HOW TO SLEEP WELL: FILL YOUR LIFE WITH PURPOSE, STUDY SAYS

Though we may constantly feel tired, sleeping isn't always easy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016 found that one in three Americans doesn't get enough sleep. This can lead to a host of health problems, and more and more Americans are resorting to sleeping pills to ensure they're able to get a good night's rest. The American College of Physicians has recommended against using prescription drugs to treat insomnia, if possible, and now there may be hope for sleeping well without popping a pill. According to a new study, the best way to get through the night in peace may be to simply have a solid sense of purpose in your life outside of bed.

The study, conducted by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, found that people who felt their lives had purpose experienced better sleep quality than those who didn't. They were also 63 percent less likely to suffer from sleep apnea, and 52 percent less likely to suffer from restless leg syndrome. The aim of the study, published Monday in the journal Sleep Science and Practice, was to examine the relationship between purpose in life, overall sleep quality and the presence of sleep disorders in a bi-racial sample of older adults: people who are more likely to have problems sleeping.

“Helping people cultivate a purpose in life could be an effective drug-free strategy to improve sleep quality, particularly for a population that is facing more insomnia,” said Dr. Jason Ong, one of the study's authors and an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Purpose in life is something that can be cultivated and enhanced through mindfulness therapies.”

To conduct the study, the Feinberg School's team of researchers gathered 825 people between the ages of 60 and 100. Participants were given surveys on their purpose in life and their sleep. The average age of the participants, 79, was high because people have more trouble sleeping as they get older (almost 40 percent of older adults suffer from a sleeping disorder). Trouble sleeping is also more common among African Americans, which made up more than half of of the pool of participants. None of the study's participants suffered from dementia.

Through establishing a link between purpose in life and sleep quality, researchers found that the idea of purpose in life may be applied in a clinical setting, and recommended further research into the connection between positive psychology and sleep health. The more this is studied, the more effectively treatments like mindfulness therapy can be used to curb issues like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, which means fewer people will have to rely on prescription pills to make it through the night undisturbed.

Read More

Feetures Expands Offerings With Lifestyle Collection

The new line incorporates the same technology found in Feetures running socks, allowing users to wear the socks from the boardroom to the BBQ.
Feetures, manufacturer of run specialty performance socks, has expanded its product offerings with a lifestyle collection.

The lifestyle collection will include a variety of styles for women and men, and will offer the signiture targeted compression and seamless toe features that helped elevate the brand. All socks in the collection will be made with Feetures’ proprietary iWick polyester, a fabric more durable than merino wool that provides moisture management all day.

“We consistently hear from our customers that they want the comfort and support of our running socks in a sock they can wear every day,” said Joe Gaither, VP of marketing. “These new socks are designed for you to Go. Do. Live., meaning they will effortlessly take you from work to play, and everywhere in between with the performance features our customers have come to love from Feetures running socks.”

Women’s lifestyle options come in ultralight or cushioned and include a Texture Crew, which is a high performance version of a cable knit design. Styles include a variety of colors and patterns, such as stripes and sunburst designs. The men’s lifestyle collection includes a dressier line of socks for business, as well as argyle and stripe patterns in ultralight or cushioned styles. Both the men’s and women’s crew collection will be available in October.

In addition to the crew styles, Feetures is debuting a Hidden Collection of socks to be worn with low cut shoes such as boat shoes, ballet flats or loafers. The Hidden socks utilize Feetures’ proprietary Heel Hugger silicone strip and an arch band to keep the socks in place from sight. The Hidden socks come in two styles for women, Hidden and Hidden Super Low, while men’s styles will be offered only in Hidden. They will be available in February 2018.

Read More

Column: Add some Poutine to your routine

I know it’s been a long holiday weekend for you, hopefully filled with enough hot dogs and beer to make ’Merica proud, so I’m lobbing you a softball for this month’s dish.

We’re venturing to the Great White North, specifically Quebec, for Canada’s national dish, Poutine. It’s a mess of fries, cheese curds and brown gravy that any American would be proud to call their own.

Poutine, as far as recipes go, is kind of like the hamburger of Canada: everyone claims to have invented it, no one can quite prove it, and though there are a hundred variations, simple is always best.

This is a fast-food, greasy diner kind of dish. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Hand-cut, twice fried potatoes? Sure, but frozen is fine too. Homemade gravy using great-gram’s recipe? If you like. Or just use a mix. Or a can. The only requirement for the cheese curds is that they be fresh. If they don’t squeak when you bite into them, the Poutine just won’t be right.

I opted to make my own fries since it’s a once or twice a year treat that my kids love. I had in mind the whole time I was prepping them that was the way to go. I made a batch of golden brown, crispy, skin on (of course) fries that were Instagram worthy. They were the envy of my friends (in my head) for which I heartily congratulated myself. Then, I poured on the gravy, from a mix if I’m being honest, and they were soggy within minutes. So in this case, I’d say go for the best quality frozen fries and bake them in the oven to save yourself time and calories.

Like I mentioned, this can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. If you don’t want to make gravy, there are actually good quality mixes available that will do the job just fine. If you have leftover gravy, this can be your go-to dish to use it up. Whatever works for you, works for the dish. Although I did see one recipe that called for making your own cheese curds, and I have to draw the line there. Who has the time and inclination to make their own cheese curds? If it’s you, no judgment though.

Anyway, for simplicity’s sake, I’m not going to give you a strict recipe. If you want handmade fries, use about 4-5 good-sized Russet potatoes. Leave the skin on. Soak them in cold water for at least an hour and use the double-fry method. (I’ve written about that before — if you aren’t a regular reader, your punishment is to Google it. I’m not going to explain it twice.) Use about a cup or so of brown gravy, to taste, and about 1-2 cups of white cheese curds, again, to taste.

Both my kids liked these, because fries and cheese of course. My husband and I liked the flavor but both agreed the cheese curds would suit both of our tastes if they were smaller. The curds we bought were huge and didn’t get as melty as I would have liked, so I suggest using smaller curds or cutting them up a little before adding them to the fries.

Though I wouldn’t make it all the time because I somewhat value my health, I won’t count Poutine out of consideration for one of those gotta-have-it junk food days.

Read More

How garbage food became normal

So what's a good family meal for an easy weeknight dinner? A quick stir fry with lean protein, veg and noodles ready in 20 minutes - or maybe a mushroom omelette with salad and sourdough?

Or there's this idea from McDonalds heavily promoted on TV recently: a family box of burgers, chips and coke, "made for midweek dinners, made for families"?

How did we reach this point when it's OK to push a product like this as an everyday family meal when it's the kind of food that, eaten regularly, makes us fat and sick - and is the polar opposite of the nutrient and fibre rich foods that keep chronic disease at bay?

Over the last 30 years or so our food supply has been so hijacked by over-processed junk that on average 58 per cent of the food budget goes on 'discretionary choices', meaning food we don't actually need for health like foods high in added sugar, salt and saturated fat, and alcohol.

Yet while health authorities wring their hands over rising levels of chronic disease, it's OK for supermarkets to flog breakfast foods loaded with added sugar. It's also perfectly fine to mislead consumers by implying a food is healthier than it actually is. The selling point on the front of Only Organic Kindy Yoghurt Rice Cakes is its organic-ness, which looks healthy enough until you read the fine print on the back and see the main ingredient is organic cane sugar - which makes up 30 per cent of a product made for one- to five-year-olds.

This load of over-processed food isn't just adding to weight woes - it's also displacing more nutritious whole foods, leaving us short on fibre and important nutrients.

How did we let this happen?

"Because the food system is now designed for the maximum profit of the food industry and not to nurture good health," says Professor Amanda Lee, Senior Adviser with the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre which works to prevent lifestyle-related disease.

"Discretionary food and drink is in our faces all the time. Humans have an innate desire for sweetness and for the mouthfeel of fat and we have a learned response to salt - and the junk food industry has preyed on these preferences."

"Junk food is cheap to produce and demand for it has been created by advertising and pricing," adds Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition, which has also protested about the McDonalds' burgers and chips for midweek dinner ad. But their complaint that the ad undermines the promotion of healthy balanced diets was dismissed by the Advertising Standards Board last week.

Could it be that Australia's lack of a strong traditional food culture has also made us easy pickings for convenience food? Maybe. Countries with strong food cultures and traditions like France, Spain and Italy have done better at holding on to home cooking says Lee.

"People talk about the French Paradox but I don't think there is one. The evidence suggests it's because the French have a policy of maintaining their traditional food culture - they have government subsidies for farmer's markets, for instance," she points out. "In Australia we embrace different cuisines from other countries but don't have a strong food culture of our own - and at the beginning of European settlement the food we relied on was cheap and had a long shelf life."

Can we improve processed foods by reducing ingredients like salt and sugar, as some manufacturers have done? It's helpful to a point, says Lee, especially with reducing salt - but it still doesn't turn a highly processed food into a nutritious choice.

Not only that, but by careful manipulation of ingredients like adding fibre in the form of inulin or more 'fruit' in the form of pear juice, processed food can earn a higher rating in the front of pack star rating system, she points out. "This is the problem with focussing on single ingredients and not the quality of the food as a whole."

Although Australia has been slow to get tough with food manufacturers when it comes to tighter regulations on marketing junk to kids, for instance, there are signs of a shift, says Martin - like the removal of soft drinks from vending machines in NSW hospitals later this year and banishing soft drinks and confectionary from Victorian schools.

But it's in poorer countries that can't afford the burden of sickness that comes with junk diets where bigger changes are happening. Mexico has a sugar tax, while Brazil's dietary guidelines strongly urge people to avoid highly processed food and stick with whole or minimally processed food. In Chile, foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt carry a warning label and aren't allowed to be marketed to children and sugary drinks are taxed, says Jane Martin.

"Globally, diet is the number one cause of chronic disease. Wealthy countries like Australia can try to quadruple by-pass themselves out of trouble but the lower and middle income countries can't afford to, so they're investing in prevention," says Amanda Lee. "They're generating evidence that we can use in the west to create more change."

Read More

Having Trouble Sleeping? New Therapy Suggests Less Is More

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Everybody sleeps, but some do it better than others.

For those tortured by sleepless nights, there’s a new therapy that uses the motto – if you want to sleep more, try sleeping less.

“When I’d go to bed, I would start and be like, okay, if I go to bed now, I’ve got eight hours. And then, an hour goes by, and it’s like okay, now I only have seven hours, then it’s six hours, and then it’s the morning,” Megan Grant said.

That was the unhappy and unhealthy way Grant slept, or tried to sleep at night.

“I would just sort of lay in my bed trying to sleep,” Grant said.

Dr. Matthew Lorber suggested a new therapy that had the 20-year-old Grant getting up and out of bed if she was lying awake for more than 30 minutes.

“I was like, what do you mean? Like, that doesn’t sound right to me,” Grant said.

It’s called restrictive sleep therapy.

“Once you’re tossing and turning for 30 minutes, get out of bed, and don’t go back into bed until you’re tired again,” Dr. Lorber said.

“The concept of just lying there and like resting in bed felt better like than going and doing something else, so I was very, like, reluctant at first,” Grant said.

But, she liked the idea of drug free therapy even as Dr. Lorber prepared her for the discipline the process required.

“When I suggest to someone that if you’re up to 3 to 3:30 in the morning get out of bed, get out of your bedroom, they do – they look at me like I’m crazy first, but I think rationally; intuitively, it does make sense,” Dr. Lorber said.

“Admittedly, the first few nights of this will probably be terrible,” Dr. Steven Feinsilver said.

Dr. Feinsilver is an expert on sleep disorders.

He said once patients are out of bed they should simply try reading, no TV, or electronics, no food or alcohol.

“It seems very backwards, kind of counterintuitive, that we ask people to sleep less when we’re trying to get them to sleep better,” Dr. Feinsilver said.

The idea is to quiet the mind, staying calm as they wait to get tired again.

Dr. Feinsilver added it can take several weeks to re-learn how to sleep.

“Eventually, you’re going to sleep, and that’s a very simple idea, but it really works. It works very neatly” Dr. Feinsilver said.

“Every night I’m like, love going to bed, it’s the greatest feeling. I get in my bed, and I’m cozy, and like ready to go. It makes such like a world of a difference,” Grant said.

Read More

Cyndi Lauper: Why quality of life can bring equality

How to ensure equality for everyone when we're all so diverse and different? A question for our guest contributor Cyndi Lauper, the singer and co-founder of True Colors, an advocacy group for homeless LGBT youth:

For me equality has always been plain and simple. "You either are or you aren't, Blanche," to kind of quote one of my favorite Bette Davis lines.

I had the opportunity to be on the same planet with a lot of inspiring people who actually did change my life, and the lives of the people I love, through their work for equality.

There were many great civil rights leaders, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Harvey Milk. I could go on.  And Maya Angelou -- where would I be without her books?

So today, I was talking to my husband about equality, and he said, "Why don't you just drop the E and emphasize the word quality? Maybe by just concentrating on making the quality of life better for people around you, you might naturally end up with greater equality."

So that got me thinking how right he is -- that he's really just talking about the old Sunday school lesson they beat into you at Catholic school: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Or better still, if you want people to listen, you've got to listen to them.

And let's not forget my favorite: What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

So, I think today I will emphasize the word "quality" rather than discuss the word "equality," because maybe less talk and more quality caring might lead us to do more action.

And everyone knows action speaks louder than words, right? Be it in sports, or in family, hey, even in romance. Like I had to tell my first boyfriend, "You gonna stand around all night, or you gonna do something? 'Cause I got things to do."

Read More

Tips to making yourself look good in a selfie

The selfie stick was possibly the most hated gadget — and with good reason. That slimming photo angle often comes with a price of irritating the people around you whom you've forgotten existed in your Instagram-focused world. Despite growing annoyance, the selfie is likely here to stay, but there are alternatives to the giant "narcissus-stick."

1. Bring a travel tripod. Something lightweight (carbon-fiber is lighter than aluminum alloy) that can fold down to be compact and can handle the weight of your camera is good. Also look into stability — which is essentially why you're buying a tripod in the first place. I personally love my JOBY Gorillapod SLR-Zoom, with bendable legs and the ability to keep even my heavy DSLR sturdy. I pair this with the following item for the perfect hands-free selfie.

2. Use an intervalometer. Despite the sci-fi name, this is just a remote you can set to take a certain amount of photos with a certain amount of seconds between each shot. Choose the intervals, plug the gadget into your camera and it does the rest, even focusing the lens for you. It's better than the built-in camera timer as you never need to press the camera shutter or reset the settings for each shoot.

3. Selfie-focused apps. Don't think your mug is pretty enough for a selfie? There's an app for that. Check out FaceTune, a portrait-editing app that smooths skin, whitens teeth, removes imperfections, highlights your best features and changes lighting, among other options. Another great download is Retrica, showcasing over 100 photo filters and allowing you to adjust your selfie's exposure. Tip: If you're not 100% happy with your selfie, a black and white filter will hide imperfections.

4. A wide-angle lens. While not mandatory, wide-angle lenses capture more of the background scenery to transform the typically egotistical selfie into an actual story of where you are. Because you're in the foreground you'll still be the focus, but the photo is less dominated by your face. I’ve found my GoPro is great for this (it's much lighter than a DSLR), though clip-on smartphone lenses like the SelfieMaster Easy Selfie Lens, Aerb and olloclip are also worth checking out.

5. Cannon's PowerShot G7X. Not only does this lightweight camera perform well in low light, offer image stabilization and feature a quick 4.2x f/1.8-2.8 optical zoom lens, but the screen flips to face you so you can see exactly what you're taking a photo of. It's sort of like using the front face of your smartphone camera, but with a much higher-quality image.

Does using any of the above make selfies any less annoying? Maybe not. But at least you won't impale anyone with a giant stick.

Read More

Safety is a Lifestyle

Many people ask how I've made it this far in my career in such a short time. It's not because I know everything; no one does. It's because I treat people with the respect for which they are due. I have had the honor in working in some of the biggest projects and with some of the best companies in this country.

As a safety professional, my job is not to tell employees how to do their job.  I also am not a safety cop.

Early in my career, Randy Williamson with Whiting-Turner told me , “you can catch more bees with honey." From that moment forward, when I walk through a job site, I keep that in mind – no matter what the safety infraction or the issue at hand.

I have been able to talk to any employee in any situation and have been able to handle the situation in my favor. From my standpoint, I have been able to see were other safety professionals fail to get their points across to their workers.

One question I always get asked is “how did you become a safety guy?" The answer is not the training, education, the certificates or the credentials. It's all about how you respond and treat people.

Two safety managers can have the same scenario and achieve two completely different outcomes all based on how they carry themselves. I am not better than anyone. I don't know all the answers, but what I do know is that everyone is at that job site to provide, whether for themselves or for their family.

You never can know what is going on in someone's head or what personal issues they might be having. Instead of jumping down their throats because they are doing something incorrectly, take a second, take a step back and talk to the employee; don't talk down to the employee. You might learn something yourself. They will tell you why they're doing it that way. Maybe they thought they were doing it right, maybe it's because they're being pushed for production. You might just discover a root cause that you weren't even looking for.

The reason I can build a great connection with any employee is because I genuinely care. Workers can tell whether you care or whether you're just trying to check the block.

Connect with your employees on a deeper level besides the scope of work.  It will take you far.  Never stop learning; never stop becoming a better you. Take a communication course that will help you engage anyone in any scenario. Safety is not a job. It's a calling and a lifestyle.

Read More

Rise in millennials getting pre-nups 'due to all their start-ups'

The number of millennials securing pre-nuptial agreements before they tie the knot to protect money they have not yet made has spiked, according to new research.

Over half of lawyers who deal with marriages reported a rise in clients aged between 18 and 35 asking for pre-nups in the past three years, a survey of 1,600 members of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers showed.

Pre-nups are legal documents which outline what a spouse will be owed if the marriage ends.

However, while pre-nups in the past largely focused on inheritance and alimony, millennials are also considering intellectual property such as app software, songs, and films.

As older millennials start to marry and cultivate wealth, they are seeking to protect the money that they might make from creative projects that are in their infancy when they marry.

"Members of the millennial generation are particularly choosing prenups as the best option to cover separate property holdings, business interests, anticipated family inheritances and potential alimony claims," commented Joslin Davis, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Lawyer Barry Slotnick told Bloomberg that he believes the demographic is hyper-aware of high divorce rates and its members are worried about their fiscal futures.

"Without an agreement dictating otherwise, the separate property nature of the business would be valued at the date of the marriage when it was low but the growth during the marriage would be all marital, which may not be fair to the person who created the idea prior to getting hitched," Jacqueline Newman, NYC Divorce Lawyer and Author of Soon-To-Be-Ex, Your Guide to a Perfect Divorce and Relaunch, told Bustle.

The survey follows a study which suggests that millennials are less likely to have had sex than any other generation since the 1920s.

Despite the rise of smartphone apps such as Tinder and Bumble which have revolutionised dating, this age group is spending more time online according to research by San Diego State University.

Read More

New BBC2 Vogue Documentary Is Absolutely Fabulous

What do the women at Vogue wear? That’s all anyone really wants to know – or, at least, that’s why you’ll be watching, hawk-eyed, throughout a new BBC series about the magazine, Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue. It’s been shot by seasoned director Richard Macer, who observes the magazine’s daily life over nine months with a keen eye and a dry sense of humour, hence the title. It will show what Vogue wears, and what Vogue eats.

Naturally, the office landscape features many clothes and little in the way of food. Rails of Victoria Beckham and padded jackets and Gucci sit alongside all the takeaway coffees (so many!) which appear at desks (white Formica, cluttered with binders, pens and Macs) or on the frow at the fashion shows. Much of the action takes place outside of the office because the fashion industry is a proactive one and as for the coffee, well you need to do something with your hands when a show is delayed by traffic – a phenomenon well documented by Macer – and what with the smoking ban and all ...

Regrettably, there is no sign of Vogue’s fabled “snack table”. Possibly because it’s empty, or doesn’t actually exist. An early cameo from a nectarine (or peach, we’re down to the stone by the time filming starts) blindsides us. Fiona Golfar, editor-at-large, friend to the stars, and the woman who procures the big names, nibbles it very slowly, with the caution of an animal emerging from hibernation. Then we’re back to the coffee.

For the most part, the Vogue style is unfettered. Of course it is – they’re being filmed – and the glamour moves in hierarchical fashion. The editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman, moves between brights and darks, a multicoloured striped Gucci jumper (Alexa Chung owns the same) one day, oatmeal cashmere and Gola trainers another. Fashion director Lucinda Chambers is flightier with her style: a lot of Marni, Jil Sander and massive earrings. If you’ve seen the notorious/acclaimed film about US Vogue, The September Issue, where the fashion director, Grace Coddington, stole the show from US editor Anna Wintour, it’s hard not to escape the feeling that Chambers has been cast in the Coddington role here.

Meanwhile, Sarah Harris, fashion features director and rising star of Vogue who let her hair go grey, is more open, giving us a tour of her wardrobe in the second episode. Millions of pairs of jeans. Céline and Manolo Blahnik shoes. Ditto Julia Hobbs, fashion news editor. Her most expensive item? She leans in: “My Prada. Red. Shearling. Coat.” It cost as much as a secondhand Mini. Jaime Perlman, the creative director and breakout star, is far more cool. She talks back to Shulman, wears an exaggerated eyeliner flick, and dresses for herself rather than the cameras. Note the Chloé tracksuit top in the second episode: one of the most discussed pieces of last season. Otherwise the looks are familiar ones: Bardot tops, Breton tops, printed blouses, smart shirts (mainly worn by Shulman’s “gatekeeper” PAs). Take note: there are few Stan Smiths, a staple of other fashion offices.

Shulman dresses like a woman in charge without the bizarre mythology of her US counterpart. Wintour herself appears briefly, and is filmed putting her sunglasses on before being interviewed. Inside. As Macer notes, “appearances can be deceiving” at Vogue. And while it is possible that the Devil might wear Prada, she only does if she can get from A to B in it.

Read More

Life's A Beach: How To Make A Kaftan Look Cool In The City

There are few greater pleasures in life than London during the summer.

Yes, there are more tourists and ice cream-fuelled schoolchildren around than usual but there’s also the opportunity to drink bucketloads of Aperol on rooftops, turn your nearest patch of grass into your second home and wear the sort of clothes usually filed away under “holiday”. To be more specific on the latter, this means wearing a kaftan at all times - regardless of whether you’re bound for the beach or not.

No longer just a scrap of fabric to throw over your bikini, the kaftan has undergone a revival this summer with style-conscious city dwellers embracing the holiday hero as a means to make swanning around London feel that little bit more like sun-soaked Santorini.

Among the kaftan’s biggest ambassadors is former British Vogue editor and stylist Pippa Holt, who launched her line of ultra-luxe and colourful kaftans this year. “I’ve always loved ‘holiday dressing’,” says Holt. “I felt there was room in the market for more options and I’ve always loved the versatility, ease and sense of freedom a kaftan offers in the sun.”

For Holt, the idea to launch her own line was hatched when she was sweltering in the city, not based on a beach. “I fell in love with the work of some weavers I met in Mexico when I was living in Texas,” she says. “I wore their textiles when I lived in Houston as it was so hot I found that was the only way I could combat the intense heat in the city. People would stop me in the street and ask where my outfit was from.”

So far Holt’s designs are proving a bigger hit on Instagram than a giant pink flamingo pool float. Of course, with a comfort factor equivalent to a steaming bowl of spaghetti alla Norma and each one setting you back between £550 and £800 (the price of week in the Costa Del Sol), it’s little wonder that fashion fans are throwing theirs on every chance they get.

Other kaftan connoisseurs include Greek-born, London-based designer Athena Procopiou, whose pleasingly bohemian kaftans are just as at home in Kefalonia as they are in Primrose Hill, and fashion-editor favourite  Vita Kin, who employs traditional vyshyvanka embroidery techniques from her native Ukraine for her billowing folk dresses.

Sleepwear specialists also make for remarkably good kaftan-makers. The current options from New York PJ label Sleepy Jones, which include striped linen and geometric-print silk, are far too good to keep under the sheets, while luxury lounge and swimwear label Asceno champions a breezy silhouette and a pared back colour palette.

For those who wish to channel the kaftan vibe in the office, Hobbs’s elegant cream maxi manages to strike just the right balance between beachy and boardroom-appropriate, while other high-street hits include Mango’s short embroidered style in pristine white cotton and a flowing belted robe by River Island.

As for the trend’s longevity, Holt believes that the kaftan will endure long after we’ve waved goodbye to the sun. “They are incredibly versatile,” she says. “I wear mine in winter with a crisp white shirt or a roll neck underneath.”

Read More

People Who Believe Exercise Is Good For Them Experience More Health Benefits, Study Finds

People who believe exercise is good for them may derive more mental and physical benefits from working out than those with lower expectations.

Researchers in Germany found people convinced of the health benefits of cycling enjoyed the exercise more and were more relaxed than cynics.

For the study, psychologists at the University of Freiburg asked 76 people aged between 18 and 32 to exercise for 30 minutes on a stationary bicycle.

They had been asked beforehand how much they thought they would benefit, and afterwards they filled out questionnaires about their well-being and mood before and after the exercise. The researchers also measured the participants’ brain activity with an electro-encephalogram (EEG).

Test subjects who started off convinced the cycling would have a positive effect on their health enjoyed the exercise more, and found it improved their mood and reduced their anxiety more than less optimistic test subjects.

The EEG also showed that participants who had higher expectations before the study began appeared to be more relaxed.

For the pessimists, however, all is not lost: the study showed that it's not all down to the person's predisposition.

Some test subjects were shown a short film ahead of the study that praised the positive effects of cycling. These participants experienced similar benefits to those who already inuitively believed in the health benefits of exercise.

Test subjects who started off convinced the cycling would have a positive effect on their health enjoyed the exercise more, and found it improved their mood and reduced their anxiety more than less optimistic test subjects.

The EEG also showed that participants who had higher expectations before the study began appeared to be more relaxed.

For the pessimists, however, all is not lost: the study showed that it's not all down to the person's predisposition.

Some test subjects were shown a short film ahead of the study that praised the positive effects of cycling. These participants experienced similar benefits to those who already inuitively believed in the health benefits of exercise.

Read More