Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tinybuddha/~3/Ikf77-cuQxE/

“Only those who care about you can hear when you are quiet.” ~Unknown

I find it difficult to be understood. I seem to frequently create complexity out of something that is perhaps very simple and straightforward to others.

For example, going to a movie. For many people, it would be “choose a movie, choose a time, choose a cinema” and there you go.

For me, I check movie reviews, all possible timings, in all possible cinemas. For each timing and location, I will consider if the timing allows other things to be done before and after the movie, and whether the location has sufficient food and shopping options. All else being equal, the location with the cheapest parking fees wins.

Yes, I take a long time to decide on a movie outing, and more on issues with much bigger consequences in life.

In the recent years, I have had to make some rather big decisions about my life, on career and family. Judging from the process I go through to make a decision on a movie, you can imagine the epic journey I went through for each big decision.

My brain had a field time linking every single option to different possible outcomes. Even issues that were once unlinked would somehow be connected to one another the more my brain was allowed to think. And after that, my brain took the liber…

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/02/11/466317522/buy-crop-insurance-double-your-money?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

Deep in the heart of the arcane laws that give farmers a helping hand, there’s something called “crop insurance.” It’s a huge program, costing taxpayers anywhere from $5 billion to $10 billion each year.

It’s called an insurance program, and it looks like insurance. Farmers buy policies from private companies and pay premiums (which are cheap because of government subsidies) to insure themselves against crop failures and falling prices. It’s mainly used by corn, soybean, cotton and wheat farmers. Defenders of the program call it a safety net.

But according to Bruce Babcock, an economist at Iowa State University who’s also a long-time critic of this program, it’s far more generous than a safety net — and really, it’s not insurance at all. Normal insurance is something that you buy while hoping that you’ll never use it. Crop “insurance,” Babcock says, is really a lottery: You play because you hope to win.

Farmers do win. A lot, in fact. And in this casino game, the house — meaning you, the taxpayer — loses every year.

Here are the numbers, which Babcock just released in a new report for the Environmental Working Group. For every $1 that farmers spent on crop insurance premiums over the past 15 years, they got more than twice that much back in payouts.

Even more startling is the disparity across different regions of the country. In the Corn Belt states of Indiana and Illinois, the program was not nearly as profitable f…

Source: http://greatist.com/eat/make-ahead-oatmeal-bakes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

As the old saying goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” And yet, every morning we’re surprised when we don’t have time to whip up a nutritious, gourmet breakfast. Thankfully the Internet is here with a save: a septuplet of make-ahead breakfast bakes. All you need to do in the a.m. is reheat—and we can find time for that, even on the busiest days.

Photo: Diary of a Debutante

1. Baked Oatmeal Casserole Recipe

With just three steps, this recipe couldn’t be easier. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it comes with a superfood trifecta of strawberries, blueberries, and bananas for a hefty dose of antioxidants and vitamins C and B6. If the natural sweetness of the fruit isn’t enough, the recipe also calls a half-cup of chocolate chips. The finished product is the stuff food blog dreams are made of.

<img src="http://greatist.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main/public/banana%20almond%20cups%20…

Source: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2016/02/11/i-worked-out-and-now-im-so-sore-help/

“Dear Steve, I think my legs are dying and I can’t walk. HALP!”

Yesterday, or two days ago, you did a strenuous workout for the first time in your life (or for the first time in a while). You dutifully did your squats, push-ups, and rows (if you followed the Beginner Bodyweight workout), or you did some barbell squats or deadlifts or pull-ups. Or maybe you decided to run a 5k just for kicks.

And during the workout, you may have felt pretty good!

That was two days ago, though. When you woke up yesterday, every muscle in your body felt like it was hit by a mac-truck. “Welp, this sucks, but at least tomorrow things should be better,” you tell your brain.

And holy crap, it’s like your body forgot how to function. Maybe your arms are stuck in the permanent t-rex position. Perhaps your groin is tight in places you didn’t even realize you could be sore. Walking down stairs or doing anything active may feel like trying to play the QWOP game (please take 2 seconds to play this – it will be the hardest you’ve ever laughed).

So, what are you supposed to do:

If it’s been only a day, should you be worried?

Maybe it’s been two days and you are supposed to workout. Do you skip it?

You’re torn between sitting in an ice bath to numb the soreness or climbing into a hot tub until you resemble a prune.</…

Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/02/five-more-studies-related-to-food-industry-sponsorship-the-score-12412/

I’m having a hard time keeping up with these, but here are five more industry-funded studies with results favorable to the sponsor, bringing the total of industry-positives to 124 since last March, versus just 12 with unfavorable results.  This percentage is lower than that found in more systematic studies.  If you know of such studies, please send.

In the meantime, here’s the next set.

A randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of a high carbohydrate and high protein ready-to-eat food product for weight loss.  N. R. Fuller, M. Fong, J. Gerofi, L. Leung, C. Leung, G. Denyer andI. D. Caterson.  Clinical Obesity. Article first published online: 19 JAN 2016. DOI: 10.1111/cob.12137

Conclusion: There was no significant difference in percentage weight loss from screening to 6 weeks between the two groups…Both diets were nutritionally matched and well-accepted over the 6-week period. This study shows that the inclusion of a ready-to-eat food product can be included as part of a dietary programme to achieve a clinically significant weight loss over a short period.
Funding: This study was supported by a research grant from Arnotts Biscuits Ltd. The funder had no role in the protocol design, the conduct of the study, the analysis of the data, nor the writing of the manuscript.
Comment: The idea of this study was to get participants to include Vita-Weat biscuits in their diets.  The control group was simply advised about healthy…

Source: http://tonygentilcore.com/2016/02/single-biggest-mistake-people-make-with-their-training-programs/

Full Disclosure: Today is a repurposed post written last year and coincides with Eric Cressey placing his resource, High Performance Handbook, on sale this week for $30 off the regular price.

Sale notwithstanding, it’s still a good post. You should read it.

The Single Biggest Mistake People Make With Their Training Programs

I want to tell you about a friend of mine. Lets call him Matt Damon.

For the record, no, Matt Damon isn’t his real name. In fact this friend I’m referring to doesn’t even exist (or star in any Jason Bourne movies).

Rather, he serves as a metaphor for many of you reading this post.

You see Matt is like many of you who, unknowingly or not, repeats the same mistake time and time again when it comes to his (or her!) training.

To his credit, “Matt” makes it a point to ensure the bulk of his training revolves around the compound lifts.

Instead of an “arms and shoulders day, “ he performs a chin-up day; instead of a “hamstring and anterior tibialis day,” he performs a deadlift day; and well, you get the idea.

Likewise, while he generally prefers to lift weights 3-4 times per week, he’s not immune to stepping outside that bubble, understands that variety is the spice of life, and enjoys doing oth…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/02/11/win-a-trip-to-run-the-dc-cherry-blossom-10-miler/

Hey friends! I’m SO EXCITED to share today’s post with you because it ends with what is probably the coolest giveaway I’ve ever hosted on my blog. I think those of you that are runners will agree!

But first, speaking of running, I was up early this morning to meet my buddy Sokphal for some frigid miles. The sun was just rising as we started – beautiful, as always.

Today was one of those mornings where I REEEEEEALLY did not want to get out of bed to run. With the windchill, my phone weather app said the temperature was in the single digits, and I was pretty tired. But as always, having someone to meet made the difference between bailing and not, and I was so glad that I didn’t bail because we ended up having a great run!

<img title="dc sunrise run" style="border-left-width: 0px;border-right-width: 0px;border-bottom-width: 0px;float: none;padding-top: 0px;padding-left: 0px;margin: 0px auto;padding-right: 0px;border-top-width…

Source: http://www.bornfitness.com/the-diet-book-no-one-will-write-so-im-sharing-it-for-free/

To date, I’m the author of 9 books that have been published by large publishing houses. Six of the titles have my name, and another three have been ghost-written. And almost every one would be considered a diet book.

In that time, I’ve realized that while many books have some good information, they overcomplicated the message that really needs to be spread. From why we gain fat to how to build muscle, low carb diets to high protein foods, how to live longer and fight disease, I’ve read it all.

A big reason so many people struggle with diet and exercise is because the majority of diet and exercise books have overcomplicated the real issues.

So I put together the world’s simplest book proposal, which has been rejected over…and over…and over again.

At first, I thought it was me. But then I was reminded that 3 of my books have been “best sellers,” and one of them even hit #4 of the New York Times best seller list.

Then I saw this message the other day on Facebook.

Everything that’s wrong with the diet industry

Because no one will take the book idea, I’m publishing the idea here for free to fight back against ideas like activated cha…

Source: http://greatist.com/move/zumba-workout-video-beginner?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

When you think about Zumba®, you imagine people wearing brightly colored cargo pants with hip-shaking skills that could make Beyoncé (and her entire Formation) jealous. But there’s a reason this dance fitness class has such a loyal cult following: It’s totally uninhibited, so dancers of any level are encouraged to leave insecurities at the door and let loose.

Still, being a newbie in any class can be intimidating. So if you want to master a few basic Zumba® moves before you sign up, press play on the video below. You’ll follow along with two licensed Zumba® instructors as they break down (then speed up) three classic moves: the knee lift to arm sweep, grapevine with body wave, and core isolation shoulder pop. Not in the mood for dancing? We highly recommend watching anyway. It’s impossible not to smile while seeing these guys get down!

For more easy-to-follow Zumba® videos, check out their YouTube page.

…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/sharon-salzberg/

Sharon Salzberg’s presence is gentle and commanding, her pedagogy earnest and funny, her writing personal and erudite. As a teacher and writer, Salzberg consistently demonstrates awareness and acceptance of what it means to be human. She speaks about her personal experiences with honest sensitivity, sharp intelligence and a raw sense of humor, generously showing her students around the world that it’s possible to integrate the principles meditation into everyday life, not just in the formal sitting practice. When meeting Salzberg, you would have no idea that she is both a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most prominent teachers of Buddhism in the West; her demeanor is relaxed and humble, even as she possesses an unprecedented depth of knowledge about both Vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (loving-kindness) practices, and has led meditation retreats around the world for more than 30 years.

Born in New York City, Salzberg experienced a great deal of emotional pain during childhood, which she often cites as the genesis of her eventual interest in meditation. Salzberg sped through high school in New York City, and found herself enrolling in college at the State University of New York in Buffalo at age 16. After reading some of the Buddha’s central teachings in an Asian philosophy course during her sophomore year of college, Salzberg found herself thinking, “Wow, I’m not alone. I don’t have to feel weird. Everyone at s…