Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one which helps to keep and improve people's health and well-being.Many governments and non-governmental organizations have made big efforts in healthy lifestyle and health promotion.
Mental Health
Mental health can be considered a very important factor of physical health for the effects it produces on bodily functions. This type of health concerns emotional and cognitive well-being or an absence of mental disorder.
Public health
Public health can be defined in a variety of ways. It can be presented as "the study of the physical, psychosocial and socio-cultural determinants of population health and actions to improve the health of the population.
Reproductive Health
For the UN, reproductive health is a right, like other human rights. This recent concept evokes the good transmission of the genetic heritage from one generation to the next.
Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
mercredi 20 juin 2018
Tiffany Haddish Loves This Alexander McQueen Gown So Much, She's Worn It 4 Separate Times
OK, Tiffany Haddish, we bow down to you and your ability to bring back a stunning gown time and time again. While the 38-year-old comedienne hosted the MTV Movie & TV Awards, she had a number of outfit changes, including a quick slip back into a timeless classic: her white Alexander McQueen dress.
Does the white gown look familiar? Well, that's because Tiffany has actually sworn to wear this sleek dress "multiple times," and she's already broken it out not once, not twice, but three times before, most recently at the Oscars in March. This time around, however, she paired the dress with her silver strappy heels instead of her comfy UGG slippers. Find yourself an icon who can do both. Ahead, see the dress from all angles during Tiffany's night of hosting.
Princess Eugenie's Royal Ascot Dress Is a Bride-to-Be's Dream - Oh, and Ours Too
Princess Eugenie arrived at the Royal Ascot alongside her sister, Princess Beatrice, who was dressed head to toe in blue. Eugenie played the stark contrast in a sophisticated ivory wrap dress cinched at the waist with a bow. Of course, the shade and lovely design only amped us up for her upcoming wedding dress, which we imagine will boast similar details. Be it an oversize bow or voluminous sleeves, we're getting used to seeing Eugenie in statement-making silhouettes.
She pulled off this striking number - which, by the way, coordinated with Meghan Markle's embroidered Givenchy shirt dress - with a M2Malletier Amor Fati clutch, a linen sun hat with a single tassel (not her most adventurous fascinator, but certainly eye-catching enough), and her unique engagement ring. Read on for an all-angles glimpse, then shop similar white dresses with a feminine, royal twist.
Red-Hot Dots! Dua Lipa's Polka-Dot Two-Piece Is as Sexy as It's Sweet
Here we were thinking that Dua Lipa saved her sexiest looks for the main stage. As it turns out, she showcases them when she's off-duty too. The British musician put away her endless collection of steaming-hot bikinis for a day out with her boyfriend, Isaac Carew, in New York - and she looked sexy as hell in a polka-dot two-piece!
Dua opted for a navy and red ruffled top and skirt by designer Marianna Senchina, sharing a picture of the ensemble on Instagram with the very fitting caption "Ladybird." The singer styled the look with a wicker crossbody bag, Le Specs glittery sunglasses ($119), and flatform Adidas trainers. Read on to see the starlet in head-to-toe polka dots, then shop the look for yourself - including the exact pieces she's wearing.
Meghan Markle Just Made Her Royal Ascot Debut in a Surprisingly Simple Givenchy Dress
For her very first appearance at Royal Ascot alongside Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family, Meghan Markle once again turned to her wedding dress designer. Just a month after her fairy-tale wedding to Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex wore a white, embroidered shirt dress by Givenchy, which she cinched in at the waist with the same black belt she wore on her trip to Cheshire with the queen. To accessorize her stunning outfit, Meghan opted for a black clutch, matching heels, and a black and white hat by Philip Treacy.
The past few weeks have been busy for Meghan. After a well-deserved break following her nuptials, the duchess quickly went back to work, starting with the celebrations for Prince Charles's 70th birthday patronage at Buckingham Palace. A few weeks later, she made her debut at Trooping the Colour, wearing a gorgeous Carolina Herrera dress, which both broke the royal protocol and paid a sweet homage to Princess Diana. Read on to get a closer look at her Royal Ascot-approved outfit and shop some similar numbers.
Victoria Beckham's Shoes Might Make Your Heart Skip a Beat, So Here's Fair Warning
Victoria Beckham packed a whole lot of color for her trip to NYC. After touching down at the airport in gorgeous blue plaid pants, the designer hit the streets of the Big Apple in pastel coordinates from her Spring 2018 line. She styled a pinstriped ruched midi with a matching lightweight trench and slipped into sea-green pumps, all from her own collection.
Victoria topped off the look with her signature dark lenses, so she was instantly recognizable, and she tucked a cream clutch into her arm, making for an effortless, hands-free fashion moment. While we could all dress up in rainbow like VB, it's no secret that a vibrant shoe alone will get you noticed, even if you're just wearing jeans and a tee. We were so struck by the aqua tint of these particular heels, we went shopping immediately for a pair of our own. Read on to see what we found.
Going Out? These Outfit Ideas Will Help You Look Sexy and Stylish All at Once
The warm weather is finally here, which means you're probably ready for more nights out. As a result, you might have already started to rummage through your wardrobe in search of the perfect outfit, only to be hit by a wave of I-have-nothing-to-wear. If that's the case, don't panic, because we've found exactly what you need.
The following outfits are all stylish, elevated, and on point, with a hint of sex appeal. Whether you're going on a night out with the girls, to after-work drinks with your colleagues, or on a date night, these looks will all help you turn heads. All you need to do is pick your favorite ones and get styling.
22 Stylish Ways to Show Your Stars and Stripes
Patriotic gear is a prerequisite for the Fourth of July. That said, you don't have to settle for cutoffs or any cheesy red, white, and blue t-shirts when stars and stripes this chic are on the market. From breezy printed blouses to pretty striped sundresses, these 22 finds will make you the best dressed guest at any backyard BBQ - and beyond.
- Additional reporting by Hannah Weil McKinley
Somehow, Kendall Jenner Has Upped Her Bikinigram Game Even More in 2018
Kendall Jenner is no stranger to the swimsuit life - the girl likes to show some skin and share it with the rest of the world (or at least the Instagram world). Whether she's jet-setting with her crew of bikini-loving model pals like Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin or she's just lounging on the grass all by her lonesome, Jenner never misses an opportunity to show off her bathing suit bod.
Kendall bounces back and forth between swim styles, seemingly unafraid to try any trend or silhouette. We've seen her rock everything from a high-cut throwback one-piece to a sweet gingham bikini and even a leopard print thong style. No doubt there will be plenty more swimstagrams coming down the pike from the supermodel, but for now, let's pay homage to the best she's graced us with in 2018 so far.
Melania Trump Chose a Valentino Dress For Her Visit With King Felipe and Queen Letizia
After her recent public reemergence, Melania Trump met with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain at the White House, and we couldn't help but wonder . . . have we seen Queen Letizia's dress before? Why, yes, we have.
The 45-year-old royal wore a sleeveless pink Michael Kors dress ($1,695), complete with buttons on the sides, that's the fraternal twin to a certain powder-blue number hanging in Melania's closet. FLOTUS wore the same dress in a different shade last Summer, when she met Panama's president and first lady. Letizia may have taken a nod from Melania's wardrobe, but she made the outfit her own, not only in her color choice, but by cinching the waist with a metallic silver belt.
Melania opted for an olive green Valentino dress with an ombré effect and matching Manolo Blahnik heels for this visit. Ahead, take a peek at the duo's meeting and see exactly how they styled their outfits, then shop similar versions of the Michael Kors sheath that's been approved by both women.
These Top-Rated Heels From Nordstrom Are Cute and Comfy (It's a Miracle!)
If I'm standing in heels all day, I don't want to be hunched over in pain. What's the point of wearing them if I look uncomfortable? I'm always on the hunt for stylish yet functional options, and I just found my new favorite. These Sole Society Joanan Sandals ($89) are currently a top-rated pick on Nordstrom. Five customers have rated these shoes so far and every single one gave them a perfect five stars. That's enough to raise my brows.
The soft straps and block heels provide support. The knotted front is thick so you don't feel like you're foot is going to slip forward. The shoes come in four colors: red, black, beige, and lavender.
"This is the most comfortable heeled sandal I have ever worn," one customer wrote. "Great price too! I had my doubts because sometimes sandals with the knot style in front hurt my medium/wide feet. It fits like a glove. I think it looks classy yet sexy on my foot."
Don't put it off - snag these cute shoes while you can. They look great with dresses, jeans, and more. It's time to treat yourself!
14 Red-Hot Summer Dresses You Won't Regret Buying
If you're looking to stand out this Summer, you've come to the right place. Throw all those basic old black dresses in the giveaway pile, and treat yourself to a bold red shade that will seriously turn heads. You don't have to waste your time shopping, either, because we did it for you. From mini-polka-dot picks to flowy and comfortable maxis, you'll want them all. Keep scrolling to shop our favorite finds of the season.
Whoa! For Love & Lemons' New Swimwear Is So Sexy, We Want It All
If you're on an endless hunt for the perfect swimsuit this season, we have good news for you. We looked to LA-based brand For Love & Lemons because it offers so many adorable picks, we have no doubt you'll find your next Summer suit. Lucky for you, we did the hard work and rounded up a list of our favorites. From sexy lace one-pieces to cherry print bikinis, take a look ahead.
These Insanely Stylish Mini Bags Will Make You Want to Ditch Your Oversize Tote For Good
This season's hottest handbag trend proves the old saying "good things come in small packages." Micromini handbags are having a cool fashion moment, and it's all thanks to celebs like Gigi Hadid and street style stars alike ditching their oversize totes in favor of the adorably tiny accessory.
The mini bags might not carry a lot, but they do make a big sartorial statement. Whether you opt for a teeny-tiny straw bag or a sleek micromini crossbody, the miniature bag silhouettes give even the most basic outfits a high-fashion upgrade. Stay on trend this season and read through to shop the chicest mini bags in stores now.
Amazon's Prime Wardrobe Is About to Save Your Closet and Your Wallet
You know what the hardest part of shopping online is for me? I never fully know how something is going to fit. Hitting "purchase" requires both a trust in the brand or retailer I'm buying from and an assurance that everything I buy is actually returnable for a full refund. For whatever reason, I'm likely to return at least one thing from any online order. But not anymore. I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Amazon has quietly rolled out a brand-new feature for Prime members that takes so much of the hassle out of online shopping. Meet Prime Wardrobe.
The program is centered on the genius concept of "try before you buy." Basically, you can pick between three and eight items to add to your box, and once you receive your shipment, you have seven days to try on your clothes and decide if you like them. The shipment comes with a prepaid return label, so just send back the clothes you didn't like. And here's the kicker: after the seven days, Amazon will only charge you for the items you keep! Now there's no more waiting for the refund to hit your credit card. Once you've returned the clothes you didn't like, you can curate your next box. It's that simple.
We're so excited to start shopping this new feature. It has plenty of chic designers to choose from and carries options for women, men, children, and babies. So now you can shop for your entire family, or just yourself. If you're a Prime member, you can request access to this feature here. Ahead, we've curated some of our favorite pieces that you can buy via Prime Wardrobe, but whatever your style is, it's got options for you. Happy shopping!
Meghan Markle's Royal Ascot Hat Is the Most Glamorous Thing We've Ever Seen
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry joined Queen Elizabeth for the first day of Royal Ascot. The gorgeous couple rode a carriage onto the course after having lunch with the queen. For the opening day of the famous horse racing event, Meghan wore a regal white shirt dress by Givenchy. (In case you forgot, she also wore the designer during her fairy-tale wedding.)
While her bridal-inspired look was eye-catching, we were also struck by her gorgeous hat. To finish her look off, Meghan wore a matching white hat by Philip Treacy that featured elegant black detailing. On the other hand, Harry wore a traditional tailcoat and top hat. Read on to see all angles of Meghan's stunning hat ahead.
260 Mexican Recipes You Need to Master
If you find yourself uttering the phrase "I love Mexican food" more than once a week, join our club. What's not to love, really? The delicious options seem endless. There are tacos, burritos, quesadillas, taquitos, tostadas - all waiting to be filled with things like tinga chicken, pulled pork, shredded beef, and even veggies like mushrooms and elote. And then, of course, there are nachos, bowls, and salads - all begging to be sprinkled with cotija cheese and salsas. And we don't even have to tell you about guacamole and margaritas, of course.
Straight ahead you'll find 260 iterations of all your favorites; basically an excuse for you to eat Mexican food today and every day. It's the holy grail of Mexican recipes!
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I'm Latina and Go to Therapy - Here's How I Live With Both
Toward the end of March, I was sitting with a family member when she asked me how I'd been spending my time lately. I told her about work, about some upcoming trips with my boyfriend, then I mentioned that I'd taken my therapy sessions from weekly to every two weeks.
I immediately regretted it. I don't talk about therapy with certain members of my family because I learned early on that to them, it'll always seem like a waste of time and money.
I live with anxiety, depression, and a Latino family; more often than not, the three do not mix.
While I started going to therapy three years ago, I realized I probably should have been in therapy since I was a kid. As I work to untangle and identify the triggers that set me off, I'm able to see how they were there when I was a kid, making it harder for me to socialize, making it easier to retreat to my writing and reading.
I can remember how my off days were always categorized as days when "mal de ojo" could've been in play or just plain "no pienses tanto y te pasa." Except those feelings don't just "go away."
My worst-lived moments with my anxiety and depression happened right after my grandmother died in 2014. She was my go-to girl, and when I lost her I also lost a big part of how I defined myself. Since right before her passing until very recently, I've paid a visit to my therapist weekly.
My therapist and I would sit, and for 45 minutes I worked hard to be honest about my feelings in a way that I hadn't learned at home. Going to therapy, in and of itself, was an easy decision for me. I knew I needed it and that it would give me as much as I put in. Admittedly, it was also the first time I put myself and my needs first, rather than doing what I knew my very traditional family would want.
In their eyes, I'm not really struggling. To them, mental health has never been a real concept. They knew mental illnesses as the scenes in novelas where the woman (literally, almost always the woman) has a nervous breakdown and ends up in a padded room.
I have a full-time job. I'm highly functioning. To them, how they saw me didn't add up to who I was telling them I was.
Learning that they would never understand my decision was a process. At the beginning of my therapy sessions, I would want to talk to them about how I felt my shoulders relax after each session. I wanted them to be as proud of me as I was that I was learning to anticipate my panic attacks and picking up on ways to prioritize my feeling safe, because I now knew more of my triggers.
The first few times I did talk about it, I learned that trying to convince them of the value of therapy - and that my triggers were scary and real - was detrimental to the work I was putting in.
Ultimately, the work I do in therapy is for me and no one else. I do it because I'm worth it and I want more from myself than feeling paralyzed.
There are still times that it hurts that I can't talk to them openly about how significant it is that I felt well enough to switch from weekly to biweekly therapy sessions. But when I slip and mention it, my family's response is, "That's good, you maybe needed it then, but you don't need it anymore." That's when I'm reminded why it's best to talk to other people about it besides my Latino family.
When you're learning to live with a mental illness, you want to have an A team that rallies for you on your harder days and doesn't treat your lived experiences as momentary fits. As a Latina, I think that we automatically default to that A team needing to be our family because it's all we've ever known.
I love my family, but I'm not blind to their limitations. They don't consider mental illnesses as lived reality because they weren't brought up to do so. Just because they don't doesn't make what I'm working for any less real.
I go to therapy for me. I just need to remind myself of that every so often.
30 Quick and Easy Quesadilla Recipes That'll Leave You Asking For More
Tell us what's better than two tortillas stuffed with melted cheese. Nothing tops the deliciousness of a warm quesadilla filled with melted, gooey queso and a few of your favorite toppings (take your pick: chicken tinga, crispy veggies, avocado, salsa verde!).
But even if we were to put aside their yummy taste, their ease in preparation would still make the Mexican dish a favorite. You could whip one up in a matter of minutes, so they take barely any effort to prepare and offer a filling solution on nights when an elaborate dinner seems too overwhelming. Look ahead for 30 recipes to try ASAP.
Why There's No Such Thing as Latina Skin and Latina Hair Color
Image Source: Stocknap user Allef Vinicius
Every time I look at my cousins, I think of a Gina Rodriguez GIF I stumble across from time to time. The line of text on it reads, "I'm as a Latina as they come," and it wholly represents the mindset I hope my little cousins grow up with.
Too often "to be Latina" has qualifiers that are limiting and disregard what it actually means to be part of this culture. For instance, the notion that being Latina is synonymous with being a woman with olive skin, curly hair, and a curvy body erases the very real, lived experiences of Latinas who range in skin tones, hair types, and body types and exist on the LGBTQ spectrum. The phrase "you don't look Latina" shouldn't exist.
My little cousins are walking into a world that already does so much to package their culture into easily consumable one-liners, and I don't want them to do that to themselves. I want them to embrace the truth that my naturally curly hair and their naturally straight hair both come from our shared roots. The fact that their skin is fair while their own cousins' skin may have more melanin and a tanner shade doesn't mean that we don't all have the same Latinx blood.
Beyond physical appearances and what "looks Latinx" and what doesn't, existing within the culture is something to be proud of. Curves that are reminiscent of your mother's curves should be as celebrated as the straight hair that makes you stand out among family members with tight curls. Latinas are individuals; they are no more or no less Latina for having hair or skin that looks a certain way. Some may have grown up watching Sábado Gigante as their mom tried to comb out the knots in their curls with the help of detangler, while others may have grown up never knowing the pain of having someone pull at their hair (#blessed), but regardless both of those experiences and many more exist within the larger umbrella of being Latina.
It's important to remind ourselves, the younger generations, and others of this truth. It helps to bring home the fact that our narratives are ours to own. How we define ourselves is our personal choice and right, and we don't have to succumb to anyone else's definition of us.
Image Source: Huffington Post Live
Being a White Latina Protects Me From Discrimination - But I'm Not Hiding
I was born on a Navy base in Talcahuano, Chile, in 1978. My father worked as a civilian in the Navy, and my mother was a French teacher at the Lycee Francais in Viña del Mar. My mother is first-generation Chilean, the daughter of a German immigrant father and a French and Swiss-German mother. My father is of German and Spanish ancestry further back along the generational line, which is quite typical in Chile. Most Chileans fall into the category of Spanish plus other European background. We lived a normal middle-class life.
In 1983, we moved to Washington, D.C., which wasn't meant to be a permanent move, but it made sense at the time due to Chile's economic crisis. My father felt pressure from his younger brothers, who were already in the US, and a handful of Chilean contacts secured him a job in the Naval Mission. "Just for a few years," my father said, until things pick back up. The move was not something they agreed on; my mother never wanted to leave Chile. Through the years, she anxiously waited for the day we would go back to our "normal life."
When I started school, I quickly realized that I was living in two worlds: one at home, speaking Spanish with parents who did not know English, and the other outside my door, all in English. My skin color said "she's white" or "she's American," but I was among people who did not understand that I didn't understand them. I recall being called "Maria" and not responding; a teacher came to me and asked why I didn't answer. Because I was María José, not María. No one had ever called me María, and it felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else. I tried explaining that mine was a combined name (like Mary Jo in English) but "María" stuck, mostly because it inconvenienced other people. It was too much of an effort. And that was when my American persona was born. At school and in the English-speaking world, María José was incomprehensible to them, so I was just Maria. At home, I was María José. The other half.
Racially, I am white. Not pale or light skinned - I am white. Through my years in the US, I became very aware of other Hispanics and the fact that none of them looked like me. They were darker-skinned with dark hair and spoke differently. The D.C. Metro Area in the 1980s saw an increase in immigration from Central America - mostly El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, due to the political instability and civil wars. Being white and speaking Spanish in this setting made my family and I outsiders, again. In Chile, we looked just like the next person. Here, we were gazed at by other Hispanics who wondered where we were from and why we were so white. In the midst of this, we moved back to Chile at the end of 1988.
What should have been the end of our time in "gringolandia" was just the beginning of our story. In the early '90s my father was offered a job in D.C. again, and before I knew it, we were back. This time indefinitely.
In my mostly all-white school, I learned firsthand of discrimination against Latinos, Latinos being called names or treated unfairly. I recall a teacher saying she didn't like having "so many Latinos" in her class because they were all lazy. However, being white was - and is - a shield against open discrimination. Looking at me, no one assumes I'm anything but a white American girl. They hear me speak English without an accent. Even my name ceased to ignite suspicion. Most people assumed I was Italian-American or just didn't care. Why? Because I am white and I speak English. Done. End of story.
However, I never hid behind that. Anytime I could, I'd say "I'm Chilean," and we never stopped speaking Spanish at home. But I thought the word "Hispanic" or "Latino" didn't apply to me, because I grew up thinking that was only for Central Americans or those with darker skin. Living in my own country, I didn't feel like part of a larger group - I was just Chilean. I learned to use the word Latina only in the past few years. Growing up, the word had a different meaning, because I'd only heard it used only in a derogatory way. Through the years, the meaning evolved into something more positive: being part of a group where we share the same language and, to varying degrees, customs and food. At times I still struggle, because the definition of "Latino" is open to interpretation. Many friends and family do not consider themselves Latino and mark "other" on forms asking your heritage.
My children, who are practically see-through, will most likely never be discriminated against for being half Chilean. They speak Spanish, but their white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes insulate them. However, my other Latina friends, whose children are half-white American and half Hispanic and whose skin is darker, have faced and do face more discrimination.
Every time someone comments on my looks, I use it as an opportunity to educate others. I am not exaggerating when I say that people stop and stare when they hear us speaking Spanish, both Americans and other Hispanics. On one occasion we were followed - yes, followed - at the supermarket because a man just "couldn't believe his eyes" (his exact words) when he heard us speaking Spanish. After hovering for a while, he made his way over and pretended to squeeze a tomato and said "I'm just wondering what language you all are speaking?" Playing along and preparing my big surprise, I smiled and said "Spanish! Do you speak it too?"
It took him a few seconds to take it in, standing there staring at me and my kids, then he said: "I've never heard white people speak Spanish - I took Spanish in high school and it didn't sound like that! Sounds so elegant." I just smiled and said, "Well, white people live in Latin America too," and I left it at that. Walking away, I realized that our being white made the language sound "elegant" to him. As sad as it is, I believe race plays a major role in how people perceive certain countries and what languages we hold in high regard.
I don't expect anyone to assume I'm Latina at first glance. If I saw me, I wouldn't think I'm Latina either. But - and this is where education is needed - I do respect when someone tells me what nationality they are, even if I didn't think so. What I won't and don't accept or put up with is being undermined, questioned, and asked to prove when I say I am Chilean and hearing ridiculous comments such as "No you are not!" "Speak some Spanish!" "For real, you white tho'" "Oh, you're not brown at all" "Oh but you are super pretty." All things that have been said to me.
It's fine if you don't think someone is whatever they say they are, but accept the answer when someone tells you their race, nationally, or ethnicity. That is the biggest insult and show of ignorance.
But even I fall into the trap. Often, when I am out at a store or a restaurant, if I know someone speaks Spanish, I speak Spanish to them. How do I know to do so? By the color of their skin, their appearances, and even what neighborhood I'm in. I know! Exactly what I said we shouldn't do.
The very few times I have spoken English to people who I know are Hispanic, I have felt deceitful - as if I'm trying to hide from them by not letting them know that I too, a white woman, am Hispanic. Now the question I get from my 8-year-old son is: How do you know when someone speaks Spanish? My response is always, "Because I heard them!" or "Remember, anyone can speak Spanish!" But I will not tell him that you can tell by looking at someone's skin color. Why? Because there will be a million other times when that won't be relevant. The next generation of Hispanic-Americans will vary in skin colors and Spanish-speaking abilities. I am teaching him to be an instrument of knowledge and education about what it is to look and be Hispanic in today's America.
An Easy Technique to Pack 5 Salads Tonight That Will Stay Fresh All Week
Eating a big salad at least once a day is a great way to maintain healthy habits. Don't have time to cut up a salad every single night? Here's a way to make all the salads you need for your workweek at once. Follow these simple salad-making rules, and your meal will taste just as fresh on Friday as it does on Monday!
This is just a general guide with lots of room for creativity. Even though you're making all five salads at one time, you can still make them all a little different with the types of toppings and dressings you use for each one. It's a great way to save time and money and ensure you're getting a dose of daily veggies for health and weight loss.
I Fasted 20 Hours a Day For 2 Weeks, and I Can't Believe This Happened
I've been following the 16:8 intermittent fasting (IF) plan for over seven months now, which means I don't eat for 16 hours a day and only eat during the other eight hours. I find a lot of inspiration and information from watching YouTube videos on IF. Recently, I'd been seeing a lot about the Warrior Diet. It's a stricter form of intermittent fasting, during which you have a much shorter eating window of just four hours and then a fasting window of 20 hours.
Before Warrior Diet:
It seems crazy, right? Yet so many people rave about it. You're meant to obtain more mental clarity, increased energy, better digestion, reduced sugar cravings, and, for those looking for it, faster and better weight-loss and muscle definition results.
I never gave it serious thought, though. I mean, how can you only eat for four hours?! But one day, it happened accidentally. I meant to eat at noon as usual, but I was running around doing tons of errands, and it was 4 p.m. by the time I realized I was hungry and able to eat. If I could do it one day, I could do it for one week, right?
One of the best things I've experienced from intermittent fasting is getting a handle on my sugar cravings and food addiction. Not eating until noon was so freeing. It was beginning to help me not obsess about food all the time. I wanted to see how shortening my eating window to four hours would affect that.
I felt like an eating window of 3:00/3:30 p.m. to 7:00/7:30 p.m. would be good for my work, life, and family schedule. I decided to commit to one week on the Warrior Diet because I thought I'd be starving the entire time and wouldn't be able to stand another day. But by the sixth day, I was feeling so good, I wanted to keep going. I decided to commit to two weeks.
Weren't You Insanely Hungry? (In Other Words: Didn't It Suck?!)
This surprised me, too, but no, I wasn't. I felt a little hungry around 10 a.m., so I'd have a cup of black coffee or green chai tea. The first couple of days I felt a little hungry around noon, since that's when I was used to eating. But by the fourth day that passed, and I instead noticed noon was the time of day when my mental clarity, focus, energy, and happiness really started kicking in.
How Did You Feel?
One thing I noticed about the Warrior Diet compared to the 16:8 plan is that eating eight hours a day still didn't entirely prevent me from overeating or wanting sugar, which always made me feel uncomfortably bloated. Eating just four hours a day made it impossible to overeat - my belly filled up so quickly and I felt so satisfied that I didn't want to eat more. Because I had no desire to overeat, I didn't feel bloated at night or in the morning.
Mentally speaking, before I started IF, I was always thinking about food, stressing about counting calories, feeling hungry and deprived, or feeling bad if I ate too much or ate "bad" foods. I realized I was so unhappy back then because all my hard work was just making me gain weight. Only eating in a four-hour window helped me think even less about food, and when I ate, I didn't feel restricted or bad about it. I wasn't expecting to feel such an emotional weight lifted, and this is what kept me inspired to stick with it.
After 2 Weeks on Warrior Diet:
What Did You Eat?
When 3:00/3:30 p.m. rolled around, I felt a subtle sense of hunger but wasn't completely famished. I craved mostly healthy foods and would eat a big tofu kale salad, leftovers, or a bowl of roasted tofu, sweet potatoes, and red peppers. I followed that with a banana, sometimes two, with raw almonds or cashews and plenty of water. Dinner was around 6:00 p.m., and I'd have whatever was on the menu: black bean burritos, avocado pasta with Trader Joe's meatless meatballs and steamed broccoli, lentil soup and bread, or veggie burgers with roasted veggies. If I felt like it, I'd eat a little dessert after. Sometimes it was some trail mix and fresh fruit . . . annnnd sometimes it was a vegan brownie sundae.
I ate what I craved, and as much as I wanted. That was one of my favorite parts about the Warrior Diet. I never felt deprived. I was able to sit down to a huge plate of food and feel completely satisfied and not guilty because my meal was over 400 calories. Another surprising benefit was that my taste buds became so sharp that even basic foods like fresh mango tasted mind-blowingly delicious.
Were You Able to Work Out?
Yep, my 5:45 a.m. CrossFit classes still happened. I felt the same as I always do, but this shortened eating window made for amazing deep sleep, so I felt super rested and energized. I was still able to box jump and burpee as usual, and today I even got a personal record for my squat snatch. One thing I noticed was that from not feeling bloated, I felt lighter and more agile and just more excited to move my body.
Did You Lose Weight?
I was surprised that I lost about two pounds - I've been about the same weight for years! This doesn't seem major, especially since it's hard to tell from the before-and-after photos, but for me, it was all in my belly. I noticed zero bloating (zero!) and a flatter tummy. I've also noticed more muscle definition in my arms and thighs, but that's not just from the past two weeks; it's because I've been doing intermittent fasting for over seven months now.
Isn't It Bad For You Not to Eat All Day?
Someone expressed their concern to me that intermittent fasting is an eating disorder. I actually feel like it's the exact opposite. I feel more in control and have a healthier relationship with food than I ever had. I finally know what true hunger feels like and am learning to listen to my body to eat when I'm hungry and - this is the most important thing - to STOP when I'm full. I'm no longer overeating or obsessing about food, and I feel more free from the thoughts about how eating affects my weight.
Will You Keep Going?
I've been wondering this every single day over the past 14 days. Some days I'm like, "Hell, no!" I especially felt that way on the third and 13th days. But then on the other days I just felt so good; I felt like I wanted to keep this up.
There are two main reasons I've contemplated sticking with the Warrior Diet. One, not being bloated has been huge for me, since I have been struggling with that since July 2016. It's made me so self-conscious and uncomfortable - on my worst days, I felt really depressed about it. So to look down and see a flatter tummy and not feel pain makes me tear up; I'm so happy.
Intermittent fasting feels like free therapy.
And two, I can't get over how I'm not obsessing about food. Even when I begin my eating window, I'm not scarfing food down or craving sweets, and I'm not overeating. And during my fasting window, I'm not daydreaming about the food I'll eat. Restricting my diet for over 20 years and obsessing about weight loss really f*cked me up, and intermittent fasting feels like free therapy. It's slowly curing me of all my worries and detrimental body-negative thoughts.
OK, so the one thing that was hard was the weekends. I had my best friend visiting on the sixth day, and we went out for brunch. Sipping on coffee while she ate pancakes was tough - I'm not gonna lie. But that's what's cool about choosing IF as a lifestyle. I can tailor it to meet my needs, which means sticking with it most days and being lenient about not fasting when I want to.
I've loved the heightened benefits of the Warrior Diet vs. the 16:8 plan - I'm blown away that I haven't been famished all day and that I've been so energized. I'm over the moon that I'm feeling zero belly bloat because I'm not overeating all day long, and I love not obsessing about food.
I think I'm going to keep going! I'm not sure I'll be strictly Warrior-ing it up every single day. Maybe some days I'll have a five- or six-hour eating window. Some days I'll do 16:8, and, well, other days (like on the weekends), I'll wake up and hit up my local vegan bakery for a sticky bun and keep eating all day long.
Final Thoughts
If you're considering intermittent fasting, I definitely would not try the Warrior Diet right off the bat. I'd start with a 12-hour fasting window, not eating from, say, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Gradually increase the amount of time you're fasting by 30 to 60 minutes every few days. I took a few weeks to get on the 16:8 plan, so just ease your body into it, and you'll find more success. As always, chat with your doctor before making any serious changes to your diet.
Aside from jumping into IF too fast, avoid these other intermittent fasting mistakes, such as eating the wrong foods. Once you get into a rhythm, you'll love the benefits of weight loss, increased energy, and the lowered risk of disease and feel inspired to keep going. You just might inspire someone else to hop on the IF train, too!
The 2 Changes I Made That Helped Me Finally Shed Those Last Few Pounds
In 2016 I gained quite a bit of weight. It was by far my toughest year yet; I experienced loss, survived a near-death experience, and moved across the world to start a new life in a city I had never even visited before. It was impossible to keep my normal diet and fitness routine in the midst of all this chaos, so I ended up putting on some extra pounds - a fact I wasn't stoked about, but I knew it was only temporary.
At the beginning of this year I started my weight loss journey (well, it felt more like a battle at the start). Over the course of several months I got my diet back on track, started exercising more, and even meditated on a daily basis. But for every step forward, it seemed like I would take two steps back, and I couldn't get rid of those last stubborn pounds. It wasn't until recently that I made two significant changes to my lifestyle that helped me shed the unwanted pounds.
For starters, I started lifting heavy weights. I had always loved strength training much more than cardio. Give me a barbell any day of the week, just as long as I don't have to run at all. But I was one of those women who was afraid to lift heavy - I didn't want to look "bulky." After researching and talking to a few personal trainers, though, I learned that lifting heavy weights wasn't going to make me bigger. In fact, it was going to do the opposite and help me slim down.
So I started back squatting, hip thrusting, shoulder pressing, and deadlifting, all with the help of a personal trainer, so I could learn how to do it all on my own. I even incorporated chest dips and bench press into my workout routine. Before I knew it, I was squatting 200 pounds - and feeling like a total badass.
The picture on the left was from six weeks ago, and the one on the right was taken the other day. I couldn't believe how quickly the transformation started showing up on my body. Not only did I lose belly fat (without doing any ab exercises whatsoever), but my legs were slimmer, I lost fat on my shoulders and upper arms, and even my cheeks were less chubby. More importantly, though, I was feeling like myself again. I woke up with more energy every morning and felt stronger each day.
Another big change I made was the size of my meals. I already eat a vegan, plant-based diet, so I knew I didn't need to revamp the quality of my diet. Rather than trying some sort of diet fad, I simply started eating smaller portions of the food I already consume on a daily basis. When I packed my lunch, I packed a good chunk less than what I normally eat. Rather than putting a whole banana in my smoothie, I just used a small piece. These minor changes helped me reach my goals in a short amount of time.
I also made sure I was getting enough protein every day, because you can't make muscle gains without eating enough protein. I never counted my calories, but I only ate when I was hungry, and stopped when I was full. This was probably the biggest difference in my diet. Before, I was emotional eating left and right - between meals, late at night, whenever there was food around. Becoming more intentional and thoughtful about what and when I was eating made a huge difference.
Here's another picture of what I look like now.
A few people have commented on my progress and asked how much weight I lost. The truth is, I haven't lost any pounds on the scale. In the body scans I've been doing with my trainer every few weeks, though, it shows that I went from being in the "over" category of body mass index (BMI) to "normal." I ended up gaining three pounds of muscle and losing a couple pounds of fat. It's clear that the scale doesn't tell the full story.
I know my weight loss journey isn't over yet, but I'm floored at the progress I've already made, especially considering the fact that most of it came from heavy weight lifting, an activity that is known to be popular among big dudes.
But the truth of the matter is, women's bodies contain a small fraction of testosterone compared to men's, and that's the very hormone that produces muscle mass. So it's almost impossible to get "bulky" when you're lifting heavy weights (unless you're taking crazy supplements, of course). Furthermore, the more lean muscle mass you develop in your body, the more fat and calories you burn throughout the day.
Throughout all this, I was still doing cardio four times a week, because as good as weight lifting is for you, you still need cardio if you want to lose weight! I did an endurance running class twice a week, as well as cycling and HIIT cardio.
I can't wait to see what kind of changes will happen in another six weeks, because I'm still continuing along my path of weight lifting and portion control. And I'm feeling better than ever.
This Macro-Counting Formula For Weight Loss Is the Tool We've Been Missing
We recently learned all about the power of counting macronutrients and why it's so much more efficient (and healthy!) for your body than simply focusing on a calorie count. By focusing on carbohydrates, protein, and fat, you can better optimize your diet for your physical and personal needs, whether you're boosting your metabolism, cutting fat, or building muscle.
Many of us want to know what it takes to lose weight, right? What's the optimal diet for weight loss and fat cutting? What does that day look like? Our macro-counting expert, wellness coach Carrie McMahon, breaks it down for us and shows that slight adjustments can make huge differences in weight."[Counting macronutrients] is a concept that is fairly new to most women," said Carrie. And just like LISS workouts, macro counting has "existed in the bodybuilding world for years, but it can be applied to real, everyday life."
Counting macronutrients can be tricky, but there are tools to help you stay on track (and do the math). Here's what you need to get started:
The Tools
- A meal tracker. Figuring out all these numbers can be super tough (and mentally exhausting). To focus more on your diet and how you're feeling, Carrie suggests the My Macros+ Tracker ($3).
- Your optimal caloric intake. Find your number with a calorie calculator online (many of them are free, including this one from FreeDiet that Carrie suggested).
- Carrie tells us to take the total amount of calories you need to consume for maintenance, and reduce that by about 10 to 20 percent, depending on goals. That will be your caloric target for the day. Example: if your maintenance number is 2,000 calories, your target will be somewhere from 1,600 to 1,800.
- Don't try to make huge cuts to your calories as it can have an adverse effect. "I never like to make huge jumps to cut calories." she said. She suggests slowly cutting calories, little by little, to see how your body reacts. "There's no point in cutting off a huge chunk, feeling like crap and rebounding, when in fact you may only need to cut slightly to see weight-loss results."
The Formula
Once you have your total caloric intake, it's time to break it up into macros - how many grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein do you need each day?
Carrie's formula for weight-loss macro planning, or "cutting": 20 percent fat, 45 percent carbohydrate, 35 percent protein split. These percentages stay the same, but the calorie breakdown below will be different from yours based on your weight, height, age, and level of activity (how much you work out). Make sure you apply the 20-45-35 breakdown to your own numbers, as calculated via the FreeDiet calorie calculator.
Here's how you calculate macros: use the target number of calories, and plug it into these formulas. Let's say your target is 1,400 calories - this is how that number looks plugged into the equations.
- (.20) x 1,400 = 280 kcal / 9 (since there are 9 calories in every gram fat) = 31 grams of fat per day
- (.35) x 1,400 = 490 kcal / 4 (4 calories per gram of protein) = about 123 grams of protein per day
- (.45) x 1,400 = 630 kcal / 4 (4 calories per gram of carbohydrates) = about 158 grams of carbohydrates per day
Example total macro targets for the day: 31 grams of fat, 123 grams of protein, 158 grams of carbohydrates. That's a low fat, very high protein diet.
The Meals
This is how Carrie breaks up meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner include all three macros (carbs, protein, and fat). There are two snacks built into the day: the first snack (between breakfast and lunch) is just protein and fat (no carbs), and the second snack (between lunch and dinner) is carbs and protein (no fat).
What does that looks in terms of foods? Use this guide to get a glimpse into what your days will look like (and think of this as a shopping list!). Keep in mind, you'll need to track all your foods in your app, in order to reach your target numbers. After a while, it'll start to feel like second nature and you'll have a much better idea of what your meals will look like on a day-to-day basis.
Good Carbohydrate Sources:
- Oatmeal, oat bran
- Sweet potato
- Brown rice
- All veggies
- All fruits
- Whole-wheat breads, wraps, pitas
- Cereals
Good Protein Sources:
- Chicken, lean beef, fish
- Egg whites
- Cottage cheese, strained Greek yogurt
- Protein powder (Carrie says you can make protein pancakes, stir it into oatmeal or Greek yogurt!)
- Tofu, tempeh
- Beans (be aware that they're also high in carbs)
Good Fat Sources:
- All nuts and nut butters
- Avocado
- Seeds
- Egg yolks
- Oils
- Cheeses
- Dark chocolate
What you choose to eat is up to you - there's no elimination with counting macros, it's just about being aware of your distribution and knowing if you're getting enough of the right kind of calories. It'll take some work to get the hang of it, but in Carrie's words, "the results are life changing."
If You Only Have 10 Minutes to Work Out Today, Do This 4-Move Workout
If you love a good booty burn, you're going to be all over this 10-minute butt workout. You better get some quarters ready because your butt is going to be so fricking firm!
The Moves:
Squat thrust
Squat with overhead reach
Alternating forward lunge (one on each side counts as one rep)
Sumo squat jump
The Workout:
Set the timer for 10 minutes and begin this up-ladder-style workout by doing three reps of each exercise, then six reps, then nine reps, then 12 reps, and so on until the 10 minutes are up.
Tried and Tested: The Best Laundry Detergent For Your Fitness Gear
When I work out, I sweat - a lot - and this happens at just about every workout you can think of. It's not unusual for me to walk out of a Pilates class looking like I just completed 60 minutes of Spin. And sadly, my sweat does not smell like roses. It's gross, but it's my reality.
While regular detergent might work on a pair of jeans, this does not hold true to my soaked-in-sweat workout gear. Before discovering detergent that actually got the funk out of my sports bras, capris, and tanks, it wasn't unusual for me to do an entire load of my favorite fitness items, just to find offensive odors still lingering once everything was dry. After playing around with plenty of DIY solutions and testing every detergent I could get my hands on, I've found three solid choices that work. Unlike most detergents, they don't leave a weird residue behind, won't harm the technical properties of good workout gear, and most importantly, eliminate that funk a good session at the gym is sure to leave behind.
I Cut These 2 Healthy Foods and Finally Lost Weight (Nope, It Wasn't Oats or Bread!)
You heard of the freshman 15? For me it was more like the freshman 40. No joke. I was a recent vegan convert, and only having access to the dining hall meant living on pasta, bagels, french fries, and cereal (Fruit Loops are vegan!). I was a total junk food vegan. After seeing a photo of myself at my brother's wedding, it really sank in that I needed to change my habits and lose weight.
Fresh vegetables and fruits weren't part of my diet, so when I started incorporating those, coupled with running, the pounds started to fall off. But then I hit the dreaded plateau.
I instantly pointed my finger at carbs. It must be the whole-wheat pasta, quinoa, and oatmeal! But when I cut those foods from my diet, the scale still didn't budge. I actually started to gain weight. I was shocked and very frustrated. You better believe I ate a huge hunk of bread with my soup that night and said, "Eff this!"
OK, so it wasn't carbs. And my exercise routine was still going strong. One day I decided to write down everything I ate - every bite, every handful. And by the end of the day, I discovered a theme and I was shocked. The two healthy foods I was eating a ton of were dried fruit and nuts.
That day, I had eaten one-third cup each of raisins and walnuts on my oatmeal, snacked on an entire bag of dried mango (my addiction), smeared four huge spoonfuls of crunchy almond butter on my afternoon banana, and poured a tablespoon of salted sunflower seeds on my salad. And instead of just reaching for handful after handful of cashews after dinner, I actually measured - it was half a cup - over 300 calories in cashews alone!
I thought I was doing well by satiating my cravings for vegan ice cream and salty french fries with dried fruit and nuts. But the truth is, dried fruit and nuts and seeds are healthy, but they still contain calories - and TONS of them. I cut them out for two weeks, just to see if that was the issue, and the scale finally budged.
Learn from my mistake! If you're eating what you think is a healthy diet, take a look at portion sizes. Be mindful of calorie-dense foods like dried fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocado, oil, and whole grains. Dried fruit and nuts gradually made it back into my diet, but I'm more mindful of how much I'm eating. Instead of delving into a jar of peanut butter with reckless abandon, I arm myself with a tablespoon.
Follow This Trainer's Warmup and You'll Have the Best Run of Your Life
The warmup and cooldown are the easiest parts to skip when it comes to our workouts. We justify to ourselves that they don't matter nearly as much as the actual workout does - but that couldn't be further from the truth, especially when it comes to running.
"To most people [running] just seems like that thing you do when you don't know what else to do, or the basic form of 'cardio' exercise that just seems boring and mindless," Michael Olzinski, MS, Purplepatch endurance coach and Equinox run coach, told POPSUGAR. "I believe that running is possibly the single most underestimated form of exercise as far as the degree of difficulty, complexity, and demands that it places on your body."
Naturally, a physical activity that takes that much effort requires a comprehensive warmup. Not only will it help you perform better, but "a proper warm up can leave you feeling loose and relaxed," according to Mike. "It can improve the form and technique that you run in for your workout. It dramatically reduces the risk of injury for the session and over time," he continued. "It also can help improve your athletic sense of coordination." Those are all things we want more of, please.
So what makes a good warmup? First of all, forget static stretches. Mike breaks your warmup down to three categories:
Active Range of Motion Exercise
"Hip swings, arm circles, lunges, deep squats, or V-ups are great examples," Mike told POPSUGAR. These movements will warm up all the major muscle groups that you'll call upon during your run. Mike said you also want to touch on all the major joints of your body - shoulders, torso, hips, knees, and ankles - because you use all of these when you're running.
Core Balance and Activation
Think plank, side plank, push-ups, dead bugs, and Downward to Upward Facing Dog. These basic movements "are great ways to get the spine and pelvis stabilized to run," Mike explained.
Running Specific Dynamic Exercises
Finally, these exercises will get "your heart rate ready to train and get your body prepped for a good workout." These movements are things you're probably more than familiar with: jumping jacks, high-knee drills, jump rope, and burpees.
Taking all of that info, let's get into what your warmup should actually look like from start to finish. It doesn't have to take a long time, but you should really invest these 10-15 minutes to getting your body nice and supple. You'll be much happier with your results, whether you're trying to shed a few pounds or improve your time.
We've included nine exercises in total below, three for each category Mike laid out. Go through this whole thing from start to finish, and you'll become the running champion of your dreams.
Chances Are High Your Butt Is Asleep, and Here's How to Wake It Up
Physical therapist Chris Kolba recently coined the term dormant butt syndrome, and made the news with his catchy phrase. News of the newly named issue even made it onto "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," the NPR news quiz, where I first heard the term. But this phenomenon has long been acknowledged, even without a cute name, by trainers and Pilates instructors alike. I often referred to this problem as glute amnesia - the muscles have simply forgotten what to do, which is to turn on and help absorb the impact of each step as you walk and run. When your butt isn't firing the shock of the impact moves up and down the kinetic chain causing pain in the low back, hips, knees, and even as far as the ankles.
The problem stems from sitting for prolonged periods of time, which tightens the hip flexors - the muscles that pull the knee toward the belly - and eventually turns off of the glutes. These two muscle groups are referred to as "antagonists" and are at odds with each other like the hero and villain in a Shakespearean play. But the muscles that pull the body into the fetal position, like the hip flexors, tend to dominate their antagonist. So to give your glutes a fighting chance, you need to loosen up the front of your hips and then fire up your booty. Here's how:
These 21 Fruits and Veggies Will Keep You Hydrated All Summer
You know you're supposed to drink plenty of water - conventional wisdom says eight glasses (even though it's more like 80 ounces, more if you're active) - to boost your energy levels, keep your skin looking its best, and better your overall health. The good news is, you can also get water from a lot of the food you eat, especially if you load up on fruits and veggies.
As the temperature gets warmer and you're more active outside, staying hydrated is key. Be sure to drink your water and also load up on these hydrating fruits and veggies - all of which are over 85 percent water. Most of these water-rich fruits and veggies were recommended by dietitians Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN of Lively Table, Barbie Boules, RDN, CHC, and Becky Kerkenbush, MS, RD-AP.
9 Relaxing Stretches You Can Do in Bed
Stretching has a way of melting away stress and worry, but there's no need to unroll your yoga mat. Here are nine stretches you can do in your pajamas and your bed - either before you go to sleep or once your alarm goes off - or both! Do all nine if you have time, or just pick a few. Either way, you'll feel more relaxed, whether you're heading to the land of nod or waking with the sun.
7 Foods That Will Help You Feel More Calm, Less Stressed
If you're dealing with stress or anxiety, sometimes it seems like nothing can take the edge off, and sometimes it's easy to comfort yourself with food. When you're reaching for chips or ice cream as an outlet for your tense feelings, try this trick: eating foods that can actually help de-stress your brain. There are minerals and vitamins that trigger the release of happy-feeling neurotransmitters in your brain, and they're in some of the most common foods you can find at your local grocery store.
We have some antianxiety recipes for you. Eat your way to better moods and less stress with the help of serotonin-releasing magnesium and tryptophan and mood-boosting omega-3s and B vitamins.
When Life Gives You Back Pain, These Moves Give You Relief
When your low back is feeling cranky, tender, and tight, you might think it best to just sit there and do nothing. I can tell you from experience that sitting is one of the worst things you can do for a sore back. You need to get your spine mobile and then stretch - and I am not talking about anything dramatic like touching your toes with a deep forward bend. Here are some simple exercises and stretches that, when done in this prescribed order, will help relieve low back pain.
25 Cookie Recipes You Won't Believe Are Vegan
Typically, cookies are not considered a vegan diet staple. Most recipes contain eggs or some animal byproduct that would violate the diet. That may be the case for most desserts or sweet treats, but these 25 cookie recipes are vegan-diet-approved and can even fool nonvegans just by how tasty they are. During the holidays, it can be challenging to maintain diet-specific regulations or even bake for others who have certain restrictions, but rest assured, these recipes are seamless and require little to no extra ingredients you probably have never heard of to pull together!
Ready to Run? 12 Tips Newbie Runners Need to Hit the Road
Running may just be the perfect workout! Running promises weight loss, better sleep, less anxiety, and opportunities to collect medals from weekend races all year long. We've put together a list of 12 pieces of advice to get absolute newbie runners to the start line of a running program.
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