Save Your Knees, Make Bread Healthier, "Task Zero", and more!

Wednesday is Q&A day, when we respond to subscriber questions and “things that aren’t quite questions but fit the bill anyway”—as always, we love to hear from you, and you can always hit reply at any time and a Real Human™ will read it! Alternatively, there’s a feedback widget at the bottom of the email 😎

❗️QUICK TIP!

Make this little adjustment, to not destroy your knees while driving:

A really simple small change that could be the difference between a knee replacement or not, years down the line! At the very least, it’ll help you avoid knee pain!

👀 TODAY’S QUICK TRICK FOR FOCUS

Task Zero

“Jonathan Frakes Asks You Things” Voice:

• Do you ever find yourself in a room and wonder what you’re doing there?

• Or set about a to-do list, but get quickly distracted by side-quests?

• Finally get through to a person in a call center, they ask how they can help, and your mind goes blank?

• Go to the supermarket and come out with six things, none of which were the one you came for?

This is a “working memory” thing and you’re not alone. There’s a trick that can help keep you on track more often than not:

Don’t try to overburden your working memory. It is very limited (this goes for everyone to a greater or lesser degree). Instead, hold only two tasks at once:

• Task zero (what you are doing right now)

• Task one (your next task)

When you’ve completed task zero, task one becomes the new task zero, and you can populate a new task one from your to-do list.

This way, you will always know what you’re doing right now, and what you’re doing next, and your focus will be so intent on task zero, that you will not get sidetracked by task seventeen!

Happy focusing 😎

Q&A With The 10almonds Team!

Q: We want to make my diet more plant-based, but vegan substitutes are so expensive, and we don’t want to live on beans, any tips for affordable plant-based protein?

A: A worthy endeavor! A lot will depend on where you live, but “one quick trick” is to use blended lentils or beans as a base for a sauce or soup. That way it doesn’t feel like you’re eating beans all the time! Also, if you don’t already, try using a nutrition tracker for a bit, and start noticing how much protein is in places you don’t expect it—it all adds up. Also, unless you have an allergy, nuts can be a great protein-dense snack and (again depending on location, as well as the kind of nuts) are often quite cheap. If you’re bodybuilding or otherwise need more protein than most people, there are a lot of plant-based protein powders around now—shop around for what’s cheapest!

Q: Will you do a piece on IF? There’s plenty of hype but it’d be great to have the science distilled, maybe for mythbusting day sometime?

A: There are a lot of different ways of going about Intermittent Fasting, but fortunately, there’s a lot of science around it too (and a lot of popular beliefs that may or may not be correct). Great suggestion!

Q: Best workout under 5 minutes?

A: Depends what your goal is! A yoga “sun salutation” can be great for general purpose strength, suppleness, and good health. Jumping jacks / star jumps and burpees are great for strength and cardiovascular fitness. Skipping is one of the best cardiovascular exercises there is, in terms of exercise per minute!

Q: A lot of popular productivity hacks just Do. Not. Work. with ADHD, any ADHD-specific methods you could share?

A: You raise a good point! We think the “task zero” tip above could help, but what works for one person with ADHD may not work for another. So, to try to answer as briefly as befits this Q&A session wouldn’t do it justice. Great idea for a future main feature though! Watch this space 😉

Q: I loved Psychology Sunday, really useful stuff! I hope it becomes a regular

A: Thank you! We received a lot of positive feedback on it, so you’ll definitely be seeing more!

In case you missed it: Click here to read our recent Psychology Sunday edition with an assortment of tools for your mental health toolbox!

Q: I want to eat healthier but I love bread, how to make bread healthier? I know it’s a hail mary but…?

A: Bread doesn’t have to be unhealthy! Whole grains are generally recognized as a good part of a healthy diet, so make it wholegrain bread, and watch the added sugar and salt content, and you’re probably good to go! Best yet, if you can, make your own bread, so you can choose all your own ingredients. If you’re pushed for time or don’t trust your skills as a baker, a bread machine can be a great investment.

🗣 REACH OUT

Have a question or comment? Reply to this email, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Triple Life Threat - by Donald R. Lyman

This book takes a similar approach to “How Not To Die” (which we featured previously), but focussed specifically on three things, per the title: chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (CPOD), diabetes (type 2), and Alzheimer’s disease.

Lyman strikes a great balance of being both information-dense and accessible; there’s a lot of reference material in here, and the reader is not assumed to have a lot of medical knowledge—but we’re not patronized either, and this is an informative manual, not a sensationalized scaremongering piece.

All in all… if you have known risk factors for one or more of three diseases this book covers, the information within could well be a lifesaver.

Get Your Copy Of “Triple Life Threat” On Amazon Today!

Wishing you a joyous day whether at work or at rest,

The 10almonds Team