You've Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

It's time for Wednesday Q&A session today at 10almonds, and we have information on:

• supplements

• reading

• study tips

• energy drinks (friend or foe?)

• getting up and running

• …and behind-the-scenes stuff!

We also want to make sure you look after yourself with the care you deserve, and today's book-of-the-day is just like 10almonds: compact and full of goodness!

❓ Wednesday Q&A

From Cucumbers To Kindles

Q: Where do I get cucumber extract?

A: You can buy it from BulkSupplements.com (who, despite their name, start at 100g packs)

Alternatively: you want it as a topical ointment (for skin health) rather than as a dietary supplement (for bone and joint health), you can extract it yourself! No, it’s not “just juice cucumbers”, but it’s also not too tricky.

Click Here For A Quick How-To Guide!

Q: Tips for reading more and managing time for it?

A: We talked about this a little bit in yesterday’s edition, so you may have seen that, but aside from that:

• If you don’t already have one, consider getting a Kindle or similar e-reader. They’re very convenient, and also very light and ergonomic—no more wrist strain as can occur with physical books. No more eye-strain, either!

• Consider making reading a specific part of your daily routine. A chapter before bed can be a nice wind-down, for instance! What’s important is it’s a part of your day that’ll always, or at least almost always, allow you to do a little reading.

• If you drive, walk, run, or similar each day, a lot of people find that’s a great time to listen to an audiobook. Please be safe, though!

• If your lifestyle permits such, a “reading retreat” can be a wonderful vacation! Even if you only “retreat” to your bedroom, the point is that it’s a weekend (or more!) that you block off from all other commitments, and curl up with the book(s) of your choice.

Q: Any study tips as we approach exam season? A lot of the productivity stuff is based on working life, but I can’t be the only student!

A: We’ve got you covered:

• Be passionate about your subject! We know of no greater study tip than that.

• Find a willing person and lecture them on your subject. When one teaches, two learn!

• Your mileage may vary depending on your subject, but, find a way of studying that’s fun to you!

• If you can get past papers, get as many as you can, and use those as your “last minute” studying in the week before your exam(s). This will prime you for answering exam-style questions (and leverage state-dependent memory). As a bonus, it'll also help ease any anxiety, because by the time of your exam it’ll be “same old, same old”!

Q: Energy drinks for biohacking, yea or nay?

A: This is definitely one of those “the dose makes the poison” things!

• Caffeine, in and of itself, can be healthy in moderation for most people.

• Taurine has assorted benefits at safe dosages:

  • Prevents age-dependent decline of cognitive functions

  • Can improve endurance

  • Positive effect on study attitude

  • May help against neurological disorders

• Other ingredients often have health benefits too.

But… The generally agreed safe dose of taurine is around 3g/day for most people; a standard Red Bull contains 1g.

That math would be simple, but… if you eat meat (including poultry or fish), that can also contain 10–950mg per 100g. For example, tuna is at the high end of that scale, with a standard 12oz (340g) tin already containing up to 3.23g of taurine!

And sweetened carbonated beverages in general have so many health issues that it’d take us a full article to cover them.

Short version? Enjoy in moderation if you must, but there are definitely better ways of getting the benefits they may offer.

Q: Best morning routine?

A: The best morning routine is whatever makes you feel most ready to take on your day!

This one’s going to vary a lot—one person's morning run could be another person's morning coffee and newspaper, for example.

In a nutshell, though, ask yourself these questions:

• How long does it take me to fully wake up in the morning, and what helps or hinders that?

• When I get out of bed, what do I really need before I can take on my day?

• If I could have the perfect morning, what would it look like?

• What can evening me do, to look after morning me’s best interests? (Semi-prepare breakfast ready? Lay out clothes ready? Running shoes? To-Do list?)

Q: I’m curious how much of these things you actually use yourselves, and are there any disagreements in the team? In a lot of places things can get pretty heated when it’s paleo vs vegan / health benefits of tea/coffee vs caffeine-abstainers / you need this much sleep vs rise and grinders, etc?

A: We are indeed genuinely enthusiastic about health and productivity, and that definitely includes our own! We may or may not all do everything, but between us, we probably have it all covered. As for disagreements, we’ve not done a survey, but if you take an evidence-based approach, any conflict will tend to be minimized. Plus, sometimes you can have the best of both!

• You could have a vegan paleo diet (you’d better love coconut if you do, though!

• There is decaffeinated coffee and tea (your taste may vary)

• You can get plenty of sleep and rise early (so long as an “early to bed, early to rise” schedule suits you!)

Have a question you’d like answered? Reply to this email, or use the feedback widget at the bottom! We always love to hear from you

👀 WATCH AND LEARN

What to do when you feel like doing nothing?

There's so much advice out there on how to be healthy, how to be productive, but... What should you do when you're unmotivated, burnt out, and unproductive?

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

The Life-Changing Manga Of Tidying Up - by Marie Kondo

Everyone knows the slogan “does this spark joy?”, but there’s a whole method to the magic that goes far beyond that. It spans all manner of things from the over-arching strategy of taking on a house-sized tidying project, to practical little tips like "store these things this way instead; now they're safe, tidy and accessible—and look good too!".

You may be wondering: why are we reviewing this book instead of the much more famous “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”?

It’s simple: here at 10almonds, we like things to be super simple and easy to digest.

This book is smaller, simpler, and more digestible than her more famous book, without sacrificing content. And you know what? We held it in our hands and it sparked joy 😎

Bottom line is: it’s useful, it’s beautiful, it will change your life (and your underwear drawer).

PS: this 10almonds team-member gifted a copy to her 12-year-old son. He implemented it the same day, unbidden. Magic indeed!

Spark Joy In Your House Today With This Wonderful Book!

Wishing you a joyous and productive day,

The 10almonds Team