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SET BOUNDARIES
and anything taking up space. In his article, “Tips to Declutter Your Phone,” Ryan Reed includes the automation app he swears by, If This Then That. It can link all your apps and services to streamline your life.
One way to set an example is to limit screen time. This could take the form of an after- school “technology free” hour. It’s time that your family spends together without phones, only interacting with each other. Sound hard? Set the timer. Ask your kids how their days were. Try cooking together. If you feel that you really are addicted and can’t quit your device on your own, set up firewalls for yourself. Turn on your “do not disturb” signal during the nights and mornings. If you really want to take a break from your device, take a full day away from it, then reflect on how you felt afterward. When you open up your phone, does your busy screen overwhelm you? Do you really need that MLB app that you last used two years ago? Start by deleting apps that you no longer use. Then organize your remaining apps into folders. You might also try the same process with contacts, music, photos, TRIM YOUR APPS
WHEN IS THE RIGHT AGE?
This is a question that’s kept many parents awake at night. When is the right age for an adolescent to have their own mobile device? There’s a lot to take in. Yes, it can offer some security; you’ll (theoretically) be able to reach your teen at any time, and they can reach out if they are in danger. But there are drawbacks. Phones cause distraction, which doesn’t pan out well for driving or sleep, not to mention homework. Talk with your teen to find out what’s right for them and your family — and not just via text. Keep the conversation going, and you’ll build a stronger relationship, whether you choose to give them a digital device or not.
3 Benefits of Intermittent Fasting Why Celebs and CEOs Swear by It
MENTAL ACUITY
Tom Hardy, Christian Bale, Chris Hemsworth, Liv Tyler, and Beyonce — all of these celebrities have used intermittent fasting (IF) to meet their fitness goals. Fasting dates back thousands of years — in fact, one of the most popular fasts is called the “Daniel Fast” because it mirrors Daniel’s abstinence from food as portrayed in the Old Testament. This ancient trend is gaining popularity in the nutrition community. Here are three ways IF might benefit you. One of the most common misconceptions about fasting is that you can’t eat any food. The truth is that we all fast for a period of time each day while we’re asleep; intermittent fasting simply extends that fasting period. After eating, your body transitions to a fed state where your food is used for fuel. However, after 8–10 hours without food, your body enters a fasted state in which your body burns stored fat for energy, which leads to weight loss and more muscle definition. With intermittent fasting, you fast for a specified period — typically 16 hours — and eat all of your meals within an 8-hour period. WEIGHT LOSS
Fasting has become popular among the Silicon Valley crowd in recent years due to the endorphin rush and mental acuity associated with IF. When food is scarce and you haven’t eaten, your brain sends endorphins into your bloodstream to make you more alert. Your brain then digests information more efficiently. This is thought to be a holdover from our hunter-gatherer days, when we had to be alert enough to find food or we’d starve to death. CEOs in the nation’s tech capital have begun using this strategy in recent years to increase their productivity.
BOOSTED IMMUNE SYSTEM
According to researchers at the University of Southern California, fasting essentially flips a regenerative switch in the body. “It gives the ‘okay’ for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system,” says Valter Longo, Ph.D., director of the USC Longevity Institute. “Fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.”
2 • www.ThomasPhysicalTherapy.com
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