How to Boost Your Mood in 2 Minutes Flat
Did you know that a simple shift in your posture will lower stress and boost your confidence? It’s been scientifically proven. Try the “power poses” shared in MONEY Master the Game to immediately change how you feel for the better.
You can change the way you think by changing the way you move and breathe. Emotion is created by motion. Massive action is the cure to all fear. Think about it, fear is physical. You feel it in your mouth, in your body, in your stomach. So is courage, and you can move from one to another in a matter of milliseconds if you learn to make radical shifts in the way you move, breathe, speak, and use your physical body. I’ve used these insights for almost four decades to turn around some of the world’s greatest peak-performance athletes, financial traders, and business and political leaders. Last year, Harvard University did a scientific study that proved the validity of this approach.
Social psychologist and Harvard professor Amy Cuddy offered a “notech life hack” in her famous 2012 TED Talk when she asked the audience to change their posture for two minutes. Cuddy’s research showed that just assuming “power poses” or postures of high power (think Wonder Woman with her hands on her hips and legs firmly planted on the ground; or the guy in your office leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, elbows out wide—you know the one) increased testosterone (the dominance hormone) by 20%, while simultaneously reducing cortisol (the major stress hormone) by 25%. The impact of this biochemical change immediately transforms your willingness to face fears and take risks. All within just two minutes of changing your body. In Cuddy’s study, 86 percent of the power posers reported feeling more likely to take chances. But when the second set of volunteers were asked to stand or sit for two minutes in more passive poses, with their legs and arms crossed tightly, their testosterone levels dropped by 10 percent, and the stress hormone rose by 15 percent. Far fewer of these men and women, only 60 percent, behaved assertively. Remember, these weren’t just psychological changes but actual biochemical changes, hormonal changes. What I have taught for 38 years and what all of my students knew was true through experience was now validated by science. What does this mean? It means, basically, you rock. You’ve got some swagger in your step, you’re ready to put yourself on the line, to take the necessary risks and shape your world. Two minutes of posing can lead to the changes that either configure your brain to be assertive, confident, and comfortable, or really stress reactive. Our bodies are able to change our minds!
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Should You Switch From Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA?
If you have your retirement savings in a traditional IRA, you may have considered rolling over that money into a tax-free Roth IRA. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of making that move? Find out more in How to Make Your Money Last.
You can roll any amount of money from a traditional IRA, 401(k), or similar plan into a tax-free Roth IRA regardless of how much income you earn. There’s a cost to this transfer, however—perhaps a big one. You pay current income taxes on the money you move even though you don’t withdraw any of the cash. Sometimes the tax is worth paying, sometimes not.
You might want to switch to the Roth if: (1) You don’t expect to need the money until your later age, if ever. (2) You plan to leave most or all of the Roth to your heirs and want them to receive it tax free. (3) You expect to be in the same (or a higher) tax bracket when you retire, although you can’t know for sure. (4) You’re young enough so that the future growth in your investments could more than offset the cost of paying the current tax. (5) You can pay the taxes due from outside funds without having to take money out of your tax-sheltered retirement account.
You might not want to switch to the Roth if: (1) You’ll have to use funds from the IRA to pay the tax. That greatly reduces the amount of money left to grow tax deferred. (2) You expect to drop to a lower tax bracket when you retire. (3) The Medicare tax on the transfer would bump you into a higher bracket. (4) You’re 65-plus and expect to withdraw a substantial amount of your IRA during your retirement.
In short, Roth conversions are great for people who don’t need the money and want to pass most of it to heirs tax free. For the average person, however, the size of the current tax might overwhelm any likely benefit from future tax-free growth.
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What Exactly is Clean Eating?
The term ‘clean eating’ has grown in popularity in the weight loss world as people are beginning to take more of an active interest in the quality of food they are eating instead of just the quantity, and how where their food comes from can effect not only their waistlines, but more importantly, their health. […]
The Cookies and Cups Cookbook Recipe: My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
I feel like these cookies don’t need any introduction. This recipe is the one that I have been making in my kitchen for years. It took a little bit of trial and error to develop, but once I got it I knew the search was over. These are big, buttery, and loaded with brown sugar and vanilla. From The Cookies and Cups Cookbook.
I love to use mini chips in my cookies because I feel like you get more chocolate for every bite. You can easily use regular chips or even chunks if that’s your thing, though. But, the little detail in these cookies that sets them apart is the addition of coarse sea salt. It was an error my mom made in her chocolate chip cookies once, about 12 years ago. She meant to add regular salt and grabbed the coarse sea salt instead. Well it was a revelation! The salty nuggets sprinkled throughout the cookie really make it special.
*Makes 24 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) bag mini chocolate chips
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and all the sugars together on medium speed for 2 minutes until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the baking soda, baking powder, and coarse sea salt. Mix until combined.
Turn the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing until incorporated.
Stir in the mini chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight or up to 48 hours.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a large (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are almost set. Underbaking the centers of the cookie slightly will help the cookie stay soft.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Melba’s American Comfort Recipe: Sweet Potato Waffles
When I think of sweet potatoes, so many sweet, wonderful memories come to mind. Sweet potatoes are very comforting. Whether they’re baked, candied, in the sweet potato pancakes, or in these waffles, they always remind me of my grandmother’s hugs. I guess that’s why I just love sweet potatoes.From Melba’s American Comfort.
Makes 3 to 4 Waffles
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup half-and-half*
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil or butter, for the waffle iron
*My son likes his sweet potato waffles made with vanilla coconut milk. Try it and see if you like it.
Drop the sweet potatoes, in their skins, into a pot of boiling water and cook until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin (it will come off easily) and mash the potatoes. Measure and set aside ½ cup. (If there’s any left over, enjoy it while you finish cooking.)
Preheat the waffle iron.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, mashed potatoes, melted butter, and the egg yolks.
In a small bowl, with an electric hand mixer, whisk the egg whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk together, starting slowly, until well combined but not overmixed.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites, making sure not to deflate them.
Spray the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with a bit of vegetable oil or butter and pour in enough of the batter to fill it halfway. The waffles will rise as they cook, and the amount of batter will vary from one waffle iron to another. Close the lid and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter, respraying the waffle iron before each addition.
Serve with butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, fresh fruit, ice cream, or with chicken instead of the Eggnog Waffles. Any way you eat them, they’re sweet potato good!
Cleaning Your Waffle Iron
There are many different kinds of waffle irons and many different suggestions for how to clean them. Some say to never touch it until it’s completely cooled, but one of my favorite suggestions (because it seems the easiest) is to UNPLUG IT (very important) and, while it’s still hot, place a wet (but not dripping) paper towel on the surface, close the lid, and let it steam itself clean for a few minutes. Then, while it’s still warm, wipe away any lingering crumbs. If you still have the manufacturer’s instruction booklet that came with the iron, I’d recommend that you follow the directions in that!
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The Show-Down of the Sugars: Added vs. Natural
For something so sweet, sugar really can be quite awful. That’s because if you’re consuming more than 21 percent of your daily calories from added sugars, you double your risk of death from heart disease compared to people who consume just 10 percent of their calories from added sugars. That’s according to a 2014 study […]
The Rising Obesity Epidemic in Senior Populations
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
According to a recent study, the percentage of elderly people in American nursing homes who are moderately to severely overweight has climbed to 25%, a dramatic increase from 14% back in 2000. How does this alarming trend affect both health outcomes and care delivery in caregiving settings? Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss this underrecognized issue of obesity in senior populations is Dr. Caroline Cederquist, bariatrics expert and founder of Cederquist Medical Wellness Center in Naples FL. Dr. Cederquist is also co-founder of bistroMD, a company premised on delivering physician-designed gourmet meals to patients for purposes of weight loss and health maintenance.
How To Keep Stress at Bay, No Matter How Crazy Life Gets
Our modern work life is stressful, and to make things worse, we tend to prioritize our jobs over self-care. But my career was so intense that I gained a serious amount of weight and endured health problems. Here’s how I put down the cupcakes and laced up my hiking boots in The Episodic Career.
I gained forty pounds in the four years I worked at NPR, which I am still working off. That certainly wasn’t the company’s fault. I haven’t heard of a job yet that doesn’t have potential for stress. In my case, I had to help lead coworkers through editorial and emotional changes, as we lost staff positions and worked for more than a year under rumors that the show might be canceled. In 2009 it ultimately became part of a Great Recession wave of cancellations that took out three NPR shows and dozens of staffers. After the cancellation, I knew I needed to spend some time getting healthier. Yet I didn’t understand until I began researching this book how harmful on-the-job stress is to your physical and mental health. Stress even explained the biological basis of my food cravings.
Once I moved back to New York in 2009, I found a new physician, Dr. Roberta Lee, who’d authored The SuperStress Solution. In it, she wrote of the recent emergence in many developing countries of the same stress- and diet-related illnesses that Westerners have long experienced, such as obesity, diabetes, insomnia, and heart disease.
“Chronic job stress is as bad for you as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day,” Dr. Lee told me. “Your cortisol level rises, and your body goes into fight-or-flight mode.” Cortisol is a steroid hormone that our bodies produce in reaction to stress. It’s a normal part of our physiology, and when we need it as a “spot treatment,” it can be beneficial, giving us energy. But prolonged stress and cortisol production can weaken our immune system, making it harder to recover from illness and injury. Excess, prolonged cortisol also increases our chances of developing osteoporosis, or bone loss, and it can even impair memory.
Sometimes job stress is inevitable, but we can always change how we deal with it. According to Dr. Lee, just taking a five-minute break in the middle of your day—“a walk, or quiet time with no devices” (no smartphone, television, or computer)—can reset your entire system and allow you to be more productive. Stress can cause the body to crave sugars, which exacerbates inflammation and generates layers of belly fat. That’s exactly what happened to me, and because both my mother and grandmother had double knee replacements due to hereditary arthritis (not from their weight), I knew I was headed for joint complications that could greatly diminish my quality of life. This alarming realization pushed me to lose weight and follow Dr. Lee’s advice. I’m certainly no triathlete, but I use my bicycle now for both exercise and transportation, and take time to do high-intensity workouts with a local boot camp. At the height of my job stress, I could have used the calm that follows an intense workout, but I’d convinced myself, quite wrongly, that a cupcake was better for me than a hike. Exercise also produces endorphins, natural pain and stress relievers; and other research shows even a slow, meditative walk in nature without high calorie-burning value is good for our mental health and mood.
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