The End of Stress – by Don Joseph Goewey

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.

So, we probably know to remember to take a deep breath once in a while, and adopt a “focus on what you can control, rather than what you can’t” attitude. In this book, Goewey covers a lot more.

After an overview of how we have a brain wired for stress, what it does to us, and why we should rewire that, he dives straight into such topics as:

  • Letting go of fear—safely!
  • Number-crunching the real risks
  • Leading with good decisions, and trusting the process
  • Actively practicing a peaceful mindset (some very good tips here)
  • Transcending shame (and thus sidestepping the stress that it may otherwise bring)

The book brings together a lot of ideas and factors, seamlessly. From scientific data to case studies, to “try this and see”, encouraging us to try certain exercises for ourselves and be surprised at the results.

All in all, this is a great book on not just managing stress, but—as the title suggests—ending it in all and any cases it’s not useful to us. In other words, this book? It is useful to us.

Click here to enjoy The End of Stress from Amazon today!

Don’t Forget…

Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

Recommended

  • Four Thousand Weeks – by Oliver Burkeman
  • How To Avoid Carer Burnout (Without Dropping Care)
    How to Avoid Carer Burnout: Consider if you’re the right person for the role. Learn about the person’s condition and ask for help. Take care of yourself and find support.

Learn to Age Gracefully

Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Maca Root’s Benefits For The Mood And The Ability

    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.

    Maca Root: What It Does And Doesn’t Do

    Maca root, or Lepidium meyenii, gets thought of as a root vegetable, though it’s in fact a cruciferous vegetable and more closely related to cabbage—notwithstanding that it also gets called “Peruvian ginseng”.

    • Nutritionally, it’s full of all manner of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a wide array of phytochemicals)
    • Medicinally, it’s long enjoyed traditional use against a wide variety of illnesses, including respiratory infections and inflammatory diseases.

    It’s also traditionally an aphrodisiac.

    Is it really anti-inflammatory?

    Probably not… Unless fermented. This hasn’t been studied deeply, but a 2023 study found that non-fermented and fermented maca root extracts had opposite effects in this regard:

    Anti-Inflammation and Anti-Melanogenic Effects of Maca Root Extracts Fermented Using Lactobacillus Strains

    However, this was an in vitro study, so we can’t say for sure that the results will carry over to humans.

    Is it really an aphrodisiac?

    Actually yes, it seems so. Here’s a study in which 45 women with antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction found it significantly improved both libido and sexual function:

    ❝In summary, maca root may alleviate antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction as women age, particularly in the domain of orgasm❞

    ~ Dr. Christina Dording et al.

    Read in full: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Maca Root as Treatment for Antidepressant-Induced Sexual Dysfunction in Women

    As for men, well these mice (not technically men) found it beneficial too:

    Effects of combined extracts of Lepidium meyenii and Allium tuberosum Rottl. on [e-word] dysfunction

    (pardon the censorship; we’re trying to avoid people’s spam filters)

    It did also improve fertility (and, actually in real men this time):

    Does Lepidium meyenii (Maca) improve seminal quality?

    Oh, to be in the mood

    Here’s an interesting study in which 3g/day yielded significant mood improvement in these 175 (human) subjects:

    Acceptability, Safety, and Efficacy of Oral Administration of Extracts of Black or Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in Adult Human Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

    And yes, it was found to be “well-tolerated” which is scientist-speak for “this appears to be completely safe, but we don’t want to commit ourselves to an absolutist statement and we can’t prove a negative”.

    Oh, to have the energy

    As it turns out, maca root does also offer benefits in this regard too:

    The improvement of daily fatigue in women following the intake of maca (Lepidium meyenii) extract containing benzyl glucosinolate

    (that’s not an added ingredient; it’s just a relevant chemical that the root naturally contains)

    Want to try some?

    We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon 😎

    Enjoy!

    Share This Post

  • Cilantro vs Parsley – Which is Healthier?

    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.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing cilantro to parsley, we picked the parsley.

    Why?

    Notwithstanding that some of our recipes include “cilantro, or if you have the this-tastes-like-soap gene, parsley”, that choice is more for the taste profile than the nutrition profile. Both are good, though, and it is quite close!

    Like many herbs, they’re both full of vitamins and minerals and assorted phytochemicals.

    In the category of vitamins, they’re both very good sources of vitamins A, C, and K, but parsley has more of each (and in vitamin K’s case, 4–5 times more). Parsley also has about twice as much folate. For the other vitamins, they’re mostly quite equal except that cilantro has more vitamin E.

    When it comes to minerals, again they’re both good but again parsley is better on average, with several times more iron, and about twice as much calcium, zinc, and magnesium. Cilantro only wins noticeably for selenium.

    Both have an array of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, and each boasts antioxidants with anticancer potential.

    Both have mood-improving qualities and have research for their anxiolytic and antidepressant effects—sufficient that these deserve their own main feature sometime.

    For now though, we’ll say: healthwise, these two wonderful herbs are equal on most things, except that parsley has the better micronutrient profile.

    Enjoy!

    Further reading

    You might also enjoy:

    Herbs For (Evidence-Based) Health & Healing

    Take care!

    Share This Post

  • 8 Signs Of Iodine Deficiency You Might Not Expect

    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.

    Health Coach Kait (BSc Nutrition & Exercise) is a certified health and nutrition coach, and today she’s here to talk about iodine—which is important for many of our body functions, from thyroid hormone production to metabolic regulation to heart rate management, as well as more superficial-but-important-too things like our skin and hair.

    Kait’s hitlist

    Here’s what she recommends we look out for:

    • Swollen neck: even a slightly swollen neck might indicate low iodine levels (this is because that’s where the thyroid glands are)
    • Hair loss: iodine is needed for healthy hair growth, so a deficiency can lead to hair loss / thinning hair
    • Dry and flaky skin: with iodine’s role in our homeostatic system not being covered, our skin can dry out as a result
    • Feeling cold all the time: because of iodine’s temperature-regulating activities
    • Slow heart rate: A metabolic slump due to iodine deficiency can slow down the heart rate, leading to fatigue and weakness (and worse, if it persists)
    • Brain fog: trouble focusing can be a symptom of the same metabolic slump
    • Fatigue: this is again more or less the same thing, but she said eight signs, so we’re giving you the eight!
    • Irregular period (if you normally have such, of course): because iodine affects reproductive hormones too, an imbalance can disrupt menstrual cycles.

    For more on each of these, as well as how to get more iodine in your diet, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Further reading

    You might also like to read:

    Take care!

    Share This Post

Related Posts

  • Four Thousand Weeks – by Oliver Burkeman
  • What causes food cravings? And what can we do about them?

    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.

    Many of us try to eat more fruits and vegetables and less ultra-processed food. But why is sticking to your goals so hard?

    High-fat, sugar-rich and salty foods are simply so enjoyable to eat. And it’s not just you – we’ve evolved that way. These foods activate the brain’s reward system because in the past they were rare.

    Now, they’re all around us. In wealthy modern societies we are bombarded by advertising which intentionally reminds us about the sight, smell and taste of calorie-dense foods. And in response to these powerful cues, our brains respond just as they’re designed to, triggering an intense urge to eat them.

    Here’s how food cravings work and what you can do if you find yourself hunting for sweet or salty foods.

    Fascinadora/Shutterstock

    What causes cravings?

    A food craving is an intense desire or urge to eat something, often focused on a particular food.

    We are programmed to learn how good a food tastes and smells and where we can find it again, especially if it’s high in fat, sugar or salt.

    Something that reminds us of enjoying a certain food, such as an eye-catching ad or delicious smell, can cause us to crave it.

    Three people holding a cone of french fries.
    Our brains learn to crave foods based on what we’ve enjoyed before. fon thachakul/Shutterstock

    The cue triggers a physical response, increasing saliva production and gastric activity. These responses are relatively automatic and difficult to control.

    What else influences our choices?

    While the effect of cues on our physical response is relatively automatic, what we do next is influenced by complex factors.
    Whether or not you eat the food might depend on things like cost, whether it’s easily available, and if eating it would align with your health goals.

    But it’s usually hard to keep healthy eating in mind. This is because we tend to prioritise a more immediate reward, like the pleasure of eating, over one that’s delayed or abstract – including health goals that will make us feel good in the long term.

    Stress can also make us eat more. When hungry, we choose larger portions, underestimate calories and find eating more rewarding.

    Looking for something salty or sweet

    So what if a cue prompts us to look for a certain food, but it’s not available?

    Previous research suggested you would then look for anything that makes you feel good. So if you saw someone eating a doughnut but there were none around, you might eat chips or even drink alcohol.

    But our new research has confirmed something you probably knew: it’s more specific than that.

    If an ad for chips makes you look for food, it’s likely a slice of cake won’t cut it – you’ll be looking for something salty. Cues in our environment don’t just make us crave food generally, they prompt us to look for certain food “categories”, such as salty, sweet or creamy.

    Food cues and mindless eating

    Your eating history and genetics can also make it harder to suppress food cravings. But don’t beat yourself up – relying on willpower alone is hard for almost everyone.

    Food cues are so powerful they can prompt us to seek out a certain food, even if we’re not overcome by a particularly strong urge to eat it. The effect is more intense if the food is easily available.

    This helps explain why we can eat an entire large bag of chips that’s in front of us, even though our pleasure decreases as we eat. Sometimes we use finishing the packet as the signal to stop eating rather than hunger or desire.

    Is there anything I can do to resist cravings?

    We largely don’t have control over cues in our environment and the cravings they trigger. But there are some ways you can try and control the situations you make food choices in.

    • Acknowledge your craving and think about a healthier way to satisfy it. For example, if you’re craving chips, could you have lightly-salted nuts instead? If you want something sweet, you could try fruit.
    • Avoid shopping when you’re hungry, and make a list beforehand. Making the most of supermarket “click and collect” or delivery options can also help avoid ads and impulse buys in the aisle.
    • At home, have fruit and vegetables easily available – and easy to see. Also have other nutrient dense, fibre-rich and unprocessed foods on hand such as nuts or plain yoghurt. If you can, remove high-fat, sugar-rich and salty foods from your environment.
    • Make sure your goals for eating are SMART. This means they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
    • Be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up if you eat something that doesn’t meet your health goals. Just keep on trying.

    Gabrielle Weidemann, Associate Professor in Psychological Science, Western Sydney University and Justin Mahlberg, Research Fellow, Pyschology, Monash University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Beetroot For More Than Just Your Blood Pressure

    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.

    Beetroot is well-known for being good for blood pressure, but what else can it do?

    Firstly, blood pressure, yes

    This is because… Well, we’ll quote from a paper:

    ❝As a source of nitrate, beetroot ingestion provides a natural means of increasing in vivo nitric oxide (NO) availability and has emerged as a potential strategy to prevent and manage pathologies associated with diminished NO bioavailability, notably hypertension and endothelial function❞

    Source: The Potential Benefits of Red Beetroot Supplementation in Health and Disease

    That’s a little modest in its wording though, so let’s just be clear, it does work:

    …where you can see that it significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

    Note: this does mean that if you suffer conversely from hypotension (dangerously low blood pressure) you should probably skip the beetroot.

    For your blood sugar levels, too

    The fiber in whole beetroot or powdered beetroot extract (but not beetroot juice) is, as usual, good for balancing blood sugars. However, in the case of beetroot, it (probably because of the betalain content, specifically betanin) also improves insulin sensitivity, resulting in lower fasting and postprandial (after-dinner) insulin levels:

    Evaluation of 12-Week Standardized Beetroot Extract Supplementation in Older Participants: A Preliminary Study of Human Health Safety

    See also (cited in the above paper): Post-prandial effect of beetroot (beta vulgaris) juice on glucose and lipids levels of apparently healthy subjects

    For your blood lipids, also

    This one has less readily available research to support it, so in the category of “papers that aren’t paywalled into oblivion”, here’s one that concludes with the entertainingly specific:

    Results: Beetroot juice intake increased plasma high density lipoprotein (t= -60.88, P<0.05). Triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein were reduced (P<0.05). Compared with placebo, beetroot juice reduced the concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein (P<0.05).

    Conclusion: Regular beetroot juice intake has significant effects on lipid profile in female soccer players, hence its suggestion for preventing diseases such as hypercholesterolemia and hypertension in female soccer players.❞

    However, even if you are not a female soccer player, chances are it will have the same effect on your physiology as theirs (but, credit where it’s due, it’s right that they make claims about only what they know for sure).

    Here’s the paper: Efficacy of Beetroot Juice Consumption on the Lipid Profile of Female Soccer Players

    What’s good for your blood, is good for your brain

    …and that’s just as true here:

    Exploring beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) for diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease dual therapy: in vitro and computational studies

    When reading that, you’ll see that as well as two health outcome benefits (antidiabetic and anti-Alzheimer’s), there are also two mechanisms of action, which are:

    • The blood sugar lowering, insulin sensitivity increasing, lipid improving, qualities we discussed already
    • Its fabulous flavonoid content

    These two things each in turn have a lot of other components and nuances, so here’s an infographic covering them ← this flowchart makes it all a lot clearer

    On which note, those flavonoids aren’t the only active compounds present that result in…

    Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory action

    This one’s pretty straightforward, but it’s worth mentioning also that (as is commonly the case) what fights oxidation also fights cancer:

    ❝In recent years, the beetroot, especially the betalains (betanin) and nitrates it contains, now has received increasing attention for their effective biological activity.

    Betalains have been proven to eliminate oxidative and nitrative stress by scavenging DPPH, preventing DNA damage, and reducing LDL.

    It also has been found to exert antitumor activity by inhibiting cell proliferation, angiogenesis, inducing cell apoptosis, and autophagy.❞

    Read in full: Beetroot as a functional food with huge health benefits: Antioxidant, antitumor, physical function, and chronic metabolomics activity

    Want to try some?

    We don’t sell it, but you can easily grow your own or find it at your local supermarket; if you prefer it in supplement form, dried is better than juice (for a multitude of reasons), so here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon 😎

    Enjoy!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Strength training has a range of benefits for women. Here are 4 ways to get into weights

    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.

    Picture a gym ten years ago: the weights room was largely a male-dominated space, with women mostly doing cardio exercise. Fast-forward to today and you’re likely to see women of all ages and backgrounds confidently navigating weights equipment.

    This is more than just anecdotal. According to data from the Australian Sports Commission, the number of women participating in weightlifting (either competitively or not) grew nearly five-fold between 2016 and 2022.

    Women are discovering what research has long shown: strength training offers benefits beyond sculpted muscles.

    John Arano/Unsplash

    Health benefits

    Osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones become weak and brittle, affects more women than men. Strength training increases bone density, a crucial factor for preventing osteoporosis, especially for women negotiating menopause.

    Strength training also improves insulin sensitivity, which means your body gets better at using insulin to manage blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Regular strength training contributes to better heart health too.

    There’s a mental health boost as well. Strength training has been linked to reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.

    A woman lifting a weight in a gym.
    Strength training can have a variety of health benefits. Ground Picture/Shutterstock

    Improved confidence and body image

    Unlike some forms of exercise where progress can feel elusive, strength training offers clear and tangible measures of success. Each time you add more weight to a bar, you are reminded of your ability to meet your goals and conquer challenges.

    This sense of achievement doesn’t just stay in the gym – it can change how women see themselves. A recent study found women who regularly lift weights often feel more empowered to make positive changes in their lives and feel ready to face life’s challenges outside the gym.

    Strength training also has the potential to positively impact body image. In a world where women are often judged on appearance, lifting weights can shift the focus to function.

    Instead of worrying about the number on the scale or fitting into a certain dress size, women often come to appreciate their bodies for what they can do. “Am I lifting more than I could last month?” and “can I carry all my groceries in a single trip?” may become new measures of physical success.

    A young woman smiling in a gym change room.
    Strength training can have positive effects on women’s body image. Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

    Lifting weights can also be about challenging outdated ideas of how women “should” be. Qualitative research I conducted with colleagues found that, for many women, strength training becomes a powerful form of rebellion against unrealistic beauty standards. As one participant told us:

    I wanted something that would allow me to train that just didn’t have anything to do with how I looked.

    Society has long told women to be small, quiet and not take up space. But when a woman steps up to a barbell, she’s pushing back against these outdated rules. One woman in our study said:

    We don’t have to […] look a certain way, or […] be scared that we can lift heavier weights than some men. Why should we?

    This shift in mindset helps women see themselves differently. Instead of worrying about being objects for others to look at, they begin to see their bodies as capable and strong. Another participant explained:

    Powerlifting changed my life. It made me see myself, or my body. My body wasn’t my value, it was the vehicle that I was in to execute whatever it was that I was executing in life.

    This newfound confidence often spills over into other areas of life. As one woman said:

    I love being a strong woman. It’s like going against the grain, and it empowers me. When I’m physically strong, everything in the world seems lighter.

    Feeling inspired? Here’s how to get started

    1. Take things slow

    Begin with bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges and push-ups to build a foundation of strength. Once you’re comfortable, add external weights, but keep them light at first. Focus on mastering compound movements, such as deadlifts, squats and overhead presses. These exercises engage multiple joints and muscle groups simultaneously, making your workouts more efficient.

    2. Prioritise proper form

    Always prioritise proper form over lifting heavier weights. Poor technique can lead to injuries, so learning the correct way to perform each exercise is crucial. To help with this, consider working with an exercise professional who can provide personalised guidance and ensure you’re performing exercises correctly, at least initially.

    A woman doing a lunge outdoors.
    Bodyweight exercises, such as lunges, are a good way to get started before lifting weights. antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

    3. Consistency is key

    Like any fitness regimen, consistency is key. Two to three sessions a week are plenty for most women to see benefits. And don’t be afraid to occupy space in the weights room – remember you belong there just as much as anyone else.

    4. Find a community

    Finally, join a community. There’s nothing like being surrounded by a group of strong women to inspire and motivate you. Engaging with a supportive community can make your strength-training journey more enjoyable and rewarding, whether it’s an in-person class or an online forum.

    Are there any downsides?

    Gym memberships can be expensive, especially for specialist weightlifting gyms. Home equipment is an option, but quality barbells and weightlifting equipment can come with a hefty price tag.

    Also, for women juggling work and family responsibilities, finding time to get to the gym two to three times per week can be challenging.

    If you’re concerned about getting too “bulky”, it’s very difficult for women to bulk up like male bodybuilders without pharmaceutical assistance.

    The main risks come from poor technique or trying to lift too much too soon – issues that can be easily avoided with some guidance.

    Erin Kelly, Lecturer and PhD Candidate, Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Canberra

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails: