Health
The Importance of Religion in the Lives of Americans is Shrinking
Religion’s importance is shrinking. Good.
The report, titled "Religion and Congregations in a Time of Social Upheaval," surveyed more than 6,600 adults from all 50 states. Despite the deep political divides in the U.S., the majority of churchgoers — 56% — do not believe their own church is more politically divided than five years ago.Deckman says that this could be due to sorting that has already taken place: People tend to affiliate with congregations that align with their political beliefs, in part to avoid conflicts they experience in broader society[…]
Participation in houses of worship continues to decline, according to the study. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they “seldom” attend religious services, and 29% of respondents said they “never” attend religious services. A decade ago, those figures were 22% and 21%, respectively.
It can’t hit 0% soon enough.
Dooce, RIP
“The pioneering mommy blogger Heather Armstrong, who laid bare her struggles as a mother and her battles with depression and alcoholism on her site Dooce.com and on social media, has died at 47. Armstrong died by suicide.”
I did not really read her, but I knew her story. My heart goes out to her family and friends, especially her two children, who are feeling her loss right now.
Here’s a lovely tribute.
Let's Go For A Walk
4k POV walks , no commentary. Tokyo. London. New York. Paris. Sydney. Mumbai. Hong Kong. Bangkok. Rome. Vienna. Seoul. Buenos Aires. Santiago. Montreal. Cairo. Marrakech. Nairobi.
I haven’t watched them all, but I love putting them on the TV and kind of forgetting it’s on and then glance up from reading a book or playing with the dog and seeing something completely different without any context.
De-Aging for the Super Wealthy
Ashlee Vance, writing for Bloomberg, has a story about Bryan Johnson (no, not the one from AC/DC), who made $800 million in cash by selling his company to eBay. He decided to do everything in his power to de-age himself.
Johnson, 45, is an ultrawealthy software entrepreneur who has more than 30 doctors and health experts monitoring his every bodily function. […] Getting the program up and running required an investment of several million dollars, including the costs of a medical suite at Johnson's home in Venice, California. This year, he's on track to spend at least $2 million on his body. He wants to have the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, tendons, teeth, skin, hair, bladder, penis and rectum of an 18-year-old.What a weird dude. Of course, how cool is it that this is possible? Also, it screams to be a movie with a not-so-happy ending.“The body delivers a certain configuration at age 18,” he says. “This really is an impassioned approach to achieve age 18 everywhere.” Johnson is well aware that this can sound like derangement and that his methods might strike some as biotech-infused snake oil, but he doesn’t much care. “This is expected and fine,” he says of the criticism he’s received.
Johnson, Zolman and the team are more than a year into their experiments, which they collectively call Project Blueprint. This includes strict guidelines for Johnson’s diet (1,977 vegan calories a day), exercise (an hour a day, high-intensity three times a week) and sleep (at the same time every night, after two hours wearing glasses that block blue light).
[…]
There are some obvious signs that Johnson is at least healthier than most 45-year-olds. The dude is way beyond ripped. His body fat hovers between 5% and 6%, which leaves his muscles and veins on full display. But it’s what has happened inside his body that most excites his doctors. They say his tests show that he’s reduced his overall biological age by at least five years. Their results suggest he has the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old and the lung capacity and fitness of an 18-year-old. “All of the markers we are tracking have been improving remarkably,” says Toll.
Start Small
Shawn Blanc on creating habits.
When you begin a new habit and you’ve started taking action, only commit to it for 30 days or so. And then commit for another 30 days. Then commit for 90 days. Then commit for 6 months.Some good advice for me specifically in the new year as I’m embarking on a few major changes.At first it’ll be fun. But then it will be hard and mundane.
If you start out by committing to do something for the rest of your life you’ll never make it. And how many people can say they woke up at 5:00 am every day for their entire life? Seasons change, needs change, things change, you change. So your daily habits will change, too, and that’s okay.
Start with something you know you can do. And then do it again. And again. Not only is this more realistic, it also is a way to build up trust with yourself. You will feel confident deciding to get up early every day for the next six months because you already did it for 30-days in a row.
Do Less
Shawn Blanc on doing less.
You don’t have to take action on every idea. You can make a decision without knowing every last detail and option. It’s okay if you don’t finish every book you start. You don’t have to respond to every email you receive. There’s no need to push every project to the max. Having breathing room — a little bit left over — is perfectly acceptable. In fact… I would argue that it’s preferred.This is more of the anti-hustle narrative I’m seeing out in the blogosphere.
Sated
Just in time for Thanksgiving!
Sated is a keto-based, ready-to-drink meal replacement shake that’s high in fiber, high in protein and low in carbohydrates, a formula believed to help the body reach ketosis, a metabolic state induced through carbohydrate restriction. In other words, Sated is a keto-friendly version of Soylent.
I took note of it a few months ago when it was on Kickstarter.
I had tried Soylent, but I didn’t love it. I can buy Sated on Amazon now, but it’s far too expensive to test.
If the price goes down, I might try it.
Saturday
Nicholas Bate drops 100 words every once in a while. I liked this one.
Deep and long sleep, slow coffee and some reflection. Rapid unpacking and washing on. From entropy and chaos to some order and greater simplicity. Quick e-mail and then switch off for the weekend. The local market: friendly, warm conversation and best local-grown vegetables at budget prices. But where’s the fish van? Hope he’s OK? Blue skies, strong sun and bitter wind. Balls in play across the park; kids at their best. Climb, run, yell and just be. Return to wood-burner and two novels and slow cooked food and reflections captured in her note-book. Reflections on shifts; it was her Saturday.
Daily Intentions
I’m being bombarded with news, notifications, and other assorted miscellany, and it’s hurting my head. I can’t wait for this election to end.
I’m reminded of a post on Copyblogger about dealing with distraction and productivity.
Take some time away from the usual flood of news and notifications to think about your daily intentions. Document them somehow — any way that works for you — and make sure you see them through.It’s good to step away from the cacophony of noise and just figure out what you want to do.— Loryn Cole
The Monday Blues
Have you heard? The Monday Blues exist. Anxiety! Sadness! Stress! Some even start feeling it Sunday night. The dreaded Monday morning happens every six days. The horror!
Even if you enjoy your work, shouldn’t the work week and the weekend be simpatico and not enemies of each other? The only way I see that working is to not work so much on the weekend and find some personal me time. For example, last Sunday I spent two hours in the morning drinking coffee before anyone else was up. It might have been the best part of my weekend. Of course, I’m sure plenty of you have jobs where you have to work weekends. My wife is a prime example.
The solution then is to find ways to relax and unwind in the evenings and, yes, even the weekend–coffee in the morning, an extended and uninterrupted hot shower or bath, Netflix and chill. Find what works for you.
Otherwise, every day is a Monday and nobody wants that.
A Hidden Source of Power
Leo Babauta, at his Zen Habits blog, writes about one’s state of mind and how controlling it is a hidden source of power.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re pining over a lover who has rejected you, and wishing you had those incredible moments back, where they made you feel happy, loved. But actually, the source of that love was inside of you, not outside of you. When you were with your ex-lover, they were there in the room with you, but the source of feeling loved was in your own mind, in your own heart. You made yourself feel that way, by how you perceived the situation.It reads like common sense, but the application of it is so difficult.That means that you have the power to make yourself feel loved. At any time. It’s always available to you. It depends on no one else.
You have the power to make yourself feel angry, or at peace. To feel hurt, or joyful. To feel connected, or disconnected. To feel accepted, or rejected.
That’s not to say that other people don’t do crappy things. But those crappy things don’t have to make us feel horrible — we can let them slide off of us, and decide how we want to feel. Sure, that’s easier said than done, but it’s still a power that resides within us.
I Can’t Hear You
Julia Belluz at Vox does a deep dive into the increasingly high decibel levels of restaurants.
Being exposed to noise levels above 70 and 80 decibels — which many restaurants boast these days — causes hearing loss over time, Gail Richard, past president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, told me. This kind of hearing loss is “preventable, but it’s also irreparable,” she added.
I’ve noticed the rising levels, and my wife and I avoid those locations when dining out. The piece outlines ways to fix acoustics, but unsurprisingly, they are expensive.
Stop Trying to Change Yourself
Mark Manson on change:
You can’t change yourself, so don’t even try. I know that’s not what the infomercials and self-help seminars tell you. But fuck it. They’re wrong. You can’t change. Like a thirsty man in a desert chasing a mirage, or a fat man peering into an empty fridge—there’s nothing there. So stop chasing it. Go do something else instead.The rest is really good too.
An Oral History of Action Park
Jake Rossen and Mental Floss go down the Cannonball Loop of danger in this fascinating story about an amusement park that was literally insane.
If you’ve ever wondered if that ride you’re on is safe, read this story, and you’ll know… you’ll know.
How to Grow the Fuck Up: A Guide to Humans
Mark Manson is obviously working on new book. I’m guessing this is going to be the title. When you are in the mood for a good, long read take some time and read what Manson puts forth.
I personally need to revisit it a couple of times a year.