Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/L3q1C5H5x5Q/

“No friendship is an accident.” –O. Henry, Heart of the West

Recently I was telling a friend how grateful I was that she had initiated a get-together.

“No one ever reaches out to me,” I complained. “I feel like I am the one driving all of my relationships.”

“Well,” she responded, “don’t think too highly of me. I almost never reach out…to anyone.”

I mulled this over on my way home that evening. I have often felt like the driving force behind many of my relationships. But I have also felt on many occasions that I’m just as bad at keeping in touch as my friends.

The truth is, many of us are terrible at relationships. We leave our social connections up to chance, only spending time with the people we happen to see during the course of our week.

Sometimes we invite people to spend time with us, but then once they get there we divert half of our attention talking to friends on our phone. Some of us are good at having actual conversations, but not very deep ones—we stick to topics like the weather, the results of the recent sports game in the city, or what’s trending on social media.

We have come to prize friendships of “convenience” above friendships of substance.

It’s become more important to us that we mak…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/05/24/suns-out-plus-running-nutrition-qa/

YOU GUYS. The sun is out!!!!!

I think this is seriously the first run in like 3 weeks that wasn’t in the rain (or super gloomy). Hooray! At this track this morning we were all like, what is that weird bright orb in the sky?!

I know, exciting stuff, my friends. As for the actual workout, it wasn’t as awesome as the fact that the sun was out – my legs weren’t really feeling it today, despite a nice rest day Sunday and a low key yoga class yesterday. Oh well – can’t win ‘em all! We did a series of four 1200’s (3 laps) with 1 minute break in between. I hung with my track friends until the last 1200, when I was officially over it and dialed the pace down a n…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/how-to-help-a-partner-cope-with-depression?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

As a mental health counselor and someone who has battled depression for most of her life, I’m no stranger to the toll it can take on relationships.

While it differs from person to person, at its core, the illness causes people to feel lonely, inadequate, and misunderstood—even isolated. Sometimes it’s because we don’t want to inflict our pain on the people we love. Other times, it’s because we’ve been hurt by (even well-meaning) others and don’t want to risk feeling even worse than we already do.

When someone with depression withdraws from loved ones without communicating why, it leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation. A partner may not understand why their S.O. is distant, distracted, or even angry. They may wonder what they did to offend the other person, or they may be frustrated that their partner is suddenly detached from them.

In addition to intense feelings of shame, sadness, and worthlessness, depression can manifest itself physically—including changes in sex drive, sleep; and appetite; energy loss; and even physical pain, such as headaches, stomach pains, and back or neck pain. This leads to more confusion for a partner, who may wonder why their loved one is often sick or generally disinterested in events and activities (including sex).

Expressing my feelings when I’m depressed has always been a challenge, especially in relationships. I’m afraid of coming across as whiny, ungrateful, or melodramatic. I have been blame…

Source: http://summertomato.com/how-can-cailey-motivate-herself-to-bring-her-lunch-to-work

As a grad student, Cailey knows how important it is to bring her lunch to work instead of buying something on campus. Not only would she eat healthier, she’d also save a lot of money.

Her problem is she has trouble motivating herself to prep healthy lunches every day. And even when she manages to bring something, it is usually unsatisfying so she’s not inspired to bring her lunch again.

Although this is a straightforward problem, there are several subtle mental and logistical blocks Cailey identifies that have kept her from adopting this habit, including limited kitchen facilities at work. We help her find solutions to these barriers and I also offer some cooking tips that will make her meals more fun and satisfying.

Links from the show:

Foodist Kitchen

Listen:

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on Soundcloud

If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please fill out the form here and tell us your story.

…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/fitness/treadmill-alternative/

The Skillmill has the makings of a familiar fitness device, but don’t call it a treadmill. The new apparatus, which made its U.S. debut this spring, features a similar platform and belt designed for indoor running, but the likenesses stop there.

The device’s concave platform curves upward on the ends like a smile, and when you step on the molded slats you quickly discover this machine is missing a motor. To move the conveyor belt-like surface, you need to harness your own energy, similar to a bike, rather than rely on a wall outlet to power the equipment.

As you pick up the pace, you’ll find it impossible to heel-strike, which is a controversial running-style. Though a study published in Gait and Posture reports that this is how most people instinctively run, many experts believe that the sheer force of striking the ground with your heel can create a jarring effect to the skeletal system, and may ultimately lead to injury. The Skillmill’s unique curvature supports a more widely encouraged form of running—short, quick strides where the forefoot hits the ground first to cushion the impact.

With a better stride and no set pace, I was able to easily surpass my usually max speed of a 6.2 minute-mile, and hit a 7.2 minute-mile (well outside of my comfort zone) without the intention to go that fast. Amazingly, my body could handle the stress just fine. It was my cardiovascular system that gave out first, forcing me to slow down t…

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/Pimp1k3IwCs/

“Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason.” ~Alain de Botton

Do you feel lost and alone?

Adrift and confused about which way to go?

Do you long for “something more” but have no clue what’s missing?

Maybe you’re not miserable exactly, but you’re not animated and in love with life either.

Your circumstances may even look pretty good on the outside.

But on the inside, where truth resides, you are bored to tears, unfulfilled, and restless.

Or maybe you are miserable, stuck in a painful place, silently suffering.

Trust me; I know what that feels like.

I felt lost as an introverted, highly sensitive soul struggling to conform to my environment.

I felt lost as I endured the shame of a teen pregnancy and years of pent-up grief over the adoption of my baby.

And I felt completely lost when I realized that I had spent over twenty years pursuing work that was utterly wrong for me.

For decades, I tried to just ignore the disturbing aspects of my life. I became good at distracting myself with routines and habits that brought me a sense of peace, however superficial.

Some of these habits even turned into addictions I had to overcome, but that’s ano…

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/23/479186257/5-000-year-old-chinese-beer-recipe-revealed?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

A 5,000-year-old brewery has been unearthed in China.

Archaeologists uncovered ancient “beer-making tool kits” in underground rooms built between 3400 and 2900 B.C. Discovered at a dig site in the Central Plain of China, the kits included funnels, pots and specialized jugs. The shapes of the objects suggest they could be used for brewing, filtration and storage.

It’s the oldest beer-making facility ever discovered in China — and the evidence indicates that these early brewers were already using specialized tools and advanced beer-making techniques.

This 5,000-year-old funnel for beer-making was unearthed at a dig site in the Central Plain of China.

Courtesy of Jiajing Wang/PNAS

For instance, the scientists found a pottery stove, which the ancient brewers would have heated to break down carbohydrates to sugar. And the brewery’s underground location was important for both storing beer and controlling temperature — too much heat can destroy the enzymes responsible fo…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/05/23/fit-foodie-5k-fairfax-race-recap/

Hey friends! I hope you all had great weekends! Ours was fun but very soggy – it poured all day on Saturday and Sunday. Bummer!

Friday was beautiful, though, so Matt and I took advantage and kicked off the weekend with a nice stroll and an al fresco dinner at Rustico. I love their market salad – the chew of the barley, the chopped lacinato kale, the crunchy fennel, the juicy blueberries – perfection. I got the large size and asked for salmon on top – enough for leftovers the next day too!

Matt and I also shared some of their truffled fries, which are phenomenal. Perfect crispiness.

We spent the rest of Friday night cozied up on the coach with Netflix! We watched a documentary on the Barkley Maratho…

Source: http://zenhabits.net/exercise-obstacle/

By Leo Babauta

There are so many benefits to exercise, from cancer prevention to brain health, from heart health to better weight management, from stronger bones to less stress and more happiness … so why is it so hard for most people to stick to a regular exercise habit?

It turns out that there’s really only one reason.

You might say you’re too busy, but if you spend any time on social media like Facebook, news sites, blogs, Netflix or Youtube … you have the time. You’re just choosing to do other things.

You might say you’re too tired, and that might be true … but actually, exercise results in having more energy over time, so the truth is that we’re prioritizing the short term over the long term when we skip exercise.

And this is the crux of the problem: we are making a choice to do other things over exercise.

It’s a choice, not a problem of time or energy.

Why are we making this choice to not exercise? If we dig down a bit deeper, it comes down to a belief that underlies the choice.

I’m going to steal from the Clean Slate blog, which talks about the myth of addiction being a disease … and says that instead, drug or alcohol use is a choice that comes down to one thing:

People freely choose to use drugs and alcohol because, at the time they’re doing it, they believe it will make them happy. At the time they do it, they believe it is their best available option for attaining happiness.

…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/videos/heal-chronic-pain-naturally/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfNbSduulkA

Severe or chronic pain affects nearly 50 million American adults, reports a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which was published in The Journal of Pain last summer. About half of these people are suffering from chronic pain every single day. Steven, the subject of Sonima.com’s new video series called “Becoming Pain Free,” is one of them.

The 34-year-old independent filmmaker and photographer, who just moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Melanie, and 5-year-old son, Victor, has been battling consistent joint pain in his legs, wrists, and lower back—a byproduct of his profession that requires holding heavy camera equipment for hours—for about nine years. It’s common for Steven to wake up with numb arms and feet and unable to walk. When doctors couldn’t help him address the pain, he turned to Pete Egoscue, Sonima.com’s pain and anatomy advisor, author of multiple books including Pain Free, and creator of the Egoscue Method, an exercise therapy program—taught at more than 25 clinics worldwide—aimed at healing chronic pain without prescription painkillers or invasive surgery.

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