste remotely like turkey, stuffing, or mashed potatoes.

READ MORE »

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

The wrist is an area of the body, and yet we don’t often think about it when we’re training. However, it plays an important role in upper body function.

If you’ve ever had wrist pain in a push-up or a plank, or felt like it was hard to grip the bar in a bodyweight exercise, then you might have some limitations in wrist mobility that you weren’t aware of.

Even if you don’t have wrist pain, wrist mobility is still beneficial to work on, because every time you lift an object — be it a dumbbell or a coffee cup — your wrist is involved. Furthermore, since poor wrist mobility can contribute to forearm, elbow, and shoulder issues, working on your wrists can improve overall upper body strength and function.

We’re going to discuss how to identify and address wrist mobility issues, but first, it helps to know a little more about the anatomy of this area.

Anatomy of the Forearm and Primary Movements of the Wrist

The wrist is a synovial joint where the forearm and hand meet. It is comprised of the lower part of the radius and ulna, which are the two bones in the forearm, and the first row of bones in the hand, minus the pisiform.

The muscles of the forearm travel across the wrist and connect to the hand, creating wrist movement when they contract. Many of them attach near the elbow and upper forearm, which is why wrist mobility can influence grip strength, and elbow and shoulder function.

The primary movements of the wrist are flexion and extension. Wrist flexion occurs when you bend your wrist to move your fingers towards your palm. Wrist extension occurs when you pull your fingers back towards your body. Making a stop motion with your hand is a good example of wrist extension.

The muscles located on the front of forearm or the palm side hand are responsible for wrist flexion. They include the flexor carpi radialis, palmaris longus, flexor carpi ulnaris, and flexor digitorum superficialis.

The muscles located on the back of the forearm are responsible for wrist extension. They include the extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis longus and the extensor digitorum.

The wrist can also move side to side in adduction and abduction. Wrist adduction occurs when the wrist bends so that the pinkie finger side of the wrist shortens. The opposite motion, wrist abduction, occurs when the wrist bends so that the thumb side of the wrist shortens. Some of the wrist flexors and extensors also work with muscles in the hand for wrist abduction and adduction.

It is also important to note the actions of the forearm, because of its role in wrist mobility. The forearm can supinate and pronate. If your elbow is bent by your side, forearm pronation occurs when the forearm spins in, so the palm faces the floor. Forearm supination occurs when the forearm spins out, so the palm faces the ceiling.

Causes of Limited Wrist Mobility

Many strength exercises and activities of our daily life tend to keep us in forearm pronation and wrist extension. Computer work, for example, is a combination of pronation with wrist extension. Many yoga poses and bodyweight exercises like planks and push-ups also put us in wrist extension with forearm pronation. Any barbell lift using an overhand grip also involves forearm pronation.

As a result, we tend to be strong in our wrist extensors and forearm pronators and weak in our wrist flexors and forearm supinators. This muscle imbalance — combined with the repetitive positioning of our arms — can lead to limited wrist mobility, because we tend to lose mobility in the positions where we’re weak. It is thought that this limited mobility is our nervous system’s way of trying to protect us from injury, should we attempt to reach a position that we’re not strong enough to hold [1].

This also contributes to wrist pain: without good mobility, it’s harder to load the wrist in a good position when we put weight into our hands. This imbalance affects grip strength as well, because the forearm flexors assist in our ability to grip and hang from things and help us access back muscles and shoulder stabilizers, including the latissimus dorsi and lower trapezius.

Traumatic injury, as well as soft tissue or bony restrictions, can also create limitations in wrist mobility.

How to Assess Wrist Mobility

To get a clinical assessment of your wrist — which is out of the scope of a fitness professional — you’ll need to consult a medical professional. However, the video below demonstrates some simple assessments that you can do at home, which would indicate if you have some limitations in your wrist mobility.

Other Signs of Limited Wrist Mobility

There are additional signs, during movement, which suggest limited wrist mobility:

• Feeling compression or pain in the wrist when you are on your hands and knees, or in a plank position.
• A tendency to set yourself up in planks with your hands more in line with your head than your shoulders.
• Difficulty straightening your elbows when you are on your hands and knees.

How to Improve Wrist Mobility

There are several ways to address wrist mobility, depending on the underlying cause of the limitation.

If you have a bony or more severe soft tissue restriction, you may need hands-on treatment from a physical therapist or massage therapist. If you suspect you have an injury, or are experiencing pain and swelling, you should see a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment.

If you don’t have pain and your limitations are minor, then gentle stretching, combined with mobility and strength exercises focusing on the forearm, wrist, and hand, can be used to help yourself or your clients improve wrist mobility and grip strength.

Additionally, it can be beneficial to use supination or an underhand grip when lifting to create better balance in the forearm. For example, when targeting your biceps, you could do a concentration curl, where you spin the forearm from pronation to supination as you bend your elbow. You could also use an underhand grip during exercises, such as preacher curls, skull crushers and chin ups.

Coaches’ Corner

If you notice that your client has signs of limited wrist mobility or they mention wrist discomfort, how can you help them?

For general stiffness or difficulty extending the wrist during exercises like planks, push-ups or front squats, it may be beneficial to incorporate gentle wrist mobility and strength exercises, such as the ones above, into the warm-up. You can also recommend that your client practice one or two of these exercises at home, because it takes consistent practice and time to improve mobility.

If your client is experiencing pain, doesn’t see noticeable improvement, or has significant restrictions, then they might benefit from massage or physical therapy. In these situations, you want to refer your client to the appropriate medical professional, because as a fitness professional, hands-on manipulation, diagnosis of pain and treatment, are out of your scope of practice.

References

1. Janice M. Moreside and Stuart McGill (2012) Hip Joint Range of Motion Improvements Using Three Different Interventions, Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. Vol. Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 1265-1273

About The Co-Author: Claudia Moose

Claudia Moose, ATC, CSCS, NASM-PES, CPT-PMA B.A. Movement and Exercise Science is a Balanced Body Master Instructor, the founder of Primal Movement Works! and a partner of Absolute Center in Layfayette, CA. When she’s not attending a workshop or a lecture about the body, she can be found doing Ranch Fit (self-created fitness routine that doubles as ranch maintenance and care for her horses, goats, dogs and cats). Follow Claudia on Facebook or Instagram or learn more about her work at PrimalMovementWorks.com and AbsoluteCenter.net.

A message from GGS…

Understanding how to get more results in less time so you actually enjoy exercise and can have a life outside of the gym isn’t hard, you just have to understand the Blueprint and be willing to trust the process.

Tell me how!

The post Why You Need Good Wrist Mobility appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Day 247 of 360

Rest as needed between sets. Although directive is as heavy as possible, sound position and a full range of motion always govern weight.

Then:

read more

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

November is lung cancer awareness month. More than 160,000 Americans will die from this condition every year. That’s more than the number who will succumb to breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined. Reducing the risk of lung cancer As you might expect, smoking is the leading risk factor associated with the disease. Medical experts insist […]