#i’ve been in recovery for 10 years and i’m still finding things to unpack | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

unfortunatelyilikebnha · 4 years ago

Text

I say the sports festival arc is my favorite but in reality we all know that just means “‘it’s your quirk not his!’/‘it’s your power Todoroki!’ lives in my head rent free” I don’t even necessarily like the other parts that much.

I mean don’t get me wrong the other Midoriya-centric parts? Love those. Him strategizing his way to first place in the first round without ever using his quirk? So fucking cool I’m proud so proud of him. Him in the second round choosing his team, specifically picking some people and having some people come to him and then figuring out the most effective way to use all their skills (and Iida having his moment to shine on Todoroki’s team)?! Incredible thank you. Midoriya inspiring so many characters to do their best to beat him including Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki?! Amazing 10/10. Him fighting Shinsou and sympathizing with him but being unable to reveal he understood how he felt and the fact that what provoked Midoriya to get brainwashed wasn’t an insult about him but one about his classmate/friend? Super interesting (though how he broke out of Shinsou’s control was weird & kinda unsatisfying & confusing but whatever I wanted him to win sorry Shinsou)!!!

But like,,, if it’s not about Midoriya, chances are I didn’t like that part of the arc (and I swear this isn’t just me being a Midoriya stan, the parts that didn’t involve Midoriya were just generally disappointing to me) like,,, Midnight???? She’s “the R rated heroine”, who decided it was a good idea for her to work at a school for children? She made a comment that a student’s decision “turned her on” like wtf they’re 15 that’s nasty and illegal? Why can’t Horikoshi write female characters right wtf. I don’t have a problem with her being sexual but her being sexual in an environment with kids and especially towards the kids is gross af!! Even if her comments are just part of her hero persona (which is something I’ve seen people argue), that’s not acceptable in an environment where there are children and she needs to be replaced (also not relevant but her costume is ugly af and horikoshi apparently doesn’t know how boobs work).

The fact that class 1B actually had a really good plan and effectively used their teamwork skills was really cool but of course since they decided to go against Bakugou, they had to fail despite their extensive pre planning. Yes I know that Bakugou is really strong and super determined, but Monoma had figured out almost to the exact number how many students would make it to the next round and analyzed 1A’s quirks and specifically chose his team to be the most effective so I think it would be so interesting if they could’ve made it to the next round (and I’m not even saying Bakugou shouldn’t have made it to the next round, there’s four spots available. Could’ve had him run into Shinsou during the cavalry battle which I think would actually be super interesting considering how easily provoked he is, and if he won against Shinsou it would’ve been interesting to see him go against Monoma in the tournament, if he didn’t win against Shinsou he would’ve gotten the learning experience of actually losing and realizing he can’t just assume he’s better than everyone and can automatically beat them).

Also the Bakugou vs. Uraraka fight? She should’ve won. Bakugou had been using his quirk a LOT throughout the sports festival and he SUPPOSEDLY gets backlash on his hands when he uses his quirk too much. Uraraka was smart and had a solid strategy, one that nobody predicted, and she utilized a LOT of rubble, yet Bakugou, after using his quirk numerous times to explode her, was apparently able to summon a giant explosion which he seemingly received no backlash for at the time. It just doesn’t seem right, and I personally think it would’ve been much more interesting for Bakugou “I’m gonna win” Katsuki to suffer an actual loss & start to realize that he can’t just look down on everybody and assume he’s better than them. Also I hate that people use this fight to be like “omg feminist king Bakugou!” as if he didn’t 1) change his entire fighting strategy (mostly staying on the defensive, only exploding when Uraraka got near, letting her rush him vs. his usual charging at other people, explosions blazing) for his fight with Uraraka, something he didn’t do for any of his male opponents, and 2) assume Midoriya gave her her strategy, not that she was smart enough to come up with it herself.

While we’re talking about unsatisfying fights involving girls, the whole last part of the sports festival deserves a mention. Yeah Shiozaki and Ashido easily got through round one, but then they were pretty much immediately picked off after that so what’s the point? Shiozaki beat Kaminari easily, but then was pushed out of the ring by Iida (no hate to Iida, love him & he deserved his third place win, but it just seemed a bit too easy for him to beat an opponent who had almost effortlessly beaten Kaminari the round before). Ashido won against Aoyama, but similar to Shiozaki, Tokoyami beats her easily. Momo, who up to this point had been pretty confident and sure of herself and her abilities, and had been shown to be pretty adept at using her quirk and thinking on the spot, was suddenly overcome with self doubt and was beaten by Tokoyami in the first round in like 8 seconds like wtf. Mei, who it would’ve been interesting to see what she did if she advanced in the tournament, voluntarily stepped down in the first round because she was only interested in showing off her support items. I know the series isn’t focused on the girls but seriously none of them made it past the second round of the tournament (not to mention the fact that way fewer of them qualified for the third round than the boys)?

Since I’m talking about the girls in conjunction with the sports festival, I feel like I’ve got to briefly mention the cheerleading outfit scene, which I obviously hate for multiple reasons (m*neta being gross, kaminari going along with m*neta despite the fact that he’s actually FRIENDS with the girls and in doing so he is betraying their trust - I could write a whole separate post about kaminari and why he interests and frustrates me but in not gonna do that here cause this post is already too fucking long -, some of the girls being uncomfortable in the outfits, especially after realizing they’d been tricked, etc) but I feel like those r obvious problems so I’m not gonna spend time unpacking that cause it’ll just make me angry. Neways.

The Bakugou vs. Tokoyami fight was kinda disappointing in that he had been such a tough opponent for the girls but is easily defeated by Bakugou (and yeah I know it’s cause Bakugou’s quirk was a bad matchup for Tokoyami but how convenient it was that Bakugou’s quirk just HAPPENED to be Tokoyami’s one weakness (and how come Dark Shadow was that strong earlier, it was really bright out and he even fended off Bakugou, explosions and all? But I digress)).

In the Bakugou vs. Todoroki fight I don’t necessarily disagree with Bakugou winning since it made sense for Todoroki to use only half of his power bc you don’t magically get through trauma in a day (although tbh I think if Todoroki was completely on his game and not distracted trying to start processing the fact that his fire is his he could’ve won against Bakugou, fire or no fire, BECAUSE they’ve both been using their quirks all day, BUT while Bakugou’s quirk had a physical drawback that should’ve weakened him, aka the aforementioned joint pain or w/e - and reminder that Bakugou used his quirk a LOT in the first and second tests, as well as a LOT against Uraraka, and a LOT/for a long time against Kirishima and some against Dark Shadow, so even with resting periods in between matches, unless he got healed by recovery girl which I find unlikely both because I think he would’ve seen it as an insult implying he couldn’t win in his current state and because UA and recovery girl both have a concerning attitude towards healing children, his hands should be in a LOT of pain and he should be over his limit - whereas Todoroki, while also having used his quirk a lot, had the advantage that the drawbacks of his quirk cancel each other out, and even if he wasn’t using his fire DURING matches, he obviously used it some in between - for example, to melt sero out - so he doesn’t have lasting drawbacks in the same way that Bakugou does, AND he trained for 10 years with the number 2 hero, which while end//vor is an absolutely awful person he’s obviously good at fighting meanwhile Bakugou’s only “training” that we know of prior to UA was using his quirk to bully people and even if he HAD trained I don’t think his training would match end//vor’s training so yeah that was a really fucking long winded way of saying I think Todoroki would win if he wasn’t distracted) and it made sense for Bakugou to not think of his win as a win because Todoroki wasn’t trying his best (and had brought out his full power against MIDORIYA, who Bakugou hates).

That being said I obviously have problems with how Bakugou treated Todoroki cause like,,, what the fuck he overheard him telling Midoriya about his trauma and then was a complete and absolute dick about it. Granted Midoriya didn’t handle it quite right either, but he was mostly doing it to help Todoroki rather than prove himself by beating him (don’t get me wrong Midoriya absolutely wanted to win, but once he found out Todoroki’s story he deemed helping Todoroki was more important than winning whereas Bakugou’s first priority was obviously still proving himself) so I still don’t really like that fight (and another thing: it’s really hard to watch Bakugou be so aggressive towards Todoroki after he decides not to use his fire like ik he’s mad bc he thinks Todoroki insulted him by not trying his hardest but that’s uhh none of his fucking business he even fucking KNOWS why Todoroki has such hang ups about using his fire and still!! Registers it as an insult!! He’s smart he should be able to see that some of the reason Todoroki used fire against Midoriya is Midoriya fucking SURPRISED HIM. Even if the people in the stands/watching the broadcast couldn’t hear what they were saying - I don’t remember if they could or not - it should’ve been obvious that Midoriya said SOMETHING that impacted Todoroki enough to get him to use his fire. Bakugou’s approach of yelling at him about it obviously wasn’t gonna work like it worked for Midoriya because Todoroki had already been thrown off too much by Midoriya and hadn’t had time to process it, and nothing that Bakugou said to him was a new emotional revelation. Todoroki himself later states the reason he used the fire at all in the Midoriya fight was that he forgot all about end//vor) and anyways I think the final shoudve been Todoroki vs. Uraraka.

Finally, though I’m obviously not a Bakugou stan, the fact that they fucking muzzled and restrained him just so they could force him to accept a medal he didn’t want? That’s fucked up like I know UA does a really bad job of caring for its students but who thought that was a good idea. Who?!?! It’s probably pretty fucking traumatizing to be muzzled like an animal in front of a crowd of LITERALLY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE and have that played off as a joke, not to mention the fact that I seriously doubt being restrained is a good experience for him after the sludge villain. If he doesn’t want the medal he doesn’t want the damn medal, either give the gold to Todoroki and the silver and bronze to Iida and Tokoyami or just don’t hand out the gold medal your ceremony isn’t more important than the well-being of your students!

(Also while I’m talking about the well being of UA students uhh why the fuck did UA think HAVING the sports festival was a good idea in the first place? They hype it up so much that students are willing to seriously injure themselves over a fucking sporting event in the name of “plus ultra”, not to even mention the fact that it SHOWCASES THE QUIRKS AND BY DESIGN DISPLAYS THE WEAKNESSES OF THESE STUDENTS WHO ARE TRAINING TO BE HEROES WHICH IS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS JOB ON LIVE FUCKING TELEVISION SO THAT ANYONE COULD EXPLOIT THEM - something literally every other school takes advantage of at the provisional license exams! Like,, literally Who thought this was a good idea???)

In conclusion, I hate love hate the sports festival arc and the writing really annoys me

#this was supposed to be me love posting about ‘it’s your power Todoroki’ and midoriyas determination to help people no matter what #but it turned into me talking about how much I hate the rest of the sports festival like. how #i turned this so long wtf i am ANNOYING #bnha #I didn’t even go into the fact that ever since Todoroki’s backstory was revealed he keeps losing #and his trauma keeps getting framed as the REASON he’s losing so it seems like he’s getting punished for being traumatized or some shit #& like ofc everyone should lose at some point and obviously he’s had a lot of character development but uhh that seems not great #long post #in today’s episode of ‘long rambly posts from my drafts that nobody asked for but I’m gonna post anyways...’

4 notes · View notes

listoriented · 5 years ago

Text

The Cat Lady

cw: suicide, mental illness

The Cat Lady is a sidescrolling horror-adventure game. It contains: long sections of dialogue, item-based puzzles, jump scares, slow-moving character animations. It was released in 2012. It was made by Harvester Games, an independent studio from Poland. Apparently a sequel, Lorelai, was released earlier this year. Curiously, three out of the last five games now have been made by different Polish studios.

The protagonist/Cat Lady in question is Susan Ashworth. Susan is a forty-year-old woman who lives in an apartment, more or less fully alone aside from the occasional company of stray neighbourhood cats. Susan is suffering from severe depression — the game begins with her attempting suicide. She ends up in a limbo realm where the French-accented ‘Queen of Maggots’ tells her to go back to the living realm and kill five psychopaths (“parasites”). So she does, kind of, but the subsequent quest to do this is very mixed in with Susan’s own path to recovery.

The Cat Lady is a perplexing, frustrating, interesting patchwork mess of a game. I don’t know what I think of it. I don’t know whether to celebrate its relatively (to most other games) thoughtful depiction of mental illness or discuss how this is still overly enmeshed in problematic depictions of violence. I don’t know whether to commend the game’s partial unwinding of the lonely cat lady trope or to reflect on how it reaffirms this idea of depression as something that makes someone act like an arsehole to everyone around them.

The whole game is kind of like this. It uses surrealism and unreliable narration to imply discursive thinking into the altered states of perception produced by mental illness, but then it seems to narratively validate these altered states because the plot of the game involves murdering, and getting murdered by, serial killers and psychopaths. It has lots of overbearing, superfluous dialogue, mixed in with some genuinely thoughtful and insightful moments – which it then undercuts, again, with ridiculous violence. For example! The first time The Cat Lady made me think, oh, maybe this game is actually going to take this subject seriously, was in the second chapter when Susan talks to a psychiatrist and it gave you these dialogue options of, like, talking seriously about your past, yay, the game is making the implicative link between trauma and illness, maybe there is hope! And then….. and then the psychiatrist MURDERS YOU because he is A SERIAL KILLER.

And it’s just like. What?

I think, in a vacuum, this sort of tonal rollercoaster would be fine, if this was one game among many that explored different depictions of different kinds of experiences of mental illness – sure, that would be totally valid. The Cat Lady has one of the more interesting explorations of mental illness I’ve seen in games. But this is both a medium that is very prone to violence, and one in which mental illness has largely been tied with the motivations of evil boss characters, in much the same way that we often look for it as the motivation for crimes without necessarily trying to understand the social underpinnings that go into it. Video games have been more likely to stigmatise mental illness rather than engender understanding. Working with this background, continuing to tie violence to mental illness poses an associative problem that, through its spectral depiction of surrealism, it never really shakes itself of – it doesn’t work hard enough against the pre-existing tropes, basically. But that isn’t to say it’s wrong, only that I don’t know if it can be categorically declared ‘a success’. Like, sure, I get that maybe it’s meant to be read as allegory, or maybe we’re meant to appreciate that not knowing what is real is indeed one of the game’s core points about depicting mental illness – but then, the logical leaps it makes are so large, it frequently undermines so much of the sensitivity in its world-building. It’s hard to find much to hold onto, or know where to orient ourselves to parse what these depictions of these themes are saying.

It’s all over the place in so many ways. It starts poorly – the first two chapters are the weakest – but I liked it better the more I played of it. Some of puzzles are a little infuriating, though I ended up enjoying how they played out more often than not, particularly once I’d picked up the rhythm of the game’s thinking. The voice-acting is extensive though not always convincing. The penultimate chapter has a neat sleuthing layout that really slinks into a cool, elaborate whodunnit puzzle. After the chaos of the first two chapters, I liked the way the game built up through the middle, reorienting around depictions of Susan’s apartment and the warmness of the little moments like having coffee and a cigarette on the balcony. I appreciated the morose, mostly monochrome pallet with sparing and smart interjections of colour. I liked the way the art feels cut together, lo-fi but intricate. Some of the jump scares are pretty good.

It’s…I don’t know. I feel like I’ve mostly read positive things about it, but I can’t get totally on board, nor do I really have the time/energy to more coherently unpack why I think it doesn’t always deal with its heavy subject matter that well. Maybe it’s an angle thing. If you’re asking “does it have a good depiction of depression for a schlocky horror game?” then yes. But remove the genre requirement, then no. Everything is relative.

update 9/10/2019** Some people have already discussed The Cat Lady with regards to representing mental illness with a bit more clarity and nuance than I have. Sarah Stang (2018) at First Person Scholar discusses The Cat Lady alongside Fran Bow and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, acknowledging that while these depictions have shortcomings, they represent a comparative step forward for games:

The particular strength of all three games discussed above is that they feature female protagonists with mental illnesses and emphasize healing rather than curing. In Fran Bow and The Cat Lady, the clear message is that people with mental illnesses can help others and themselves, can overcome adversity and live with trauma, and can form meaningful relationships.

Stang links to a couple of other articles that give a reasonable background on the problematic relationship games have with mental illness. Sarah Nixon in 2013 gave a concise rendering of how horror games particularly tend to use and stigmatise mental illness. Aaron Souppouris (2015) looks at particular mechanics more extensively in discussion with a clinical psychologist.

I also liked Eric Swain’s short and sweet take in 2015 (from ~5 minutes in), on a critical distance confab postcast in discussion with Austin Walker in 2015. Swain described the game as Freudian studies “through a 2000s nu-metal aesthetic”, noting how interesting the game looked and also the nice balcony scenes, but mentioning that it was hard to know what the game’s creator wanted to say about certain sensitive topics. **

Duration: Eight hours.

When/Why: A few years ago I was friends with a guy named John. We were in a book club with a bunch of other ex-classmates from uni. John also liked playing Dota, during the period of my life where I, too, was on that horse. I played Dota with John and his friend a few times, and was shocked at how angry and rude he was in game, this everyday fairly polite and thoughtful guy. Anyway, at some point John mentioned or recommended The Cat Lady in the context of a discussion at book club, which is, I think, how I came to buy it in a steam sale in early 2015. I played it for a bit but found the physical slowness of the game too patience-testing at the time, given that at the time I was, as mentioned, addicted to the dopamine gambit of Dota. When I later mentioned this – my inability to get through the first chapter of the game he’d recommended - to John, he agreed that it was “a bad game”, further confusing me as to why it was brought up in the first place, and indeed I’m not sure if John has actually played it, seeing as it doesn’t come up as something that exists in his steam library, or at least, on the steam account of his that I’m friends with. So, that’s the long story as to how this game came to be here. But why else do you read this blog?

up next is Cat Quest

#game78 #the cat lady #harvester games #games of poland #games of 2012 #horror #depression games #adventure games #sidescroller

3 notes · View notes

dragonnan · 6 years ago

Text

Oh, I love these things!!!! Thank you for tagging me, @kitcat992!

1. At what age did you start writing fanfiction?

14 or 15. This was back in the 80s, mind, so we had only JUST got our first computer - this beast called an IMB Zeos Clone. Clunky, awkward, the only writing program was something along the lines of an ancient word processor. After working through the gauntlet of online dialup I was faced with this nebulous “web” hunt and peck through these various shoddy sites. HOW I discovered fanfic? You know, I honestly cannot remember. What I first remember reading was Star Wars and Star Trek. The very first thing I started writing was a novel length Star Wars adventure based heavily on the published novels and featuring a self-insert Mary Sue. Classic. Took me 5 years to complete and I never posted it (though I still have it on hard disc lol).

2. Who is your favorite author?

As others have stated, I have no single favorite. I adore the writings of my bestie, SydneyWoo, in the Psych fandom - though she hasn’t written in years. FAR too many to list, though, of other favorite Psych authors but you can find the list HERE. For the MCU, I adoooore @kitcat992, @yellowdistress, @silentsaebyeok, and @sumpetals as well as several others. For Sherlock one of my biggest faves is sgam76 - she is MAGIC the way she writes massive stories that heavily feature the contentious/caring relationship between Mycroft and Sherlock and she fleshes out that world like no other. (plus her whump is decadent!!!). Another Sherlock fave is @mizjoely - her Sherlock/Molly fics are meltingly glorious and pound the romance button hard!

3. Favorite type of scene to write?

That oppressive anxiety-laden moment leading up to horror. When the character is just coming to realize how bad their circumstances are about to become yet also knowing there is no escape.

4. What is your favorite fanfic?

Holy hell, well again, this isn’t possibly a single answer as I have different fics I adore in different fandoms (and MANY besides!)! I’ll do my best not to make this too long!!

Okay, so, Sherlock is maybe the easiest.

Scheherezade by sgam76 Redemption by sgam76 Lost for Words by awanderingbard

MCU:

Identity Theft by KitCat992 A Sailor Went to Sea by YellowDistress youth by sumpetals (warning: reference noncon)

Psych (sorry, this one is looooong!):

I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye by Psychrulz And Then The World Blew Up by SydneyWoo Lingering Chill by s_c An Almost World by Oldach Dreaming A Whisper to the Living by Xparrot Fractures by VampKira Love Lasts Forever, but Sanity Has a Shelf Life by Redwolffclaw The Spencers of Santa Barbara: The Curse of Benitoite by JR88fan Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill by JR88fan A Funny Thing Happened On the Way Into Hell by Am_I_Zombie Hard To Believe It Will Be Okay by silverluna Happy Halloween by NoirCat Father Figures by Kirei Fathers and Sons Felonious and Otherwise by Okapi Statement Time by NoirCat

5. What tags do you avoid like the plague?

I really hate deathfic (yet DO have a few I’ve read but they were exceptions). Save for Sherlolly (Sherlock/Molly) I pretty much avoid romance geared fic - especially non-canon pairings.

I WILL NEVER READ CANON COMPLIANT ENDGAME FIC. FULL STOP.

If the fic lists Morgan Stark among the characters I will swipe left.

If the fic lists Starker I will light my computer on fire.

I rarely read au fic of any sort - I like my characters to be who they are with very few exceptions.

I don’t really care for crackfic.

I almost never read fic shorter than 1,000 words.

6. What AU do you wish to write but feel like you won’t manage?

I currently AM writing an Endgame au - though not the actual events so much as referencing an alternate history. This is a massive undertaking and will like take until the end of time to complete.

7. Do you outline, or write as you go?

Pretty much develop the story as I go. I tend to have a broad sense of the story in my mind but mostly it’s an organic process that I build on as I go - adding tons of notes after every chapter.

8. What has been your favorite story to write so far? Why?

Oh, gosh... Well, for Psych, it’s Where There is Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth; a cannibal/horror adventure that took me about 7 years to finish. I love it because my favorite thing about writing Psych is to insert what we’ll NEVER see in that franchise - like cannibalism lol! Ok, yeah, they did that zombie episode but STILL it was just a dream so... Anyhow, this fic was actually inspired by a dream my friend, SydneyWoo, had. The research was straight up nauseating, not gonna lie. However, I loved writing such a deviant character and it’s easily the worst whump I’ve ever inflicted on Shawn.

For MCU it’s Simple Math; a Tony-centric introspective piece and the first story I every wrote for that fandom. This story tries to unpack Tony’s feelings following Obie’s betrayal - something I’ve yet to find in fanfic that delves into it to my satisfaction. While a one-shot it is 100% about Tony trying to figure out why Obie hated him. There is very much a child-like confusion and loss to his emotions as I feel that has to be the greatest hurt caused by someone he’d thought was a friend (prior to Civil War). Plus I had so many questions, myself, and wanted to work through them through Tony’s mind.

For Sherlock, it’s the in-progress story, The Tiger and the Shark, a non-con whump/PTSD fic that, again, is the first fic I’ve ever written for this fandom. Yet another fic dealing with a subject that other fics of this sort never satisfy with their handling. Too often they are either too short or too graphic or may be well written but tend to move too fast towards recovery. I wanted to explore the day to day details. Some days are good, more days are bad - or numb - or frantic. I wanted to see how other characters reacted - my favorite being Mycroft (criminally underused in fandom). This story spans over a year (so far) so I don’t cut corners on the trauma. It is 95% comfort and getting into Sherlock’s head, as he copes, has easily been, by turns, a wonderful as well as heart-wrenching experience.

9. Do you prefer to write one-shots or multi-chapters? Why?

I try to write one-shots but always end up going multi-chapter. I admit I LOVE multi-chapter because it allows me to truly develop the story properly and dig into character trauma.

10. What is your favorite kind of comment?

Like everyone else has said, it’s any comment that goes deep into analyzing my story. I LOVE the opportunity to engage with a commentator and the more involved the comment, the easier it is to interact.

11. Why did you start writing fanfiction? Why are you still writing?

Even as a tiny childling I loved telling stories. I was always writing little books about animals - sorta like the Serendipity tales. How that suddenly turned towards fanfic I honestly can’t remember. Most likely born from discovering fanfic and realizing there were things I wanted to see that wasn’t being provided by the shows and movies I watched aka whump.

I continue to write fanfic because, the more I develop as a writer the more passionate I feel about my craft. Sites like AO3 are hugely encouraging towards that end as there is a whole community of writers with which I’m honored to interact who keep feeding my love of story telling. And since the fandoms I love, sadly, continue to disappoint with their stupid ass decisions I feel burdened with glorious purpose to put right what they made wrong.

ALRIGHT HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS

Haha! Psych! It’s the same questions! I actually like them so I ain’t changing anything xD

Okay, damn.... So I need to tag ya’ll people. Alrighty, here I go! @disappearinginq @mizjoely @sumpetals @aelaer @iron--spider @yellowdistress @villaniouslyawesome

#prompts #fanfic

4 notes · View notes

kingsterracerp-blog · 8 years ago

Photo

Thank you for applying, TAYLA. You have been accepted as IVY PORTER. Just don’t forget to check out our CHECKLIST and send in your account within 24 HOURS. If you have any questions then let us know!

OUT OF CHARACTER.

NAME: tayla AGE: 22 TIMEZONE: aus ACTIVITY LEVEL: 6.5/10, i have a job and a 4 year old daughter but still manage to be online several times a day PRONOUNS: she/her SHIPS: /chem ANTI-SHIPS: /forced TRIGGERS: Removed. PASSWORD: Removed. ANYTHING ELSE: Removed.

IN CHARACTER.

DESIRED CHARACTER: Ivy Grace Porter. NICKNAMES: Ive, Grace, Gracie AGE/BIRTH ORDER: 21, youngest twin FACECLAIM: Madelaine Petsch GENDER IDENTITY/PRONOUNS: female, she/her SEXUAL/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: pansexual / panromantic HOMETOWN: Santa Monica OCCUPATION/EDUCATION: First year of university for a degree in nursing, works part time at a local gym as a cleaner.

(MORE) IN CHARACTER.

POSITIVES: loyal, optimistic, kind. NEGATIVES: naive, sensitive, jealous.

@porterivy: studying nursing has made me a lot more tolerant of other peoples sweat. @porterivy: or i’ve just gotten used to sweaty towels being thrown in my face. hard to tell @porterivy: it’s perfectly acceptable to have 7 coffees in one day right? anyone?

BIOGRAPHY.

** RAPE, SUICIDE ATTEMPT **

Ivy was born into an upper-middle class family, not quite rich but pretty far from being considered poor. She was born the youngest and only daughter of Jen and Milo Porter, a well respected power couple in the community - Jen was a successful real estate agent and Milo owned his own law firm. On the outside looking in, they were the perfect family but if you looked close enough you’d be able to see the cracks that laced this family tree.

Growing up Ivy and her elder brother never went without, they had a roof over their heads and food on the table. She had a great relationship with both her mother and father but leaned more towards being a daddy’s girl. From the age of 16 she began working for fathers law firm as a secretary, which meant being surrounded by very successful men and women for large portions of the day which Ivy found so inspiring. At the tender age of 17, her father was 7 months into an affair with one of his coworkers Halle. When Halle’s husband found out about the affair he saw it as an opportunity, and propositioned Milo with an arrangement - he’d keep quiet if he could get his hands on Milo’s little girl - an arrangement the girls father originally protested, he was disgusted with himself but he couldn’t risk the word of the affair getting back to his wife so he reluctantly agreed.

Ivy was raped 4 times before she built up the courage to tell someone about it, being a daddy’s girl meant her father was the 1 person in the world she trusted above anyone else and because of this, he was the one she came to with a terrible tale of a teens innocence being stolen by someone she once trusted - someone her father trusted. Or so she thought. Milo broke down, confessing the affair, the agreement - everything to his youngest child. A weight too heavy for her to bear and in that moment she decided she couldn’t take any more - her most trusted person in the world had betrayed her in the most disturbing way, to cover his own ass.

Ivy tried to take her own life that night, at the mere age of 17 she penned a note, tied a noose and wrapped it around her neck hoping the pain would die along with her. The next thing she knew, she was awoken in a hospital bed, beside her was her mother, brother and a young nurse who had been following her recovery closely. A nurse who helped Ivy in every sense of the word. She helped her to see a reason for living, a reason that had gotten lost along the way - helping people. Those next few weeks gave Ivy everything she needed to keep on fighting. She knew then what she wanted out of life - to help save as many people as she could.

In the years following the attempt on her own life, she had little to no contact with her father, he skipped town shortly after the scandal broke - he couldn’t handle the stares and whispers.

On their 21st birthday her brother bought them both a one-way ticket to Boston - a fresh start for the girl and the boy who saved her life, he was the one that found her and commenced CPR, her brother was the reason her suicide was only an attempt. Ivy still has days where her past trauma gets the better of her, but she’s taking things one day at a time. Studying nursing is everything she ever dreamed it to be and so much more.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH? HOW DOES IT COME IN HANDY?

My greatest strength would have to be my willingness to go above and beyond for another person, whether it be a complete stranger or my big brother, I just love helping people.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS? HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE?

I get attached to people very easily which I definitely see as a weakness. Being a student nurse, it’s something you really need to be careful of - you need to learn to detach yourself from people and not form connections which I really struggle with on a daily basis but I’m working on it.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN TEN YEARS?

Working alongside some of the most inspiring and hardworking doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO KING’S TERRACE?

I didn’t have much of a choice in all honesty - my brother booked us plane tickets and the next thing I knew I was unpacking my life into a new apartment. I’m so grateful, I needed a change of scenery and the education programs here are amazing.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Just keep breathing, keep pushing, you’re going to find yourself and you’re going to do amazing things.

#porter #ivy porter #accepted

1 note · View note

lauramalchowblog · 5 years ago

Text

When Is The Best Time to Eat Carbs?

Beyond the great debate about how many carbs we should be eating, there is another question you might be wondering about: When is the best time of day to eat carbs?

Today we’re going to dig into the data and see if we can get some answers. Before we do, though, I want to make something clear. The types and amounts of food you are eating are much more important than nutrient timing when it comes to health, body composition, and even athletic performance.

Before worrying about nutrient timing, you should:

Eliminate the “big three”—grains, excess sugars, and offensive vegetable and seed oils

Consume an appropriate amount of food for your goals and activity level—neither too much nor too little

Ensure that you are getting enough micronutrients via diverse, nutrient-dense foods, plus supplementation when necessary

I’d also say that macronutrients—the relative amounts of carbs, protein, and fat you’re eating—comes before nutrient timing in the hierarchy of “likely to matter.” A Keto Reset is probably going to impact your health and body composition more than changing the timing of your carb intake.

Still, I know many of you are self-experimenters and optimizers. You like to explore ways to squeeze a little more “edge” out of your diet and lifestyle. For some of you, nutrient timing might be the key to resolving a nagging issue that hasn’t been fixed by diet and lifestyle changes. If this is something you’re curious about, read on.

The Best Time to Eat Carbs: Why Would Carb Timing Matter?

The growing field of “chrononutrition” investigates how food timing affects overall health. I’m sure you know that many bodily systems operate according to biological clocks. Sleep, immune system activity, and body temperature are all governed by circadian (~24-hour) clocks, for example. Disruption to our normal biological clocks negatively impacts health.

Metabolism operates according to circadian rhythms, too. On a basic level, we are meant to sleep when it’s dark, move and eat when it’s light. Insulin sensitivity and beta cell activity (the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin) are highest in the morning. Research shows that glucose tolerance—the body’s ability to clear glucose from the bloodstream after a meal—goes down if your sleep is poor or under conditions of circadian misalignment. There also seems to be a link between eating later at night, weight gain, impaired fat oxidation, and other negative health outcomes.

Taken together, this has led some researchers to suggest that we should eat most of our food earlier in the day to entrain, or align, our circadian rhythms. Doing so, they argue, could improve glycemic control (glucose regulation) and insulin sensitivity. It might also regulate appetite hormones and cortisol, and have downstream effects on body composition.

Carb Timing for Glycemic Control and Insulin Sensitivity

A number of studies seem to suggest that eating later is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and/or insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, both may be improved with early time restricted feeding (eTRF). This is where you eat in a compressed window, say 8 or 10 hours, and that window is shifted toward the morning. A typical eTRF schedule might entail eating all one’s food between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Most of these studies focus on food timing generally, not nutrient timing per se. For example, in this study, men with type 2 diabetes ate all their calories in a 9-hour window. In one phase, they ate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (eTRF). In the other, they ate from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Both schedules improved glucose tolerance, but only eTRF decreased fasting glucose.

A handful of studies do specifically look at carb timing:

Healthy volunteers kept three-day food diaries. Those who ate relatively more of their food, and more carbs specifically, in the morning were also more insulin sensitive than late eaters. (Eating more fat in the evening was also correlated with poorer insulin sensitivity. It’s not clear how much these effects were driven by total caloric intake.)

In another interesting study, researchers assigned men to eat two different diets for four weeks. They either ate most of their carbs before 1:30 p.m. and most of their fat after, or vice versa, in a cross-over design. For men who started out normal glucose control, carb timing didn’t matter. However, among men with high fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance, eating carbs at night led to unfavorable changes on several makers of glucose tolerance.

In contrast, in this study, men followed a hypocaloric diet for eight weeks. Participants who were assigned to eat most of their carbs at lunch instead of dinner ended up with higher fasting glucose and insulin, and poorer insulin resistance.

Does type of carb matter?

Maybe. Researchers compared low-GI (glycemic index) and high-GI meals with most of the calories loaded into either the morning or the evening. Participants had the highest postprandial glucose (glucose after a meal) and insulin in the high-GI + evening eating condition. It didn’t matter when participants ate low-GI carbs. (Participants also consumed 302 grams of carbohydrate per day. Diets consisted of bran cereal, low-fat fruit yogurt, “fruit loaf,” and a Mars bar, among other things. It’s not clear exactly how these findings apply to Primal eaters.)

Conclusion: More research is needed in this area, but the available evidence points to morning carb consumption being favorable for glycemic control, perhaps especially among people who already struggle in this area.

Carb timing for athletes

As you know, I’m a big fan of athletes using fat for fuel. It’s an efficient, cleaner burning, more abundant source of energy. Once you become fat-adapted, it’s amazing what you can do as a fat-burner. As I detail in Primal Endurance, low-carb and keto diets work tremendously well for endurance athletes and even for hard-core strength athletes.

That said, there is no denying the ergogenic effect of carbs – carbs’ effect on stamina, physical performance and recovery. When you’re fat-adapted and running mainly on fat (and maybe ketones), adding some carbs to the mix can be like rocket fuel. I’m a fan of the “train low, race high” strategy for endurance athletes. Conduct most of your training using a low-carb approach, but add carbs strategically for your highest-intensity training sessions and races. You don’t need a lot, maybe 60-100 grams per hour.

Targeted Carbs: Should You Eat Carbs Before a Workout?

One strategy I’ve talked about before is targeting your carb intake around workouts. There are two rationales here. One is the aforementioned ergogenic effect — giving your workouts a boost. The second is that when you exercise, a glucose transporter in muscle cells called GLUT4 moves to the surface of the cell. This facilitates the transport of glucose into the cells without insulin.

Intense exercise also depletes glycogen, so there is a window after exercise in which ingested carbs are more likely to go to replenish glycogen. This is what I mean when I talk about the “glycogen suitcases being open” after exercise.

Thus, it makes sense to time your carb intake around exercise, especially hard and/or long bouts. In the keto world, this strategy is called “targeted keto.” The same principle applies for low-carb-but-not-keto folks. It’s not because you need the carbs for workouts—most of us do just fine without any special carb loading—but that’s when the body is most ready to use or store them.

Does Eating Carbs in the Evening Help You Build Muscle?

In the world of muscle gains, there are a handful of approaches that involve backloading carbs into the evening following a workout. Bill Lagakos does an excellent job unpacking them in a two part blog series here and here. Briefly, the logic behind carb backloading is that you don’t want to eat carbs when you’re more insulin sensitive in the morning because they’ll get stored as fat (oversimplifying here). Instead, wait until later in the day when insulin sensitivity decreases, then use exercise to push carbs into muscle instead of fat.

There’s no real evidence that this works, beyond anecdotal evidence from people who enjoy eating carbs at night. If you have body fat to lose, I think the evidence favors shifting calories and carbs toward the morning.

For the average person looking to gain strength and functional fitness, carb timing is not a great concern. For fitness competitors or people trying to push their physical limits, it might start to matter.

If you’re looking to gain lean muscle, you might find that ingesting a small amount of carbohydrate—25 to 30 grams—before hitting the gym can be beneficial. Contrary to popular belief, however, post-workout carbs do not seem to enhance muscle synthesis or recovery to a meaningful degree, especially not when protein needs are covered.

Bottom line: Carb timing isn’t important for muscle building except maybe for elite competitors and high-performers.

Timing Carbs for Weight Loss: What Does the Science Say?

In recent years, some people have claimed that eating carbs at night actually supports weight loss. In fact, this is one of the rationales offered for the aforementioned carb backloading. However, the studies they typically cite as evidence for this assertion have methodological problems that I can’t overlook.

Those studies are also at odds with a larger number of studies linking weight loss to eating more of your calories earlier in the day. Mechanistically, eating late delays the onset of the overnight fast, interfering with fat-burning and potentially with switching on ketosis. Eating later can also be associated with eating more, period.

Unfortunately for the purposes of this post, studies that look at meal timing and weight loss don’t examine nutrient timing, with one exception. In this study, researchers compared two diets, one prioritizing carbs at lunch and protein at dinner, and the other vice versa. Participants lost equal amounts of fat on each, but the group who ate most of their carbs at dinner also lost more lean tissue—not what you want! (This was also the study that showed poorer glycemic control with lunchtime carbs, in contrast to most other studies.)

Bottom line: When it comes to weight loss, there’s not enough data to convince me that carb timing seems very important.

Carbs Before Bed and Sleep Quality

Theoretically, carb intake at night could positively affect sleep by increasing tryptophan production, which is a precursor of serotonin, which in turn promotes sleep. It makes sense. No empirical research directly supports this hypothesis, though. Still, experts recommend you try adding some carbs at night if you’re struggling with sleep, especially on a low-carb diet.

There are plenty of studies looking at the relationship between macronutrients and sleep. However, they look at dietary composition as a whole, not nutrient timing. A single small study found that eating a high-GI meal four hours before bed improved sleep onset, compared to a lower-GI meal, and also compared to eating that same high-GI meal eaten one hour before bed. That’s all we have data-wise, besides anecdotes.

Conclusion: Anecdotal evidence aside, there’s no proof that timing carbs at night help your sleep. It probably doesn’t hurt to try.

So Where Does This Leave Us?

Well first, it leaves us asking for more studies that systematically investigate carb timing. I specifically want to see more studies looking at carb timing in a low-carb population. As usual, the studies I cited here involved a standard high-carb paradigm. If you read the reports and see what researchers are feeding their participants… well, let’s just say you Primal folks wouldn’t volunteer for these studies.

This always leaves me wondering how well any of these findings apply to us fat-adapted folks. We can’t know for sure.

Let’s summarize the findings we have, though. First, for entraining your circadian rhythm, improving glycemic control, and losing weight, the available data altogether point to the benefits of eating more of your carbs earlier in the day.

You might wonder how this fits with intermittent fasting. First of all, I.F., doesn’t have to mean skipping breakfast. Many people skip breakfast largely out of convenience. If it works for you, great. Nothing I’ve said suggests that it’s bad for you. That said, if you’re still struggling with glucose tolerance, or you have a few stubborn pounds of body fat you’d like to lose, loading more of your calories and carbs earlier in the day seems to be a worthwhile experiment, as I’ve said before.

It makes sense to target carbs around exercise, but it’s generally not necessary for athletic performance. Most weekend warriors can get by just fine without any special carb timing strategy. People looking to gain muscle may want to ingest a small amount of pre-workout carbs, and endurance athletes should be open to using carbs around heavy training and races. I still think becoming fat-adapted should be every athlete’s first priority.

Finally, maybe experiment with some extra nighttime carbs if you’re a low-carb eater whose sleep is suffering.

But Don’t Sweat It

Nothing I’ve seen suggests that carb timing is more important than the amount and quality of food you eat. Once you dial in those higher-priority goals, by all means go ahead and try being more intentional about your carb timing if you want.

It might make a difference if you’re at the top of your performance game looking to squeeze out a few more drops, or if you have lingering health issues. Otherwise, I’d consider it just another variable you can experiment with if you want, but don’t sweat it if you have bigger things to worry about.

More related posts from Mark’s Daily Apple

Dear Mark: Glycogen Should You Sleep-Low to Boost Performance?

(function($) { $("#dfLBgv4").load("https://www.marksdailyapple.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=dfads_ajax_load_ads&groups=674&limit=1&orderby=random&order=ASC&container_id=&container_html=none&container_class=&ad_html=div&ad_class=&callback_function=&return_javascript=0&_block_id=dfLBgv4" ); })( jQuery );

Additional references

Challet, E. (2019). The circadian regulation of food intake. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 15(7), 393–405.

Oda, H. (2015). Chrononutrition. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 61 Suppl, S92-94.

Oike, H., Oishi, K., & Kobori, M. (2014). Nutrients, Clock Genes, and Chrononutrition. Current Nutrition Reports, 3(3), 204–212.

Qian, J., Dalla Man, C., Morris, C. J., Cobelli, C., & Scheer, F. A. J. L. (2018). Differential effects of the circadian system and circadian misalignment on insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion in humans. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 20(10), 2481–2485.

Wefers, J., van Moorsel, D., Hansen, J., Connell, N. J., Havekes, B., Hoeks, J., van Marken Lichtenbelt, W. D., Duez, H., Phielix, E., Kalsbeek, A., Boekschoten, M. V., Hooiveld, G. J., Hesselink, M. K. C., Kersten, S., Staels, B., Scheer, F. A. J. L., & Schrauwen, P. (2018). Circadian misalignment induces fatty acid metabolism gene profiles and compromises insulin sensitivity in human skeletal muscle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(30), 7789–7794.

Zilberter, T., & Zilberter, E. Y. (2014). Breakfast: To Skip or Not to Skip? Frontiers in Public Health, 2. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00059/full.

The post When Is The Best Time to Eat Carbs? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

When Is The Best Time to Eat Carbs? published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

0 notes

jesseneufeld · 5 years ago

Text

When Is The Best Time to Eat Carbs?

Beyond the great debate about how many carbs we should be eating, there is another question you might be wondering about: When is the best time of day to eat carbs?

Before worrying about nutrient timing, you should:

Eliminate the “big three”—grains, excess sugars, and offensive vegetable and seed oils

Consume an appropriate amount of food for your goals and activity level—neither too much nor too little

Ensure that you are getting enough micronutrients via diverse, nutrient-dense foods, plus supplementation when necessary

The Best Time to Eat Carbs: Why Would Carb Timing Matter?

Carb Timing for Glycemic Control and Insulin Sensitivity

A handful of studies do specifically look at carb timing:

Does type of carb matter?

Carb timing for athletes

Targeted Carbs: Should You Eat Carbs Before a Workout?

Does Eating Carbs in the Evening Help You Build Muscle?

Bottom line: Carb timing isn’t important for muscle building except maybe for elite competitors and high-performers.

Timing Carbs for Weight Loss: What Does the Science Say?

Bottom line: When it comes to weight loss, there’s not enough data to convince me that carb timing seems very important.

Carbs Before Bed and Sleep Quality

Conclusion: Anecdotal evidence aside, there’s no proof that timing carbs at night help your sleep. It probably doesn’t hurt to try.

So Where Does This Leave Us?

This always leaves me wondering how well any of these findings apply to us fat-adapted folks. We can’t know for sure.

Finally, maybe experiment with some extra nighttime carbs if you’re a low-carb eater whose sleep is suffering.

But Don’t Sweat It

More related posts from Mark’s Daily Apple

Dear Mark: Glycogen Should You Sleep-Low to Boost Performance?

Additional references

Challet, E. (2019). The circadian regulation of food intake. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 15(7), 393–405.

Oda, H. (2015). Chrononutrition. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 61 Suppl, S92-94.

Oike, H., Oishi, K., & Kobori, M. (2014). Nutrients, Clock Genes, and Chrononutrition. Current Nutrition Reports, 3(3), 204–212.

Zilberter, T., & Zilberter, E. Y. (2014). Breakfast: To Skip or Not to Skip? Frontiers in Public Health, 2. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00059/full.

The post When Is The Best Time to Eat Carbs? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

When Is The Best Time to Eat Carbs? published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

0 notes

preciousmetals0 · 5 years ago

Text

Divining Dow Headlines; Bob’s Your Uncle at Disney

Divining Dow Headlines; Bob’s Your Uncle at Disney:

Getting Sentimental on the Dow

Ever have one of those mornings when you read headlines from the major financial publications … and you nearly spit your coffee all over?

I had one of those this morning. I watched as the headlines trended from “Dow Rallies 250 Points in Recovery Rally” to “Dow Rallies 200 Points” … to “Dow Up 100 Points” … then back to “Dow Rallies 350 Points”…

You get the picture.

When it comes to spit takes, there’s nothing like Dow headlines following a market rout. (I don’t know why I find this funny. I know I’m not right in the head. It’s why you like me … right?)

Now, I’m not one of those fervent Dow watchers — at least where the economy’s concerned. The Dow has long been disconnected from the actual U.S. economy. No, I view the world’s most-tracked market average as more of a sentiment indicator.

I follow the Dow for the same reason I follow the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) — as an indicator of market fear or market complacency. The more the Dow appears in financial headlines, the more I know that market sentiment is shifting.

With the financial media reporting on every 50-point move in the Dow this morning, I know that fear has returned to the market in a big way. Recent VIX activity confirms this, as the “fear index” is up roughly 48% since Friday’s close.

That’s a considerable jump, and it may lead you to conclude that the COVID-19 outbreak is now priced into the market. I’m not convinced that’s true.

For instance, the Federal Reserve doesn’t seem to be taking COVID-19 very seriously. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester recently said that she has priced the virus into her forecasting model, but still projects “healthy consumption growth” and a “pickup in investment spending.”

Investment spending with this much uncertainty? Have you met U.S. businesses?!

Elsewhere, Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said that it was “too soon to even speculate” about the virus’s impact. He said this to the National Association for Business Economics … right after speculating that the virus would considerably impact China’s first-quarter economic growth.

The Takeaway:

So, it’s too soon to speculate, but you’re still speculating … and that speculation isn’t good.

Let’s put that speculation in perspective.

Remember the SARS outbreak? When it hit China back in 2003, the Chinese economy only accounted for about 4% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The country was a blip on the radar back then.

However, the Chinese economy now accounts for close to 19% of global GDP. China’s economy was basically shut down due to COVID-19, and it’s still struggling to fully come back online. That’s pretty far from a blip. That’s a considerable impact on the global economy.

I’m all for “Rah-rah, go U.S. economy!” After all, we have the lowest unemployment rate in decades, consumer spending is strong, the housing market is on fire … but the Fed needs to take notice of what’s going on outside of U.S. borders.

The COVID-19 situation will take the shine off this rosy U.S. economy. The coronavirus correction isn’t over, and somebody needs to tell it like it is.

If that “somebody” is Great Stuff and not the Fed … so be it.

Good: To the Maxx

I’m starting to think that the “retail apocalypse” isn’t real … or, at least, it’s not quite the narrative we’ve been sold. I mean, sure, you have your struggling companies like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBY). But then you have retailers like TJX Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TJX).

TJX runs T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores, and the company is killing it right now. The retailer reported that fourth-quarter earnings spiked 19.1% year over year to $0.81 per share, as revenue rose 9.9% to $12.2 billion. Both figures easily beat Wall Street’s targets.

Furthermore, TJX said that same-store sales grew 6% on the quarter, nearly doubling the consensus estimate for 3.1% growth.

But wait … there’s more! The company also announced plans to hike its dividend 13% and repurchase $1.75 billion to $2.25 billion in stock.

That said, TJX was cautious in its outlook, but nowhere near as negative as other retailers. The company’s first-quarter and full-year guidance puts the top of those earnings ranges about $0.02 per share below Wall Street’s views. Not too shabby considering COVID-19 fears.

Better: What About Bobs?

It’s the circle of life. Bob Iger is now officially the former CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

Last night, Iger suddenly announced his departure from Disney after leading the company for 15 years. “We’re not concerned at all about creating any confusion,” Iger told a confused Wall Street. But it’s not like investors didn’t see this one coming.

At last year’s investor day meeting, Iger told attendees: “2021 will be the time for me to finally step down.”

It seems that Bob moved his time frame up just a bit — after repeatedly moving it back in years prior. Still, Iger leaves behind a considerable legacy, including the acquisitions of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Hulu, as well as the Disney+ launch.

So, who’s replacing Bob? Well, Bob, of course.

Stepping in to fill Iger’s rather large shoes is Bob Chapek, the former head of Disney’s theme park business. Chapek bills himself as a direct-to-consumer kind of guy: “Everything I’ve done in my career has been about the consumer. … Parks are about as direct-to-consumer as you can get.”

While DIS investors are understandably nervous about Bob replacing Bob, Disney is in such a solid market position that it’d be difficult to mess things up at this point. And clearly, the new Bob understands Disney’s consumers very well. During the past three years, Chapek has helped push Disney’s annual park revenue growth above 10%, after it lingered in the single digits for years.

In other words, the Iger dip in DIS shares looks like a bullish opportunity. Buy DIS, and Bob’s your uncle.

Best: A Force to Be Reckoned With

There’s a lot to unpack with Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) today, so you might want to sit down for this.

First, the company posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Earnings, revenue and order backlogs all exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.

But spending also topped the consensus expectation, with 14% of revenue going to research and development. Investors reacted negatively to this fact. It’s like they don’t realize that Salesforce.com is investing in itself to catch up with the Microsoft Corp.s (Nasdaq: MSFT) and the Oracle Corp.s (NYSE: ORCL) of the world.

Second, co-CEO Keith Block announced that he’ll step down. Block is staying on as an adviser for CEO Marc Benioff, so this news isn’t all that big of a deal for CRM investors. Still, news of CEOs departing is typically a bearish driver for stocks.

Third, Salesforce announced that it’s buying industry cloud mobile software company Vlocity Inc. for $1.33 billion. Vlocity strengthens Salesforce.com’s presence in the cloud mobile market. And, according to Ray Wang of Constellation Research: “It keeps Google from buying them and could generate $10 billion in additional industries revenue growth.”

So, we have heavy spending, a retiring CEO and an acquisition all in one day for Salesforce.com. However, CRM shares only lost about 2%, so more than a few investors see the value in the company’s heavy spending on growth. If you haven’t already, CRM is worth looking into.

I knew that I was right! Great Stuff readers are some brave souls. Last week, we asked you how you felt about options trading. 41% of you want to know more about options, and 40% of you want options trades now!

I hear you loud and clear! For those who want more options, I have a bit of a treat coming for you next week. Starting Wednesday, March 4, we’re giving you three days of Options 101 … Great Stuff style.

We’ll round out on Friday with one of our favorite options strategies … and maybe we’ll even sneak in a trade idea! (Market willing…) So, be sure to tune in!

Now, on to today’s poll of the week:

Great Stuff: Your Bloodbath Bath Bomb

Are you enjoying this week’s bloodbath? I’m relaxing in mine with a lavender-and-lemon bath bomb.

I joke, but I’m sure it’s been painful for your portfolio. Sometimes the laughter is all that keeps us going. Just remember: It’s not the end of the world.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, a video featuring experts Jeff Yastine and Ian King caught my attention this week: “Coronavirus Hits South Korea, Italy — Fearless Investors Will Prosper.”

[embedded content]

If you haven’t watched it yet, I won’t spoil the ending for you! (I won’t lie, it’s a tear-jerker.)

Needless to say, Ian King’s optimistic perspective was contagious. He’s always thinking about innovation, change and what the world will look like 10 years down the line.

Much of these trends rely on now-weakened supply chains in China and South Korea … but this virus isn’t strong enough to stop world-changing technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and Big Data — exactly the tipping-point trends that Ian focuses on.

So get up, I say. Get up! You’re not dead yet. You’re not going on the cart!

I truly believe that, if you’re positioned to ride these huge tech trends in the years to come, this week’s volatility is nothing more than a chance to load up at a discount. And Ian King’s Automatic Fortunes is your front-row ticket to research on the most exciting tech breakthroughs of our time.

Click here to learn more about the one tech trend that Ian believes is set to soar — coronavirus be damned.

Finally, don’t forget to check out Great Stuff on social media. If you can’t get enough meme-y goodness, follow Great Stuff on Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

0 notes

goldira01 · 5 years ago

Link

Getting Sentimental on the Dow

Ever have one of those mornings when you read headlines from the major financial publications … and you nearly spit your coffee all over?

You get the picture.

That’s a considerable jump, and it may lead you to conclude that the COVID-19 outbreak is now priced into the market. I’m not convinced that’s true.

Investment spending with this much uncertainty? Have you met U.S. businesses?!

The Takeaway:

So, it’s too soon to speculate, but you’re still speculating … and that speculation isn’t good.

Let’s put that speculation in perspective.

Remember the SARS outbreak? When it hit China back in 2003, the Chinese economy only accounted for about 4% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The country was a blip on the radar back then.

The COVID-19 situation will take the shine off this rosy U.S. economy. The coronavirus correction isn’t over, and somebody needs to tell it like it is.

If that “somebody” is Great Stuff and not the Fed … so be it.

Good: To the Maxx

Furthermore, TJX said that same-store sales grew 6% on the quarter, nearly doubling the consensus estimate for 3.1% growth.

But wait … there’s more! The company also announced plans to hike its dividend 13% and repurchase $1.75 billion to $2.25 billion in stock.

Better: What About Bobs?

It’s the circle of life. Bob Iger is now officially the former CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

At last year’s investor day meeting, Iger told attendees: “2021 will be the time for me to finally step down.”

So, who’s replacing Bob? Well, Bob, of course.

In other words, the Iger dip in DIS shares looks like a bullish opportunity. Buy DIS, and Bob’s your uncle.

Best: A Force to Be Reckoned With

There’s a lot to unpack with Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) today, so you might want to sit down for this.

First, the company posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Earnings, revenue and order backlogs all exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.

We’ll round out on Friday with one of our favorite options strategies … and maybe we’ll even sneak in a trade idea! (Market willing…) So, be sure to tune in!

Now, on to today’s poll of the week:

Great Stuff: Your Bloodbath Bath Bomb

Are you enjoying this week’s bloodbath? I’m relaxing in mine with a lavender-and-lemon bath bomb.

I joke, but I’m sure it’s been painful for your portfolio. Sometimes the laughter is all that keeps us going. Just remember: It’s not the end of the world.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, a video featuring experts Jeff Yastine and Ian King caught my attention this week: “Coronavirus Hits South Korea, Italy — Fearless Investors Will Prosper.”

[embedded content]

If you haven’t watched it yet, I won’t spoil the ending for you! (I won’t lie, it’s a tear-jerker.)

Needless to say, Ian King’s optimistic perspective was contagious. He’s always thinking about innovation, change and what the world will look like 10 years down the line.

So get up, I say. Get up! You’re not dead yet. You’re not going on the cart!

Click here to learn more about the one tech trend that Ian believes is set to soar — coronavirus be damned.

Finally, don’t forget to check out Great Stuff on social media. If you can’t get enough meme-y goodness, follow Great Stuff on Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

#Timor Invest

0 notes

wolfliving · 5 years ago

Text

Climate crisis volunteers who aren’t gonna get a lot of money

*Getting your town drowned is really, really expensive.

https://www.shareable.net/preparing-for-climate-chaos-now-qa-with-disasterologist-dr-samantha-montano/

Robert Raymond: One of the main themes that we try to unpack in our documentaries is the idea of disaster collectivism — how community response to disasters is almost often marked by unique forms of solidarity and kindness. We focus particularly on vulnerable communities that are impacted disproportionately by disasters — communities that don’t have access to adequate relief and recovery resources. We saw disaster collectivism in play during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and we’ve produced episodes [of The Response podcast] on Occupy Sandy in the Rockaways and the Mutual Aid Centers that popped up all over Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, for example. I’m wondering if there are any examples of disaster collectivism that you find especially compelling or inspiring?

Dr. Samantha Montano: The area that I specialize in within emergency management is disaster volunteerism and nonprofit involvement in emergency management, particularly during response and recovery efforts. So these are exactly the types of groups that I’ve spent a lot of time talking to. And honestly, all of them are compelling and inspiring to me. It’s difficult to pick one. I think it’s useful for people to know that this coming together of different groups — oftentimes spontaneously and by improvising a response to a disaster — this happens during every single disaster. This is a worldwide phenomenon that happens. It’s tied to how humans react to disasters — we’re prosocial in how we respond. When a disaster happens, we turn to one another, we help one another. And so really, these groups that you mentioned, they are a product of that human behavior.

I also think it’s also important to reflect on the way that our approach to emergency management has evolved over the past hundred years in this country. The more formal emergency management system that we have of aid through government is by design limited. The approach from the federal government is to be as limited in their involvement as possible. This runs counter to what the general public wants, because when a disaster happens, you want government to come in and help and address the needs in your community to get the roads back up and running, for example, or to get electricity turned back on, to get people back in their homes. There is a real mismatch between what the goal of government is, especially the federal government, when a disaster happens, and what the public perceives that role to be.

Furthermore, we also have to think about the history of this system and how it was designed and importantly, who it was designed for. Our emergency management system really dates back to the civil defense era in the 1950s, and it was really designed for a traditionally nuclear, white, middle class American family — that was who was in mind when it was created, and the people who were creating it were from that demographic. And so the way they conceptualized what it means to help before, during and after disasters comes from that mindset. And of course, it wasn’t true at the time and especially isn’t true now, that’s not what the American public looks like. We’re not all white middle class nuclear families. So that’s another way that we really start seeing certain groups of people having way more needs than other groups during disaster. And we see that there’s an inability of that formal system to really address those needs. It’s in those instances that I think we more clearly see groups like Occupy Sandy and whoever else come to the forefront as they work with people that are in those demographics.

The way you describe your interests in the bio on your blog is interesting because it brings together topics that one might not always see as being directly connected. One example of this sort of intersection is disasters and gender. I’m wondering if you could explain how you approach exploring that particular intersection?

Something unique about disasters is that all parts of life are affected by disasters in various ways. And so when we study disasters, we really need to be studying all parts of life, which can be very overwhelming. So we like to zero in on topics as much as possible.

One of the areas that really interests me is gender and disasters in particular. But so too with other demographics and disasters, such as race and class, for example. In the same way that we each go through the world every day with our identity, our gender, our race, our class, our education level — all of those things are influencing how we experience the world. And it’s also influencing how the world experiences us. The same is true during a disaster. The way that we are experiencing disasters is going to be different from one another based on the resources that we have, the help that we’re able to receive, or our social networks. So it’s really important for us as researchers to make sure we’re being careful about talking about groups of people as one whole group. We have to recognize how those different demographics intersect with one another — how a woman of color is going to experience a disaster differently than a white woman, for example. While still recognizing that we’re all in the same boat in the sense that we’re all experiencing this disaster. But the way that we experience a disaster is going to vary based on these other factors.

We’ve explored the intersection of disasters with things like class and immigration status in our podcast, for example. But we’ve yet to really explore the intersection with gender. I’m wondering if you have any examples that might help to illustrate that specific intersection?

One example that I use pretty frequently is the increase in domestic violence and reporting of domestic violence after disasters. Of course, any gender can be a victim of disaster violence, but they tend to be women. We see that there is this increased need among women and domestic domestic violence survivors for needing a safe place to stay, for needing resources to keep themselves safe. The disaster itself very often can drive women who have been able to get away from their abuser to go back because they don’t have the resources for housing and funding and transportation. It’s also connected to the stress of recovery and financial constraints of that situation.

We also see an increase of new domestic violence cases during the recovery time period. And so one thing for us in emergency management that is really important is to recognize as one that this is a problem in the first place. Most people don’t know about this increase in domestic violence post disaster — so if you know about it, you can do something about it. We can make sure that in emergency management, a local emergency management agency is reaching out to domestic violence shelters in their community long before disaster ever even happens, for example.

Moving forward, what do you think will be some of the biggest challenges that communities will face as a result of climate-driven and societally exacerbated disasters? What can communities do to increase their resilience or to ensure they are given adequate resources for relief and recovery?

The biggest challenge and most immediate challenge is going to be funding. We’re already seeing how our emergency management system is overtaxed and losing its capacity to respond. Right now we don’t have a plan for how to increase the capacity of the system. One thing I don’t think people have really come to realize yet is how expensive the cost of inaction on climate change is actually going to be, not just as a globe or as a country, but in individual communities. At the local and state level, governments are really dependent on the federal government for disaster related funding. And in the absence of the federal government seriously increasing that funding, a lot of communities are headed for a pretty uncertain future.

My best advice for communities who have a really clear view of how they’re gonna be affected by climate change specifically is to start organizing now. If you’re on the coast, even if you think you have another 10 years before flooding becomes a real problem for your community, start organizing now. Getting funding to do adaptation, to do hazard mitigation, takes a long time. We’re talking years and decades in many cases to get the funding for these kinds of projects. And so the way that you navigate through this huge bureaucratic system to get this funding is by applying public pressure and getting your representatives in Congress to fight for your communities specifically. And so the sooner that you begin organizing, the sooner that your neighborhood can start grassroots organization to start that advocacy work, to start building the relationships, to start understanding the process that you’re going to need to go through to get that funding.

Of course, some communities have more political power, more political sway than other communities — this is particularly true if you’re looking around and you’re in a small community that tends to be ignored. But the reality of the situation is that that begins and ends with us. And so we need to organize and be ready for what the future brings and to navigate those systems.

That’s my number one recommendation for people in terms of climate change broadly.

But more specifically for disaster policy issues: you’ve got to vote. And you need to be paying attention to who you’re voting for. Not just at the national level, but in local elections. It really matters who your mayor is, it matters what they think about the climate crisis and it matters how they understand disasters, how they envision your community needing to change in the future. These are really hard questions, and so you need as many leaders and advocates for your community as you can possibly get. So with local politics, that’s at least one place to start.

0 notes

zygomatic-process-2018 · 6 years ago

Text

Breaking The Wheel

For years I have lived a life of safe decisions. Situations and circumstances from my childhood led me to believe that one false move could destroy my life. This may have been the birth of my perfectionism and OCD tendancies. I honestly felt that every decision I had to make had to be the right one so I wouldn’t end up broke, alone and homeless.

As a child I experienced things that made me believe that I would never get ahead in life. I thought I wasn’t very smart, that I didn’t have a lot to offer the world and that I was destined to live a bad life. Let’s please remember that a child’s perception can be molded when properly attended to but adults rarely attend to themselves, let alone their children. I don’t recall people asking me about how I felt about anything, how my friendships were going, etc. I didn’t feel comfortable to share anything, and no one prompted so I have kept most of my life to myself. Regardless of the events of my life, this is no one’s fault but my own. My fault starts when I learned of a better way to live but acted in the same old ways that I always did out of fear. I hope that makes sense.

A lifetime of “safe” decisions led me down a path of a life that wasn’t really for me. I followed direction of adults around me, all the way up until I was 30. It was around that time that I realized I wasn’t truly happy. I had made decisions out of fear and what I thought was going to happen. Life has taught me how to prepare for the worst, because in my mind, nothing good ever happens to me. Good things appear because I’ve worked for them, not because anything was gifted to me or fell in my lap. While my peers took family time for granted, I struggled to find direction in a broken home.

Thoughts are powerful. They shaped major events in my life by creating stories that weren’t true or creating worst case scenarios that weren’t actually happening. The fear of what could happen caused me to make decisions regarding the safety of my spiritual, emotional, physical and mental well-being. They shaped what I thought I would amount to. I believed I didn’t bring anything to the table because I learned early on that if I was perfect, everyone would leave me alone and I wouldn’t feel as bad about myself. I was sensitive and any form of criticism was an attack on me, because everything I had done in my life was ME driven. Although the decisions were made out of fear, they were still mine. Any criticism of my actions meant that there was something flawed with me as a human. I didn’t realize that my thinking could be flawed and I could still be a good person. I associated people’s perception of me on a scale of self-worth. I didn’t have a guide to show me how it didn’t matter what anyone thought, it only mattered what I thought. I chose not to have a guide. I could have talked to someone about how I felt, but I never felt safe doing so. I would cry at things people thought were odd and I was labeled emotional. No one took the time to ask me why I was crying, they just wanted me to stop. This is where I learned to shut off my emotions and at certain emotional points (even today), I completely shut down and become transactional. People think it’s because I’m cold and I don’t care. It’s actually the opposite. I care too much and at the times I feel like my heart can’t take what is happening, I become completely numb. Years of therapy have taught me that this is a learned behavior that is considered a coping mechanism for childhood trauma. I haven’t begun to dig through that, so I’ll have to put a pin in that one. it’s hard to believe the compliments that are given to me, even now. I always think people are being nice or doing that thing you learn in kindergarten where you give compliments equally to the class so no one feels left out. I’m slowly learning things aren’t always what I think they are and I’m practicing positive thinking because my thinking is broken. “You know nothing, Jon Snow.”

For me, safe decisions were the ones where I had little to lose. I would choose the options where I would seemingly win but remained unchallenged. I only did things I was good at because why do anything that will make you look bad? I stayed loyal to friends whose morals and character didn’t align with my own. I didn’t want to watch people tag each other doing fun stuff on Facebook, and it’s sad to see how far I sold myself short just to be liked. I remained a workaholic and my body started paying the toll with complete exhaustion, anxiety and an eating disorder. Never once did I think that I should calm down. I thought I was working toward a promotion that never came. I dove into 12 step work and their society with full force. If I was going to be in recovery, I was going to do it all and be the best I could be. I went to college full time on top of all of that because I thought for sure a degree would solve my problems. Clearly if I’m writing about these things, these decisions weren’t the best ones. I didn’t choose these things because i wanted them. I chose them because they were the least scary of all options available to me at the time. That is not a way to live, it’s a way to survive. Pretty intense right? Learning how fearful I really am has been a hard pill to swallow. I always thought I was tough; I scare grown ass men for a living after all. Turns out I was just afraid of life and clueless on how to live it.

Somehow along the way, I woke up to what I was doing. I was 30. I made the “mistake” of trying to unpack years of baggage before taking the lifelong commitment of marriage. It felt like the right thing to do because I didn’t think there was that much to work through. It was worth it to be a good wife, so I faced my problems head on. I am a bull in a china shop; all confrontation and sharp edges. Gentleness and fragility rarely see the light of day in my life. See life had taught me that nothing could hurt you if you stayed hard. I would tell myself, “Don’t let anyone close, you can’t trust anyone, they always leave or hurt you, just give them enough so you can have fun but never give them every part of you.”I spent a lifetime toughening up and really didn’t think I had that much to work on. I thought for sure that the 6 years I had done in recovery had solved the majority of my issues.

For anyone that doesn’t know, 12 step work is very challenging. There is a reason people become addicted to things (people, substances, events, places, you name it and it’s most likely an addiction to someone). Life is hard. Not everyone has been given a framework for the harsh realities of what happens through the course of one lifetime. I became delusional as to what my life was and lost meaning in my value as a person…if I ever valued myself to begin with.

I am not alone in this. Just look around you at the habits of others. Most people spend lots of time in traffic surrounded by road rage, they have a few drinks after work to take the edge off, they plop down in front of the tv and zone out for a few hours. There is so much content out there that you only get to watch a few episodes of something and all of a sudden it’s bedtime; the entire routine starts again. Now imagine that routine is unbreakable because it’s become too easy or you’ve become too dependent on it. You work super hard and your tolerance to whatever your “escape of choice” is gets bigger so you need just a little bit more. But that little bit adds up over time and all of a sudden you can’t stop this routine. No matter how bad it gets, you just can’t stop.

This for me was alcohol and the thought of living without my crutch seemed impossible. I wasn’t a full blown alcoholic yet, but I identified with the beginning stages of alcoholism. I’m smart enough to know that the alcoholic road is scarier than facing reality, so fear really saved me here. My decision, which was based on fear, was to stop drinking. I went where my friend led me and I have been without alcohol for 10 years.

Through various stages of recovery I have gotten the opportunity to dig through my thought processes and see patterns of behavior that I don’t want. I had to be ready to see that though. I find that people don’t want to look at themselves or their actions. It’s easier to get into that routine, and partake in bad behavior like gossiping, giving “constructive criticism” which code for insulting people under the guise of being helpful, leading potential partners on so you feel desired, shunning people because it makes you feel superior, etc. I believe that this is why people are unhappy. They distract themselves to avoid the hard work of living. They carry stress and worry with them; it’s quite a heavy load. 12 step recovery is designed to help you work through your issues using a spiritual and altruistic approach. It gave me purpose and direction at times, when I was able to help others in recovery.

The first time I went through the steps with a sponsor I was skeptical. I liked what she had: a husband, a house, a dog, a full time job, etc. That was the ideal life and I thought I was lucky if I got just one of those. I never thought all of them were possible for me because I couldn’t stop my terrible routine, nor did I think a person like me could be worthy of anything so special. My first round of steps I treated as a homework assignment. At the ripe age of 24, I still had a child’s mentality. I had lived on my own for 6ish years and had the maturity of a 17 year old. I was rebellious but I also knew how to play the role of a goodie-two-shoes. I had spent my entire life filling roles to get by in life. I felt as if I could play any part in a movie because experience had taught me how to blend in. I remember handing my sponsor a written out inventory that had a cover on it as if I were turning in a college paper. When she told me I had to read it out loud to her rather than have her read it out loud, I died inside. I didn’t want to say the things I had written down. The things I had written down was all the pain, suffering, anger, resentment, hate, and events where I had been a victim of someone else’s bad behavior. To say them out loud meant that I had to acknowledge that these events happened and it was the first time I would have to do something about them. I had lived years avoiding feeling anything, that this was mind-blowing. Even worse, the biggest part of the inventory is where you see what your part in the situation was. Often alcoholics like to only focus on the other party’s fault and never to take ownership of their own part. Normal people act this way too, but I’m sticking with what I know. So now I had to see what actions I took in response to the things on the list.

Needless to say, the first inventory was surface level crap. It didn’t get down to the causes and conditions the way my next inventory went. The next one came at a time where I was humbled beyond belief. I had just come out of a break-up with a narcissist and had no idea how to navigate life. I was 3 years in to physical sobriety and I had zero emotional sobriety. I had followed direction of my 12 step support group but their direction didn’t give me the results I wanted. Quite frankly, the results I wanted weren’t true to me, they were other people’s desires I felt I should have. I had unrealistic expectations. At that time, I only did things if it meant that I would get something in return. I wasn’t truly helpful; I was a selfish child masquerading around as an adult on a high horse. I thought I was spiritual when really I had no clue about anything on the spiritual realm. The amount of work I did to overcome this was painful but I uncovered areas of my life that needed attention.

The sponsor I had at the time recognized so many things about me that I hadn’t seen and probably things I still don’t see. I followed suggestion (which is dangerously known by the civilian name of “commands” in 12 step culture) like the good 12 stepper that I am, but I still felt as if I was following a life that didn’t fit. I jumped around recovery groups for a while but realized that the life I wanted meant that I needed to step off the paved path of 12 step recovery groups and onto the rugged road of living life for myself. It was hard to walk away because I had thrown myself so far into that realm that I didn’t really know how to live anymore.

12 step programs are known for poor behavior, which is really a disservice to the program. Everyone has an uncle/brother/sister/friend/etc who was once in a 12 step program but has since left. 12 step program’s own members shoot themselves in the foot by avoiding the hard work of uncovering, discovering and discarding character defects and habits. 12 step groups provide a lot of structure, but at a certain point that structure can become a prison for those of us who see the program for what it is. The program encompasses spiritual principles, and the people in the group aren’t supposed to be authority figures. Why these groups find the need to name a Messiah of the group is beyond me. I don’t blame the Messiah of the group either. If I were put on a pedestal even after doing horrendous things to my spouse, friends or other group members, I would eat that $hit up too. Just call me Mary Harris and carry my step stool peasants.

::insert bright white light and parted clouds::

Celebrate me in all my glory!

Oh and don’t forget to bring the Krispie Kreme donuts on time or Old Timer Hernandez will character assassinate you behind your back. Don’t you dare cross her either. She is program famous and will make your life miserable. <—Why do you people put up with crap like that? Are you really that weak and scared to stand up for yourself?

I’m personally waiting for the day to run into some of these people so I can tell these people what the rest of the world thinks of them, since program members can’t do it themselves for whatever reason. Someone has to say something, or the behavior will continue or get worse. The real world (which I’m now a part of for once) doesn’t care if your water cups are poured correctly. Set yourself free and let go of these idiotic rules people make. Why do you want to be a part of their group so bad? Is it so you can have the notoriety of belonging to a prestigious group? Is it because you are too scared to try something else? They do scare you by telling you that if you leave the group, you will drink and you will die. They also tell you that “the people who left the program must not be doing well because they never come back to tell us that it’s good. They only come back with horror stories.” <—yeah, because once we see your group’s insanity for what it is, you run and never look back. Why would we come back? I’d gladly do 10 mins and inform you of the benefits of leaving, but until I’m asked, I guess I’ll just have to write about them.

Some of these groups are glorified forums for character defects and the slogans in the group go something like this: “Suit up and show up no matter what” “My feet are trained to go to meetings no matter what.” “No matter what” is a huge deal for these people, but it eliminates critical thinking from the equation. When members are taught “no matter what,” some go to the extreme and sacrifice work, family obligations, and self-care in order to fit in. I know I did, and it took a toll on me. I realized that I was willing to do the work “no matter what” and I did it. Yet I was surrounded by people who spoke the same way as I did, but their actions told a different story. I no longer wanted what these people had because I could finally see through them for what they were. They were alcoholics with no clue on how to run their own lives, and instead of working on themselves, they would use their sponsees to inflate their egos. There were unspoken contests of how many “babies” you had, which was code for how many sponsees found your life attractive enough to ask you for help with their own lives. If you didn’t have any, you were worthless, unattractive, and you better hurry up & get your $hit together or you’ll drink/die. If you had a tough life event and you weren’t sure why the event was happening to you, members would ask a series of questions, searching for the one thing you weren’t giving over to the program. Questioning goes something like this:

-How many meetings are you going to per week? “Correct” answer: if under 3 years of sobriety, you should be at a meeting every day. Over 3 years, you should be going to no less than 3 per week.

-How many “babies” do you have? If the answer is zero or a single digit number, you were instructed to get new member phone numbers and in essence force yourself into their life because it will magically make your life better.

-How many panels do you have? These are meetings that are taken into hospitals or institutions. If the answer is zero, you better go get one. If the answer is one, the follow-up question is “why only one?”

-When was your last inventory? It doesn’t matter what the answer is, it’s always time for a new one.

When the members stumble on the one out of one thousand things you aren’t doing perfectly, that is your prognosis and you better hurry up to fix it. It was never an explanation of life being life. If something bad was happening and you were struggling, it was always your fault because you weren’t doing enough program work. In my own quest for freedom, I found flaws in myself that I wanted to be rid of, but I also found flaws in the support group members that clearly weren’t a priority to amend. I couldn’t take them seriously anymore because I started seeing these people for what they were. They too were alcoholics and I no longer believed that their answers were right for my life. I was scared but this was the first move in the right direction to freedom. This was the moment I separated myself and my belief in the spiritual principles from the group at large. I knew better and I finally had the courage to act better.

This was the most radical decision I had ever made. I was leaving the safe nest of comfort for the dark and scary forest of fear. I felt like I had no choice in the best way possible. “I stood at a turning point and asked God for His care and protection with complete abandon.” I am proud to say that this life I have now is mine. It’s not based on anyone else’s wants or needs. I’m not doing what someone thinks is best for me. I’m not following someone else’s path and getting upset that the path was wrong. No, I am taking ownership of who I am and I’m facing life head-on. The battles I’m fighting are emotional, mental and spiritual. It’s an inside job and only I can take action on the changes that need to be made. I’d hate to be the one to say this, but although the program helped me create a slight foundation, I feel it did more harm than good for me. It works for some people, but for me it created confusion.

I want to leave you with this. You have one life. One. Single. Life. Why spend time worried or live suffering when there are other ways out there to live? Why blindly follow what a group of people tell you instead of making your own decisions? Please know that not all advice given to you is from a pure place. Some people want you to fail because it validates their complacent life (e.g. “See that’s why I don’t XYZ. Mary XYZ’d and she failed. At least I’m not a failure like her.”). You might only tell people half truths where you always look like the good guy <—advice given in response to an inaccurate story will NEVER work. You might be surrounded by the best people with the best intentions and their advice still doesn’t work, because it’s not aligned with your Truth. My unsolicited advice: follow the path that makes you feel happy, joyous and free. You can always change your future by changing paths but you can’t change your past decisions. Live in a way that gets you the life you want not the life that is given to you by default. You deserve better than what you have, but it’s up to you to do the work.

0 notes

timothyakoonce · 7 years ago

Text

Take Your Ads From Failing To Scaling

We’ve all been there. Your ads are running just fine and then seemingly out of nowhere they stop performing.

You’re surprised and disappointed to learn that your ads have stopped producing a profitable return-on-ad-spend (ROAS), they don’t have a steady click-through rate, and/or you don’t have any new quality leads.

When the initial shock begins to wear off, you’re stuck wondering where to go next with your ad performance.

Your brain is buzzing with questions: Perhaps you could have monitored your ads more often? Maybe you could’ve tested more creative? Did you make an unintentional mistake on budgeting or ad placements?

Regardless of how you got there, it’s important to know that it will be okay and there is a path forward. Together, we can take your ads from failing to scaling.

Ad Performance “Stages of Grief”

When your Facebook ads stop performing, your first instinct is probably to panic. Then you immediately wonder why (and why now) this is happening.

Once you go through those initial stages of grief, you can start looking ahead to rebuild your ads for longer-term stability and scaling. This blog post covers all of these stages and gives you some quick-start ideas for account recovery.

Don’t Panic

When the initial “my ads are totally failing!” feeling hits you, I realize it’s difficult to stay calm and not panic. Trust me, I’ve been there. Just take a deep breath and ask yourself this question:

Is everything truly failing or is it just a few ad sets and/or audiences?

This is an important question to dive into because your findings will usually show that some audiences or ad sets are actually performing the way they should.

I measure ad performance for most clients in cost-per-acquisition, click-through-rate, relevance score, return-on-ad-spend, cost-per-landing page view and other metrics. After I perform this assessment, I build custom dashboards using the Custom Reporting tool within the Ads Manager.

Then I select “Customize Columns” to pinpoint the data I want to report on.

After I further assess this data, it gives me a much better picture of what is working and what’s not. I then take detailed notes on what is still performing well so I can include it in my rebuild.

Take a Step Back and Think About Ad Competition

Let’s take a quick step back and remember that over the past year, specifically in the first half of 2018, ad competition has continued to significantly increase on Facebook and Instagram, especially in the Facebook News Feed.

Facebook warned advertisers about this shift beginning in 2016 and they kept talking about it in 2017.

In short, there are more people advertising than ever before and the “ad load” (AKA the number of ads being shown in the News Feed) has increased while the overall number of users (specifically, users in North America) hasn’t increased at the same steady rate.

To counter the ever growing ad competition issue, Facebook has offered new ad placements in Messenger, Marketplace and Instagram Stories, so results can definitely be stunted if advertisers don’t experiment into these new placements and just stick to their old, previously successful playbook.

Ask yourself: are you still only targeting the Facebook News Feed? If so, keep reading…

In most cases, ad performance has declined due to one or more of the following reasons:

Audiences are “worn out” and have been overused

Creative hasn’t been updated recently

Placements are too limited

The bid is too narrow

So let’s unpack each of these issues.

1. Audiences are “worn out”

Say this phrase with me: first time impression ratio. It’s a huge deal, folks. This Facebook statistic tells you, by day and by ad set, how many of the impressions you’re showing are for the first time.

When you start a new ad for a new audience, that number is 100%. As you advertise longer and spend more money, that number declines. It’s important to understand this metric in relation to ad performance because if that number dips below 50%, you probably need to refresh creative or rebuild that audience.

You can begin finding “delivery insights” at the ad set level.

Once you click on that “See Delivery Insights” it takes you into this screen.

From here, you are able to see many data points, but there’s one that’s especially important: First Time Impression Ratio. This number shows you how many of those people are seeing the ad for the first time.

In this case, it’s very low. Normally, we want that to be above 50% for prospecting or brand new potential customers. If you’re updating creative and your audience sizes are right, this number will stay above 50%.

Here, the number is less than 10%, meaning 90% of that audience has seen the ad before. If I looked at the frequency metric, I’d likely see that number be above a 3 or 4 within a 7 day period–which is a major problem.

***Important note: is this post interesting to you? Take our upcoming course on this subject! ***

2. Creative hasn’t been updated lately

Be honest: When was the last time you updated your ad creative? When was the last time you tested new creative ideas in all parts of the funnel? How about testing stand-alone photo posts, or Instagram-specific creative?

One of the most common issues I see when auditing Facebook accounts is a singular focus on one ad type.

For example, somewhere along the way a lot of advertisers heard carousel ads “always work really well.” They can perform well, yes, but for prospecting, they actually don’t deliver sustainable results for most companies. Of course, there are many exceptions — but they tend to drive clicks but not as many purchases.

So instead of carousels, why not try focusing on content that looks or feels user-generated, or in fact is user-generated? In today’s competitive environment, it helps to mix in some creative that looks like something a friend took and also explains what the product does, and why it might benefit that person’s life.

If you can successfully update ad creative and test new ideas every two weeks, you would be in much better shape.

3. Placements are too limited

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen accounts that only target the Facebook News Feed for placement. Don’t get me wrong, I love the good ol’ News Feed, but at this moment in time, it’s just too competitive to have that be the only place you’re targeting.

Here are some other placements where I’ve recently seen stable performance:

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Messenger

Instagram News Feed

Instagram Stories

Perhaps most noteworthy, I’ve personally seen Instagram stories delivering positive results on prospecting audiences similar to that of the Facebook News Feed.

Have you experimented with new placements?

By simply expanding your options, you can help lower prices and reach more customers in a less competitive environment.

4. Your bid is too narrow

Last week on a coaching call, a client asked me to explain the pros and cons of bidding certain ways under a conversion objective. I started talking and didn’t stop for over an hour. Clearly, there’s a lot to talk about in reference to this subject!

One of the most common scenarios I see is when advertisers bid in a 1-day click window.

I myself have used 1-day click bidding and in many instances, it can work, but let’s think about the signal you’re giving Facebook. You’re saying to Facebook, “Find me people who are likely to buy something within one day of clicking on my ad.”

This tactic can be incredibly limiting.

Think about how many times you click on an ad and then buy right away. Most users don’t! We click, look around, think about it and consider that purchase. Then maybe I’ll go back on the weekend and buy the product.

This is the core of the lesson: bid within the window you think your users will actually convert. In many cases, starting with a 7-day click or 1-day view bid can be more helpful to widen that target audience a bit.

There are countless other discussions we could have about bidding, but a little experimentation on conversion windows can go a long way.

Rebuilding for Stability

By now you’ve done the ad autopsy and you’re ready to begin rebuilding for more stability. Rebuilding is a data-rich process based on utilizing what’s worked before, testing out new strategies, and trying to reach people in different parts of their buying journey. When I rebuild, I use the guide below.

Notice that each audience segment has a different offer and different ad copy. Fans are different than previous site visitors and previous customers differ from potential customers that have engaged with you.

Every grouping needs its own tailored creative and message. These offers aren’t specific to what I do every time but it gives you a beginning idea of how I think about it.

Take the Wheel

This post is just the tip of the iceberg of how to turn ads around from failing to scaling — there are plenty of other options and solutions. What has worked for you when things have started to go south? Let me know below in the comments!

Training Course

If this topic is interesting to you, I’m teaching a course called “From Failing to Scaling: Trusted Strategies for Account Recovery and Growth” with Jon. We’d love to have you join us.

You’re not alone if you are experiencing issues with ad performance right now. You want to scale, but you might not know how exactly to turn things around. This course helps you with the following:

Steps to take right away to stabilize an underperforming account

Understanding how to properly and sustainably scale

Bringing new ideas into the mix to save performance

Notice the warning signs moving forward

How to save money and take control

Join us!

The post Take Your Ads From Failing To Scaling appeared first on Jon Loomer Digital.

from Jon Loomer Digital https://www.jonloomer.com/2018/07/17/facebook-ads-from-failing-to-scaling/

#IFTTT #Jon Loomer Digital

0 notes

mikeyd1986 · 7 years ago

Text

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 98, April 2018

On Easter Monday, I went to Village Cinemas Fountain Gate to see a special screening of Peter Rabbit to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. As part of the screening, they showed a short film called Spectrospective: Stories of Autism 2018 which features a collection of individuals who are living with Autism. It was really touching hearing about all their experiences particularly at school and all the difficulties and challenges they’ve had to deal with. Personally, I feel proud to be Autistic. https://youtu.be/EG7NdA2dA_M

The session was also a “sensory friendly film” which means that the cinema lights are left on when the movie is playing and the volume is softer during the movie. https://villagecinemas.com.au/events/sensory-friendly-films

Peter Rabbit is based upon the characters and tales in Beatrix Potter’s classic 1902 novel “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. Obviously over its 100+ year lifespan, Potter’s story has been adapted to death but here is the first time they’ve mixed live action with CGI animation and setting the story in a more modern setting. The film begins with the first of many hilarious singing bird sequences which always ends up with an abruptly hilarious interruption.

After the old Mr. McGregor has an unfortunate heart attack, Peter Rabbit (James Corden) and his three sisters Flopsy (Margot Robbie), Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cotton-Tail (Daisy Ridley) successfully reclaim the vegetable garden that they’ve made their home for many years. That is until Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) ends up inheriting the property from his late Great Uncle and leaves behind Harrod’s Department Store where he works.

Through some lovely nods to the illustration work of Potter’s original story, we learn of how Peter Rabbit’s parents met their demise and the also feature as artworks in Bea’s (Rose Bryne) art studio. Bea is the friendly next-door neighbour to the McGregors and has always been very protective and nurturing towards Peter Rabbit, his family and friends. But when Thomas McGregor arrives on the property, he is determined to woo her over and get rid of Peter Rabbit by any means necessary.

And so begins the endless war between the rabbits and Mr. McGregor as he desperately tries to protect his vegetable garden (and mostly fails). The style is very reminiscent of the classic Looney Tunes like Road Runner and Bugs Bunny vs. Elmer Fudd with lots of gags and physical slapstick comedy used. A lot of the dialogue is very rude at times but it does have a certain charm. It’s balanced well with a few emotional scenes and shows that Peter Rabbit does have a softer, more kindhearted side behind the tough, rebellious exterior.

Directed by Will Gluck, this adaptation could have potentially been a trainwreck as it is very bold, adventurous and wild but there is plenty of fun to be had here if you don’t take it too seriously. Plus the references to Beatrix Potter’s original novel and illustrations makes it worth watching. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5117670/?ref_=nv_sr_1

On Tuesday night, I had my yardSTRONG session at The Yard Strength & Fitness in Pakenham. I was still very much in recovery mode after my busy Easter weekend but I did spend the afternoon trying to nap and relax at home to make up for lack of sleep. I’ve also had to quickly adjust to daylight savings ending with the darkness falling around 7pm. Tonight we worked on mostly sled pulling and pushing by gradually adding more and more weight plates. This movement works on the feet, lower legs, quads, hamstrings, glutes, arms and core. https://drjohnrusin.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-prowler-sled-training/

To warm up, we did 5 rounds of the following exercises: ring rows/pull ups, push ups and get ups. I still find get ups to be the most challenging for me as it’s difficult remembering the sequence and I end up tying myself in knots but it’s still fun. Next we worked on the sled pulls and pushes as mentioned above. We started at 50kg (sled plus 15kg plate) and did a TABATA styled rally of 1 minute work, 1 minute rest. Every 2 minutes, we added more weight. It didn’t take long for me to feel the burn in my hammys and glutes (Great way to burn off those Easter eggs and hot cross buns!).

Tonight’s workout involved doing a 20 minute EMOTM (Every Minute On The Minute) consisting of: A 15m sled push (maximum weight) and 5 burpees. Rodney and I alternated every minute and it didn’t take long for me to start fatiguing and getting sweaty. Though I was impressed how quickly I was getting the work done. Most rounds I was finishing it in under 30 seconds and therefore getting 30 seconds or more to rest. Our maximum weight on the sled was approximately 80kg which is pretty heavy for me.

On Thursday morning, I had my Employ Your Mind appointment with Ally at WISE Employment in Cranbourne. It’s the third week of Phase 1 and today we discussed the next couple of assessments which would look at my memory, concentration and problem solving skills. I had to complete ARCS (Audio recorded Cognitive Screen) which was a half hour long audio recording and assessment where I had to do tasks like memorising word lists, completing sequences of letters, identifying objects etc.

I also decided to talk about the recent progress with my VCAT case. After a month long wait, I’d finally received my tribunal order via email for Melise and Tony to pay me back the $575.00 that they owed me. However, now I have to decide whether it’s worth taking this higher to the Magistrates Court in Dandenong as a tribunal order doesn’t have much enforcement. And to do that, I’ll need some assistance as the case becomes more complicated and filled with legal jargon that I don’t understand. But still it’s a significant milestone for me.

On Thursday afternoon, I had my counselling appointment with Ruth at Piece Together Counselling in Narre Warren. I spent half the session recapping on the last few weeks such as my birthday celebrations, the Aspergers meeting and social night, work and the VCAT case. Then things took an unexpected turn when the topic of conversation went to my Dad. It’s something I rarely open up to anybody about as it’s a sensitive subject for me.

He’s left a large gaping black void in my life for over 30 years now so there’s a lot of healing and unpacking of issues that needs to be done. My relationship with Dad has been rocky to say the least. We have very minimal contact, only the odd text message now and then. But I actually did appreciate the birthday and Easter cards that he sent me last week. It shows that there must be some part of him that still cares about me.

But it’s still tough because he’s not physically present in my life. I’ve been searching for mostly male figures to fill in that void, to be able to fill in emotional needs and understanding. But it never really works. He’s said things to me in the past which have deeply hurt me and it really sucks because it’s made me question how much he really loves me as a son. There’s a lot of old baggage that needs to be sorted through but I’m really glad that I made a start on it with Ruth today. https://www.piecetogethercousellingnarrewarren.org/

On Friday morning, Mum and I spent some time visiting the coastal Gippsland town of Tooradin. We visited a couple of shops along the main street including the Pelican Cafe, the Discount Book Store, the Opp Shop and a Wig store. I managed to find an original set of Beatrix Potter novels with her “The Tales of” series plus a Colour Me Happy adult colouring book. Compared to where I live in Narre Warren South, the pace and lifestyle down at Tooradin is much more relaxed and casual. People are out near the lake walking their dogs and everyone is nice and friendly to you which is always a good thing. https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/tooradin/

0 notes

joshuabradleyn · 8 years ago

Text

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

#Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

0 notes

ruthellisneda · 8 years ago

Text

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

This was the wake-up call she needed.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

#Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

0 notes