“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

Champions adapt is a powerful concept that highlights the importance of flexibility and resilience in achieving success.

Champions thrive because they can adapt to the ever-changing landscape and turn challenges into opportunities.

1. Champions embrace change because they understand that change is inevitable and they are willing to adjust their strategies and approaches to stay ahead. They don’t cling to outdated methods but instead look for innovative solutions.

2. Successful individuals and teams view setbacks as opportunities for growth. They analyze what went wrong, learn from their mistakes, and make necessary adjustments to improve.

3. Adaptability is closely linked to resilience. Champions remain strong and determined, even in the face of adversity. They keep pushing forward and find ways to overcome obstacles.

4. Champions are committed to continuous self-improvement. They seek out new skills, knowledge, and experiences that can help them stay competitive and reach their goals.

5. Being adaptable means being able to pivot when needed. Champions can change their game plan on the fly, whether in sports, business, or personal endeavors, to achieve the best possible outcomes.

In essence, champions adapt is about individuals thriving and being successful regardless of the environment and circumstance.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” — Albert Einstein

Dark chocolate offers a wide range of health benefits, including decreased inflammation, improved gut health, and mood improvement.

Hoever, in recent years, researchers have reported on the reality of heavy metals that are often an undesirable part of dark chocolate and cocoa products.

Heavy Metals?

Lead, arsenic, mercury, manganese, or cadmium are examples of heavy metals, because they have a high atomic mass and are well-known for their toxicity to people and animals.

Most heavy metals are naturally occurring, but some are the result of human behaviors. Unfortunately, these substances can become strongly toxic by mixing with the soil, air, and water all around us as well as through living organisms in the food chain.

Heavy metal poisoning comes from significant exposure to or ingestion of one or more of these heavy metals. These metals can be encountered in acute doses, causing a medical emergency, but more often than not, healthy people experience bioaccumulation, a process of heavy metals building up within the blood and tissues of the body. According to The Cleveland Clinic, even the slow build-up of heavy metals can cause issues like arrhythmia, anemia, memory loss, and kidney or liver damage, among others.

Heavy Metals and Dark Chocolate

Recently, a series of tests were performed by Consumer Reports, first on 28 dark chocolate bars, then on 48 chocolate-based products across seven categories, including hot chocolate mix and chocolate chips. Specifically, researchers were looking for lead and cadmium. And every product they tested had detectable levels of the two heavy metals.

Chocolates You Can Eat

In a pair of studies, a handful of chocolate bars came out on top by having the lowest levels of heavy metals. The brands and varieties that led the pack:

Mast Organic Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa
Taza Organic Deliciously Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa
Ghiradelli Intense Dark Chocolate 86% Cacao and Intense Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight 72%.

In a one-ounce serving, these had the lowest levels of both lead and cadmium. These chocolates, consumed in moderation, are the clear choices for those of us who love chocolate and want to minimize our heavy metal exposure.

It’s not always easy to find these specific chocolate bars, so it is helpful to keep a few guidelines in mind. While it may seem counterintuitive, lower concentrations of cocoa solids tend to contain less heavy metal, so if you must choose between an 80% bar and a 70% bar, the 70% is likely to be safer.

Source:  https://drwilliamli.com/dark-chocolate-and-heavy-metals/

Making your health a priority is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Key areas to focus on to ensure you’re taking good care of both your body and mind include:

1. Regular Exercise
– Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week. Find activities you enjoy, like walking, swimming, or dancing, to make it easier to stick with.

2. Balanced Diet

– Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Try to limit processed foods, sugary drinks, and excessive salt intake.

3. Adequate Sleep
– Ensure you’re getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Establish a regular sleep schedule, create a restful environment, and avoid screens before bedtime.

4. Stress Management
– Incorporate stress-relieving practices like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises into your daily routine. Don’t hesitate to seek support from friends, family, or a mental health professional if needed.

5. Regular Check-Ups
– Schedule regular visits with your healthcare provider for check-ups, screenings, and vaccinations. Early detection and prevention are key to maintaining good health.

6. Hydration
– Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Staying hydrated helps keep your body functioning optimally and can improve energy levels and concentration.

7. Mental Health
– Take time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation, whether it’s a hobby, reading, or spending time with loved ones. Prioritize self-care and make sure you’re taking care of your mental and emotional well-being.

8. Avoid Harmful Habits
– Limit alcohol consumption and avoid smoking or other tobacco products. These habits can significantly impact your health and increase the risk of various diseases.

9. Healthy Relationships
– Surround yourself with supportive, positive people. Healthy relationships can provide emotional support and improve your overall well-being.

Making these habits a part of your daily life can lead to a healthier, happier you. Keep in mind that small changes can add up to big improvements over time.

To cultivate a mindset of gratitude:

– Start your day with a power hour. Before looking at devices, make your bed, journal, meditate, and stretch.

– Be aware of your relationships and who you are hanging out with. Once or twice a year, reevaluate those relationships.

– Monitor your self-talk, and be kind to yourself.

Text someone each day. Tell them how grateful you are to have them in your life. It will make their day.

Studies point to the idea you might be able to reduce the possibility of dementia by avoiding foods that can compromise our gut bacteria and weaken your memory and focus.

It’s important to avoid or cut down on five things “to fight inflammation and promote brain health, sharp thinking and good decision-making.”

Added sugars

Although the brain needs glucose — a form of sugar — to fuel cellular activities, too much could cause memory impairments and reduce the plasticity of the part of the brain that controls memory.

Fried foods

When it comes to brain health, fried foods are a “less is more” dish. These guilty pleasures cause inflammation that can damage the blood vessels that supply the brain with blood. Another study that year found that people who consumed more fried foods were more likely to develop depression in their lifetime.

High-GI carbs

Bread and pasta might not be sweet, but your body processes them much the same way it does sugar. A 2018 study in Spain questioned more than 15,000 people to determine which carbs were linked to depression.

Carbohydrates such as whole grains and foods high in fiber were classified “better quality” and were ranked low on the glycemic index, which measures how fast foods convert to glucose during digestion. The quicker the conversion, the higher its GI ranking.

Alcohol

The British Medical Journal reported that people who drank no alcohol or who consumed more than 14 drinks per week had a higher risk of dementia compared to those who drank alcohol in moderation.

Nitrates

Bacon, sausage and salami contain nitrates, which is used as a preservative and color enhancers in deli slices.

In a March 2020 study, researcher at Johns Hopkins Medical School found nitrates could alter gut bacteria in a way that causes bipolar disorder.

https://www.ajc.com/pulse/5-foods-a-brain-expert-says-weaken-memory-and-focus/Y4BSQ4GNFBCENCBLFLHK4JOLF4/

Source:  https://www.northwesternmutual.com/life-and-money/4-steps-to-building-a-solid-financial-foundation/

Presidents always have gatekeepers. In Biden’s case, the walls around him were higher and the controls greater as aides managed the limitations of the oldest president in American history.

Top advisers frequently acted as go-betweens, and public interactions became more scripted.

The administration denied Biden has declined and said advisers were working under his direction.

Interactions with senior Democratic lawmakers and some cabinet members—including Defense’s Lloyd Austin and Treasury’s Janet Yellen—were infrequent or grew less frequent. Some legislative leaders had a hard time getting the president’s ear at key moments.

“The Biden White House was more insulated than most. I spoke with Barack Obama on a number of occasions when he was president and I wasn’t even chairman of the committee,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, who sought to talk to Biden ahead of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan but couldn’t get him on the phone.

To adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader, aides told visitors to keep meetings focused. Staff often repeated instructions to him, such as where to enter or exit a stage.

“They body him to such a high degree,” a person who witnessed it said, adding that the “hand holding” is unlike anything other recent presidents have had.

Press aides who compiled packages of news clips for Biden were told by senior staff to exclude negative stories about the president. The president wasn’t talking to his own pollsters as surveys showed him trailing in the 2024 race.

If the president was having an off day, meetings could be scrapped altogether. On one such occasion, in the spring of 2021, a national security official explained to another aide why a meeting needed to be rescheduled.

“He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day so we’re going to address this tomorrow,” the former aide recalled the official saying.

Read more: https://trib.al/4GeEtNV

Fusion energy is produced by fusing two light atomic nuclei, typically isotopes of hydrogen like deuterium and tritium, to form a heavier nucleus. This process releases a tremendous amount of energy, similar to the reactions that power the sun and other stars. The key steps involved are:

1. Heating the Fuel: The hydrogen isotopes are heated to extremely high temperatures (millions of degrees Celsius) to form a plasma, a hot, charged state of matter.
2. Confining the Plasma: The plasma must be confined long enough for the nuclei to collide and fuse. This is typically done using powerful magnetic fields in devices like tokamaks or stellarators.
3. Energy Release: When the nuclei fuse, they release energy in the form of heat, which can be used to generate electricity.

Potential Benefits of Fusion Energy

1. Abundant Fuel Supply: The primary fuels for fusion, deuterium and tritium, are abundant and can be extracted from water and lithium.
2. Clean Energy: Fusion produces no greenhouse gases or long-lived radioactive waste, making it a much cleaner alternative to fossil fuels and traditional nuclear power.
3. Safety: Fusion reactions are inherently safe. Unlike fission reactors, fusion does not involve chain reactions, so there is no risk of a runaway reaction or meltdown.
4. High Energy Output: Fusion has the potential to produce significantly more energy than current energy sources, making it a powerful solution for meeting future energy demands.

Gratitude is more than saying “thank you” when someone gives you something, states Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.

Gratitude, in Kushner’s view, is a mindset and a way of looking at the world so that you recognize the things in your life as gifts you might just as easily not have been given. It encourages you to see the “givens” in your life – your looks, your talents, your family – as gifts, and even if you might have wished for a fancier or more expensive gift, it is selfish not to express appreciation for the gifts you have, states Kushner in an interview.

“When the psalmist, a man who has known the “valley of the shadow,” writes “my cup runneth over,” he is saying that he has learned to be grateful for what he has rather than lamenting what he may have lost or missed out on,” says Rabbi Kushner.