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Rage Against The Machine

December 27th, 2015

There’s a line in Adam McKay’s new film, The Big Short, that perfectly encapsulates what the film means and how its characters relate to it. “The truth is like poetry. And everyone f**king hates poetry.” When we’re children, we’re taught to share, to be nice, to behave in a fundamentally decent way. Theoretically, anyway. As we get older, and it’s different for everyone, things change. We’re told that success is measured monetarily, that our self-worth is directly proportional to our net worth. We display a lack of empathy that’s staggering,... Read More

Are You Imbalanced?

December 20th, 2015

We all have occasion to overuse certain muscles while others are underused. Muscles remember frequently used motor patterns and do them automatically. The overused muscles can become tight, inflamed and irritated, while underused muscles grow weak, which can lead to injury. You can reduce the amount of uneven stress being placed on your body by developing better movement patterns and identifying the circumstances under which you place undue stress on one side of the body. The American Council on Exercise has identified some common habits that may contribute to muscular imbalance. Avoid sleeping... Read More

Bringing Balance To The Force

December 20th, 2015

Back in the old days of 2009, you might remember that J.J. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise. Abrams took a series that had lain dormant and supercharged it. When we think of Star Trek, we think of sci-fi that’s a bit cerebral, that’s a little stately, and that’s focused more on exploration. “Screw that,” Abrams said. Instead, his Star Trek was filled with finely cast actors and rapid pacing (with some glaring plot holes). It had a breathless, gee-whiz sense of wonder. It didn’t want to screw around with long tracking shots of the starship Enterprise, it... Read More

‘Fit’ To Be President

December 16th, 2015

This week CNN reported the results of Donald Trump’s physical. It’s tradition for candidates, although not usually this early, to get a report on their health from a physician. It shows that the candidate is hale and hearty and ready for service.   Trump’s doctor declared him to be the healthiest candidate ever. I seriously doubt that is the case. For starters, Trump’s main form of exercise is golf.  Golf is a great pastime, a serious competitive occupation for some, and probably a lot of fun, but I wouldn’t call it an amazing fitness routine, unless you’re walking the course. ... Read More

Is It Wrong To Root For The Whale?

December 13th, 2015

Okay, folks, time for a thought experiment. Imagine you’re a whale, a sperm whale to be precise, living in the year 1820. While most of your kind measures 50 feet long, you’re a big sucker that’s around 85 feet long. You spend your days hanging out with your pod, hunting squid, enjoying the freedom of the open ocean. Life is good, right? Well, that’s where we get into a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that, as the largest toothed predator on the planet, you don’t often get hassled. The bad news is, inside of your head is a liquid wax called spermaceti.... Read More

Living Well During the Holidays

December 9th, 2015

During the holidays, advice about coping with the mountains of food available to us abounds. The most common advice about eating includes tips designed to help you eat less, but really just take away from the joy of the holiday season. So, I’m not going to tell you to have a snack before you go to a big party or to make your holiday dishes lighter and healthier.  The holidays should be merry and bright, so enjoy all that the holidays have to offer with these suggestions in mind. Eat whatever you want…in moderation. Pay attention to how you feel and stop eating once you are full.  Mindful... Read More

Welcome To The Bullet Ballet

December 6th, 2015

The last day of Tyshawn Lee’s life was November 2, a little over a month ago. His father was a gang member, and he was involved in a beef with a rival gang. It’s unclear to what extent Tyshawn understood this. Odds are, he just cared about the regular things kids care about, like basketball. He was 9 years old. On November 2 of this year, Tyshawn left the home of his grandmother, in broad daylight, and was on the way to a park down the street to shoot some hoops. He was lured into an alley by gang bangers and, in retaliation for a shooting by his father’s gang, he was murdered.... Read More

Well-being Delivered

December 2nd, 2015

This fall I started receiving a subscription to a meal kit service – a weekly delivery of the ingredients and recipes to prepare meals for the week.  My thought at the time is that I would enjoy having my meals planned for me, complete with ingredients, but still have the pleasure of cooking for myself.  I had no idea how much my well-being would improve as a result. Here’s how the service works.  Most companies offer meals for 2 or 4.  Typically, 3 meals are available each week, with the option to skip a week at any time.  The service I’m using allows me to choose from the following... Read More

The Sweet Science

November 29th, 2015

I believe in the concept of parallel universes, alternate dimensions that exist alongside our own. Within these universes, things are largely the same, with a few differences here and there. In one of these universes, a young actor named Sylvester Stallone made some slightly different decisions regarding his budding film career. As a result of his wise choices, he was lauded as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and not, say, as a wildly inconsistent performer content to coast on past victories. But we do not live in the best of all possible worlds, as our pal Candide would have us... Read More

At Night I Can’t Sleep, In the Morning I Can’t Wake Up

November 25th, 2015

Do you get enough sleep?  Most Americans don’t because we have trouble “turning off” our brains.  Sleep is critical for not only recharging your mental and physical batteries, but also healing and even controlling our appetites. How much sleep do adults need? The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for adults. Because each individual has different sleep needs, here is an easy way to determine yours. Note the time you go to bed on a night when you don’t need to set an alarm to wake up.  Ideally, you haven’t had a heavy meal or too much to drink, as that will influence your... Read More