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Why You Want To Work In 20-Minute Spurts

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Everything in your daily life—be it a physical or mental activity—can be vastly improved by working in 20-minute spurts.

Sensiclock

 

WORK SMARTER  | While there is proven science behind the idea that just 20 minutes of the right kind of daily physical activity leads to a longer, healthier life (read Gretchen Reynolds’s The First 20 Minutes, or an article on the book in the NYT), there’s no specific science I know of linking 20-minute chunks of mental focus to greater effectiveness at work. And yet I’m living proof that this is the case. Read more

CLUB cabin-low

CLUG: An Easy, Elegant Way To Store Bikes

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Designed in Vancouver, the CLUG is an easy and elegant way to store bikes.

CLUB cabin-low INEXPENSIVE & AWESOME | If this isn’t a fabulous idea, I don’t know what is: a practically invisible clip that you can attach to almost any surface to store your bike in a space-saving position. Use the stylish CLUG—it’s a blend of the words clip and hug—“to keep your place tidy and display your ride without damaging it or your walls,” say the trio of industrial designers (with a Fuseproject connection) at Vancouver-based Hurdler Studios. They are currently crowd-funding on Kickstarter in an effort to speed their clever product to market.   Read more

asleep-at-the-wheel

A Novel Way To Stay Awake While Driving

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There are plenty of strategies to help you stay awake while driving. Here’s a highly effective one you may not have thought about.

asleep-at-the-wheel

 

TRAVEL ADVISORY | Recently a number of Canadian newspapers reported the results of a new online survey from a national insurance company confirming that an “alarming number” of people (30 percent of male respondents and 14 percent of female ones) admitted to nodding off while driving (CLICK HERE for the story).

Yikes! With road trip season in full swing, vacationers are going to need to reach deep into their bag of tricks to make sure they stay awake when driving long distances. To the roster of obvious ways to maintain alertness—starting out rested; ingesting caffeine (coffee, Red Bull, No-Doz); blasting yourself with cold air, intense conversation or loud music—we would like to offer a not so obvious solution, an inexpensive food item that has worked shockingly well to revive every driver we know who has tried it. Read more

Woman Jumping Rope

Just Jump—You Won’t Be Sorry

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How to improve your mood, energy level, agility, cardiovascular system and bone density by doing this one simple thing.


Woman Jumping Rope

 

FIT IN A MINUTE | Gretchen Rubin, author of The New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project, wrote a blog post last December on the joy of jumping up and down. Gretchen claims that the simple act of jumping up and down—in street wear, no special equipment or gym strip required—relaxes and/or invigorates her, depending on the situation. Oh yes, and it makes her kids laugh too, something that contributes to a more lighthearted mood at home. Read more

Walk Therapy: How To Log Maximum Miles Every Month

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There’s no question that walking is good for you. Here’s a trick to make sure you keep moving.

Walking exercise

 

FIT FOR FREE |  Last month, I walked from Vancouver in Canada to Bellingham in Washington and then back to Vancouver again. After that I walked from Vancouver to Hope. I didn’t actually visit either of these lovely towns—I walked the equivalent distance, 316 kilometres (196 miles), in and around my own neck of the woods. Read more

A Bushel Of Apples - iStock

When To Go Organic & When Not To Bother

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 The experts at Licious Living share their list of the “cleanest” and “dirtiest” fruits and veggies in your supermarket.

A Bushel Of Apples - iStock

 

GOOD TO KNOW | “Should I buy organic or is it just a waste of my money? I get this question a lot,” says Deanna Embury, who, with co-founder Katie Rodgers, operates Licious Living, a healthy eating company that supplies Vancouverites and Torontonians with super-tasty home-delivered meals plus operates wallet-friendly cafés in British Columbia and Alberta. Read more

The Stick On A Calf

The Stick Can Ease Muscle Aches & Pains

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This little piece of equipment may not eliminate the need for professional massage, but it can help manage muscle pain.

the-stick

 

MONEY WELL SPENT | If you workout routinely and experience soft tissue aches or muscle knots as a result, The Stick, a self-massaging tool used by gym rats and sports physios alike, could be your ticket to relief. Read more

looplacinglock- Katie Runs This

The Best Way To Lace Your Workout Shoes

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Who knew there were so many corrective ways to lace up your workout shoes?

looplacinglock- Katie Runs This

 

GOOD TO KNOW | I have a very narrow foot with a very high instep, which is no biggie for me except when it comes to buying workout shoes. Very few athletic shoe brands fit my feet straight out of the box; usually, I need to add orthotics. Recently, though, I’ve been able to eliminate this extra purchase by lacing my sneakers using a method that actually improves the way my workout shoes fit my feet. Read more

female-sprinter

Lean In: How To Walk To Build A Better Butt

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How sprinter’s mechanics and plain old walking on a treadmill can help you develop the derriere of your dreams.

 

female-sprinter

 

FIT FOR FREE | Elite athletes know which sport produces the best butt in their biz: it’s sprinting by a mile. A sprinter’s buttocks sits high, round and proud, a position that comes from maximum gluteus development through explosive running done in short bursts of time. Correct sprinting technique results in a long, lean lower body with both thighs and butt in proper proportion. Read more

Generic Drugs - iStock

Generic Over-The-Counter Drugs Are The Better Buy

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If you’re buying brand name over-the-counter meds instead of generic ones, nine times out of 10 you’re wasting money.

 

BEST BUY | When it comes to fashion and décor, I can be as big a brand snob as anyone, but it makes absolutely no sense to be a label slave where over-the-counter medications are concerned. Why chain yourself to a brand name “OTC” med when the no name equivalent is available at a seriously lower price? Read more