Back to the Future and Forward to the Past

BY CHRIS EDWARDS

In his new book Time Travel: A History, James Gleick presents a valuable literary history of the idea of time travel while also highlighting the various paradoxes associated with the topic. Time travel too often can be considered an unserious aspect of physics and the subject only of speculative fiction. By writing this book, Gleick indicates that the paradoxes inherent in the concept should be taken seriously because solving those problems could lead to a more consistent scaffold of understanding for the role of time in theoretical physics. Gleick’s book creates an important history for the concept of time travel and makes the paradoxes clear. The author seems to have written the book in part to bring attention to the topic of time travel in the hopes that other thinkers will take the subject seriously and look for solutions to the paradoxes.

To begin, H.G. Wells still does not get enough credit for his genius. The man single-handedly invented the discipline of World History, pioneered the “invading aliens” genre, and can be fairly credited with introducing the concept of scientific time travel literature. Gleick indicates that the widespread use of trains made humans realize that their relationship to distance differed depending on speed—it was only a matter of thinking about time before someone realized that our relationship to time also differed depending on speed. Gleick writes that Wells did not bother himself much with the physics as “He was just trying to gin up a plausible-sounding plot device for a piece of fantastic storytelling” (p. 4). Yet it is possible to see how the creativity of both Wells and Einstein branched off from the same concepts.

A scientific concept of time travel originated with Wells, but philosophical and poetic musings about time and its effects preceded the great man. Gleick showcases an impressive collection of quotes about time from Tennyson, Poe, and Laplace. The second chapter then highlights “time travel” as a pop-culture phenomenon explored by Mr. Peabody, Mark Twain, and Woody Allen. The point of this discussion appears to be to point out that The Time Machine by H.G. Wells turned time travel into a mechanistic possibility when he moved beyond a concept from his earliest work titled The Sleeper Awakes that featured a man simply sleeping for a long time in a comfortable chair. “Machines improved upon magic armchairs” writes Gleick and “By the last years of the nineteenth century, novel technology was impressing itself upon the culture” (p. 31). 

The most interesting section of the book comes when Gleick tries to frame the idea of time and the future itself in the context of the Age of Exploration: 

No one bothered with the future in 1516. It was indistinguishable from the present. However, sailors were discovering remote places and strange peoples, so remote places served well for speculating authors spinning fantasies… William Shakespeare, whose imagination seemed limitless, who traveled freely to magical isles and enchanted forests, did not—could not—imagine different times. The past and present are all the same to Shakespeare: mechanical clocks strike the hour in Caesar’s Rome, and Cleopatra plays billiards (p. 35).

Read the full article 

Why I Will Never, Ever, EVER Get a Tattoo

I found this article and it mirrors my feeling on the subject pretty well. I had an occasion where I thought about getting a tattoo, but I never did. These days it is the farthest thing from my mine, although I have friends who have gone to great lengths to adorn their body with very creative skin art. My opinions on the subject are my own, but how you look at the subject is a very personal viewpoint as well.

Why I Will Never, Ever, EVER Get a Tattoo

17 Ways To Make 2017 Your Fittest Year Yet

As the new year approaches, use these expert tips to avoid being one of those people who forgets the whole thing by February 1. You can do this!

Looking to make 2017 your fittest year yet? Before you dive in, be warned that what's ahead of you is as much about mindset as it is sets and reps.

Fortunately, the Cellucor crew of fitness champions is here to share their best tips for 2017. Harvest the wisdom of those who've been where you want to go, and make 2017 your best year yet!

1. Make A Fit Home

Trainer and fitness model Alex Silver-Fagan recommends making your home a space that supports your fitness goals. No, this doesn't mean you have to create an expensive home gym! It could just mean you have everything you need at home to recover from what you do at the gym.

"Create a mobility and recovery station in your living room with some foam rollersand lacrosse balls. Set up a yoga mat next to your bed for morning stretching or to help you wind down before bed. And keep enough healthy snacks on hand," she says.

2. Don't Just Start "Working Out"

So you want to start taking lifting seriously. Any old plan will do, right? Wrong!

Don't just jump onto the first plan you see. "The first part of reaching any goal is coming up with a plan that works for you," says fitness model Craig Capurso. "Spend time either researching existing plans or creating one of your own. Make sure it fits with your life, so that you can actually follow it for more than just a week or two."

3. Set Goals You Can Actually Achieve—And Then Achieve Them!

It's tempting to dream big: big-number weight loss, big lifts, or total life transformations. Celebrity trainer Ron "The Boss" Everline says those definitely aren't out of reach, but they'll only happen if you start with something attainable.

"Give yourself a chance to succeed," he says. "If you focus on a goal that's way out of reach for you, you'll just get frustrated."

You can always create a new, more difficult goal once you've reached your existing one. Build confidence first, then build results on top of it.

4. Get Tiers Of Goals On Paper

"I have new clients set goals for the next 30 days, three months, and six months," says personal trainer Jen Jewell. "Instead of creating one big goal, we create smaller monthly accomplishments that add up to big results."

Having this hard copy in your life can do more for you than you might imagine! It gives you something to aim for, and you can re-evaluate it as necessary.

5. Don't Get Stuck In The Appearance Trap

Having appearance-related goals is normal and human. Don't deny these goals if they're really what drives you! But don't let them totally define your training, because while losing 10 pounds, dropping a dress size, or gain an inch on your biceps is gratifying, it's not enough to motivate you to keep coming back for months or years on end.

"These kinds of goals can make you feel frustrated when you don't see changes from one workout to the next," says Jewell. "When I flipped my approach and decided to set performance-based goals, I could track my progress and know I was getting closer to my goals from week to week—even if I couldn't always see it."

6. Protect Your Workouts

In 2016, did you plan a lot of workouts, only to skip them when life got in the way? Don't let that happen to you in 2017.

"Treat your workouts and meal-prep time like business meetings," says Silver-Fagan. "Put them on your calendar so you're less likely to cancel. If you don't protect these times, no one will. You need to look out for yourself here."

7. Recruit An Ally

Fitness can seem like a solitary pursuit, but it doesn't have to be. If you're excited about your goals, having someone to share that excitement—and that process—with is going to make everything work better.

"Find a fitness friend who has the same goals as you," says CrossFit athlete Eric Botsford. "Your goals don't necessarily have to be exactly the same, but you want to find someone who can—and will—push you and keep you accountable."

And don't forget that this is a two-way street. You'll be helping that person reach their goals, too.

8. Try A Group Fitness Class

If you're having trouble sticking with a program that's just you versus the iron or the clock, maybe the problem is your program, not you. A more social fitness experience might be just the thing.

The answer: Try out a new fitness class! It can be a great change of pace and keep you more invested in living the fitness lifestyle. It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing pursuit, either. You can do Zumba one day, squats and deads the next, then yoga, then hit your upper body. Mix and match to feed your body and your soul!

9. Get Critical About Nutrition

So many people focus on the exercise end of fitness, but diet plays a critical role too. "When fat loss is the goal, more protein and less carbs are the answer for most people," says fitness model Jordan Edwards. "But the balance is going to be different for everyone. You just need to take the time to find yours."

10. Make Each Choice A Victory

It can be easy to take too big a picture of training. If you don't work out nearly every day, you might feel tempted to beat yourself up. But that's the wrong approach, according to Botsford.

"Search for the positive in everything you do," he says. "Count each training session as a victory and each healthy meal as a positive health choice."

11. Try A New Level Of Intensity

If you haven't tried high-intensity interval training (HIIT) yet, now's the time to start. "Add a HIIT session to your workout routine every other day, or even just twice a week," suggests Edwards. "These high-intensity sessions will kick-start your ability to shed the extra fat you've been hanging on to for months or even years."

Not only will you burn calories during your workout, you'll also ramp up your metabolic rate. This means you'll keep burning fat and calories at an accelerated rate for hours after the session.

12. Add Some Fun Into Your Workout Routine

It's great to get down to business when you step into the gym. But don't forget to build some fun into your fitness, too. Sometimes that means looking outside the gym.

"Look for fun movements and activities to do, so you don't get bored," Everline advises. Every once in a while, do an exercise that you really enjoy doing, even if it doesn't lead to the most powerful results. It can be riding a bike, going for a meandering hike, or even flying a kite.

Do those sound like the kinds of activities you liked when you were a young kid? It's no coincidence. Being fit is like giving yourself a whole new childhood, if you're up for it. And if your fitness is fun, it'll have far more of a chance to last.

13. Invest In Your New Passion

No, fitness doesn't have to be expensive. But a little fresh equipment can make you feel more comfortable and confident during your workouts—and maybe even help prevent injuries.

Building a bigger bench or military press? Investing in a good pair of wrist wraps can give you the support you'll need. Squatting more? Definitely consider some dedicated raised-heel squat shoes. If you're training for a running event, nothing gets you going like a new pair of running shoes to cushion your joints and prevent pain.

14. Make Small But Incremental Lifestyle Changes

When you make the decision to change your life, it can be tempting to look at what you're doing now—and what everyone around you is doing—with disdain. All of a sudden, everything you or your friend eats seems disastrous or downright evil. Resist this urge to judge, and try not to turn the life you know on its head right away.

"Don't make big sweeping changes to your diet or life," says Botsford. "Make big changes by taking small steps over time. People fail to make change when they go at it full speed but then can't keep up the pace." Slow and steady will win this race.

15. Post Your Goals Everywhere

"Write your goals down, and put them everywhere: on the bathroom mirror, on the fridge, on your phone," suggests Everline. "The more often you see your goals every day, the more you'll remember why you're working so hard."

16. Be Consistent But Forgiving

Yes, change would happen quickly if you followed a very restrictive diet, worked out seven days a week, and stopped hanging out with friends and family to lift at the gym.

"It's great to be incredibly motivated," Edwards says, "But what happens when you just run out of energy, or you can't face having to go to the gym after a few glasses of wine the night before? Say you miss a Friday gym session, and that turns into a weekend off. What then?"

Falling off a harsh plan, even for a day, can make many of us people feel like we've failed completely. "In the long run, it's much better to maintain a balanced, realistic approach," she says. "Remind yourself that 'all or nothing' isn't going to work in the long term."

Being consistent is what will yield the best results, not being perfect.

17. Be Fearless In The Face Of Change

Yes, building a fitter life will feel like a huge battle at times. No, you will not always progress in a straight line. Yes, you will be tired, hungry, and discouraged sometimes. No, it will not always make sense to those around you, or maybe even to you yourself.

But keep going.

It's not about becoming someone new. It's about becoming the ultimate version of yourself. Just keep pressing forward, and one day, you'll look back and be amazed at how far you've climbed.

How To Keep Chin-Ups From Jacking You Up

Love the muscle-building effects of chins but hate the tweaks they can cause? You might just need a more balanced approach. Here's your year-long plan for pain-free pulls!

For years, we've been told to avoid behind-the-neck pull-downs and pull-ups. The reasons are pretty well-known by now. They place a tremendous amount of stress on the shoulders when lifting a heavy load, with the humerus abducted and in a position of maximum external rotation. Anatomically, it's a problem waiting to happen. Furthermore, it's not a "natural movement."

"Natural"—that's one you'll hear a lot. It implies that we're not really meant to pull things behind our head in that manner, nor do we ever have to in our lives. Even in the animal world, you don't see monkeys pull themselves up like that. They know it's not natural!

I'm being dramatic, but there is solid logic to this line of thinking. Now, consider the chin-up, and specifically the version that is performed with a supinated (palms facing you) grip, not a neutral or mixed grip. Does that movement pass the sniff test? Is it a "natural" movement?

I argue that it's not—but that's no reason to kick it to the curb. It's just a reason to be more strategic in the way you perform this movement.

Give Your Pulls The Press Test

Got a sec? Raise your arms up over your head. Notice how your palms are either facing forward or each other. I guarantee they're not facing back! In fact, it's probably pretty uncomfortable to even try.

Now think of that movement in an exercise setting. How often do you press a barbell overhead with a supinated grip? You may do an overhead dumbbell press, where you start with a supinated grip at the bottom, but end with a pronated grip at the top, often referred to as an Arnold press. Or you may do a reverse-grip bench press. Honestly, if I review your training logs for the past five years (and I know that every Bodybuilding.com reader is smart enough to have a training log), I'm sure I'll see a variety of overhead presses using various implements and grip widths, but the grip orientation will always be either pronated or neutral.

I say this to highlight the fact that there's no true antagonistic movement for the chin-up. A reverse-grip row can be coupled with a reverse-grip bench press, for example, and any supinated arm curl can be coupled with a reverse-grip press-down. But chin-ups are all alone. That alone should set off a red flag. A muscle imbalance is sure to occur if you do enough of them!

Now, don't get me wrong; I love chin-ups. I've done them all my life, and once upon a time, I could do reps with an additional 100 pounds around my waist with strict form. But I've also had problems with my elbow and shoulder joints. I've injured my biceps on both the proximal end (both sides) and the distal end (left side). Were the chin ups totally to blame? Perhaps not, but I'm pretty sure they didn't help.

So… Are Chin-Ups Out?

Is this classic movement worth it? I've been pondering that question over the past year, and guess what? I still do chin-ups. It's hard to give them up, because the positives at the moment still seem to outweigh the negatives.

The positive, of course, is that chin-ups are great at building muscle. They hit the biceps, posterior delts, and lats, not to mention the effect they have on the core. When getting the most bang for the buck is the goal, they're tough to beat.

So yes, I do them. However, I don't only do them.

Here's how I now structure my pull-up and chin-up training. If you're a chinning fan who is wondering why your joints are barking, I recommend you try it.

• Month 1: Pronated pull-ups
• Month 2: Neutral-grip pull-ups
• Month 3: Supinated chin-ups
• Month 4: Pronated pull-ups
• Month 5: Neutral-grip pull-ups
• Month 6: No pull-ups

How should you structure your training during these months? There are many ways, depending on your goals. For strength or to build up to weighted chins, it's tough to beat using relatively low reps—like 6, or even lower—and a high number of sets—like 5-6 or more. That's the approach I include in my Three-A-Day Plan to Force Results.

If your goal is hitting 20 clean, consecutive reps, then of course you'll need some higher-rep work in there as well.

After my month off, I'll repeat that cycle to finish out my year of training. So while I still perform supinated-grip chin-ups, I do it during only two months out of the year. The bulk of my pull-ups or chin-ups are performed with a pronated grip or neutral grip, respectively, which reflects my overhead-pressing patterns.

Pushing and pulling in this manner is a good way to maintain muscle balance around a joint, particularly as you age.

The Perfect Dose Of Pulling

Many of us, coaches included, are quick to modify presses or remove them altogether if they're giving us a problem. But rarely do pulling movements get the same level of scrutiny.

"If it hurts, don't do it," is, and will always be, great advice. But what doesn't hurt you now may hurt you in the future. Balance between pressing and pulling movements is important, but consider taking the same approach to your grip, and you'll be better set to progress without pain.

When Should You Increase the Amount of Weight You Lift?

To continue getting stronger & gaining muscle, should you lift heavier weight or perform more reps? We've got your answer!
Nothing beats attaining personal bests in your workouts. Whether it's the first time you benched a goal weight for a single rep or squatted it for 10, those big, round numbers matter. Each is a milestone you must conquer before reaching your next one.
Comfortably lifting a weight that was once out of reach shows you how your body can adapt to loads you place upon it. But reaching the next level of strength and size requires you to continue increasing the demands on your body, a concept known as progressive overload, which is a basic tenet of resistance training.

If your goal is to build muscle size, what is the most effective way to make additional gains? You have two principal approaches to choose from: more weight, or more reps. Adding more weight or doing additional reps can both increase the overload. Powerlifters commonly build their programs around sets of three and five reps, because using maximum loads for just one rep is a measure of strength, not the best way to build it. This is also why single reps aren't a part of traditional bodybuilding programming.

More commonly, people pursuing maximal increases in muscle size train in the 8 to 12 rep range.

Use the "2 for 2" rule when deciding if it's time to increase the amount of weight you're lifting: When you can do two more reps with a given weight than you started out, and with for two consecutive workouts, increase the weight.

Say, for example, you can do 80 pounds on the bench press for a clean, but effort-filled set of 8 reps. With time and the right approach to training, you'll ultimately be able to achieve 10 reps at that weight. When you do that for two chest workouts consecutively, that's your cue to increase the load.

But how much more weight should you put add? Here's a tried-and-true approach:
·         When doing upper-body exercises, increase the load by about 5 percent. So, instead of your working weight being 80 lbs. on the bench, it now becomes about 84-85 pounds. Of course, expect your rep # to drop, but that only means you start the process over again, training to increase your strength back up to 10 reps.

·         With lower-body exercises in which you're typically stronger, increase the load by about 10 percent. So, if you've been squatting 100 lbs. for 8 reps and can finally achieve 10 reps for two workouts in a row, your new top weight becomes around 110 lbs. That may seem like a big jump, but have a little faith, you can handle it.

Of course, this approach won't last indefinitely. You'll still encounter training plateaus along the way. When that happens, you’ll have to get more creative and use more advanced training principles. But for building your base, there's no substitute for having reasonable expectations, setting achievable goals, keep a mind for increasing your resistance, and getting in your reps.

7 bad science and health ideas that should die with 2016

Updated by Brian Resnick, Julia Belluz, and Brad Plumer


There’s no shortage of misinformation in the world — particularly around health and science topics.

Sometimes that’s just because the research can be a little contradictory (nutrition, for instance, is famously hard to study). Sometimes that’s because there are quacks or vested interests trying to spread lies and pseudoscience. And sometimes there are just weird myths that have randomly taken hold and refuse to go away (like the idea that you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day — you don’t).

Alas, it’s unlikely that the world’s ever going to be completely free of nonsense. But we can start small: Here are 7 myths in health and science that were decisively debunked this year. (Or, in some cases, extra-super-decisively debunked after years of previous debunkings... well, you get the point.)

1) “Exercise will help you lose weight”

We’ve been conditioned to think of exercise as a key ingredient — perhaps the most important ingredient — of any weight loss effort. You know the drill: Join the gym on January 1 if you want to reach your New Year’s weight loss goal.


But in truth, the evidence has been accumulating for years that exercise, while great for health, isn’t actually all that important for weight loss.

To learn more about why, I (Julia) read through more than 60 studies (including high-quality, systematic reviews of all the best-available research) on exercise and weight loss this year. I learned that the extra calories you burn only account for a small part of your total energy expenditure, and that cutting your food intake is a much more efficient way to lose weight. Obesity doctors have even been calling for a rebranding of how we think of exercise.

To be clear: Exercise has staggering benefits — it reduces the risk of chronic conditions like Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease, it strengthens your bones and muscles, it even helps with weight management — it just isn’t the most effective way to slim down. In 2017, we need to stop treating a lack of exercise and diet as equally responsible for the obesity problem in this country. Public-health obesity policies should prioritize fighting the over-consumption of low-quality food and improving the food environment.

2) “There’s been no global warming since 1998”

When you look at this chart of Earth’s average surface temperature over time, what do you see?

(NOAA)

Why, it looks like the Earth is getting steadily warmer, with average temperatures in 2015 roughly 0.89°C warmer than the 20th century average. This is global warming, and there’s overwhelming scientific evidence that it’s caused by human activity.

But notice that it isn’t a smooth increase — there are fluctuations over time. One reason for that: As we burn fossil fuels, we trap more heat on the Earth’s surface. But about 90 percent of that extra heat is absorbed by the oceans. So subtle interactions between the oceans and atmosphere can cause natural variation year to year. During years where there’s a strong El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean, more of that excess heat gets transferred to the surface. During La Niña years, more of that heat goes back into the ocean. Hence the bumpiness, even though the broader trend is clear.

For many years, climate deniers seized on that bumpiness to try to pretend that global warming doesn’t exist. One hugely popular denier line was to cherry-pick the graph above and say that there’s been no global warming since 1998 (which was, at the time, a record hot year thanks in part to an especially strong El Niño).

For awhile, they could sort of get away with this. Here’s the trend between 1998 and 2013:

(NOAA)

Unfortunately for those climate deniers, the effects of all that extra CO2 in the atmosphere is overwhelming that natural variability. 2014 was a record hot year even without an El Niño. And then when El Niño came back, 2015 set a new temperature record. And it’s looking like 2016 will shatter records once again.

So even though the “no global warming since 1998” line was always misleading, it’s now just flatly false, as this chart with the years 2014 and 2015 added in shows:

Anyone who wants to pretend global warming doesn’t exist is going to have to find some new chicanery. One possibility: With last year’s El Niño fading, it’s likely that 2017 will be slightly cooler than 2016 — though still very, very warm in the broad scheme of things. So some House Republicans are already switching to “there’s been no global warming since 2016.”

3) “Antibiotics cure colds”

For years, public health experts have been practically begging people to stop taking antibiotics for flu and the common cold.

For one, the drugs don't help: Antibiotics treat bacterial infections. Colds and flu are caused by viruses. So taking antibiotics for these illnesses is an entirely futile and wasteful exercise. But even more importantly, the more we take antibiotics — particularly when they're not necessary — the more we increase the chances of helping develop antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These "superbugs," as they're known, have become a huge public health threat around the world, killing thousands of people every year and, researchers expect, many millions more in the coming decades.

That's not to mention the damage antibiotics do to the gut microbiome, wiping out good bacteria in the body that keep us healthy.

Yet despite all the warnings, the message doesn't seem to be getting through. In a study published in JAMA this year, researchers estimated the extent of antibiotic overprescription in the US: They found 30 percent of antibiotics doled out in emergency rooms and doctors' offices are unnecessary. That amounts to 47 million prescriptions every year! The majority of unnecessary prescriptions were for respiratory illnesses caused by viruses —€” colds, sore throats, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections — which don't even respond to antibiotics.

For the love of God, people, stop taking antibiotics for flus and colds. It isn't helpful in any way. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not the viruses that cause these illnesses. And the abuse of these drugs contributes to a huge public health problem. So just stop.

4) “Willpower helps you accomplish goals”

Many of us assume that if we want to make big changes in our lives, we have to sweat for it. The plate in cookies in front of you ought to be resisted. You have to force yourself to save money. But psychologists are increasingly finding that willpower, alone, is an ineffective strategy. Several psychologists Vox talked to this year echoed the same thought: “We don’t seem to be all that good at [self-control],” as Brian Galla, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh, said.

It’s an acknowledgement that if you find yourself in front of a pile of cookies, the pile of cookies has already won.

Here’s the key finding in recent studies: “the people who are really good at self-control never have these battles in the first place,” Kentaro Fujita, a psychologist who studies self-control at the Ohio State University, says.

This idea was crystallized in the results of a 2011 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study tracked 205 people for one week in Germany. The study participants were given BlackBerrys that would go off at random, asking them questions about what desires, temptations, and self-control they were experiencing in the moment.

The paper stumbled on a paradox: The people who said they excel at self-control were hardly using it at all. Further studies find that changing the environments we’re in leads to an “effortless” version of self control.

The implications of this are huge: If we accept that brute willpower doesn’t work, we can feel less bad about ourselves when we succumb to temptation. And we might also be able refocus our efforts on solving problems like obesity.

5) “GMOs are unsafe to eat”

Okay, this one should’ve died years ago. Ever since the first GM crops hit the market in the 1990s, billions of people worldwide have been consuming GM ingredients — largely corn, soy, and canola — without any noticeable health problems. Yet anti-GMO groups still insist that these foods are somehow dangerous to consume.

This past May, the National Academy of Sciences released a sweeping report on GM crops that should’ve put this fears to rest. It was an independent look at all the evidence to date and found, much as past reports have, that GM crops are just as safe to eat as their conventional counterparts.

Among other evidence: Scientists haven't found any upticks in obesity or cancer or gastrointestinal illnesses or allergies that could plausibly be correlated with the introduction of GM foods anywhere in the world. This has been corroborated by animal studies, which, while imperfect, have found no particular dangers from eating GM foods. (There are signs that animals on GM diets show "small perturbations" in their gut microbes, but nothing that's expected to cause health problems in humans.) Nor is there reason to think GM crops could pose a health risk by "transferring" their modified genes to animals or humans.

That's why the report ultimately concludes that "no differences have been found that implicate a higher risk to human health and safety from [current] GE foods than from their non-GE counterparts."

Now, the report has plenty to say about other aspects of GM crops, from their economics to their environmental impacts (both good and not-so-good) and their potential to boost yields for a growing global population. You should the report, it’s nuanced and thoughtful. But the idea that the GM crops currently on the market are unsafe to eat? That notion needs to die.

6) “Homeopathy is a real medical treatment”

Esemelwe/Shutterstock

Homeopathy is one of the most enduring forms of snake oil available to consumers; it has been duping people since 1814. Yet the United States government only this year decided to clamp down on these treatments, with a recent policy from the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC’s policy statement explains that the agency will now ask that the makers of homeopathic drugs present reliable scientific evidence for their health claims if they want to sell them to consumers on the US market.

Mustering that evidence is likely to be difficult given that homeopathy is a gobbledygook. The main idea behind homeopathy is that an animal or plant extract that causes symptoms similar to the ones a person is suffering from can cure the symptoms. So homeopathic remedies on the market are just extremely diluted versions of plant or animal extracts believed to bring relief to symptoms.

The scientific community is monolithically stacked against homeopathy. There have been many studies, books, and investigations demonstrating that this type of therapy is bogus. There's so much evidence on homeopathy's failure to help people, in fact, that some researchers have argued it’s time to stop investing government research funding on this alternative therapy in favor of putting it into treatments that might actually help people.

This FTC ruling is definitely a step in the right direction of raising awareness about the lack of evidence behind homeopathy. But it doesn’t mean these "medicines" will disappear. The FTC only has the right to crack down on misleading marketing claims, and if the makers of homeopathic remedies clearly state that their products are based on no science, they can still sell them.

So it’ll be buyer beware going forward. Let’s just hope consumers are wise enough to read the packaging that will now tell them there’s no evidence behind the products.

7) “‘Power Posing’ will make you act powerful”

In 2010, researchers at Columbia University published a blockbuster paper in Psychological Science. The study found that when participants made themselves look big (bodies outstretched, either reclining or standing A-frame style with open limbs) they actually felt more powerful, took on greater risks, and had higher levels of the hormone testosterone flowing through them.

This became the basis for “power posing,” which you’ve probably have heard of. Amy Cuddy, one of the study’s co-authors, presented the findings in a TED talk, which has since been viewed 38 million times. It’s also factored into Cuddy’s new book Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges.

It all sounds great. Who wouldn’t want to feel more powerful? All it takes is one weird trick!

Too bad posing doesn’t check out. For the last six years, other labs have been attempting to replicate the results in larger samples to little or no effect. And this year, Dana Carney, the lead author of the 2010 paper, decided to put it all to rest. “I do not believe that ‘power pose’ effects are real,” she wrote on her website, adding that she thought additional work on the topic would be “a waste of time and resources.”


(Study co-author Cuddy still stands by the research. And to be fair, a power pose replication test did find participants felt a subjective sense of power. But the test failed to find the hormonal and behavioral changes that made the original paper a sensation.)


It’s unfair to pick on “power posing” alone. It’s just a small piece of a larger trend in the science. Psychologists are now realizing their institutions are structured so it's more likelythat false positives will make it through to publication than inconclusive results. And they’ve realized that experimental methods commonly used just a few years ago aren’t rigorous enough. That means whole meta studies on published results may be biased and, ultimately, untrue.

Ultimately, this “replication crisis,” as it’s being called, is a good thing. The discipline is reforming its methods, calling for bigger sample sizes in studies, preregistered study methods (so researchers can’t cherry-pick results after the fact), and increased data sharing.

The past few years has seen many psychological phenomenon destroyed or diminished in rigorous replication attempts. The list includes:

Ego depletion (the idea that willpower is a finite resource); the facial feedback hypothesis(if we activate the smile muscles in our mouths, we actually become happier); the heartwarming finding that reading fiction improves empathy and theory of mind (But you should still read anyway. It’s great.); and how a whiff of the hormone oxytocin can make us more trusting. And more.

Why This Is Your Year to Eat Slowly

by JOHN BERARDI, PHD

When most people think of improving their nutrition, they think about WHAT they’re eating. Tweaking the amounts of proteins, carbs and fats, adjusting calories and considering meal timing. However, HOW you’re eating is a major game-changer.

Maybe your New Year's resolution is to lose those last 10 pounds, enter that charity race, learn about the benefits of chia or check out that new CrossFit box in your town. But life happens and it can sometimes hinder your best-laid plans.

But even if you're feeling discouraged, disappointed in yourself, and overwhelmed — unable to muster the willpower to follow that restrictive diet or take another trip to the gym — there’s one nutritional tweak you can make right now that’ll help you get back on track.

It's simple. It won't cost you anything, and if you start right now, you're guaranteed to see results before year's end.

That trick?

EAT SLOWLY.

Why You Should Slow Down Your Eating

At first, it might sound a little wimpy. After all, how’s eating slowly going to erase months (or maybe years) of overindulgence and/or missed workouts? Well, you might be surprised.

Not only can eating slowly make a big impact on your daily calorie intake. It’ll also kick-start a host of powerful changes that, over the long run, can get you — and keep you — leaner than you might imagine.

In fact, this one habit is an "anchor" habit. That’s because, whenever people catch themselves making less-than-optimal choices, eating slowly always grounds them and helps them turn things around.

At the drive-thru again? Face down in the nut butter? Invited to an all-you-can-eat BBQ? Offered a piece of grandma's birthday cake? No problem. Just eat slowly.

The research is crystal clear: When we eat quickly, we eat more. When we eat slowly, we eat less. A lot less. Yet we feel more satisfied. Calmer. Happier. We don’t have to think about eating less. Or restrict our calories. We just… do it.

And guess what? When we eat less, we lose fat. It's that simple.

How Your Body and Brain Coordinate Hunger

Eating slowly works because of how our bodies sense appetite during a meal. You see, from the moment we smell or see our food to the moment it hits our intestines, our bodies are making enzymes and hormones to aid digestion. We’re also initiating processes to tell our brain when we’re full.

But this gut-brain communication is slow. In fact, our brain doesn't get the “I’m full” memo until about 20 minutes after we start a meal. So if we’re scarfing food down quickly, it’s easy to stuff ourselves, eating way too much before our brain ever gets the chance to receive the “satisfied” signal.

That’s why slowing down helps. It gives our gut and brain a chance to communicate effectively. You see, our bodies actually do know how much food we need. Most times we just eat too quickly and short-circuit those signals.

Eating slowly allows us to sense back into our body’s cues. This way we can stop a meal when we’re actually satisfied (instead of stuffed).

More Reasons to Slow Down

Eating slowly doesn't just help us drop fat. It can also help with the following:

1. Better Digestion

Eating slower means we chew more often, which leads to better digestion. Digestion starts with the mechanical breakdown of nutrients in the mouth. The more work we do up there, the less our stomachs have to do — which means fewer digestive problems like upset stomach, diarrhea, and bloating.

2. Less Stress

Eating slowly and paying attention to our eating can help reduce stress. Meals become a welcome break from the day's responsibilities and distractions. Instead of another annoyance.

3. More Enjoyment

Scarfing our meals means we miss all the nuances of taste and texture. Sometimes we miss the taste and texture altogether. Slowing down helps us appreciate well-prepared food in ways we never imagined.

4. Social Time

When we eat slowly we have more time to socialize with friends and make real human connection in our day. The benefits of this — for health and body composition — can’t be overstated.

How to Eat Slowly

Convinced of the benefits, but not sure how you'll slow down? Here are a few strategies to get you started.

1. Set aside time to eat.

Set aside a block of time — say 30 minutes — for a meal. And, if you’re a fast eater, and that seems too difficult for now, start smaller. Shoot for 15 minutes, building up to more.

Sure, you may not be able to devote 30 minutes to every meal. However, when possible, carve out some extra time.

2. Use smaller serving plates or alternative utensils.

To further help control portions, serving your dinner on salad plates or in smaller bowls is a great strategy. If you're really hardcore, you can even use chopsticks instead of a fork or spoon. That’ll help slow things down.

3. Put down your utensils between bites.

Another way to slow down in the beginning is to put down your utensils between bites vs. shoveling food in as if it were about to be taken from you. Bonus points for savoring each bite. But even if you don’t savor, at least chew each bite. Finish one bite before starting the next.

4. Set a minimum number of chews for every bite.

While this may seem awkward for easy-to-eat things like yogurt, setting a "chew requirement" will help you slow down your bites. Just don’t get obsessive about this. And don’t keep counting after the first few tries.

By counting, you’re building awareness. Once you’re aware, drop the math and ease into your new eating pace without counting bites. In the end, in our “rush, rush, rush” world, eating slowly can be difficult. But that’s part of the argument for doing it.

Just remember: When you start to practice this important habit, you don't have to be perfect. You just have to do a little better than yesterday. The payoff, in terms of health, fitness and lifestyle is completely worth it.

— John Berardi