Can healing crystals really heal and improve your energy and health? Is barefoot running, a throwback to our ancestral ways, really beneficial for our body? What is it with screens and kids? It can become a serious problem, and hinder their development. What is frugality, or being thrifty? Is it being cheap, or rather just smarter with your money, and looking to the future?
Mind
- Healing Crystals. You’ve likely heard about them, but can they really help your mind (as well as body and soul)? Science-based data is lacking, however there are many that swear by them. Ultimately the benefits lie in the eye of the beholder. They won’t create any adverse effects, so maybe they’re worth a try?
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- Introductory article on healing crystals – what they are, different types of crystals, and wellness benefits. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/guide-to-healing-crystals
- Can Crystals Heal? Separating Facets from Fact – https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20180116/can-crystals-heal-separating-facets-from-facts
- Crystal Healing Courses from Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/topic/crystal-energy/
Body
- “Barefoot” running, is it for you? “…a growing body of evidence shows running shoes might actually be doing us more harm than good.” This is a great article on the benefits of running barefoot (or minimalist shoes), and why you should consider such. It contains many resource links to medical journal studies. Is It Really Better to Run Barefoot? Another Major Study Just Weighed In.
Food
- “Superfoods” – What are they, and are they really that “super”? I try to consistently incorporate superfoods into my daily intake. My staples are steal-cut oats, quinoa, blueberries, broccoli, beans, nuts, and olive oil. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-super-are-superfoods
Recipe of the Week
- Kale and Quinoa Salad – https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/kale-quinoa-salad/
Kids
- Concerned with your child’s love of screens? You definitely should be. “…what we can hypothesize is that screens could inhibit certain aspects of a child’s development…” This is an insightful article on how screens can impact early childhood development. https://healthmatters.nyp.org/what-does-too-much-screen-time-do-to-childrens-brains/
- 18 Ways to Manage Your Kid’s Screen Time – https://www.thetechedvocate.org/screen-time-management/
Podcast
- Is barefoot running better? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cszv5v
Books
- SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome, by Darin Olien. “Nutritionist and superfoods expert Darin Olien reminds us that we can maximize our body’s natural potential by focusing on the five simple forces…”
Quote of the Week
- “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.”- Mark Twain
Gear
- Healing Crystals: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=healing%20crystals
- Minimalist running shoes: https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a22144396/best-minimalist-running-shoes/
- Barefoot casual and athletic shoes with vegan options (I recently purchased the PRIMUS LITE II RECYCLED): https://vivobarefoot.mention-me.com/m/ol/gh5tv-joseph-frank
Give
- Freedom Service Dogs of America – Unleashes the potential of dogs by transforming them into life-changing helpers for children, veterans and active-duty military, and others.
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- Charity Navigator Score: 4 of 4 stars
Personal Finance
- What is being frugal and is it a worthy endeavor? “Being frugal is not about sitting at home trying to avoid spending money. It’s about deciding what’s important to you in life and choosing to spend less on the things that don’t matter.” https://www.discover.com/online-banking/banking-topics/how-to-be-frugal
- Do you really need that new truck or luxury vehicle? Americans’ love affair with pickup trucks might be derailing their retirement plans: https://on.mktw.net/2HrFNmf
Wild Card
- Grief. Within the last two weeks, my wife lost her aunt unexpectedly, and I lost my stepfather (neither were COVID related). As we’ve been dealing with grief, I wanted to share some resources on dealing with death, and the grieving process.
- There is no right or wrong way to grieve, but there are healthy ways to deal with the grieving process – https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm
- Grief is a person’s normal, healthy response to a loss – https://familydoctor.org/grieving-facing-illness-death-and-other-losses/