Source: http://greatist.com/live/productivity-an-easy-tip-you-havent-heard-before?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

There’s a new way to improve your productivity at work that doesn’t involve watching cat videos, taking a nap, or achieving inbox zero. In the new book Smarter Faster Better: the Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, author Charles Duhigg writes that narrating your own life story (don’t worry, not literally out loud) is the key to getting more stuff done. Scientists at MIT who conducted the research use the fancy term “mental modeling,” but that really just means running through your day in your head—thinking about the stuff that’s already happened and the things you still need to do.

Doing so will help you quickly decide whether something unexpected deserves your attention. And since it’ll be harder to ruffle your feathers, work should be calmer. To give it a try, spend your morning commute running through a list of all the things you have to do that day (using as much detail as possible). When hiccups come up, determine if they should be a priority, can wait, or are a total distraction.

(h/t The Science of Us)

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Source: http://greatist.com/eat/food-surgeon-videos-are-bizarre-but-mesmerizing?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

There are a lot of weird videos out there, but this food surgery series takes the cake. In these videos (we’ve included some of our favorites below), a mysterious “culinary practitioner” performs eerily real procedures on—yep, you guessed it—food. He uses scalpels, syringes, and tweezers to operate on everything from Kit Kats to avocados.

We’re not sure if the fact that these videos exist is amazing or weird, but we can’t look away when he cuts into a Reese’s or an Oreo. And how often do surgeons say they eat their patients when procedures go wrong? (Yes, he really said that.)

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Source: http://greatist.com/live/artist-jody-steel-illustrates-the-struggle-with-body-image?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Even with the momentum of the body-positivity movement, there’s still enormous societal pressure to be thin. And it can be a challenging topic to talk about, which is why we love this captivating video from artist Jody Steel, which depicts what it’s like to feel uncomfortable in your own skin.

Steel paints an intricate coil on her stomach to represent the way we constrict ourselves to get that elusive perfect body. The strong visual can apply to anybody—and any body image struggle—which makes it all the more powerful.

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Source: http://greatist.com/live/your-sex-drive-is-totally-normal-science-says-so?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Movies and advertisements can lead us to believe that everyone has sex on their mind 24/7. But as this video from The Science of Us explains, there’s more than one type of desire. Yes, some people are always raring to go (what researchers call “spontaneous desire”). But it’s also completely normal to have “responsive desire,” which is when you feel hot and bothered only after your partner makes a move. Whatever gets you going (or if you’re always going), the most important thing is to put pleasure first and go from there.

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Source: http://greatist.com/live/body-positive-photo-series-shares-inspiring-stories?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

It seems like everyone is talking about being “body positive” these days, and the message is often the same: Love your body. F*ck society’s standards. You’re beautiful.

It’s not a bad message, but photographer Anastasia Kuba thinks it leaves something out. She wants us to hear the stories behind each body. That’s the premise of her incredibly raw series Nothing but Light.

Kuba’s subjects pose nude and makeup free for the photos, which are shot in natural light and not retouched. The conversations about each person’s—at times complicated and always humanizing—relationship with their bodies are included as captions.

Below we’ve featured Mason from the series. See more moving images and read the full story on The Huffington Post.

Photo: Anastasia Kuba

“I have such an intricate relationship with my shell I don’t even know where to begin. We have survived drug exposure in utero, six orthopedic surgeries, non-consensual sexual reassignment, ‘gender confirmation’ surgeries, sexual assault, two eating disorders, and permanently disabling injuries sustained due to racial profiling. Now while one of those things could kil…

Source: http://greatist.com/move/delightful-dancer-will-inspire-you-to-let-loose?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

On September 28 of last year, Marlee Grace committed to a daily dance practice. Lucky for us, she posts every routine on Instagram. As she says, she plans on dancing every day “until [her] heart stops beating.”

All of the playful routines are made up on the spot and set to her favorite tune du jour (from Bieber to Beyoncé to Earth, Wind & Fire).

“Improvisation is what fits with me, what is most natural to my body, and how I process being alive,” Grace says. The commitment to bust a move every day simply came out of her desire to dive deeper into her dance practice, she says. (She has a BFA in Dance from the University of Michigan.) “Something about a daily ritual works really well for me. I have a morning ritual of journaling three pages and pulling a tarot card. I just do them every single day.”

She keeps herself accountable by posting the mini performances online—and oh, are we glad she does. Watch some of our favorite videos below and follow her for daily inspiration to let loose and just be yourself.

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Source: http://greatist.com/health/healthy-green-recipes-st-patricks-day?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

We’re all about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with some green grub. But sorry, folks—that dyed-green beer and bagel aren’t winning any nutrition awards. (In fact, that food coloring may have some not-so-great side effects.) Here are 31 recipes to celebrate being green the healthy way.

Breakfast

Photo: Heather Christo

1. Spicy BLT Green Bloody Marys

Like we needed another excuse to start off the day with a Bloody Mary! This festive recipe gets it color from green tomatoes and its kick from jalapeño and horseradish.

Photo: With Food + Love

2. Banana Mango Green Smoothie Bowl
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Source: http://greatist.com/live/guys-are-growing-out-their-sideburns-for-an-awesome-cause?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Move over, Movember; The Sides of March is here. A play on the Ides of March, the campaign encourages dudes to grow out their sideburns all month long to raise awareness of suicide, which is one of the top causes of death among men under 45. There’s only one rule for those who choose to grow out their facial hair: It can’t connect under your chin (that would be a beard), so you’ve got to stick to the muttonchops look.

The founder, Adam Torr, chose sideburns because they are a conversation starter. After he lost his friend to suicide last year, he wanted to find a way to get people talking more about mental health issues.

Donate here to help raise money for the Campaign Against Living Miserably, a nonprofit that works to prevent male suicide in the U.K.

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Source: http://greatist.com/grow/daylight-saving-time-health-effects?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

The start of Daylight Saving Time is just on the horizon, along with our annual panic over which clocks switch automatically and which are manual (how much do you know, microwave?). But beyond that low-level stress, it turns out Daylight Saving Time can impact our health in both positive and negative ways.

Falling Back

The extra hour of sleep we get when Daylight Saving Time ends in the fall is a major boon for our chronically sleep-deprived society, says Wayne Andersen, M.D., co-founder and medical director of Take Shape For Life.

But it’s only great if you can actually sleep that extra hour. Those of us with less-than-stellar sleep habits (like taking long late-afternoon naps or scrolling through Instagram in bed) won’t reap the same benefits, says Teofilo L. Lee-Chiong, Jr., M.D., a sleep expert and professor of medicine at the University of Denver. “In fact, many people don’t—or can’t—take advantage of the extra hour due to the body’s circadian clock, and may wake up earlier than usual,” Lee-Chiong says.

If you’re one of those people, you can blame the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which acts as our central clock and regulates our body temperature, digestion, hormone release, and sleep-wake cycles. The SCN is programmed to work around daylight, so when we tr…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/gender-roles-what-feminine-and-masculine-mean?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Last fall, I engaged in one of the first of many conversations I’ve had about “manliness” in the past year, and it was with my 8-year-old son.

It was October, and we were enjoying a hot day at the beach. While the weather was unseasonably warm, the ocean remained cold.

Anyone with kids knows that the temperature of the water doesn’t stop them, and as a result, Mama has to brave the cold water too. I giggled and shrieked when the waves touched above my waist, and Isaac laughed at me. But mostly we just laughed together, diving under and over the waves.

On this particular day, we were joined by one of my long-time besties. She and I have been friends for more than 12 years, and she’s often my beach bum buddy. Unlike me, though, she didn’t get into the water.

As Isaac and I ventured farther and farther away from the shore, he turned to me and said, “Why isn’t she coming?” I told him I thought it was because she doesn’t actually know how to swim, to which my then 8-year-old replied, “Ohhhh. So you’re just a manly girl, and that’s why you’re tough enough to handle the cold water?”

Cue my “WTF” face. For a second, I was completely speechless.

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