Health

Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood are co-authors of The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose, and the new book, Your Hidden Riches: Unleashing the Power of Ritual to Create a Life of Meaning and Purpose.

There is a way to lead a richer, more comfortable life, and not through religion or superstition—try some (or all!) of these practices as a matter of habit

1. Morning and evening intention. Every morning, Benjamin Franklin asked himself, “What good will I do today?” Then at night before bed he asked, “What good did I do today?”

Simple, right? Yet you can see the power of such a simple daily ritual when you look at the enormous amount of good Ben Franklin did during his lifetime.

What could happen in your life if you took a minute before getting out of bed to ask yourself, “What do I choose to create today?” Then as you’re winding down in the evening ask yourself, “What did I create today?”

Do that for 30 days and be prepared to be surprised by the results.

2. Quiet time. How much time do you take for yourself each day? Too little, if you’re like most people. While the benefits of meditation have been touted by everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Jerry Seinfeld to Dr. Oz, what few people mention is how valuable it is to give yourself 15 – 20 minutes in the morning and evening to just be with yourself.

3. Get silly. We all know exercise is good for us, right? Fresh air—also good. And don’t you sometimes wish you could just be a kid again?

Simon Cowell’s daily ritual combines all three. What does he do? He climbs a tree! Don’t underestimate the power of adding silly to your life. What can you do to get silly? Whatever it is, do it daily and see how much more fun your life becomes.

4.Wabi Sabi. Author Arielle Ford wrote a bestselling book, Wabi Sabi Love, about it. She says it’s the secret to lasting love. What is Wabi Sabi?

It’s the Japanese practice of finding the beauty in imperfection. When Arielle got upset because her husband wouldn’t roll up the toothpaste tube, she realized how grateful she is that he brushes his teeth at all so she gets to enjoy his sweet breath.

Try it today. Next time your spouse does something that drives you nuts, see if you can find the gift in it.

5. Health buddies. When Rick Warren enrolled Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman to create the Daniel Plan at Saddleback Church, 15,000 people lost 250,000 pounds in the first year. What does he say made the biggest difference? Having a support group.

Great that you have weight loss or health goals. Now find a likeminded buddy and connect with them for a few minutes daily. Get ready to kiss those extra pounds goodbye!

6. Something hidden. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe.” We’ve all heard the advice for brides. Can it work for you?

Take a page from actor Colin Farrell’s ritual playbook: When he starts a new movie, Colin wears the same boxer shorts covered in shamrocks saying, “The luck of the Irish.” He’s been quoted about the boxers a number of times but he original quote was over 10 years ago in the NY Daily News so a link isn’t available. Here is a link to a somewhat recent source if you want to use one. This also mentions his lucky belt.

What reminds you of how special you are that you can wear or carry with you? Make it part of your daily rituals.

7. Performance counts. Before every serve, Serena Williams bounces the ball exactly five times. Why would one of the top tennis players in the world do such a thing?

It’s all about focus. When you have to perform at your best, you need to be fully present, not worried about what others will think or if you’re going to blow it.

When you have to be at your best, before a big presentation or a meeting with your boss, press your little finger on the inside corner of the nail five times. It will help you to be focused for your important moment, and it also activates the acupressure point that will help calm your spirit and clear your mind.

8. Give it away. Who hasn’t heard of the power of giving? But why wait until you’re rich to become a philanthropist? Our friend Anna makes a daily ritual of finding something she can give away each day, even if it’s a smile and a kind word.

But you can also find things that are no longer for you and pass them along to someone who will love them. Beyond the principle that giving opens you up to receive, as Anna says, “An empty closet is a great excuse to go shopping!”

What can you give away today?

9. End email tyranny: “Emails in your inbox are just a list of other people’s agendas for your time,” says bestselling author and motivational speaker Brendon Burchard. Burchard often uses a variation of this quote in his book, on his website, and during speeches so maybe best to link right to his website. Avoid the trap by setting your own agenda before you dive into your daily emails.

Get a sheet of paper. Divide it into three parts. In the top third write your top five big projects and what, if anything, needs to be done on them today. In the middle third write what you need to do for yourself today. In the lower third, write who you’re waiting to hear from on one side and who you need to contact on the other side.

Now, you’re ready for your email Inbox, starting with the people you are looking to connect with.

10. The appreciation game. “What you put your attention on grows stronger.” Lady Gaga puts this principle into practice by beginning each day with five minutes of self-directed love and gratitude.

Make it fun by playing the Appreciation Game with someone you care about. Take 10 turns each. “What I love and appreciate about you is… and why I appreciate that is because…

For couples, this is a fabulous preparation for making love. You won’t be able to keep your hands off each other.

Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood are co-authors of The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose, and the new book, Your Hidden Riches: Unleashing the Power of Ritual to Create a Life of Meaning and Purpose (Harmony, October 21, 2014) shows anyone how to create a life that matters, written with the help of Sylva Dvorak, Ph.D., who has a degree in psychoneurology and integrative healing.

I wonder if I’m destined to only be associated with the exact thing I’d prefer to minimize

I’m awful at the art of the retort. My older brother tried his best to teach me about comebacks, but the lessons never stuck. Insults leave me stunned and silent. And so it happened one summer night in 2007 that I was mute when a college writing professor told me: “Your disability is the most interesting thing about you.”

My disability, which I’ve had since birth, is cerebral palsy (CP), a neuromuscular disorder. The diagnosis can apply to a wide range of symptoms with various degrees of severity, but in my case it affects my balance, depth perception, and fine motor skills. Although I walk with a limp, I’m able to live an independent life. Two operations, plastic leg braces, and a few years of physical and occupational therapy mostly mitigated CP’s effects on me. I thought so, at least.

Then that writing professor offered her perspective: “Your disability is the most interesting thing about you.”

I didn’t know what to think, or how I felt. I was a little angry, too. I mean, she didn’t even know me. We had met only a few hours earlier, at the start of her class on magazine and newspaper writing. I had graduated from college that spring and was auditing her course as an aspiring journalist with the goal of getting a byline at a well-known publication. This professor was the quintessential New York Writer—the kind with uptown friends and a downtown address who I, too, hoped to be one day.

Maybe, I thought, she was trying to help. In her memoirs, she unabashedly embraced the messy parts of herself, spinning them into literary gold. She wrote about bad breakups and her history of addiction with self-deprecating humor and boom!—commercial and critical success. Maybe she was giving me the road map.

But I didn’t want to be the poster child of disability gone right. When I was a child, my mother made it a point that while the CP was a part of me, it did not define me. For decades, I was comfortable with that outlook. When people thought of me, I wanted them to focus on other things, like my fondness for animals, tie-dye, and corny jokes.

So I wrestled with the idea of writing about my disability, asking friends and family how I could do it without being preachy or downplaying the disadvantages—or ignoring the (surprising) benefits. CP has been a source of humor and dramatic victories as well as discounted Metro cards. It’s also an easy way to weed out the people in your life who are genuine from those who are not. But most of all, I didn’t want to feel like I was selling myself out.

Instead, I enrolled in an AmeriCorps program and spent about a year traveling the country constructing homes and working on environmental projects. Then, in 2009, I moved into an apartment in Queens, landed a journalism internship, and signed up for that writing course I had audited, this time as a paying student. I knew a good professor when I met one, even if she had intimidated, and maybe insulted, me.

For our first assignment—a personal essay on a humiliating moment—I wrote about how my disability impacted my dating life. The class workshopped a draft of my piece and I showed it to the editors at my internship, who liked what they saw. It was published prominently on the site.

And people responded. The comments were encouraging and supportive and the paycheck was appreciated—but I wasn’t sure how to handle it. The pride I felt from having reached people with my story was matched by my embarrassment when the piece became the top hit on a Google search of my name. What would potential employers think? How would a date react?

Later, in my second semester of a journalism master’s program at New York University, a (different) professor required us to blog on a topic of our choosing. I thought about it all summer. I heard it again: “Your disability is the most interesting thing about you.” I took a deep breath and gave myself a gut-check. Was I brave enough to put myself out there? Was there a legitimate space in the overcrowded blogosphere for disability-centric stories?

My professor loved the idea of a blog focused on disability issues, but I was embarrassed and nervous. I threw out other possibilities: animals, satire, fashion (though my beat-up sneakers and ill-fitting jeans weren’t helping me sell that pitch). “Carly, stop,” she said, slapping her desk for emphasis. “You already had a good idea. Just do it.” I nodded and left, trying to stay calm. Maybe nobody would read it. Maybe some massive computer virus would take out the entire Internet.

With no such luck, I started blogging. I was surprised at how many ways there were to write about one subject—individual profiles, hard news stories about legal developments, travel tips, and, yes, personal essays. Blogging became a way to sort and process my thoughts and feelings and bring attention to an issue that is often ignored or oversimplified. Disabled people are usually portrayed in the media as shining beacons of inspiration or as depressed outsiders who yearn for acceptance or, better yet, a cure. Truthfully, disabled people are just as complex as their able-bodied counterparts, and they have nuanced stories I’ve enjoyed getting the chance to tell—first on my blog and then as a freelancer for a number of different publications.

Although I’ve penned plenty of stories unrelated to CP, I sometimes worry about becoming a one-note writer. I wonder if I’m destined to only be associated with the exact thing I’d prefer to minimize. I wonder if it’s unethical to profit from disadvantage, and I worry about how well I’m representing the disabled community. I can only hope that my good intention is recognized and appreciated.

Having gone ahead and chosen to take my professor’s comment as advice instead of insult, I believe she meant well. Honestly, I think it’s the wording that bugged me—“the most interesting thing about you.” To me, it sounded like my disability was the only thing people noticed about me, or the only thing I had to offer. Even now, when I hear that sentence in my head, I try and think of a way to respond. Something funny, clever, or wise. Something. Anything. But I’m not really trying to respond to her comment. I’m trying to respond to the next question I hear, to the small quiet whisper in my head that asks: What if she’s right?

Carly Okyle is a writer for Entrepreneur.com who lives in Manhattan and freelances whenever possible. This piece was written for Zocalo Public Square.

Philip Johnson is a Catholic seminarian from the Diocese of Raleigh.

I was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, but suicide is a temptation that avoid the important reality of life

Last week I came across the heartbreaking story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer one year after her wedding. When doctors suggested that she might only have six months to live, she and her family moved from California to Oregon in order to obtain the prescriptions necessary for doctor-assisted euthanasia. She is devoting her last days to fundraising and lobbying for an organization dedicated to expanding the legality of assisted suicide to other States.

Brittany’s story really hit home, as I was diagnosed with a very similar incurable brain cancer in 2008 at the age of 24. After years of terrible headaches and misdiagnosis, my Grade III brain cancer (Anaplastic Astrocytoma) proved to be inoperable due to its location. Most studies state that the median survival time for this type of cancer is 18 months, even with aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. I was beginning an exciting career as a naval officer with my entire life ahead of me. I had so many hopes and dreams, and in an instant they all seemed to be crushed. As Brittany said in her online video, “being told you have that kind of timeline still feels like you’re going to die tomorrow.”

I was diagnosed during my second Navy deployment to the Northern Arabian Gulf. After many seizures, the ship’s doctor sent me to the naval hospital on the Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain, where my brain tumor was discovered. I remember the moment I saw the computer images of the brain scans – I went to the Catholic chapel on base and fell to the floor in tears. I asked God, “why me?” The next day, I flew home to the United States to begin urgent treatment. A few months after radiation and chemotherapy, I was discharged from the Navy and began formation for the Roman Catholic priesthood, a vocation to which I have felt called since I was 19 years old. Despite all of the hardships and delays in my training and formation over the past six years, I hope to be ordained to the transitional diaconate this Spring and to the priesthood one year later.

I have lived through six years of constant turmoil, seizures and headaches. I often changed hospitals and doctors every few months, seeking some morsel of hope for survival. Like Brittany, I do not want to die, nor do I want to suffer the likely outcome of this disease. I do not think anyone wants to die in this way. Brittany states relief that she does not have to die the way that it has been explained that she would – she can die “on her own terms.” I have also consulted with my doctors to learn how my illness is likely to proceed. I will gradually lose control of my bodily functions at a young age, from paralysis to incontinence, and it is very likely that my mental faculties will also disappear and lead to confusion and hallucinations before my death. This terrifies me, but it does not make me any less of a person. My life means something to me, to God, and to my family and friends, and barring a miraculous recovery, it will continue to mean something long after I am paralyzed in a hospice bed. My family and friends love me for who I am, not just for the personality traits that will slowly slip away if this tumor progresses and takes my life.

Obviously, I have lived much longer than originally expected, and I attribute this to the support and prayers of others who have helped me to keep a positive outlook. I will never claim that I have dealt with my illness heroically or with great courage, no matter what others might observe or believe from my reserved disposition. I am shy and introverted, so I have not let many people become aware of the depth of my suffering. There have been times over the past six years that I wanted the cancer to grow and take my life swiftly so that it would all be over. Other times, I have sought forms of escape through sin and denial just to take my mind off of the suffering and sadness, even if only for a few moments. However, deep in my heart I know that this approach is futile. My illness has become a part of me, and while it does not define me as a person, it has shaped who I am and who I will become.

In Brittany’s video, her mother mentions that her immediate hope was for a miracle. My response to my diagnosis was the same – I hoped for a miraculous recovery so that I would not have to deal with the suffering and pain that was likely to come. However, I now realize that a “miracle” does not necessarily mean an instant cure. If it did, would we not die from something else later in our lives? Is there any reason that we deserve 15, 20, or 30 or more years of life? Every day of life is a gift, and gifts can be taken away in an instant. Anyone who suffers from a terminal illness or has lost someone close to them knows this very well.

I have outlived my dismal prognosis, which I believe to be a miracle, but more importantly, I have experienced countless miracles in places where I never expected to find them. Throughout my preparation for the priesthood I have been able to empathize with the sick and suffering in hospitals and nursing homes. I have traveled to Lourdes, France, the site of a Marian apparition and a place of physical and spiritual healing that is visited by millions of pilgrims each year. I have had the great opportunity to serve the infirm there who trust in God with their whole hearts to make sense of their suffering. Through my interaction with these people, I received much more than I gave. I learned that the suffering and heartache that is part of the human condition does not have to be wasted and cut short out of fear or seeking control in a seemingly uncontrollable situation. Perhaps this is the most important miracle that God intends for me to experience.

Suffering is not worthless, and our lives are not our own to take. As humans we are relational – we relate to one another and the actions of one person affects others. Sadly, the concept of “redemptive suffering” – that human suffering united to the suffering of Jesus on the Cross for our salvation can benefit others – has often been ignored or lost in modern times. It is perfectly understandable that medication should be made available to give comfort and limit suffering as much as possible during the dying process, especially during a terminal illness, but it is impossible to avoid suffering altogether. We do not seek pain for its own sake, but our suffering can have great meaning if we try to join it to the Passion of Christ and offer it for the conversion or intentions of others. While often terrifying, the suffering and pain that we will all experience in our lives can be turned into something positive. This has been a very difficult task for me, but it is possible to achieve.

There is a card on Brittany’s website asking for signatures “to support her bravery in this very tough time.” I agree that her time is tough, but her decision is anything but brave. I do feel for her and understand her difficult situation, but no diagnosis warrants suicide. A diagnosis of terminal cancer uproots one’s whole life, and the decision to pursue physician-assisted suicide seeks to grasp at an ounce of control in the midst of turmoil. It is an understandable temptation to take this course of action, but that is all that it is – a temptation to avoid an important reality of life. By dying on one’s “own terms,” death seems more comfortable in our culture that is sanitized and tends to avoid any mention of the suffering and death that will eventually come to us all.

Brittany comments, “I hope to pass in peace. The reason to consider life and what’s of value is to make sure you’re not missing out, seize the day, what’s important to you, what do you care about – what matters – pursue that, forget the rest.” Sadly, Brittany will be missing out on the most intimate moments of her life – her loved ones comforting her through her suffering, her last and most personal moments with her family, and the great mystery of death – in exchange for a quicker and more “painless” option that focuses more on herself than anyone else. In our culture, which seeks to avoid pain at any cost, it is not difficult to understand why this response is so common among those who suffer.

I have experienced so much sadness due to my illness, but there have also been times of great joy. The support I have received from others encourages me to keep pushing on. I want to be a priest, I want to see my three young nephews grow up, and these goals give me the hope to wake up each day and live my life with trust.

I will continue to pray for Brittany as she deals with her illness, as I know exactly what she is going through. I still get sad. I still cry. I still beg God to show me His will through all of this suffering and to allow me to be His priest if it be His will, but I know that I am not alone in my suffering. I have my family, my friends, and the support of the entire universal Church. I have walked in Brittany’s shoes, but I have never had to walk alone. Such is the beauty of the Church, our families, and the prayerful support that we give to one another.

May Brittany come to understand the love that we all have for her before she takes her own life, and that if she chooses instead to fight this disease, her life and witness would be an incredible example and inspiration to countless others in her situation. She would certainly be an inspiration to me as I continue my own fight against cancer.

Philip Johnson is a Catholic seminarian from the Diocese of Raleigh who has terminal brain cancer. This article was originally published on DioceseOfRaleigh.org.

A quarter of schools don't educate their athletes on the injury

Policies guiding concussion treatment at scores of colleges across the country still run afoul of rules set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), according to a new study in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

“The vast majority of schools did have a concussion management plan, but not all of them did,” said Christine Baugh, a Harvard researcher and one of the study’s co-authors. “The number of schools who reported to us that they didn’t have a concussion management plan in place affects tens of thousands of athletes each year.”

The study comes as the NCAA faces increased pressure to protect the health of college athletes. Earlier this year, the organization set aside $70 million for concussion testing and research to settle several class action lawsuits. The exact number of college athletes who suffer from concussions during practice and games is unclear, but some estimates put it in the thousands.

To combat concussions, the NCAA has mandated that colleges create “concussion management plans.” While 93% of the 2,600 schools surveyed said they had drafted such a plan to guide their response to concussions, many of those plans lacked components that Baugh says are critical to actually reducing the head injury. For one, about a quarter of schools don’t train athletes to detect concussions, making it difficult for athletes to recognize when they need to seek medical attention. And more than 6 percent of schools allow coaches or athletes who lack formal medical training to make the final decision about whether a student can return to competition after suffering a concussion.

“It may be the case that coaches and athletes are being extra cautious; despite being cleared by a clinician, they are withholding themselves or withholding their athletes,” said Baugh, who was a Division I athlete during her college years. “But it may also be the case that some of these schools, coaches or athletes are pressuring clinicians to prematurely return to play before their symptoms have been resolved.”

The study concludes with a recommendation for the NCAA: step up enforcement of concussion policies.

Chris Guillebeau is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest that Will Bring Purpose to Your Life.

Dream of walking across the country? Spotting every species of bird? Regret-free people inspired Chris Guillebeau—and they will inspire you

Nate Damn, a young man from Portland, Maine, had what he called a crazy idea: he wanted to walk across America. At first, the motivations for his goal were fuzzy: “It’s just something I have to do for myself,” he would say. Some of his friends thought it was awesome, but others didn’t get it. No matter.

On an early spring morning, Nate set out from Maine and began walking. Mile after mile turned into day after day, and he settled into a routine of daily progress as he left New England and steadily marched toward California.

“Once I had the idea,” he told me at the end of his seven-and-a-half month trek, “I couldn’t get it out of my head. If I didn’t attempt the walk, I knew I’d always regret it.”

Phoebe Snetsinger had raised a family in the Midwest and wanted to do something for herself. Just as she began to explore birdwatching as a new hobby, she received what was initially a terminal diagnosis of cancer. Her first thought, as recorded in her journal, was “Oh no. There are still so many things I want to do!”

Phoebe resolved to spend the rest of her life, however long it would be, traveling abroad and seeing as many birds as possible. Fortunately, she had a lot of time; the diagnosis was premature and she responded well to treatment. But Phoebe still trekked to Amazonian rainforests and African jungles, gaining confidence and going further into the wilds. By the time she died twenty years later in a car accident, she had seen more birds than anyone in the world, setting a Guinness World Record and an advocate for nature.

In some ways, Phoebe lived a stubborn life. She answered what she felt was a calling to go “all-out” for as long as she could. After that premature diagnosis, there was so much left undone—so she got to work doing it and never looked back.

I’d met Nate at the beginning of his journey, and then continued to follow along as he pursued his dream across the country. I’d heard of Phoebe and began learning as much as I could about her life, too.

I understood their motivations perfectly well. I had a similar crazy idea—to visit every country in the world before my 35th birthday. The idea came to me as I traveled independently to my first thirty countries, working as an aid worker and entrepreneur. When I compiled a list of everywhere I’d been thus far, the question struck me: “What would it be like to go everywhere?”

I accepted the fact that I might fail along the way, but if I did the failure would come from an external circumstance and not from my inability to attempt the challenge.

More than ten years ago I set out on the journey, finally coming to an end at my final stop (Norway, country #193 of 193) on the eve of turning 35. The ending was triumphant—I had no regrets and was thrilled that I’d accepted the challenge so many years earlier.

As I roamed the earth on my own quest, visiting tiny island nations and Central Asian autocracies, I found hundreds of people who’d chosen to pursue a quest or embrace a big adventure. They too had “crazy ideas” that they knew they’d regret if they didn’t try them. They often spoke of it like a calling, something they simply had to do.

Even if you don’t want to visit every country in the world or walk across a continent, thinking about what you might regret if you leave it undone can still help you. Ask yourself, “Ten years from now, how will I feel if I pursued this goal, and how will I feel if I decided against it?”

Next, take action. Carve out time to develop the work you decide is important. Set parameters around the project, just as Nate and Phoebe did. For Nate, it wasn’t just “go on a long walk”—he wanted to walk across America on a point-to-point journey.

By the time I arrived at the end of my quest, a lot of things had changed. I’d begun the journey as a solo, independent traveler, but a whole community had sprouted along the way. Now I had another challenge to deal with: the dilemma of “What’s next?”

But this was a good problem to have, and as I reflected on the fact that much of my identity came from visiting the whole world, I also realized that without pursuing the goal, I wouldn’t have had that identity in the first place.

We often think of regret as a negative emotion. But when we proactively anticipate it, and take steps to prevent it, the notion of what might be lost if we don’t take action can inspire us to do something.
Chris Guillebeau is the New York Times bestselling author of the recently released The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest that Will Bring Purpose to Your Life.

This article originally appeared on Refinery29.com.

Virtually every kind of digital program or app we use is modeled on an analog predecessor. Spreadsheets are the digital iteration of accountant logs, and word processing software is modeled off the good-ol’ sheet of paper. We’re human after all, and we’ve always used record-keeping to help deal with uncertainty and the unknown. Now, throw clever entrepreneurial activity into the mix, and you’ve got some of the most helpful, beefed-up quantified self tools on the market. Being able to track exact data in the ways that apps have enabled us to is one of the most modern ways of curtailing the worries that come with personal data guestimation. Tracking our lives may not be a new concept, but it’s certainly shinier. Here’s how our quest to conquer our own data has evolved on a variety of fronts.

Fertility

Before: bare bones calendars, pee sticks, or the pull-out method that seventh grade sex-ed rightfully taught us to avoid (personal shout out to my teacher who made us all think that a foreskin looked like the sleeve of her chenille sweater).

Now: Apps like Clue track important signs of fertility cycles like discharge consistency, fertility windows, menstrual regularity, and of course, attempts at fertilization. On a calendar interface, handy color-coordinated graphics display those quantifiable elements in a cohesive, easily digestible visual. In a world divided over the necessity of women’s health initiatives, it feels empowering to be in tune with cycles — a knowledge that provides transparency in regard to the way our reproductive systems function in our daily lives. Tracking the minutiae that apps allow takes this empowerment and the decision-making to a greater level of security and certainty in the things our bodies are doing.

(MORE: 5 Period Tracking Apps)

Exercise

Before: the Casio stopwatch whose memory will live on in the minds of all who consumed electronics in the ’80s and ’90s. If you don’t remember them, we suggest you watch WarGames to see what kind of technology impressed us then.

Now: Anything we do with our bodies is better when customized, and exercise is no exception. We may suck at some sports, and be incredible at others. This is why the vast array of exercise apps are so exciting. Are you sedentary, and feeling lost on where to start? Apps like Couch-to-5K teach you techniques from square one, keeping track of progress and goals. Are you a seasoned pro who wants to streamline outings? Other apps like RunKeeper serve as simultaneous timekeepers and route-mappers. Tracking the very personal activity that is exercise provides a level of support that could be equated to that of a coach. Literally — many apps have pre-programmed motivational comments that are set to play at various intervals in a workout.

Food

Before: a dog-eared, Weight Watchers-inspired logbook with only the most basic functions of food tracking in the layout. Oh, and a separate book was needed with a list of foods and their proprietary nutrition information.

Now: The most central function is the same across the board. A list of food and meals are entered into their respective breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack slots, and their calories, fats, and proteins, and other important nutrients are tracked. But, instead of shuffling through pages of small guidebooks, a food item’s nutritional information can be sourced through vast databases of restaurant and grocery store goods, as well as preset listings for favorite meals. There’s even barcode scanners for the elusive few items that aren’t listed. These features are standard in apps like MyPlate and LoseIt — and are great even if you’re not trying to lose weight. Tracking food means that we can keep an eye on some of the details about ingredients or sustainability that both greatly affect our health, yet often manage to slip through the cracks.

(MORE: 10 Fitness Apps That Get Results)

Medical Conditions

Before: regular, often-expensive trips to the doctor’s office or crossing your fingers and hoping that apple a day actually contains immune-boosting properties.

Now: Medical tracking — which has been around since the days Bayer enabled diabetics to measure their own glucose levels — goes beyond the level of personal empowerment seen on other fronts to a place that’s vital to our very existence. Having real-time data about the state of our physical existence is a way to catch health hiccups before they become emergencies; this helps to maintain a top quality of life. With fewer guestimations and more exact data, we know when to act and when to relax. Of course, if something really seems off, seeing a professional is still your best bet. But, having the ability to keep tabs on things like sleep cycle measurements or medicine dosages puts more control in the hands of the patient herself, which means less time spent on some of the more menial medical checkups. Even the original diabetes tracking methods have seen a spiffy new user interface on mobile apps.

(MORE: These Apps Just Might Be the Future of Beauty)

Exploring egg freezing doesn’t mean the end of civilization as we know it

This story originally appeared on xoJane.com.

I tell people about my reproductive organs in excruciating detail and advocate for egg freezing on an almost daily basis.

It’s my job as a patient care advocate for a fertility center, and I love it. I see no evil Big Brother plot to control women’s lives. I see it as options.

Since I’ve started planning these egg-freezing parties, we quickly started to see some people lose their minds over the issue.

One accused us of using scare tactics, another said we were encouraging women to have “bastards” and another claimed we were trying to do away with men.

Enter Facebook and Apple’s news this week that they would now be paying for their female employees to freeze their eggs, and the freaking out has reached a whole new level of lunacy.

Let me tell you why these benefits are a good thing — and not in fact an Orwellian attempt by Silicon Valley geeks to control your fertility future.

First, let me tell you my story: I met my husband at age 33. We got married when I was 34 and we starting trying to conceive soon after. What followed was years of doctors, invasive tests, various forms of fertility treatment and a lot of heartache and disappointment. By the time we were doing our third in vitro, we had depleted our savings account and only had one embryo. At the time, it literally felt like everything was riding on that lone embryo; our marriage, our finances, our hopes, everything. Through luck and good odds, I was fortunate enough to get pregnant on that cycle. Even though I was more grateful than I could possibly say for our now two-year-old son, I pressed my doctor as to why she thought we had issues. The only explanation was my age.

I never thought that early to mid-thirties was old or even questionable in terms of fertility. In my mind, the forties are when things really go downhill. As I’ve learned over the years, I’m not the only one who thought this way. Dr. Anate Brauer from Greenwich Fertility told me, “What people don’t understand is that even at age 30 years old, up to 40% of your eggs are genetically abnormal.”

After going through my experience, I became very active in the infertility community and switched jobs. I’ve been working as the director of patient care at Fertility Authority for over two years and you would be shocked at how many women don’t know anything about their own bodies, that age is a real factor when it comes to fertility or even how one actually gets pregnant.

My theory is when were in health class, they told us all about how NOT to get pregnant or get an STI but no one really explained how to conceive and the fact that we live in a time where more and more women are delaying having children.

A very important piece of blood work that women should get is called your “day three blood work.” This is when your blood is taken on day three of your menstrual cycle and informs you and your doctor what your FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and your AMH (anti-mullerian hormone) numbers are. These two aspects will give you an idea of how many eggs you have in storage (so to speak) and the quality. This is an extremely important test and yet, if I left my office right now, stopped a woman on the street and asked her if she knew what her FSH and AMH was, she’d think it was an acronym used on Twitter. Shouldn’t this be general knowledge or part of your yearly checkup? Why aren’t women more aware of this?

Isn’t it a good thing that Apple and Facebook are helping more women BE aware? Not to mention helping them pay for what can be insanely costly?

In effect, I look at myself as the “ghost of infertile future” hoping to educate and empower women who perhaps are going to medical school, law school, trying to climb the corporate ladder or who are actually waiting to meet the right partner for them instead of settling out of some biological fear. It used to drive me insane when I was single and people would say, “Your standards are too high!” If you make the commitment to marry and spend the rest of your life with someone, shouldn’t you have high standards? And what does that say about their own marriages? That their standards were low?

Also, if you take into consideration that in the last four decades, there has been a 900% increase in women over 35 having their first baby, it makes sense that companies at least make this offer of egg freezing to their employees should they want to explore it. You also have to be aware that typically, if you’re over the age of 42, most clinics recommend you use donor eggs as the quality of your eggs drop significantly. Basically, companies aren’t forcing their female staff to go through with egg freezing, they are just making the option available if you know you may want to conceive down the line using your own eggs.

This is why I don’t fully understand why so many are offended by egg freezing. It’s not mandatory and in the long run, it may save both the company and their female employee’s time and money. It cost me roughly $35,000 and three years with time in and out of work for my medical procedures to have my son. One cycle of egg freezing can cost around $10,000 and can possibly not only spare you from having to go through years of fertility treatment but save you additional money on exploring other options such as using donor eggs which can cost a profound amount.

I saw one comment yesterday by a man saying that the fact that companies were offering this was unfair to men. After I was done laughing, I commented back to him that this is not favoritism to women. It’s just biology. Steve Martin became a first-time dad at age 67 years old. I’m pretty sure it’s common knowledge that Helen Mirren wouldn’t be able to do this (even as amazing as she is). Men don’t need this option as they do not have limitations on their fertility while women do. We can argue all day about whether or not you believe in Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” advice but whether you lean in or not, top female talent at companies like Facebook and Apple might appreciate having the assurance of egg freezing.

And assurance is the key word here.

As Dr. Fahimeh Sasan, chief medical officer at my company and a gynecologist at Mt. Sinai, said at our event this past Tuesday, “Just because you freeze your eggs doesn’t mean you have to conceive that way! You can still get married, conceive naturally and end up never using the frozen eggs. They are just insurance should you find that you have difficulty getting pregnant and you prefer not to use donor eggs. It’s like car insurance. No one buys it expecting to get into an accident but it’s there if you need it.”

See? No one is replacing egg freezing with conceiving naturally or even relationships. Even in the best case scenarios, “car insurance” doesn’t always protect you from everything so it’s extremely important to note that there are no guarantees with egg freezing. I can’t say for certain that it will completely spare you from additional fertility treatment beyond the in vitro needed for the eggs you’ve frozen. It’s just a back-up plan should you need it. That being said, pregnancy rates from frozen eggs are currently the same as they are fresh eggs, so it is a viable option to explore.

As for the criticism that companies should put the money and energy instead into offering paternity leave for men or providing in-house childcare for parents; my question is why is it an either-or proposition? Why can’t companies offer all of the above? I know many feel that it’s not an employer’s responsibility to accommodate people’s personal lives but I contend that if you value your workers and want to retain them, it’s a valuable investment.

Another major complaint I’ve heard about egg freezing is it encourages women to have babies in their fifties. Again, this is just ignorance.

Dr. Brauer explains, “We know that carrying a pregnancy at an advanced age increases complications of pregnancy such as hypertensive disorders or pregnancy, gestational diabetes, placental abruption and growth restriction. Because these risks increase as a woman progresses into her late thirties and forties, most clinics have established an age cut off, usually in the late forties.”

This is true even when using donor eggs. It’s not like there are no age restrictions and that the industry is telling women old enough to be grandmothers to have their first child. There are guidelines.

Here’s the bottom line: If you are a woman interested in having children and are not yet ready for any reason whatsoever, just see your OB/GYN or a reproductive endocrinologist, get your AMH and FSH, tell them your history (do you smoke, have diabetes, etc.) and find out if you are fertile or if you have any issues. Through my job, around 20% of women who contacted us for an egg freezing consult found out they had a fertility issue they knew nothing about. One had blocked fallopian tubes, another was going into early menopause and one in particular sadly found out she wouldn’t be able to have any biological children. All of these women were in their thirties and absolutely had no idea there was any problem with them whatsoever.

Educating women on knowing their fertility health is so incredibly important. Whether they freeze their eggs, whether it’s moral or not is no one’s business. It’s between them, their doctor and whatever god they choose to worship.

I for one “like” this.

Jennifer Palumbo is a writer and former stand-up comedian.

Not being able to smell well could signal the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease

No one appreciates their sense of smell when they pass a trash heap or accidentally step in dog poop. But your nose knows a lot—not just when things stink. In fact, your ability to smell, or not, can tell you a lot about your health. Here’s why you shouldn’t take your whiffing powers for granted.

A bad sense of smell can signal an early death

Feel like your sense of smell has gone south over the years? If it’s less than stellar, it could be a tip-off that you’re not in good health. A new study from the University of Chicago Medical Center found that not being able to detect certain odors had an increased risk of dying within five years. A whopping 39% of older patients who couldn’t pick up on scents like orange, rose, and peppermint died within that time frame, compared to only 19% of so-so smellers, and 10% of good smellers.

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Poor smell detection may be a sign of Alzheimer’s

Not being able to smell well could signal the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according a Harvard Medical School study. Participants with elevated levels of amyloid plaques (telltale proteins found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients) who performed worse on an odor identification test also had greater brain cell death. Why? When the disease starts to kill brain cells, this often includes cells crucial for your sense of smell.

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Smelling something weird could predict a stroke

Some people pick up on more scents than others, but brief episodes of smelling something completely off-base—like fish when there isn’t any around—may be a sign of stroke or a seizure. The American Academy of Neurology says these “olfactory hallucinations” are usually unpleasant smells, but they can differ from person to person, according to the Mayo Clinic. Contact your doctor right away if your nose seems to be going haywire.

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Imagining odors can precede a migraine

While it’s relatively uncommon, people may also hallucinate a smell as part of a pre-migraine aura, according to a review of research done by the Montefiore Headache Center. Again, the scents were mostly unpleasant: the most common were of things burning or decomposing.

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This article originally appeared on Health.com