Life Is in the Transitions – by Bruce Feiler
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Change happens. Sometimes, because we choose it. More often, we don’t get a choice.
Our bodies change; with time, with illness, with accident or incident, or even, sometimes, with effort. People in our lives change; they come, they go, they get sick, they die. Our working lives change; we get a job, we lose a job, we change jobs, our jobs change, we retire.
Whether we’re undergoing cancer treatment or a religious conversion, whether our families are growing or down to the last few standing, change is inescapable.
Our author makes the case that on average, we each undergo at least 5 major “lifequakes”; changes that shake our lives to the core. Sometimes one will come along when we’ve barely got back on our feet from the previous—if we have at all.
What, then, to do about this? We can’t stop change from occurring, and some changes aren’t easy to “roll with”. Feiler isn’t prescriptive about this, but rather, descriptive:
By looking at the stories of hundreds of people he interviewed for this book, he looks at how people pivoted on the spot (or picked up the pieces!) and made the best of their situation—or didn’t.
Bottom line: zooming out like this, looking at many people’s lives, can remind us that while we don’t get to choose what winds we get swept by, we at least get to choose how we set the sails. The examples of others, as this book gives, can help us make better decisions.
Click here to check out Life Is In The Transitions, and get conscious about how you handle yours!
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Apple vs Blackberries – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing apple to blackberries, we picked the blackberries.
Why?
It wasn’t close today:
In terms of macros, apples have slightly more carbs while blackberries have 2x the fiber, so that’s an easy win for blackberries in this category.
In the category of vitamins, apples have slightly more vitamin B6, while blackberries have considerably more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B7, B9, C, E, and K, winning easily again.
Looking at minerals, apples are not higher in any minerals, while blackberries have a lot more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, sweeping a third category.
Lastly, blackberries also have much more abundant polyphenols, so that’s another point in their favor.
Adding up the sections makes for an overwhelming overall win for blackberries, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Are You Getting The Right Kinds Of Flavonoids?
Enjoy!
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How to Start Calisthenics (Beginner Guide From Zero)
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
You don’t have to start with one-finger handstands while doing the splits in the air, even if that’s your end goal.
Here’s a genuinely beginner-friendly step-by-step guide to getting started in calisthenics:
As easy as…
Calisthenics is, first and foremost, simply bodyweight training like push-ups, squats, and handstands, and as such, it doesn’t require weights, a gym, or much space. You can train anywhere using minimal space and household items like a couch for incline push-ups, so lack of equipment isn’t a barrier.
Impressive skills like handstands or planches are more reasonable as long-term goals, so for now, focus on basic movements, rather than comparing yourself to advanced athletes who’ve been doing it every day for the past many years.
First of all, step zero: starting calisthenics simply means moving your body, so you can begin immediately without waiting for the “perfect” time or setup.
And now…
- Assess your level: test how many push-ups or squats you can do, or how long you can hold a plank or dead hang, to establish your current ability.
- Treat results as information: your starting point isn’t a judgment, and any level—whether beginner or advanced—is fine so long as you do begin.
- Set specific goals: use small, measurable targets like one push-up, a 10-second plank, or a 20-second dead hang, instead of vague goals like “get stronger.”
- Progress gradually: once you reach a goal, increase it incrementally to keep the progress going.
- Choose a routine: either do fixed training days or a flexible weekly target, but pick a structure that matches your own real-life habits.
- Prioritize consistency: regular effort matters more than perfection, and while missing a session doesn’t mean failure, missing more is starting to look like a pattern, so correct it as soon as you can!
- Use short sessions if needed: even brief workouts throughout your day are effective, and infinitely better than doing nothing.
- Avoid doing too much: going all out too early can lead to excessive soreness or injury, which slows progress.
- Avoid overplanning: excessive planning can delay action, so it’s better to start now, simply, and adjust as you go.
- Don’t quit early: skill development can take weeks, months, or years, so persistence will continue to be key.
For more on all of this plus some visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
What Difference Can 30 Days Of Calisthenics Make, Really?
Take care!
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The Diet That Slows Skin Aging
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
You are, in fact, what you eat. That is to say: your body is made up, physically, of what you have consumed. That’s literally where the matter of your body comes from.
Of course, there are changes that happen along the way. If you eat nuts, that doesn’t mean that you are nuts (silly jokes notwithstanding), but rather that a lot of the nuts’ composite carbs, proteins, fats, and so forth have been repurposed to rebuild various parts of you.
But taking this approach, of remembering that food doesn’t really just vanish once we’ve swallowed and become purely some kind of generic undifferentiated fuel (some of it becomes that! But a lot of it doesn’t) can help us to make much more mindful choices about what we put in our bodies.
Our skin is perhaps one of the most visible representations of that, what with being a fairly sensitive organ that surrounds most of our body.
How to give your skin what it needs
Of course, there are many things besides diet that affect skin aging, including sun exposure, and non-dietary toxins (such as smoking). But today we’re looking at diet.
Specifically, we’re looking at a study by Dr. Marika Cordaro et al., showing what foods make the biggest difference to skin aging—in both directions.
According to their study, the most impactful nutrients for skin youthfulness include:
- Vitamins A, C, and E (support collagen and skin elasticity)
- Polyphenols and carotenoids (such as from berries, leafy greens, tomatoes)
- Omega-3 fatty acids (such as from chia seeds, flaxseed, salmon)
- Peptides and amino acids (especially lysine and proline for collagen synthesis)
- Minerals including at the top of the list: zinc, copper, and selenium
- Phytoestrogens (soy, flaxseed) that, while they cannot be used directly as estrogen for most purposes (incompatible) do benefit skin health
- Probiotics and prebiotics (support skin microbiome and hydration)
- Cranberry polyphenols get a special shoutout aside from other polyphenols, for their unique reduction of collagen stiffening by inhibiting collagen glycation.
- Fermented foods show benefit also in reducing signs of aging, though the mechanism for this one is unclear, and may be a simple result of improved systemic health.
- Moringa oleifera and fermented Agastache rugosa extracts may protect against skin stress and UV damage
We wrote about Moringa here: Moringa Oleifera Against CVD, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s & Arsenic?
And as for cranberries: Health Benefits Of Cranberries (But: You’d Better Watch Out) ← there are a couple of contraindications to be aware of
And for the last word on collagen: We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of
You may be wondering: what’s that about glycation?
We’ve written about that before too: Are You Eating AGEs? ← it has to do with advanced glycation end-products (which are Very Bad™)
You may also be wondering about chocolate, so check out: The Truth About Chocolate & Skin Health
On which note… What not to eat?
The biggest offenders, according to the study, are:
- alcohol
- refined sugars
- advanced glycation end-products
- trans fats
- omega-6 fatty acids (in excess)*
*unlike the other items in the list, we do need some omega-6 fatty acids, but most people, and especially most Americans, get far, far too much.
Want to know more?
You can read the paper in its entirety here:
Potential Role of Dietary Antioxidants During Skin Aging ← the title really undersells it; it’s about a lot more than just antioxidants
And if you want to really dive deeply into more than just nutrition, then we recommend this book that we reviewed a while back:
Biohack Your Way to Healthy Skin – by Jennifer Sun
Enjoy!
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Hello Sleep – by Dr. Jade Wu
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
We’ve reviewed other sleep books before, so what makes this one stand out?
Mostly, it’s because this one takes quite a different approach.
While still giving a nod to the sensible advice you’ve already read in many places (including here at 10almonds), Dr. Wu looks to help the reader avoid falling into the trap (or: help the reader get out of the trap, if already there) of focussing so much on getting better sleep that it becomes an all-consuming stressor that takes up much of the day thinking about it, and guess what, much of the night too, because you’re busy working out how sleep-deprived you’re going to be tomorrow.
Instead, Dr. Wu recommends to work with your body rather than against it, worry less, and ultimately sleep better. Of course, the “how” of this is what makes most of the book.
She does also give chapters on things that may be different for you, based on such things as hormones, age, or medical conditions.
The writing style is pop-science but with frequent references to scientific papers as appropriate, making good science very accessible.
Bottom line: if you’ve tried everything else and/but good sleep still eludes you, this book will help you to end the battle and make friends with your sleep (a metaphor the author uses throughout the book, by the way).
Click here to check out Hello Sleep, and indeed get better sleep!
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What Nobody Teaches You About Strengthening Your Knees
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Strengthening unhappy knees can seem difficult, because many obvious exercises like squats may hurt, and can feel like they are doing harm (and if your knees are bad enough, maybe they are; it depends on many factors). Here’s a way to improve things:
The muscle nobody talks about
Well, not nobody. But, it’s a muscle that’s rarely talked about; namely, the tibialis anterior.
It plays a key role in decelerating knee motion—in other words, the movement that hurts if you have bad knees. It’s essential for absorbing shock during activities like walking, climbing stairs, and stepping off curbs
So, of course, strengthening this muscle supports knee health.
The exercise this video recommends for strengthening it involves leaning against a wall with feet about a foot away (closer feet make it easier, further makes it harder). Note, this is a lean, not a “Roman chair”.
The exercise involves squeezing the quadriceps, lifting toes toward the nose, and engaging the tibialis anterior muscle. If you’re wondering what to do with your hands, they can be held out with palms open to work on posture, or hanging by the sides. Do this for about 1½–2 minutes.
For more on all this, plus a visual demonstration, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
When Bad Joints Stop You From Exercising (5 Things To Change)
Take care!
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How To Actually Start A Healthy Lifestyle In The New Year
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Dr. Faye Bate cuts through the trends to give advice that’ll last past January the 2nd:
What actually works
…and is actually easy to implement:
Avoid an All-or-Nothing Mindset
- Strict, perfectionist approaches often lead to failure and guilt.
- Small, balanced efforts can be imperfect without being failures!
- Sustainable habits should integrate seamlessly into daily life..
Focus on Unprocessed vs. Processed Foods
- Don’t worry overly about calorie counts unless you have a very specific medical reason to do so.
- Prioritize minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods over highly processed, empty-calorie-dense options.
- Moderation is key—processed foods don’t need to be eliminated entirely; taking things down by just one tier of processing is already an improvement.
Choose Enjoyable Exercise
- The best exercise is one you enjoy and can maintain long-term. If something’s not enjoyable, you’ll soon give it up.
- Trends in fitness shouldn’t dictate your routine—do what works for you.
- Same goes for “body goals”—fashions come and go, while you’re still going to have more or less the same basic body, so work with it rather than against it.
Prioritize Convenience
- Convenience plays a critical role in maintaining healthy habits, for similar reasons to the enjoyment (very few people enjoy inconvenience)
- Example from Dr. Bate: switching to a closer gym led to consistent workouts despite a busy schedule.
- Apply the same principle to food: plan ahead and stock convenient, healthy options (e.g. frozen vegetables etc).
Keep It Simple
- Do follow basic health advice: drink water, eat fruits and vegetables, move your body, and see a doctor if needed.
- Avoid being swayed by sensationalized health trends and headlines designed to sell products—if you want it for a good while first, then maybe you’ll actually use it more than twice.
- Stick to evidence-based, straightforward habits for long-term health. And check the evidence for yourself! Do not just believe claims!
In short: you will more likely tend to do things that are enjoyable and not too difficult. Start there and work up, keeping things simple along the way. It doesn’t matter if it’s not how everyone else does it; if it works for you, it works for you!
For more on all of these, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
The Science Of New Year’s Pre-Resolutions
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
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