How to hack your gut bacteria so you can lose weight and fight disease At first, research suggested that one class of bacteria—probiotics—helped people improve digestion

Here’s everything you could possibly want to know about your microbiome

“Microbiome” is a buzzword that’s taken over the nutrition world in the last few years. 

No, it’s not that Pauly Shore movie from the 1990s. (That’s Bio-Dome.) Microbiome refers to the vast and complex populations of bacteria that live on and in your body.  

At first, research suggested that one class of bacteria—probiotics—helped people improve digestion. But eventually, researchers discovered that there’s much more to it.

“These bacteria in our gut are wired into our immune system, our metabolism, and even our brain,” says Erica Sonnenburg, Ph.D., a microbiota researcher at Stanford University Medical School. 

“I think if you have allergies, asthma, weight issues, diabetes, and even depression and anxiety, it could mean that your gut is not in an optimal state,” she says.

In the words of Ron Burgundy, your microbiota is “kind of a big deal.”

Sonnenburg speculates that we are only as healthy as our bacteria. 

“If you count up all the collective genome that our microbiota provides and compare that to our human genome, humans are actually 99 percent microbe and only 1 percent human,” she says.

So how do you benefit? It starts with your diet.

Maybe you’ve heard that you should be eating more fermented foods—stuff like kombucha, kimchi (keep reading for a recipe below), yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut—to introduce more good bacteria into your gut. 

But you also need fiber in order to help feed new and existing good bacteria. So on top of fermented foods, you should also be taking in fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains. 

Second, stop applying hand sanitizer more often than Kim Kardashian updates her Snapchat. New research shows that frequent hand sanitizer application kills good bacteria living on you, increasing your risk of illness.

And, lastly, limit antibiotic use to only when absolutely necessary.

“Antibiotics don’t help fight off viral infections, which are the bulk of the infections we deal with,” Sonnenburg says.

While all this may seem complex and mysterious, the great news is that your microbiome is under your control. And with these simple dietary changes and health practices, you can improve your microbiome within a few days.

If you’re looking for some inspiration to get started, try the following kimchi recipe.

Lucia Shin’s Simple Kimchi Recipe

This homemade kimchi recipe comes from my friend’s mom and has been passed down through generations in Korea.

Try the tart, spicy fermented condiment in a quesadilla with sharp cheddar cheese or mixed into scrambled eggs.

What You’ll Need:

1 head Napa cabbage, cut into bite-sized squares, washed and drained
½ cup Kosher salt
¼ cup crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp sugar 

How to Make It:

1. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage and salt. Let stand, stirring every now and then, until the cabbage is limp and soft, about 2 hours.

2. Rinse the cabbage well under cold water. Drain it thoroughly in a colander, about 20 minutes. Taste the cabbage. If it’s too salty, rinse and drain it again.

3. In a large bowl, mix the drained cabbage with the crushed red pepper flakes, fish sauce, scallions, onion, garlic, ginger, and sugar. Season to taste with salt, if necessary.

4. Pack the kimchi into a jar and let the jar stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 days to ferment. Then store it in the fridge.

Read More

The best way to burn fat if you hate cardio Don’t get me wrong, cycling is a great form of exercise but I prefer using functional and athletic movements like you’ll find below

There’s cardio, and then there’s MetaCardio.

Cardio is any exercise that gets your heart rate up, burns fat, and improves whole body circulation. MetaCardio does all that and more.

Instead of using traditional modes of cardio training, MetaCardio employs resistance training exercises to provide a muscle-building stimulus, which, in turn, enhances the overall fat-burning and metabolism-boosting potential of your workout.

There are lots of ways you can do MetaCardio, but 20-10 intervals are among my favorites.

This particular interval became world famous in 1994 when the Tabata study discovered that 4-minutes of 20-10 intervals delivered greater fat loss and fitness improvements than 60 minutes of long, slow, and boring cardio.

Now, to be clear, I use an adapted approach to Tabata training. For one, I typically use alternating sets of non-competitive exercises (supersets or circuits) instead of straight sets of the same move. I find this allows for better form and higher intensity throughout the duration of the workout. It also delivers a better cardiovascular response.

(However, when my goal is to focus on muscle building instead of fat loss, I will use straight sets of 20-10 intervals for a single move to provide a massive dose of local metabolic stress or “muscle pumps.”)

In addition, I like to use more functional moves than the study, which used a cycling machine. Don’t get me wrong, cycling is a great form of exercise and I do it too. But for the general population looking for the highest fitness return in the shortest period of time, I prefer using functional and athletic movements like you’ll find in the workouts below.

I’ve put together two unique MetaCardio workouts for you to try: one for the lower body and one for the upper body. (I also partnered with Men’s Health to create an entire body-transformation program using the concept, complete with 8 fat-torching workouts, recovery and core-training routines, and equipment that will help you get shredded.

The workouts below use a mix of explosive bodyweight, resistance band, and dumbbell exercises to fire up your fast-twitch muscle fibers. And because working your fast-twitch fibers burns the most calories both during and after your workout, MetaCardio is also where shred meets gainz!

Here’s how it works:

Each workout consists of four total supersets, a combination of two specific exercises that you continuously alternate between.

Perform each move for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of rest between moves. Repeat this process for 5 to 10 minutes before moving on to the next superset. Beginners, you should lean on the lower end of that range, and advanced trainees should try to complete the full 10 minutes.

Rest 1 to 2 minutes between supersets to maintain proper exercise form and to keep training intensity high.

MetaCardio Lower-Body Workout

Superset #1

1. Miniband seal jacks (with the band around your ankles)

2. Miniband plank jacks (with the band around your ankles)

Superset #2

1. Single-leg shoulders-elevated plyo hip thrust, left

2. Single-leg shoulders-elevated plyo hip thrust, right

Superset #3

1. Bulgarian split squat jump, left

2. Bulgarian split squat jump, right

Superset #4

1. Dumbbell overhead skier swing

2. Rotational skater jump

MetaCardio Upper-Body Workout

Superset #1

1. Band jack pull apart

2. Band jack pushup

Superset #2

1. Band jack curl

2. Band jack press

Superset #3

1. Clap pushup to mountain climber

2. Dumbbell hammer catch curl

Superset #4

1. Seesaw bent-over row

2. Seesaw overhead press

If you would prefer to add these to your current workout plan as a starter or finisher, just pick a single superset of your choice and crank it out for 5 to 10 minutes. The choice is yours!

Read More

You’re a smarter person for the 58 minutes after your workout There’s a growing body of data that shows the more physical activity you engage in, the better long-term memory you have,

Discover the science of how exercise boosts your brain

Before you conquer that end-of-the-year presentation, carve out a few minutes to work out.

Exercising anywhere from 20 minutes to about an hour before a mentally demanding task might help you remember important information you need to succeed, suggests a new study from Michigan State University.

“There’s a growing body of data that shows the more physical activity you engage in, the better long-term memory you have,” says lead study author Matthew Pontifex, Ph.D.

To see how a sweat session could impact learning and memory within one day, Pontifex and his team had 92 adults memorize a list of word associations.

After 12 hours, the study participants were tested on how many word associations they remembered from that morning.

The results, he says, were surprising. “If you spent all day on the couch or all day physically active, it didn’t make a difference,” he said.

But people who exercised in the hour prior to testing performed better than others, regardless of their age.

Even a leisurely walk around the block was enough for some participants to boost their memory.

Exercise may increase the availability of the neurotransmitter noripenephrine in brain regions critical for long-term memory, prior research suggests.

But not all sweat sessions boost memory, the researchers found.

People who exercised in the one to two hours after learning new information, 10 to 11 hours before the test, actually performed worse than other study subjects.

“There’s something about exercising just after you learn something that makes it harder to remember,” Pontifex says.

The researchers aren’t sure why, but they have an idea: “The simplest explanation is that exercise helps stimulate the brain,” he says. “If you don't exercise after learning something, you’re allowing those memories to consolidate and then they become stored.”

Give your brain that shot of stimulation just before you need to recall something instead.

“This relates to the idea that exercise is medicine,” says Pontifex. “Our study is showing you when to take that medicine.”

Read More

Indian villagers are drinking cow urine to cure acne In Hindu culture, the cow is a sacred animal, and many of its followers believe any cow byproduct has healing properties.

Don't knock it until you try it?

The men in the Indian village of Udaipur drink and bathe in cow urine to cure their acne, which doesn’t sound like a legit skin-saving solution to us . . . but only because we haven’t tried it.

In Hindu culture, the cow is a sacred animal, and many of its followers believe any cow byproduct has healing properties.

That’s why lots of guys in Udaipur swear by the urine to not just get rid of pimples, but also eliminate all health problems, according to a report in The Daily Mail.

One man, Hemant Paliwal, has guzzled a warm glass of cow urine every day for the last 4 years, and regularly takes pee baths with his buddies.

“I was suffering from acute lung diseases and would catch a cough and cold regularly,” Paliwal told The Daily Mail. “I even had acne and pimples on my skin, but once I started applying urine, my face was crystal clear in just a week. Since then, there hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t drunk cow urine.”

Hey, everyone needs a morning routine.

Another guy, Yogesh Paliwal—it’s unclear if they’re related, or if everyone in Udaipur has the same last name—told The Daily Mail that women in the village also subscribe to cow urine’s powers, but threw some serious shade at the fairer sex.

“Many girls in the village are curing their acne with cow urine but they won’t admit it,” Paliwal said.

Believe it or not, more than 40 percent of twenty-something guys still suffer from acne, according to a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. So if you’re still popping zits as a grown-ass man, here are 5 Ways to Treat Your Acne that don’t involve holding your nose while taking a swig of cow piss.

Read More

The science behind why only one nostril clogs when you’re sick Ever wonder why it seems like one nostril feels way more clogged than the other?

Your nose is smarter than you think.

Being stuffed up sucks. Ever wonder why it seems like one nostril feels way more clogged than the other? It’s not just your imagination: There’s a scientific reason behind it.

Credit a physiological response called the nasal cycle, a process where your nostrils take turns sucking in more air, says Rachel Roditi, M.D., a surgeon in the division of otolaryngology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Find out why your nostrils play tag team—and what you can do when one side’s all jammed up.

Why One Nostril Gets More Congested

Structures in both sides of your nose called inferior turbinates are responsible for warming and humidifying air before it reaches your lungs, says Dr. Roditi. This protects your lungs by reducing dryness and irritation. That process is a lot of work. So your nose funnels its resources more to one side than the other to make the process more efficient.

It sends more blood flow to one nostril, which warms the air coming in through there, but also causes the turbinate on that side to swell.

That swelling means there’s less room for air to make its way in. It’s pretty subtle, though - unless you have a cold, infection, allergies, or a structural problem like a deviated septum, you probably won’t notice it going on.

But when you are sick, blood flow to your nose increases even more, sparking more swelling and greater mucus production in your nasal region, says Dr. Roditi.

Even though you’re congested throughout your entire nose, you feel it more strongly in the one nostril where the turbinate is already swollen as part of the normal nasal cycle.

How to Treat Your Congestion

There’s really nothing you can do to shut off the nasal cycle, says Dr. Roditi.

It’s likely that one nostril will always feel more stuffed up than the other when you’re sick.

Still, after about 90 minutes to 4 hours, your nose switches sides. When that occurs, you’ll probably feel some relief when the swelling in the one nostril goes down - but then the other side will start to feel clogged instead.

Your best bet is to work on easing the congestion overall. Steam from a hot shower or humidifier can help open the floodgates, says Dr. Roditi. And saline nasal sprays can help flush out mucus, too.

Consider topical nasal congestion sprays with oxymetazoline, like Afrin which constricts blood vessels - more of a last resort, says Jonathan A. Bernstein, M.D., an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Asthma. “These sprays can cause rebound congestion,” he says. That means your nose becomes addicted to them, and relies on them to open up.

If you must use them, stick to two puffs a day for no more than five to seven days, he says.

If your stuffed-up symptoms persist beyond 10 to 14 days, or you notice nasal congestion at times other than when you’re sick, check in with your doctor to make sure that something bigger - like a deviated septum - isn’t at play, says Dr. Roditi.

Read More

These two things can cut your risk of heart failure Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.

awsomegist.blogspot.com

They’ll do your body good in a bunch of other ways, too

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Want to opt out of that group?

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests two possible strategies: exercise more and whittle down your excess weight.

Researchers analyzed data from three large studies with about 51,000 participants, and found that lack of exercise and too much extra weight are strongly associated with a type of heart failure called preserved ejection fraction (PEF), which has a particularly poor prognosis.

In the research, the incidence of PEF was 19 percent lower for individuals who exercised at recommended levels—which is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, according to the World Health Organization.

Also, higher body mass index levels were more strongly linked to PEF than to the more treatable type of heart failure.

Now, it’s not terribly surprising that exercising more and avoiding weight gain is good for your heart. But the findings are especially important because preserved ejection fraction heart failure is particularly hard to treat.

When PEF develops, the heart stiffens and resists expansion. This is different from another common type of heart failure, in which the heart doesn’t squeeze enough—a condition that is more treatable.

Plus, medications haven’t been shown to reduce mortality for PEF, and heart transplants aren’t considered an option, either. So knowing how you can protect your heart in the first place becomes extra vital.

Get moving, bring your weight down, and you can give your heart its best chance for beating as long as possible.

Read More

How to prevent razor burns Shaving is a good form of exfoliating, or sloughing off dead skin cells, but overdoing it can cause you trouble.

Use these tips to avoid nasty nicks and have the smoothest shave ever

Ever wonder why some guys let their facial hair run rampant?

Beyond paying tribute to the bearded rock gods in ZZ Top, these men (like celebrities and their facial hair) might prefer their unruly manes to the discomfort or pain that razor burn brings.

“You need to remember that shaving is a process that not only affects the hair, but also the skin,” says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of Dermatology.

Shaving is a good form of exfoliating, or sloughing off dead skin cells, but overdoing it can bring redness, cause razor bumps, and expose tender skin.

If you’re red, dry or itchy, take a few days off to heal, says Jeffrey Benabio, M.D., Physician Director of Healthcare Transformation at Kaiser Permanente.

Read on for more dermatologists’ tips for reducing razor burn and getting the closest shave yet.

First, take a steamy shower

Warm water softens both your hair and skin, reducing tension as your razor blade cuts your scruff, Zeicher says.

Lather up

Massage shaving cream into your face and neck in a circular motion and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes. If you want to get fancy, try a badger shave brush to help lift the hairs, soften them, and spread shaving cream evenly, Benabio says.

Feeling too lazy to lather? Keep in mind that a dry shave drags the blade across the skin, increasing the likelihood for ingrown hairs, razor bumps, and irritation, Benabio says.

Replace your razor

If you feel any tugging while shaving, ditch your razor and swap it for a new one, Zeichner says. A lot of guys use old blades that cause tiny tears in the skin that can be uncomfortable, Benabio adds.

While your razor may have grown on you, it’s time to cut ties. For a standard shaver, use it about 5 to 7 times before trashing the tool.

Follow the order

Give the thickest hairs the longest amount of time to soften up with the shaving gel, Zeicher advises.

Start with the sides of your beard, then move to your neck and up your chin, and end with your mustache.

Go with the flow

Shaving against the grain may give you a closer shave, but can increase your risk of skin irritation, Zeichner says.

Doing so causes the hairs to be cut below the surface of the skin. When the hair regrows, it becomes trapped and curls back on itself and grows inward.

This causes inflamed, red bumps that are further injured the next time you shave, Banabio says.

Note that hair on different areas of your face may grow in completely different directions, so using a mirror is preferable than a blind shower shave.

Reduce the pressure

You don’t have to push hard to get a good shave, Zeicher says. It only increases skin irritation.

To avoid rough handling, you can use a vibrating razor handle to help decrease the amount of pressure you apply.

Rinse and repeat

Wash the razor under warm water every one to two strokes to clear away stubble and cream blocking the blade, which can cause nicks in your skin. Don’t tap the razor to shake off the cream as it can damage the blade.

When you finally get your face as smooth as it was before you hit puberty, apply a moisturizer to help your skin heal.

Read More

3 Of the Most Dangerous Cities to Travel To

Cape Town, South Africa

Despite being a popular holiday destination and one of the most beautiful places to visit, Cape Town is also the most violent city on the continent. It is prone to gang fighting and robbery attacks. The crime rate here is alarming. While being a very multicultural city with a rather violent history, it does have its scary parts. Tourist areas are normally out of harm’s way, so make sure not to stray from them while visiting Cape Town. It’s essential to be familiar with all the potential risks and do whatever it’s needed to minimize those risks, and hopefully you’ll be able to have a good time in the country.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras

 

 Even though Honduras is considered one of the cheapest countries to travel to, you’d better avoid long stays at San Pedro Sula. Notorious for being at the top of every world’s most dangerous cities, it is called the ‘murder capital of the world.’ Sand Pedro Sula has the highest murder rate per capita considering that the place is not even a war zone. Poverty and poor living conditions, gangs and violence, drug, arms and people trafficking, corruption: all these alarming issues should make you think twice whether to go here or not. So be prepared, alert, street-smart and aware of all the difficulties and dangers that may await you.

Baghdad, Iraq

  Travelers are not safe going to Baghdad at this point. Even though it’s one of the oldest cities in the world and has a bunch of tourist attractions, all these years of constant warfare have destroyed its infrastructure and economy. The level of violence remains high, and the risk of attack has not quite been eliminated. Attacks frequently take place in venues of public gathering such as cafes, markets or other public places. You have to be aware though, that gunfire, bombings, kidnappings, terrorist activity and other kinds of danger are still present in surrounding areas and the city itself.

Read More

The Creepiest Abandoned Places on Earth

1. Danvers State Insane Asylum

 Bet, this time, you’re positive the exteriors for the 2nd season of the AHS: Asylum were filmed in this creepy place. Nope. Wrong again! Danvers State Hospital in Massachusetts has gone by many names; it’s been variously known as the Danvers Insane Asylum, State Lunatic Hospital, even Hell House on the Hill and other such lovely monikers. During its heyday in the 20s and 30s there were controversies over its given out the use of drugs, shock therapy and lobotomies – as a matter of fact, it may have been the birthplace of lobotomy. Eventually, Danvers transformed into unsanitary and equally dangerous place for both the patients and staff. And since its closure it has fallen into a state of despair and severe creepiness. Beware, as it’s one of the most violently haunted asylums in the world.

Read More

Ireland's top entertainment stars are worth more than €2 billion

The top entertainers in Ireland are worth in excess of €2 billion with musicians and actors raking in the most money.
Rock band U2 are the richest entertainers on these shores with a staggering worth of €645 million.
The survey of the 300 richest people in the country listed husband and wife Mark Burnett and Roma Downey as second with €459 million.
Mark Burnett, who is now based in the States, is the man behind The Apprentice idea while wife Roma Downey is the president of LightWorkers Media, a Christian-orientated production company.

Singer Niall Horan attends Sir Lucian Grainge's 2017 Artist Showcase (Photo: WireImage)

The youngest man on the list is former One Direction singer Niall Horan who lies 9th with a worth of €44 million.
Not bad for a 23-year-old from Mullingar who is in fact the only person under 40 to make it onto the list of 300 people.

Michael Flately, whose crew performed at Donald Trump's inauguration, sits in third place with a worth of €235 million.
He is followed by singer Enya on €117 million ahead of actors Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan on €113 million and €72 million respectively.
Musician Van Morrison, €62 million, Sir Daniel and Lady Day Lewis, €55 million and Bob Geldof, €49 million, take places seven, eight and 9 before Niall Horan makes up the top 10.
Chris De Burgh, GColin Farrell, raham Norton, Daniel O'Donnell and Louis Walsh make up the top 15 of the Sunday Times Irish entertainers rich list.

Graham Norton on the Late Late Show

Rob Watts, one of the compilers of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: " U2’s status as one of Ireland’s most recognisable exports is confirmed by their position at the top of our Entertainers’ Rich List, accounting in their own right for more than 30% of the wealth measured.
"They are to Ireland what Abba were to Sweden in the 1970s – a global brand with instant recognition.

“From Van Morrison to Niall Horan, Irish musicians of all ages are dominant forces across the globe, but Irish pre-eminence extends into film and television, too.
"Both in front of the camera and behind it, in film and television alike, Ireland has some of the best-known names and produced some of the top original ideas on our screens today.
“This weekend’s Rich List provides insight and analysis of wealth across all sectors in Ireland and provides a definitive picture of wealth across the island of Ireland."
1. U2 - Music- €645m

2. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey - Television - €459m

3. Michael Flatley - Dance - €235m

4. Enya - Music - €117m
5. Liam Neeson - Films - €113m
6. Pierce Brosnan - Films - €72m
7. Sir Van Morrison - Music - €62m
8. Sir Daniel and Lady Day Lewis - Films - €55m
9. Bob Geldof - Music - €49m
10. Niall Horan - Music- €44m

 

Read More

How do I choose the right life insurance product?

Scope and components to consider
Fundamental security – Need disaster protection just to give budgetary support to your survivors in the event that you pass on surprisingly? Term protection for the most part gives scope to a particular period of time, at a lower cost than different sorts of protection.

Showcase investment and money esteem − If you require protection assurance for the long haul, need the possibility to assemble money esteem (cash from which you can obtain, notwithstanding amid your lifetime) and have somewhat more cash to spend, consider perpetual disaster protection. There are three sorts of changeless disaster protection arrangements:

Entire extra security constructs esteem in light of a set timetable. You'll know the correct money estimation of your arrangement at every commemoration. (In the event that you take a credit or withdrawal from your approach, the money esteem and demise advantage will diminish.)

All inclusive extra security wins a settled financing cost on the money estimation of the strategy. While the loan fee may change after some time, it will never plunge underneath an ensured least rate.

Variable general life coverage gives you a chance to put your trade an incentive out the share trading system, so your approach esteem goes up or down in view of the execution of your ventures. The speculation subaccount choices in VUL approaches are not offered available to be purchased to the overall population.

To what extent ought to your scope last? Require disaster protection scope only for a particular time period – like while you're paying off your home loan? Term disaster protection offers insurance for a set period. Every single other kind of protection cover you forever, the length of the premiums are paid.

Expenses and charges − Before you purchase, get some information about the charges and accuses related of an extra security approach, how they're ascertained and what they're for.

Access to your cash − Will you have to remove cash from your approach later on, for example, to pay school educational cost or as retirement pay? Most entire, all inclusive and variable all inclusive items let you pull back cash from your approach or take loans.1 But some do confine when you can take cash, the amount you can take and (for advances) the financing cost.

Adaptable installments − Some all inclusive and variable widespread life items let you make adaptable installments once you've sufficiently paid to cover your strategy charges.

Prepared to make the following stride?

Deciding the correct protection scope for your requirements is a vital choice. For help with comprehension the sorts of life coverage arrangements and picking disaster protection, call us at 1-844-538-9998 or discover a specialist in your neighborhood.

1 Assumes contract qualifies as life coverage under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 7702. Most disseminations are exhausted on a first-in/first-out premise the length of the agreement stays in constrain and meets the non-MEC (Modified Endowment Contract) meanings of IRC Section 7702A. Credits and incomplete surrenders from a MEC will by and large be assessable, and if taken before age 59 ½, might be liable to a 10% duty punishment.

As your own circumstances change (i.e., marriage, birth of a tyke or occupation advancement), so will your extra security needs. Take care to guarantee these techniques and items are reasonable for your long haul life coverage needs. Likewise, know that market instability can prompt to the conceivable requirement for extra premium in your arrangement. Speculators ought to assess the effect of their money related capacity to proceed with premium installments and the market chance related with the variable item on the danger of slip by of the protection strategy.

Additionally, realize that any credits, withdrawals, and surrenders, halfway or entire, can unfavorably influence the demise advantage, may have unfriendly expense outcomes, and could bring about the arrangement passing. Variable extra security has charges and accuses related of it that incorporate a cost of protection that changes with such attributes of the safeguarded individual as sex, wellbeing and age, hidden reserve charges and costs, and extra charges for riders that alter a strategy to fit your individual needs.

Before choosing a variable life coverage arrangement, you ought to deliberately consider the speculation goals, dangers, charges, and costs of the approach and its venture choices. The item plan and hidden store outline contain this and other essential data. To acquire an item outline, variable all inclusive disaster protection cite, or basic reserve plan, contact your venture proficient or Nationwide. Perused the outline deliberately before making a buy.

Read More

How Working for a Toxic Boss Can Make You Toxic The viral nature of toxic behaviour

Lethal pioneers in associations are excessively regular today. Presently new research demonstrates that harmful pioneers can really make specialists show lethal conduct.

In my book, Eye of the Storm: How Mindful Leaders Can Transform Chaotic Workplaces, I portrayed how progressively working environments are getting to be distinctly harmful conditions occupied by lethal pioneers.

I stated, "Constant requests, outrageous weight and merciless savagery are all trademarks of a lethal organization, similar to a turned detach between what a firm says it accomplishes for representatives and what it really is doing. Individuals are taken a gander at as costs, as opposed to resources. On its books, an organization may have dynamic strategies with respect to work-life issues, yet in truth utilizes low maintenance specialists, who are attempting to adjust profession and family. Dread and neurosis, and tension to the point of frenzy, are different attributes of a dangerous working environment."

There are numerous reasons why poisonous work environments are multiplying. With uber mergers and globalization, a few enterprises are getting to be distinctly vaster and generic, while at the same time repeating floods of occupation cuts have left organizations incline and left people with workloads more prominent than is sensibly attainable as time goes on. Rather than compensating long haul arranging, practicality is requested.

Indications Of A Toxic Workplace:

Worry in the work environment influencing worker prosperity, manager social insurance expenses and profitability.

Emotional wellness issues frequently bringing about therapeutic leave.

All sticks and no carrots-administration concentrates exclusively on what workers are doing. wrong or adjusting issues, and once in a while give positive input for what is going right.

The inching organization—excessively numerous levels of endorsement and administration to complete things.

A particular concentrate on benefits, beating the opposition and cost cutting without thought of other main concerns.

Harassing of representatives by administration, or endured by administration when it happens among workers.

Losing the human touch-individuals are thought to be articles, with little sympathy toward their joy or potentially prosperity.

Elevated amounts of turnover, non-appearance and burnout.

An emphasis on "settling" representatives as opposed to organizing solid working environments.

A Leadership Crisis

The National Leadership Index (NLI), discharged by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School and Merriman River Group indicated low open trust in pioneers in business and government. Money Street and Congress emerged as the divisions in which Americans have the minimum certainty—in fact, the certainty rating for these two was scarcely above "none by any stretch of the imagination."

What's more, the disappointment rate for our pioneers is deteriorating, worse. The Conference Board announced that CEO residency has declined since 2000. Counseling firm Booz likewise announced higher CEO turnover rates among the 250 biggest organizations. The Center for Creative Leadership reports inquire about that shows 50 percent of pioneers and administrators are "evaluated to be inadequate, clumsy or a mishire." A study by 14,000 HR experts discovered just 26 percent revealed the nature of initiative in their organization as great or great.

Read More

The 5 Things You Should Really Look for in a Partner What are the most important qualities for a happy relationship?

In our look for a sentimental accomplice, the majority of us have an extensive rundown of characteristics that portray our ideal mate. These inclinations go from general qualities (e.g., keen, kind, clever, audacious, comprehension) to particular abilities and interests (e.g., great cook, cherishes baseball, politically dynamic, likes to travel). Yet, we understand that we can't discover everything in one individual — We'll need to make a few bargains. What are the most vital things you ought to search for on the off chance that you need to have an upbeat and effective relationship? Many years of research inspecting relationship fulfillment and life span focuses to a few qualities that you might have the capacity to spot at an opportune time that improve somebody an accomplice.

1. Concentrate on benevolence, reliability, and comprehension, not looks, status, and energy

At the point when individuals are made a request to list the most essential qualities in a potential accomplice, consideration, physical allure, an energizing identity, and pay/procuring potential tend to beat the list.1 But some of these attributes are more vital than others once individuals really get included seeing someone. Inquire about I portrayed in detail in a prior post found that those whose accomplices meet their beliefs as far as warmth and steadfastness are more happy with their connections. Though meeting beliefs as far as physical engaging quality, energy, status, and riches is a great deal less corresponded with general fulfillment. This exploration likewise found that having an accomplice who missed the mark on appeal, status, and fervor did not influence fulfillment if that accomplice was exceedingly warm, kind, and faithful. So those more "shallow attributes" were not imperative by any means, for those whose accomplices were caring, understanding, and faithful.

2. Closeness

You ought to search for somebody who is like you. A substantial assortment of research demonstrates that we are pulled in to individuals who are like us, particularly the individuals who share our states of mind and values. What's more, truth be told, comparative couples are more joyful. Look into has demonstrated that couples who share tastes, interests, and desires tend to experience less conflicts.3,4 When you like similar sorts of sustenance, films, or side interests and have similar states of mind toward work-recreation adjust, youngster raising, and taking care of social commitments, there is only significantly less to quarrel over. There is likewise prove that companions that begin more comparative as far as instructive accomplishment, age, and fancied number of kids are less inclined to get divorced.5

Furthermore, looking for a mate who is like you may some of the time make them scan for attributes that are more quirky — enhancing your odds of landing somebody who has those qualities. Nearly everybody needs a mate who is benevolent and gorgeous, so kind and attractive individuals will be sought after on the dating market. In any case, in the event that you truly need somebody who shares your enthusiasm for traditional dancing and your fixation on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the opposition is probably going to be less extreme.

3. Honesty

You ought to discover somebody who is solid. Scruples is about being commonsense, solid, govern taking after, and sorted out. This may not seem like the sexiest bundle of attributes, but rather it's a decent bundle in a long haul mate. Individuals who are scrupulous have a tendency to bring that attribute into their connections and are more reliable and trustworthy.6 People who are less principled are more hard to manage in a relationship – They wipe out arrangements, they don't satisfy their commitments around the house, they act heedlessly, and they fall through on their guarantees. So that disliked child in secondary school who dependably completed his or her homework early and took after every one of the standards could make a reliable and tried and true life partner later on.

4. Passionate strength

The one identity characteristic that influences our connections the most is enthusiastic strength — In mental writing, it's frequently alluded to by its inverse: neuroticism.7 Those who need passionate dependability have a tendency to be surly, tricky, restless, and snappier to outrage. The greater part of this makes them more hard to live with. Those high in neuroticism are a great deal more inclined to have contrary and contentious connections with other individuals, including their sentimental partners.8,9 They additionally have a tendency to be more envious and less forgiving.10,11 as anyone might expect, then, those high in neuroticism will probably wind up divorced.12 So in the early phases of dating, watch out for somebody who appears to be exorbitantly unstable and on edge, as it could be an indication that an association with them will be rough.

5. The conviction that connections take work

When you're quite recently beginning an association with somebody, it's difficult to expect how things will change after months or years together, and how this individual will manage the unavoidable knocks along the street. In any case, you can get a feeling of how hard they will function to keep up a cheerful relationship and resolve clashes. How? You have to comprehend their general theory about connections.

Specialists have distinguished two arrangements of convictions about connections: development convictions and predetermination beliefs.13 Those with fate convictions believe that connections are either intended to be or not. They trust that once two perfect partners join together, everything will be incredible. On the off chance that a relationship is intended to be, then everything will simply work out. On the off chance that there are issues, that is only a sign that you're with the wrong individual. Conversely, those with development convictions believe that connections take diligent work and that a solid relationship is something that you create after some time. They trust that all connections will experience issues and that having a more grounded relationship implies endeavoring to adapt to challenges that emerge.

These distinctive states of mind toward connections have real ramifications for how individuals adapt to relationship troubles. At the point when individuals with fate convictions hit a knock, they accept it's an indication that the relationship is damned. So they have a tendency to maintain a strategic distance from clashes and get to be distinctly furious in the event that they should recognize their accomplice's issues (since that would mean the relationship is not intended to be). What's more, when difficult situations arise, they surrender, instead of attempting to repair harm to the relationship. Conversely, those with development convictions are more open to talking about issues, and react emphatically to challenges in the relationship by attempting to determine them.

So on an early date, get some information about their state of mind toward connections – If they have a fatalistic mentality, that could be a terrible sign.

These are only a couple of characteristics that you can pay special mind to right on time in a relationship. Obviously this is not a thorough rundown, as there are different qualities likewise connected with relationship achievement. What's more, numerous vital components won't appear until some other time in your relationship (e.g., the way they manage clashes, how they coexist with your family). Is your relationship destined if your accomplice doesn't have these qualities? Positively not (that kind of intuition is a fate conviction!). Yet, these elements have been appeared to be related with having more joyful connections. What's more, they are things that you can make sense of before long as you become acquainted with another accomplice. So remember these 5 qualities whenever you're beginning another relationship.

Read More

10 Ways to Make Your Relationship Magically Romantic Creating magical moments in your relationship is easy and fun.

Making supernatural minutes in your relationship is something everybody ponders, except few individuals do. Maybe this is on the grounds that they really can't consider precisely what to do. Here are ten "demonstrations of adoration" that you can do with and for your accomplice to bring somewhat more sentiment into your relationship.

1. Make your morning time exceptional by bringing your accomplice some espresso while he or she is still in bed. In case you're ready and capable you can likewise serve them breakfast in bed. It will make your accomplice feel appreciated and the graciousness will be returned.

2. Make the time toward the finish of the work-day when you first observe each other additional exceptional by giving each other a 10 second embrace and kiss. You will both feel all the more profoundly associated all through the night. Likewise recall to touch your accomplice warmly for the duration of the day, not exactly when you need to be sentimental.

3. Set aside a few minutes to set aside a few minutes. Arrange a sentimental meet amid the week. You can get a room at a neighborhood lodging or plan to have the house all to yourselves. Simply the reckoning of being as one along these lines will add start to your sentimental life.

4. At whatever point you can, set aside the opportunity to give your accomplice 100% of your consideration when they need to converse with you. Put down the remote control or whatever you're perusing, confront your accomplice and say "What might you want to discuss?" It will make your accomplice feel cherished and essential to you.

5. Set aside the opportunity to tell your accomplice that they look brilliant, wonderful, provocative or awesome. We as a whole have questions about our looks and hearing that we are appealing to our accomplices is a critical piece of making a sentimental relationship.

6. Before you leave in the morning tell your accomplice that you are anticipating seeing them when you return. Never go out without recognizing your accomplice or saying, "I adore you."

7. Next time you are shopping alone, get a few little "shock blessings" for your accomplice. Whenever he or she is feeling down, give them one of the blessings. This is a superb and inspiring demonstration of affection and it will be associated with quite a while.

8. On the off chance that your accomplice is having an unpleasant day offer to take them out or make supper for them. In the event that they are the one as a rule doing the cooking this will be a much needed development and an indication of your appreciation. On the off chance that they are encountering worry at work, it will be an awesome path for them to loosen up from an extreme day.

9. Be unconstrained and lease a convertible and abduct your accomplice for a drive up the drift for lunch or supper. This is a magnificently sentimental and exceptionally basic thing to do. In the event that you need to be somewhat more luxurious, you can spend the night at a Bed and Breakfast and commute home the following day.

10. This one is frightfully sentimental, so don't attempt it unless you're prepared for an enthusiastic night. Get your accomplice at least two roses. Take one of them and draw off the petals. Drop the petals on the floor prompting to the room and place a few petals on the bed. Put alternate roses in a vase on the end table. Your accomplice will always remember your astuteness.

Try not to attempt to do everything on this rundown around the same time, one a month is bounty. These thoughts are only a little help to kick you off. When you go ahead, more thoughts will come to you all alone.

Setting aside the opportunity to make sentiment in your relationship is fundamental to making a satisfying affection life. Regardless of the possibility that you think your thoughts are senseless, your accomplice will be excited that you set aside the opportunity to accomplish something adoring for them. Keep in mind, the idea checks.

Read More

Has Cheryl already had the baby? Liam Payne is tip-toeing around the house as he tries to keep the noise down

It's believed that the singer was due to give birth very soon - but maybe she has already

 

 Is baby Chiam here?

Why is Liam Payne tip-toeing around his house?
The One Direction star may have just revealed that his girlfriend Cheryl has already given birth to their first child.
Liam, 23, revealed that he's trying his best to stay quiet when getting up early in the morning.
Is he trying not to wake Cheryl and the little one from their much-needed slumber?
He posted on Twitter: "Why do I always do the strangest walk when I'm trying to be quiet in a morning".

Cheryl recently made it very clear she was expecting a child as she cradled her bump in a photo campaign for The Prince's Trust and L'Oréal Paris, but until then she'd remained tight-lipped.
But it would seem that Cheryl had her reasons for keeping her pregnancy shrouded in mystery, as she didn't want to "jinx it".
The singer, 33, was "nervous" about being struck by bad luck after having two marriages collapse one after the other, according to Closer magazine.
The Fight For This Love singer is said to have been keen to keep her baby joy under wraps for fear of tempting fate - despite being over the moon.


.

Read More

How to See What Web Sites Your Computer is Secretly Connecting To

Has your Internet connection become slower than it should be? There may be a chance that you have some malware, spyware, or adware that is using your Internet connection in the background without your knowledge. Here’s how to see what’s going on under the hood.
It’s worth noting that most third-party firewalls will probably give you this same type of information as well as block things that are trying to connect… unless the applications managed to add an exclusion already. Better check anyway

How to Check What Your Computer is Connecting To

So, how do you find out what the problem is? There is an easy method using the netstat command from a command prompt window. This works with Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP. If you’re still using XP, make sure you are running at least Service Pack 2, and just assume that somebody already hacked your computer because your operating system is now a teenager.
We will use the netstat command to generate a list of everything that has made an Internet connection in a specified amount of time. To use the netstat command, you must run the command prompt window as administrator.
If you are using Windows 8.x you can right-click on the Start Button and choose the Command Prompt (Admin) option

If you are on Windows 7 or Vista, open the Start menu and enter “cmd.exe” in the Search box. When the results display, right-click on cmd.exe and select Run as administrator from the popup menu

If the User Account Control dialog box displays, click Yes to continue. Note: You may not see this dialog box, depending on your User Account Control settings.

The –a option shows all connections and listening ports, the –b option shows you what application is making the connection, and the –f option displays the full DNS name for each connection option for easier understanding of where the connections are being made to. You can also use the –n option if you wish to only display the IP address. The 5 option will poll every 5 seconds for connections to make it more easy to track what is going on, and the results are then piped into the activity.txt file.
Wait about two minutes and then press Ctrl + C to stop the recording of data.

 

Once you’ve finished recording data, you can simply open the activity.txt file in your favorite editor to see the results, or you can type activity.txt at the command line to open it in Notepad.
The resulting file will list all processes on your computer (browsers, IM clients, email programs, etc.) that have made an internet connection in the last two minutes, or however long you waited before pressing Ctrl + C. It also lists which processes connected to which websites.
If you see process names or website addresses with which you are not familiar, you can search for “what is (name of unknown process)” in Google and see what it is. It may be a system function you don’t know about or a function of one of your running programs. However, if it seems like a bad site, you can use Google again to find out how to get rid of it.

Using TCPView to Check What Your PC is Connecting To

The excellent TCPView utility that comes in the SysInternals toolkit will let you quickly see exactly what processes are connecting to what resources on the Internet, and even let you end the process, close the connection, or do a quick Whois lookup to give you more information. It’s definitely our first choice when it comes to diagnosing problems or just trying to get more information about your computer.

Note: When you first load TCPView, you might see a ton of connections from [System Process] to all sorts of Internet addresses, but this usually isn’t a problem. If all of the connections are in the TIME_WAIT state, that means that the connection is being closed, and there isn’t a process to assign the connection to, so they should up as assigned to PID 0 since there’s no PID to assign it to.
This usually happens when you load up TCPView after having connected to a bunch of things, but it should go away after all the connections close and you keep TCPView open.

Using CurrPorts to Check What Your PC is Connecting To

You can also use a free tool, called CurrPorts, to display a list of all currently opened TCP/IP and UDP ports on your local computer. It is a portable program and doesn’t need to be installed. To use it, extract the .zip file you downloaded and run cports.exe.
For each port that CurrPorts lists, information about the process that opened the port is displayed. You can select connections and close them, copy a port’s information to the clipboard or save it to an HTML file, an XML file, or a tab-delimited text file. You can reorder the columns displayed on the CurrPorts main window and in the files you save. To sort the list by a specific column, simply click on the header of that column.

 CurrPorts runs under Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and 8, and probably 10. There is a separate download of CurrPorts for 64-bit versions of Windows. You can find more information about CurrPorts and how to use it on the website.

Read More