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Riz Ahmed had a clear vision of what he wanted to look like in Sound of Metal. The British actor wanted to morph into a ripped rock star since his character, Ruben, is an ex-addict punk drummer who begins to suffer devastating hearing loss.

Riz has immense focus in everything he does, says trainer Leighton Grant II, who helped Ahmed prep for the role. On top of his fitness expertise, there was also an element of Rubens journey that Grant connected closely with. I wear hearing aids myself, so missing sounds or parts of conversation is a part of my daily life.

Grant developed a diverse and comprehensive training program to execute over the three months they had together before Sound Of Metal began filming in Massachusetts. Since Ahmed was starting with a particularly lean frame at the time, the mandate was to build muscle during the first phrase, then shred him down during the second push.

I was checking Rizs weight and body fat percentage at least every other week, so we knew exactly where we was at all times, says Grant. Giving the history that Ruben has, the goal was for him to have a seriously striated physique when he showed up on set.

Since Ahmed was playing a drummer, their training paid special attention to rhythm and tempo, too. That work came through especially during their agility drills and boxing sessions. Ive found similarities between boxing and punk drumming, says Grant. Theres a level of aggression and musicality that comes through both.

Between the workouts with Grant and drumming practice with Guy Licata, Ahmed pulled off an impressive transformation forSound Of Metal. Heres how he did it.

During their three-month training period, Ahmed put on muscle while lowering his body fat percentage by four percent. That was accomplished by upping his caloric intake during the first phase, to help with the bulking period, then cutting that amount by 1,000 calories during the second phase.

Since Ahmed was on the movie quite a bit, not allowing for daily monitoring in-person, they started with the baseline of meals from Kettlebell Kitchen, with some meal manipulation coming from Grant. During the first period he was taking in about 2,500 calories. And during the cutting period, they switched to keto-based meals from the service, where the actor was taking in anywhere between 1,500 and 1,800 calories.

There were also home-cooked meals centered around clean protein, vegetables, and good carbs. Example breakfasts included eggs, minced beef, spinach, and sweet potato; lunch would be chicken breast, quinoa, and greens; and dinner would always be greens with a choice of protein. Depending on the type of training being done, fruit and a protein shake were added.

The training started with a focus on building muscle with traditional movements over the course of four days a week, split between upper and lower body sessions. During the beginning of the program, cardio was kept to a minimum. As the weeks progressed, Grant began to add conditioning to Ahmeds training, which included everything from foot work to boxing to kettlebell circuits.

During the second phase of the program, the lifting was kept low and more conditioning was introduced. The training was upped to six or seven days a week. Since the exercise was constant, recovery became more crucial, and Grant would step in to perform instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization on occasion. Wednesdays were dedicated to boxing as a means to dial in Ahmeds rhythm and get a great shred.

Directions: Complete 3 sets of each superset, with 45 seconds between supersets, then move onto the next.

A1. Single-ArmDumbbell Bench Flye x 12 reps (each side)

Lie on your back on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in your right hand with a neutral grip. Press the dumbbell so its stacked directly over your shoulder, and rest your left hand on left thigh. Retract your right arms shoulder blade and unlock your elbow, then slowly lower the dumbbell laterally. Allow your elbow to bend a bit until your arm is fully extended, dumbbell at chest level. Reverse the movement by engaging your pec and bringing the dumbbell back to the starting position. Repeat. Switch sides after 12 reps.

A2. Barbell Chest Press x 12 reps

Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and arch your back so theres space between your lower back and bench. Unrack the barbell and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet into the floor and press the bar back up. Repeat.

B1. Reverse Flye on Cable Cross Machine x 15 reps

Adjust two cable machines to a medium resistance and a midrange setup. Stand tall between both cables, grabbing the right cable with your left hand and the left cable with your right hand, feet shoulder-width apart. Begin with arms crossed over your chest (as if you were hugging yourself), then engage your lats and extend arms out to the sides until theyre parallel to the ground, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position. Repeat.

B2. Close-Grip Row x 12 reps

Start by putting a close-grip handle (V bar) on the cable machine. Sit on a bench (or on the floor, just adjust the stack height accordingly), and grab the bar with a neutral grip, palms facing one another. Keep your back straight as you row thehandle toward your lower abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly reverse the movementagain, keeping a flat back. Repeat.

C1. Single-Arm Reverse Dumbbell Flye x 12 reps (each side)

Graba dumbbell in your right hand using a neutral grip (palm facing in), standing with feet shoulder-width apart. With a soft bend in your knees, hinge at your hips and tip your torso forward and down so its nearly parallel to the floor. Let your right arm hang under your chest, left hand braced on left knee for support.Engage your lat, raising your right arm until its parallel to the floor, keeping a slight bend in your elbow throughout the movement. Squeeze your shoulder blade at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Repeat. Switch sides after 12 reps.

C2. Arnold Press x 12 reps

Hold dumbbells in each hand, palms facing you. Engage your glutes and abs as you begin to press the dumbbells overhead. Halfway through the movement, rotate your palms so they face out. Extend arms fully overhead, being careful not to hyperextend your back. Reverse the movementin a controlled manner. Repeat.

D1. Plank w/ Hip Hike x 20 reps

Come into a plank position, weight over wrists, hips level and in line with back, and core engaged. Lift your hips up while squeezing your abs, then hold for a count of two. Lower back down in a controlled manner. Repeat.

D2. Bicycles x 45 seconds

Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground and knees in tabletop position. With your hands cradling your head, pull shoulder blades off the floor. Begin to go through a bicycle pedal motion, drawing one knee up toward armpit while straightening the other leg, twisting torso so the opposite elbow meets opposite knee. Repeat for 45 seconds, then switch sides.

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Riz Ahmed 'Sound Of Metal' Workout: How the Actor Got Ripped - Men's Journal

With the new year almost upon us, many people think about resolutions to enhance their lives for the coming year, 2021.

We often consider building up our physical selves with exercise programs, or energizing our minds with new classes and learning new skills, participating in book clubs or other intellectual avenues, or perhaps learning to play a new instrument. It is also never too late to decide to enrich our spiritual selves, and with the new year, this seems like the perfect time and aspiration.

By creating a spiritual toolbox, one can easily chart a path toward inner peace and a closer relationship with God. As with any toolbox, figuring out the right tools is essential. For me, I would choose these elements: prayer, meditation, reading and studying the Holy Words, and reflection upon the afterlife.

Prayer is probably the inner core of our spiritual lives. Having been taught since early childhood to say prayers to thank God, to ask God for help, to show our love for God, and to be near to God.

Abdul-Baha, the son of the Prophet-Founder of the Bahai Faith, mentioned: There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer. Man must live in a state of prayer. The most blessed condition is the condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is conversation with God. The greatest attainment or the sweetest state is none other than conversation with God. It creates spirituality, creates mindfulness and celestial feelings, begets new attractions of the Kingdom and engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence.

What a miraculous gift prayer is for us we can pray in privacy at our homes, pray while taking a walk, pray as we undertake a journey, pray when we have a difficult challenge, pray when we are feeling good or when we are feeling ill, and we can pray anywhere at any time. We can either pray from a prayer book, or memorize prayers to recite at any time, or even say prayers from our hearts.

Meditation, which basically means contemplation, reflection upon ourselves and our relation to God is equally as important as the other elements of our spiritual toolbox. Meditation how we meditate probably varies from person to person. Meditation allows us to turn off our thinking process and turn our soul passively to the world of spirit. Oftentimes after prayer, I contemplate my thoughts for praying, or reasons for conversing with God about challenges, and I sometimes figure out a clear path toward a dilemma.

Bahaullah, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahai Faith revealed: Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial, even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns.

The third component, reading and studying the Holy Words, is such a joyous time because, as spiritual beings, we feel closer to God by reading and learning more about Him. God has revealed His truths to mankind in all the holy writings of all the major religions.

The following writing from Abdul-Baha explains this closeness to God: Divine things are too deep to be expressed in common words. The heavenly teachings are expressed in parable in order to be understood and preserved for ages to come. When the spiritually minded dive deeply into the ocean of their meanings they bring to the surface the pearls of their inner significance. There is no greater pleasure than to study Gods Word with a spiritual mind.

Reflection upon the afterlife is another element for our spiritual toolbox. While on this earth, we can only think about what our lives will be like when we shed our physical bodies and our soul passes on.

However, Bahaullah, states: Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the state of the soul after its separation from the body. Know, thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved. By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue describe. The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him.

Focusing on further developing our spiritual qualities, or virtues kindness, selflessness, helping those in need ( the sick, the poor), thoughtfulness, compassion, courage, faith, generosity, trustworthiness, unity, sacrifice, justice and many others can guide us in our daily lives as we strive to become closer to God.

Bahaullah has revealed: Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true life is not the life of the flesh but of the spirit. For the life of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth no death, and this existence is crowned by immortality.

Susan Haines is a retired teacher and reading specialist who found the Bahai faith as a teenager, traveling to a Bahai Summer Institute, Green Acre, in Maine. Having lived in Frederick County for over 40 years, she serves as the Bahai public information officer for the Bahais of Frederick.

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Words of Faith: Creating a spiritual toolbox | Religion - Frederick News Post

Dr. Sukhvinder S Saggu, MS FACS(USA), Director, Minimal Access and Bariatric Surgery, Apollo Spectra hospital, Karol Bagh, New Delhi, India

An everyday instrument may help steer many couples struggling with infertility in the right direction, rather than any popular advice - the weighing scale! That is correct. Obesity could be the real reason for many couples infertility problems. In both men and women, obesity severely damages fertility1-2 .

In women, obesity may cause irregular menstrual cycles3, PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome), or the way a womans body stores sex hormones. Any of these three conditions may cause infertility4. To make it worse, many women with obesity may be suffering from more than one of these conditions together.

If a woman with obesity tries to conceive without resolving the weight issue, she may expose herself and the baby to three more pregnancy risks caused by obesity: miscarriage5, gestational diabetes6 and gestational blood pressure7. Thats not all. The increased risk of birth defects such as congenital heart disease and host of other serious anomalies in the babies are linked to the mothers obesity8.

In men, a review of 14 studies found that 51% of men with obesity are more likely to have either no or very low sperms in their ejaculate9.

Is there a dependable and lasting escape from the obesity trap? Yes, and understanding obesity could be the first important step.

DEFINING OBESITY:

Obesity is not defined by your weight alone. It is calculated by a unit called the Body Mass Index (BMI), that measures your weight in relation to your height to determine obesity and its severity.

World Health Organization (WHO) considers a BMI more than 30 as Class 1 obesity10. BMI above 35 is Class II i.e., serious obesity, and BMI above 40 is Class III i.e., severe obesity11.

Obesity is not a cosmetic condition. Its a complex, chronic disease that requires medical attention as declared by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 2013, as a result of three decades of research and developments12.

HOW TO TREAT OBESITY?

Will dieting work?

The restrictive diets dont reduce obesity13 and majority of the people who diet regain the lost weight plus more14 according to several research findings.

What about exercise?

A review of several studies reported that clinically significant weight loss is unlikely to occur. Exercise programs actually play a role in weight regain after initial weight loss. Overall, aerobic exercise programs consistent with public health recommendations may promote up to modest weight loss (~2 kg)15.

Then what is the solution?

If you have tried lifestyle modifications, diet, exercise etc., and not losing much weight or unable to keep off the lost weight for a long time, consulting a qualified obesity expert might be an option for you. Minimally invasive

bariatric weight-loss surgery might be an option if your BMI is above 32.5 with type 2 Diabetes or any other obesity related co-morbidity; or if your BMI is more than 37.5 without any co-morbidity16.

A review of 18 studies published in April 2020 reported that bariatric surgery significantly improved hormonal balance and sexual functions in both males and females, sperm count in males, and pregnancy in females17.

Another study revealed that 62.72% infertile women with obesity succeeded in conceiving after bariatric surgery18.

Nowadays due to COVID 19, many Doctors offer online consultations. One could book an appointment at a center of ones choice, and discuss the obesity issues with the expert doctor from the convenience of ones home.

Dont be a victim of obesity or its stigma. Obesity induced infertility can be treated with lasting results. The time to act against it is NOW!

Disclaimer: This article is sponsored by J&J in public interest. The views and opinions expressed in the article by participating doctors are based on their independent professional judgement. J&J (P) Ltd., BCCL and its group publications disclaim any liability for the accuracy or consequences flowing from adherence to their expert views.

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1. Dag ZO, Dilbaz B. Impact of obesity on infertility in women. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc. 2015; 16(2): 111-117.

2. Palmer NO, Bakos HW, Fullston T, Lane M. Impact of obesity on male fertility, sperm function and molecular composition. Spermatogenesis. 2012; 2(4): 253-263.

3. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM195207102470204

4. Silvestris E, de Pergola G, Rosania R, Loverro G. Obesity as a disruptor of female fertility. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018;16(1):22. Published 2018 Mar 9. doi:10.1186/s12958-018-0336-z

5. H. Lashen, K. Fear, D.W. Sturdee, Obesity is associated with increased risk of first trimester and recurrent miscarriage: matched casecontrol study, Human Reproduction, Volume 19, Issue 7, July 2004, Pages 16441646, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deh277

6. Susan Y. Chu et.al., Maternal Obesity and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Care Aug 2007, 30 (8) 2070 2076; DOI: 10.2337/dc06-2559a

7. Juliette Madan, Minghua Chen, Elizabeth Goodman, Jonathan Davis, Walter Allan & Olaf Dammann (2010) Maternal obesity, gestational hypertension, and preterm delivery, The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 23:1, 82-88, DOI: 10.3109/14767050903258738

8. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/111/Supplement_1/1152.full.pdf

9. Sermondade N, Faure C, Fezeu L, Lvy R, Czernichow S, Obesity-Fertility Collaborative Group AT. Obesity and Increased Risk for Oligozoospermia and Azoospermia. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(5):440442. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1382

10. https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_1

11. https://asmbs.org/patients/disease-of-obesity

12. Kyle TK, Dhurandhar EJ, Allison DB. Regarding Obesity as a Disease: Evolving Policies and Their Implications. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2016;45(3):511-520. doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2016.04.004

13. Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Ward A. Promoting Public Health in the Context of the "Obesity Epidemic": False Starts and Promising New Directions. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015;10(6):706-710. doi:10.1177/1745691615586401

14. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/Dieting-Does-Not-Work-UCLA-Researchers-7832

15. Swift DL, Johannsen NM, Lavie CJ, Earnest CP, Church TS. The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;56(4):441-447. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.012

16. https://www.theossi.com/guidelines-obesity-surgery.html

17. Moxthe LC, Sauls R, Ruiz M, Stern M, Gonzalvo J, Gray HL. Effects of Bariatric Surgeries on Male and Female Fertility: A Systematic Review. J Reprod Infertil. 2020;21(2):71-86.

18. Musella M, Milone M, Bellini M, Fernandez LM, Leongito M, Milone F. Effect of bariatric surgery on obesity-related infertility. Surg Obes Dis. 2012; 8(4): 445-449

Disclaimer: Content Produced by Dr. Saggu

Read more here:
Infertility? Take the Weight off your Chest - Times of India

Poor circulation occurs when there is reduced blood flow to a specific part of the body. Poor circulation in the hands may result from a health condition or certain aspects of a persons lifestyle.

The heart beats to pump blood all around the body. Blood carries essential nutrients and energy to cells around the body, including oxygen.

The circulatory system includes the heart and blood vessels, which are responsible for carrying blood around the body. Poor circulation occurs when something disrupts this process, preventing sufficient blood supply to some body parts.

Conditions that may lead to poor circulation in the hands include atherosclerosis, anemia, and Raynauds disease. Smoking may also increase the likelihood of poor circulation.

In this article, we will examine the symptoms and causes of poor circulation in the hands. We will also look at potential treatments and how to improve circulation.

Signs and symptoms of poor circulation in the hands include:

Problems with the circulatory system are common. More than 64 million people in the United States, including children and adolescents, have conditions affecting the heart and circulatory system.

There are many possible causes of poor circulation in the hands, including:

Atherosclerosis is a buildup of fatty substances in the arteries that restricts blood flow around the body.

Atherosclerosis often causes no symptoms until it becomes a medical emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke. However, symptoms of atherosclerosis may include:

Treatments for atherosclerosis can include a combination of medicine and changes to ones lifestyle. Doctors may recommend reaching or maintaining a moderate weight or exercising regularly. They may also prescribe statins to lower cholesterol.

Anemia is a common blood disorder that affects over 3 million people in the U.S. It occurs when there are not enough red blood cells or when they do not function well. Red blood cells normally carry oxygen around the body.

Symptoms of anemia include:

Treatments for anemia depend on its type. Doctors may recommend iron supplementation and dietary changes. Sometimes, treating an underlying condition that causes anemia may be necessary.

Some types of anemia require blood transfusions or ongoing use of medication.

Raynauds disease is a rare condition that causes episodes of narrowed blood vessels.

Symptoms of Raynauds disease sometimes occur in response to cold temperatures or stress and include:

Episodes of narrowed blood vessels can last minutes or hours and vary in frequency. Doctors may suggest some strategies to alleviate Raynauds disease symptoms, such as practicing stress management and avoiding the cold.

If symptoms are severe, a doctor may recommend medication or surgery.

Smoking can increase the risk of peripheral arterial disease, a condition stemming from a narrowing of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque. This can lead to amputations.

Smoking can also increase a persons risk of blood clots, because it makes blood stickier and more prone to clotting.

Quitting smoking will reduce these risks. A person may experience withdrawal symptoms when quitting smoking.

A person can choose from a number of strategies for quitting smoking, including the different methods, using prescription medicines from a doctor, and trying nicotine replacement patches, gums, or lozenges.

If a person has poor circulation in their hands regularly, a doctor will ask about symptoms and perform a physical examination.

They may check a persons temperature and the appearance of the hands and fingers. A doctor may also check whether a person has any pain or numbness in the affected area.

Tests that can help doctors check how the circulatory system is functioning include:

A doctor may also use tests to check for specific underlying conditions. For example, they may order a cold stimulation test to check for Raynauds disease.

Looking after the heart and blood vessels may help a person improve their circulation.

Tips for general heart health include:

Symptoms of poor circulation in the hands can occur temporarily and do not always indicate a health condition. For example, cold temperatures may cause poor circulation symptoms, including numb and pale fingers.

However, when these symptoms occur regularly, it could be a sign of an underlying condition. A person should seek guidance from a doctor if symptoms of poor circulation in the hands happen frequently without an apparent cause.

Sudden symptoms that may indicate a medical emergency and a need for immediate medical help include:

Poor circulation in the hands may have different causes, including atherosclerosis and anemia.

Poor blood flow in the hands can result in cold, numb, and painful fingers. Depending on the cause, other symptoms might also occur.

Making dietary changes and exercising regularly, for example, can improve a persons circulation at any age.

If symptoms persist without an apparent cause, a person should contact a doctor so that they can diagnose and start treatment for any underlying conditions causing poor circulation.

Read more from the original source:
Poor circulation in the hands: Causes, treatments, and how to improve it - Medical News Today

As the holiday season ramps up, daily schedules can easily fill with the demands of the season, like shopping, cooking, wrapping and planning. To avoid overload, its all too easy to shift self-care priorities like regular exercise to the bottom of the list. Skipping workouts, however, can actually make it more difficult for our bodies and minds to deal with added holiday stressors.

Instead of letting exercise slide, taking a less-is-more approach to working out will enable you to avoid schedule overload without sacrificing your health. By training smarter, not longer, you can increase time available for holiday to-dos while still decreasing the impact of seasonal treats on the waistline. This plan will also help reduce stress and safeguard your overall well-being.

Below, I outline four strategies to help you stay fit during the holiday season.

Important note: If you experience pain while performing any of the exercises, stop immediately. Check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

One of the best ways to train smarter, not harder, in this busy time of year is to ensure youre exercising consistently at least a few minutes every day by making it a habit. And one of the most effective ways to create a daily habit that sticks is to stack it on an existing one.

Consider some of common everyday habits that are so ingrained in your routine, you automatically do them, such as brushing your teeth, showering and making your bed. By adding an exercise right before, during or directly after one of those habits, its easier to make it stick in your daily routine. For example, for nearly eight years now, Ive been doing 50 body-weight squats or two-minute wall sits while I brush my teeth.

It wasnt until a couple years ago when I read James Clears book Atomic Habits that I realized what Id been doing was called habit stacking.

In a blog post on Clears website, he explains why synaptic pruning in our brains supports habit stacking. Connections (synapses) between neurons in our brains, he wrote, decrease when not used and strengthen when used frequently. Consequently, existing habits have stronger synaptic connections that we can leverage through habit stacking to create new habits.

Thats why my squat habit while toothbrushing was so easy to start and maintain. After reading Clears blog, I also added 10 push-ups before showering to my daily routine and I formed that habit easily as well!

What daily habits could you stack with different forms of exercise?

Feel free to use mine or come up with your own. Maybe 30 jumping jacks before morning coffee? Or 20 alternating step-back lunges right after putting on your shoes? Choose what feels right for you to slot into your routine.

Although spending time on your smartphone might seem like a habit, its usually more of a time waster that happens sporadically throughout the day rather than a natural part of a daily routine. And leading up to the holidays, many people experience an increase in mobile screen time. Whether people are online shopping, answering texts or scrolling social media to keep up with friends holiday plans, many folks inevitably spend a significant chunk of the day looking down at their phones.

What if you could make even a fraction of that time better for your health? And maybe even dissuade yourself from spending so much time looking at your phone? You can by incorporating posture-improving, core and leg-strengthening wall sits in your smartphone time.

By design, wall sits are challenging. So, even though theyre good for you, you arent going to want to hold them for very long or do very many sets. So if you pair them with your smartphone time, youll likely reduce your scrolling minutes just to avoid them which isnt a bad thing for your mental health.

How to do a wall sit:

Stand with your head and back flat against a wall and your feet hip-distance apart.

Step your feet forward about 18 to 24 inches as you slide down the wall into a squat position where your knees align with your hips and thighs are parallel to the floor (see top photo).

If keeping your thighs parallel to the floor is too tough to maintain, only slide down the wall until you feel a challenging muscular effort you can sustain for at least 30 seconds. As you get stronger, youll be able to go deeper.

Engage your core as you continue pressing your back into the wall.

Try to hold this position for at least 30 seconds at a time or as long as you can comfortably while continuing your mobile tasks.

Dont bend your neck to look down at your phone! Give your text neck a break and your posture a boost by keeping the back of your head against the wall while holding your phone up to meet your gaze.

In between wall sits, stand upright, take a few deep breaths and repeat.

Even at the height of the holiday bustle, strive to find four minutes to exercise a few times per week. And less really is more with high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. Studies have shown that HIIT can burn 25% to 30% more calories in a shorter amount of time than other forms of exercise while also being effective at decreasing visceral (or belly) fat without dietary changes.

So, if youre up to the challenge of maintaining periods of elevated heart rate alternated with short recovery periods, four-minute Tabata-style HIIT workouts could be your time-efficient recipe for staying fit over the holidays.

Tabata drills, created by Japanese scientist Izumi Tabata, consist of the same exercise performed through eight rounds of 20 seconds of activity and 10 seconds of rest for a total of four minutes. You can use almost any body-weight exercise, but I recommend selecting one that requires a total-body effort and fits your current fitness level and preference.

For instance, mountain climbers and jumping jacks are two very different, yet effective, total-body exercises. Because I prefer a more intense, core-oriented challenge with this drill, I use mountain climbers.

How to perform mountain climbers Tabata style:

Set your phones timer for four minutes.

Begin in a plank position with your core engaged and back flat.

Place your phone on the floor in front of you, so you can easily see and reach it.

Hit start on your time and begin doing mountain climbers, by alternating bringing each knee up to your chest, then back to plank position, at a pace you can sustain throughout the drill.

When the timer hits the 3:40 mark, rest for 10 seconds and restart at the 3:30 mark.

Rest again at 3:10 and begin again at 3:00.

Repeat through all four minutes.

Despite all their splendor, the holidays take a toll on both our mental and physical health. Family demands like shopping and cooking and indulgences such as increased intake of high-fat, high-sugar treats and alcohol consumption deliver stressors of all types. And the shorter, darker days of winter make it even harder on some.

To recover from this onslaught of stress, its important to get adequate sleep and take intentional mental and physical energy breaks. Prioritizing recovery is important all the time but especially during the holidays. Consequently, this is one area where less is not more more is more.

Get all the sleep you need: Your body needs sleep to repair and replenish itself, so dont skimp on it in your schedule. If youre having trouble falling or staying asleep, try my pre-bedtime six-minute routine based on programs I use with pro-athlete clients.

Feel like you need a nap? You probably do! A 15- or 25-minute nap can provide a much-needed energy boost.

Take breaks to recharge: Its important to unplug at least once a day. That means taking at least a few minutes away from all your tasks and yes, your phone to revitalize your mind and body. You can do this by practicing a mindfulness meditation or breathing exercise, taking a walk or simply relaxing in a comfortable position, like this legs-up-the-wall pose.

Staying fit over the holidays doesnt have to mean depriving yourself of all the seasons treats; it just requires a more strategic approach to fitness. And following the tips above will create healthy lifestyle changes that will continue to serve you long after the holidays pass.

Read more here:
4 ways to stay fit and stress less during the holidays - KTVZ

If you tend to get overwhelmed by sprawling libraries of meditations, you might appreciate the Healthy Minds Program app for its targeted approach. Its a step-by-step guide that focuses on what it calls the four pillars of training your brain: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Learn to gain focus, reduce stress, maintain positive social connection, and more through its science-backed teachings.

Get it: Free, iOS and Google Play

This simple app will get you meditating with just three minutes a dayan excellent choice for busy people who want an app they can pick up as needed when they have a moment. Its recommendations are personalized based on your mood or experiences, and it curates themed playlists for you in a way thats almost Spotify-esque. Whether you need a sleep mix or a focus mix or something in-between, Aura has your back.

Beyond its meditation offerings, Aura also boasts a mood tracker, life coaching, a gratitude journal, and an active community of both users and meditation teachers. While it has premium offerings, plenty of reviewers say the free version is more than enough for casual use.

Get it: Free, or $12/month or $60/year for premium, iOS and Google Play

This unique meditation app is designed specifically for pregnant people, parents, and people trying to conceive or dealing with fertility issues (as well as their partners). It has a wide variety of meditation tracks, from meditations by week and by trimester to postpartum mindfulness and support. On top of its meditation library, it also has a sleep tracker and sleep tools like stories and soundscapes.

All of their content is based on interviews with people who have been there: those trying to conceive and expecting and new parents. Plus, they rely on plenty of input from psychologists and meditation experts. At the time of publication, you can sign up for a special free course tied to self-care and wellness amid the pandemic here. And if you cant get enough, they have a podcast, too.

Get it: $10/month, iOS and Google Play

And now for something a little different. If youre someone who wants to meditate in theory but havent been able to vibe with a practice, you might want to try The Tapping Solution. This app builds meditations around an alternative technique called tapping (also known as Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT), which combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and acupressure with the aim of reducing stress and anxiety, managing PTSD, and more. Plenty of reviewers mention their initial skepticism followed by surprise at how well the technique works for them. So hey, might be worth a shot.

The Tapping Solution's library is as wide as many other apps on this list, covering the standard themes like lowering stress about family, finances, politics, or work; sleep support for insomnia or racing thoughts, and; negative emotions like anger, anxiety, grief, shame, and more. It also has meditations focusing on the physical, like chronic pain and specific illnesses like arthritis, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, and cancer.

Get it: $11/month or $47/year, iOS and Google Play

Another offbeat option, H*nest Meditation will be right up your alley if you have difficulty with the peaceful or positive vibes typically associated with meditation. Because, well, the meditations are all about helping you deal with the fucked up shit in the world. You might have seen one of the meditations that went viral a few years ago, before the app was created, but if not, its sweary meditations pull no punches, offering plenty of catharsis to anyone who is really going through it right now. All the guided meditations are between two and 10 minutes long.

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The 15 Best Meditation Apps, According to People Who Actually Meditate - Self

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Skyhawk Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals inked a strategic research collaboration and licensing deal focused on developing novel small molecules that modulate RNA splicing. Skyhawk leverages its novel SkySTAR platform, building small molecules for a broad range of indications including neurodegenerative diseases and oncology.

Vertex has multiple approved drugs for cystic fibrosis (CF) and has several ongoing preclinical and clinical programs in CF, as well as a pipeline of small molecule medicines for pain, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and APOL1-mediated kidney disease.

Under the terms of the deal, Vertex is paying Skyhawk $40 million upfront. Skyhawk grants Vertex options to license global intellectual property rights to compounds that come out of the collaboration directed at specific program targets. After its exercises its options, Vertex will handle development and commercialization. Skyhawk is eligible for up to $2.2 billion in potential milestone payments in addition to possible royalties on future sales.

We believe that splice site modulation holds significant promise for the treatment of diseases which today have limited or no therapeutic options, said Mark Bunnage, senior vice president and Site Head, Boston Research at Vertex. This collaboration brings Skyhawks innovative technology together with Vertexs research and development experience; and fits perfectly with our strategy of investing in new technologies that will help us transform multiple serious diseases.

Skyhawks existing partnerships include Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche and Takeda.

There were no disclosures about what indications Skyhawk and Vertex are interested in, other than to say serious diseases.

Skyhawk was one of BioSpaces NextGen Bio Class of 2019 life sciences startups to watch. In June 2018, the company closed on a $40 million equity investment round and inked an unusual five-year collaborative agreement with Celgene that included an upfront $60 million payment. Their technology focuses on developing small molecule therapeutics that correct RNA mis-splicing, what is usually called exon skipping.

In May, Skyhawk expanded its strategic collaboration deal with Merck. A number of diseases, from orphan and neurological diseases to cancer, are increasingly being linked to RNA mis-splicing that leads to loss of RNA expression. Skyhawk works to develop molecules that mediate this mis-splicing and leverages data from computational, kinetic and structural RNA models.

The deal with Merck focuses on neurodegeneration, oncology, autoimmunity and metabolic diseases. The extended collaboration will be to develop RNA-binding small molecules that modify RNA splicing. It granted Merck, through a subsidiary, the option to exclusively license global intellectual property rights to compounds discovered and developed under the collaboration that are directed to the programs targets. Once Merck chooses to exercise its option, Merck will handle further development and commercialization.

The original deal was inked in July 2019, with Skyhawk eligible for about $600 million per program target. The expansion had similar financial parameters, $600 million per program, an undisclosed upfront cash payment, and various biobucks and royalties.

The 2018 partnership with Roche/Genentech deal has the chance to hit $2 billion. The 2019 Biogen deal focused on neurological diseases, with Biogen paying Skyhawk $74 million up front with various undisclosed milestones and royalties.

Skyhawks internal programs are in medulloblastoma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia, Parkinsons disease, pancreatic cancer and spinal muscular atrophy.

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Bill Gianoukos, co-founder of self-care program provider Goodpath, explains why he believes this approach is the future of corporate wellness.

In recent years, wellness has become a top priority for employers. Leaders are realising that a healthy workforce is a happier workforce, which equates to better levels of engagement, productivity and company loyalty, not to mention fewer sick days.

For companies seeking to improve the overall wellbeing of their workforce, the workplace is often the first to come under the spotlight. From embracing biophilic design to addressing sick buildings, there are many different ways to improve the workplace experience to enhance the wellness of the people using it.

But what about self-care? Are individuals doing enough to recognise and treat ailments, pain, or mental health concerns? And how can organizations support the self-care route?

Suggested Reading: Is Wellness a Skill You Can Teach Yourself?

Personalised self-care programs are seeing a surge in demand as the pandemic affects every aspect of how we live and work. To find out how self-care programs work, Bill Gianoukos, co-founder of Goodpath, a provider of personalised and doctor-approved self-care programs, took part in a Q&A with Allwork.Space.

Here are the highlights of our conversation (answers received via email).

Allwork.Space: Tell us a little about Goodpath and how it all began.

Bill Gianoukos: I founded Goodpath with two co-founders, Carl Nehme and Dr. Akl Fahed in 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Goodpath is the third company I have co-founded the previous two companies focused on building social apps and were sold to Wayfair and Salesforce.

Goodpath is a new approach to health. It is simple, personalized care for common conditions with proven results. Patients finally have access to robust, integrative healthcare that is coach-supported and evolves with them. It is more than conventional care this is care done differently.

Allwork.Space: What prompted you to launch Goodpath, and why? What was missing in corporate wellness programs at the time?

Conventional healthcare in the US is the best in the world for life-threatening conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension. But conditions like MSK (musculoskeletal pain) and behavioral health are chronic, difficult to treat completely, and very common. These conditions are prevalent in all employee bases. Employers have tried some single-point solutions, like digital physical therapy or services for nutrition coaching. That can work for part of the problem, but not the whole. Instead, multiple studies prove that a more effective way to treat conditions like MSK and behavioral health is integrative care.

By considering the whole of a person and combining that with the best treatments available from both conventional and complementary care, one can treat a person in a more complete way. However, integrative care can be expensive to offer. Just think of the time and energy you invest going to a PCP, then being referred to a dietician and physical therapist, taking yoga classes online, trying something recommended by a friend, back to a different specialist, etc. Goodpath solves all of this. We are more than a single point solution. We offer end-to-end care across multiple specialties to address various aspects of a condition. And by providing all of this online and with direct delivery of products to ones home, we make this accessible to employees wherever they are.

Allwork.Space: How does the program work? What type of self-care solutions can you offer?

Every Goodpath personalized program is based on the fundamental principles of integrative health. Integrative health combines the best of conventional and complementary medicine for end-to-end care. All our programs are centered around four pillars: Nutrition, Mind-Body, Exercise, and Supplements & Medicine. These pillars are framed by our multidisciplinary medical team of doctors, pharmacists, physical therapists, sleep specialists, nutritionists, yoga therapists, etc. who research and vet every treatment we include in a program.

After completing a 5-minute comprehensive assessment, we design an integrative program personalized for a Goodpath member to address the whole person, not just their symptoms. Then, the member is assigned a medically trained health coach who stays with them weekly to support progress and is available 24/7 to answer questions.

The program changes every week, depending on the members progress on their health journey. Health isnt static, so neither is their care. For example, a digestive health program could start with 1:1 nutrition counseling and a food elimination and reintroduction diet, exercises and mind-body approaches for stress and other contributory factors, and targeted supplements, such as a clinically reviewed probiotic, to support overall health. Over time, exercises may change as strength changes or new supplements may be added, all of which would be led by each dedicated health coach working with each member.

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Allwork.Space: You focus on the core areas of musculoskeletal pain (MSK), and behavioral health associated with sleep and digestive health. Why these specific areas?

When you look at the US population, 85% of all adults suffer from either sleep, digestive health, or musculoskeletal pain issues. Those conditions are challenging to treat, chronic, and costly. For each of these three conditions, the most effective treatment approach is integrative health that prioritizes conservative approaches rather than expensive and aggressive diagnostics (eg. MRI), prescription medications, or surgeries. By developing an innovative way of delivering evidence-based integrative care, we bring value to both employees and employers. These were natural starting places for us. In time, we will be expanding to other areas of care.

Allwork.Space: Why is support for mental and physical health in the workplace so important?

Work from home has taken a severe toll on employees mental and physical health. It has the opposite effect of work-life balance for many. Instead, it is causing employees to be more stressed, sleepless, and experience severe burnout, which can be challenging to manage without access to the appropriate resources.

The majority of employees have also been working longer hours throughout the pandemic, taking away from the free time they could have used for exercising, spending time with family and friends, or simply relaxing. Because of this, employees need different types of support from their employers. Before the pandemic, many corporate benefits included discounted gym memberships, free lunch at the office, or in-person events. Now that most employees are home and often unable to achieve a healthy work-life balance they need resources and tools to help them maintain a better balance that supports their mental health and enables them to create better habits.

When companies adapt to the remote work model and provide innovative resources that employees can use while at home including access to personalized health programs tailored to their unique needs companies can show their employees that they appreciate them and, in turn, support their productivity and job satisfaction. One other simple yet important example weve seen a lot with our members who transitioned to remote work is the new onset neck and back pain due to poor ergonomics of work-from-home set-ups. Our coaching team provides consults to help people optimize their new working environment to prevent further injury with excellent results.

Allwork.Space: I can see how a digital consultation provides faster access to healthcare but some people may have concerns over safety. Without a physical examination, how are you able to provide a complete assessment?

Since no two people are alike, their care should not be either. Goodpath makes the process very simple and easy, right from home yet completely customized. All individuals have to do is:

Notwithstanding, there are a small number of cases when Goodpath is not an appropriate solution. A subset of people (<5%) do need further in-person evaluation by their doctor for physical exam, diagnostics, and prescription treatment. We screen and redirect this small group to contact their doctor or appropriate medical professional.

Allwork.Space: How has the pandemic impacted your program have you seen more interest, perhaps from people who are unable to get to a doctor?

Absolutely. These days, employers deal with additional stressors such as their jobs, childcare, remote learning for their kids, financial issues, and their concern for their familys health and safety. Many people do not have the time to go see in-person providers right now or dont want to because of COVID-19 concerns. They instead prefer virtual care from the comfort of their home. Our recent Goodpath Employer Health Index survey showed that over 80% of employers are interested in adding more comprehensive wellness programs like Goodpath to their benefits portfolio.

Allwork.Space: Do you see this type of approach ie. remote health assessment and treatments becoming more prevalent in the future?

Yes, this is the future of corporate wellness. Heading into the New Year, health-focused benefits are on the top of employees minds and companies are figuring out ways to implement these types of programs into their benefits packages. This is a unique approach to feeling better, and its all centered on the individuals schedule, lifestyle, and needs.

Not only is it a far simpler way to solve a persons current health issues, but it has also proven to be extremely effective for the employees health outcomes and is thus of high value to the employer.

Companies that use integrative care have seen $11K direct medical savings per year per employee. Not to mention, employees, on average, save 12 working days and avoid 23 trips to the doctor. These programs treat back pain 4X faster and see a reduction of 85% in pharmaceutical costs. This type of care is better for the employee and better for the company.

http://www.goodpath.com

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Is Self-Care The Future Of Workplace Wellness? A Q&A With Goodpath Co-Founder, Bill Gianoukos - AllWork.Space

Ewald Koegel, an engineering technician who was among a group of scientists and researchers at Brooks AFB that helped develop the critical life-support systems for astronauts in space, has died in Heidelberg, Germany.

He was 85.

He was such a unique man with a fantastic story of coming to America and making something out of literally nothing, said his son, Karl Koegel, 56, a San Antonio Realtor. Not even knowing the language.

The elder Koegel came to the United States from Germany for a job at Johns Hopkins University in the late 1950s after the father of a woman he had been seeing told him the relationship wouldn't work.

The problem: He was Catholic and the mans daughter, Doris, was Lutheran.

Heartbroken, he came to the United States with $100 in his pocket.

Though he wasnt part of the highly secret Operation Paperclip, which scooped up more than 1,600 scientists, engineers, and technicians as the Soviet Union scoured postwar Europe for the same people, Koegel knew Germans who were brought to America.

Koegel ended up in San Antonio after being drafted into the Army. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's brother, Milton, who headed Johns Hopkins, arranged for him to enter the Air Force instead, allowing him to be stationed initially at Randolph AFB, starting in 1957. Along the way, he became a U.S. citizen.

One of the Germans also at Randolph was Hubertus Strughold, who became known as the father of American space medicine but fell into controversy over his Nazi past.

On ExpressNews.com: S.A. was a military air hub from early flight to space

Strughold and Koegel established storied careers at the Air Forces School of Aerospace Medicine, previously called the School of Aviation Medicine and which moved from Randolph to Brooks in 1959.

They helped pioneer the manned space program, starting with the first monkeys that flew in tests predating Alan Shepards historic suborbital mission May 1, 1961.

Koegel was an engineering technician in the schools fabrication branch that produced many innovative and experimental space devices. Rudy Purificato, a Randolph historian, said skilled machinists, engineers and craftsmen manned metal, woodworking, plating, welding, plastics and glassblowing shops.

As the first satellites were launched and work began in earnest to put men into space, Brooks became a research hub for NASA. Koegel and others there also developed other path-breaking technologies that included an artificial heart valve, but they were best known for their critical role in space flight.

Doctors at the research base examined astronauts starting in the Mercury era, and those going into space spent time in Brooks centrifuge, one of them John Glenn prior to his space shuttle flight in 1998. The first American to orbit the earth, he became the worlds oldest space traveler at 77.

Three fellow German scientists, Dr. Hans-Georg Clamann, Fritz Haber and his brother, Heinz, designed and developed the first space capsule cabin simulator using a low-altitude pressure chamber at Brooks in 1954.

That work would pay off during the Apollo 13 crisis when NASA turned to Brooks for data on carbon dioxide buildup in the capsule.

Brooks researchers later developed pressure suits used in the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs.

The German scientists at the School of Aerospace Medicine were way ahead, years ahead of anyone else working on space medicine research, Purificato said. The truth is NASA really depended on the Air Force and the School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph and Brooks during the early years of the manned space flight program.

On ExpressNews.com: At 97. scientist is last of old breed at former Brooks AFB

Before NASA sent men into space, it did crucial work testing pressurized capsules using primates, a task that required the fabrication shop.

The primates were tucked into a cylindrical life support system Koegel called a couch, and was similar in some ways to the seats Mercury astronauts like Shepard and Glenn would later fly in as they blasted into space.

We made the couch for Sam out of fiberglass, Koegel recalled, referring to a device that protected the rhesus monkey during its Dec. 4, 1959, space journey aboard a 55-foot-long Little Joe solid-fuel rocket.

The missions aim was to learn whether suborbital flight affected the heart and central nervous system. Called Sam Space, for the School of Aerospace Medicine, the monkey was the first of four primates NASA launched into space prior to Shepards ballistic launch outside the planets atmosphere aboard a Mercury capsule mounted on a Redstone booster.

Koegels couch helped served three purposes, Purificato wrote in his 1999 history book, From the Lab to the Moon. It was the animals pressure suit, performance test chamber and restraint. The lightweight device was mounted inside a cylindrical Plexiglas and steel container called a biopack.

The biopack contained an oxygen bottle, regulator and carbon dioxide absorbers.

The fabrication shop also built a biopack for Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey who became Americas second primate in space on Jan. 21, 1960.

Similar devices helped Ham and Enos become Americas first space chimps. Ham survived up to 17Gs during his Jan. 31, 1961, suborbital flight aboard a Mercury-Redstone missile, while Enos cruised through two earth orbits aboard a Mercury-Atlas rocket on Nov. 29, 1961.

We had as many as 20 people working in fabrication, Koegel said of the era, which Purificatos history book called Brooks golden age of supporting the space program.

On ExpressNews.com: Fifty years ago, Apollo 8 sent a lunar Christmas message

Koegel held seven patents and worked even when he wasnt at the base. In the evening, he was a consultant to doctors and engineers needing prototype designs.

Hed come home from Brooks at 5:30 p.m., nap for an hour, eat and then work on his lathe until 11, often employing Karl as his apprentice as they produced a breathing valve used in exercise studies.

A 1983 Navy Experimental Diving Unit paper refers to the device as a Koegel valve.

It was incredible to see this man work. I grew up making the patented silicon leaflets that fit inside the valves Y- or T-shaped Plexiglass body, which he turned and threaded on his lathe and then polished and packaged, all by hand, one by one, Karl said. I remember keeping him company as a kid, standing on a stool pushing the on and off button on the lathe.

Still, there were other pursuits. Koegel loved soccer and other competitive sports and was an avid tennis player. On Sundays, hed compete in soccer matches at Olmos Field with German, Italian, Irish, Hungarian and British players.

After retiring from Brooks, Koegel visited friends and family in Germany and lived there six to eight months a year. He reunited with Doris, the woman he wanted to marry so long ago, and spent the last nine years of his life with her.

While there, he suffered a heart attack and died Nov. 25. Services are pending. Koegel, an Air Force veteran, will be buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. He is also survived by a daughter, Erica Lara, and numerous grandchildren.

The era of space flight, and Brooks role in shaping the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs that conquered the moon, was inspirational for Koegel, who spoke with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy when she and the president came to Brooks on Nov. 21, 1963.

There, at Building 150, John F. Kennedy made his famous cap over the wall speech the day before his assassination in Dallas. Part of a dedication of Brooks $26 million Aerospace Medical Division complex, the speech was among the presidents last official acts.

My friends, this nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space and we have no choice but to follow it, Kennedy told 10,000 people at Brooks, now a residential and commercial hub.

In his 1999 history, Purificato detailed Koegels contributions to the space program, starting in 1959 with the School of Aerospace Medicines work to support Project Mercury.

Brooks, he said, was the center of the universe for the Air Force research in space medicine. It was the place. Of the world-class scientists from all over the country, Brooks had the majority of these scientists working there in space medicine research, primarily.

Koegel modestly said Brooks researchers certainly contributed quite a bit to the program in those years, but echoed Purificatos view that it was an extraordinary time for the base.

Those were glorious days, he said, when we had leaders with vision.

Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe

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San Antonio engineering technician who helped pioneer the space program dies at 85 - San Antonio Express-News

Like a macabre odometer that wont stop spinning, the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus steadily ticks upward, day after day, reducing the deceased to a mere statistic. Attempting to bring human faces to these cold numbers, a team of Northeastern journalism students are chronicling the lost lives of these moms, dads, sisters, and unclesand, in the process, are learning a lot about themselves.

Every time I look at the coronavirus statistics, I remember that these numbers are not just numbers; They are people, says Sharmila Kuthunur, one of several student journalists who took part in a class writing assignment to capture the spirit of the mostly elderly people who diedoften alone and without family and friends by their sidefrom the coronavirus. The elegies are then published in The Boston Globe.

One of the deceased was William Aldrich, who died at 84 earlier this year. Kuthunur captured him in these words:

He often puttered around his house, his handy toolbox in tow, finding things to fix and projects to take on.

One Christmas, not only did he build a large wooden dollhouse, but he also furnished its rooms with miniature beds, tables and chairs, and hung tiny frames of family photos on its walls. He presented the completed dollhouse to his daughter as a gift from Santa Claus.

Kuthunur says it was a challenge to sum up a life in 600 words, but she remains grateful to the Aldrich family for sharing the many details that helped her do her job. I got to know this person through his familys eyes and experiences, says the graduate student.

These are the sorts of moments and details that we want to try to capture, says Carlene Hempel, a teaching professor in the School of Journalism, of the personalized elegies. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

She likes the fact that the Globe makes it a point to concentrate on the little things that made the deceased who they were, rather than focusing on how they died.

If you look at the published elegies, not one mentions COVID-19 in detail. The focus is always on the lives they lived, she points out.

An elegy is different in substance and form to the more common obituary, explains Carlene Hempel, a former reporter turned teaching professor in Northeasterns journalism department. They try to capture an aspect of the victims life as opposed to an obituary, which is sort of a review of the totality of their life, she says.

Hempel connected over Zoom in the summer with Roy Greene, the Globes assistant news editor and its former obituary editor. He says the paper started doing the elegies in the spring with its own staff before an infection surge forced the paper to deploy reporters to other stories, resulting in the elegy project losing steam.

Ensuing conversations between Globe staff, assistant professor of journalism Meg Heckman, and other Northeastern faculty resulted in a go-forward plan to resurrect a database of victims created by the paper. The daily gave journalism professors access to it, and the students took it from there.

When the project first began, the death toll in Massachusetts (almost all of the dead lived in the state) from the virus was around 9,000, Hempel says. Months later it was up to about 10,000. The Globe will never get to write about 10,000 people, she says. The idea was to eulogize as many as possible.

That includes people of color, Greene adds. They are predominantly affected by COVID-19, so were trying to make that a priority.

Northeastern journalism students, as well as faculty, will have penned about 100 elegies in all, says Hempel. More than 30 of them have been posted to the Globes elegies landing page while slightly fewer have made it into the papers print version. Not all will make it into print because of competing space for other stories, says Greene.

Still, the project has been such a success that plans are already in place to continue the elegies in the spring semester, he adds.

The writing assignment brought family members raw emotions to the surface, something for which students werent prepared. Some of the surviving kin were quite upset at how their relatives died alone in nursing homes and hospitals. The anguish and the bitterness and the resentment spilled over into some of these conversations, Hempel recalls.

Other relatives, however, have been thrilled to talk, says Kelly Chan, a second-year student pursuing a journalism degree with a photojournalism minor. She spoke with the families of two women who died in their late 80s. Chan eulogized one of them in the following lines:

Lillian Lita Siagels career was focused on floral design, but she found beauty in everything she did.

She painted her alpine boots pink 40 years ago, said Errin Siagel, Litas youngest son. She painted the toilet seat in our house when I was 5. She glued rhinestones on her sunglasses. She was just one of these crazy artistic people.

Chans other elegy opened with this introduction:

Lieselotte Serven was stunning, her daughter, Evelyn Rezendes, recalled. She was known for impeccable taste, with matching clothes and jewelry, painted nails, and a perfect hairdo.

Anyone who knew my mother knew that she never had a hair out of place. She always looked beautiful, Evelyn said. As a child growing up, my mother went every week to get her hair done. Every single week.

The conversations were as cathartic for Chan as they were for the families because they caused her to re-examine what was most important. The talk with Servens daughter made me rethink my relationship with my parents and rethink how I should lead my life, the New Jersey native says.

For Kuthunur, the other journalism student, family is a 17-hour flight away in India. Sometimes, I wish I were closer so that I could visit them more often, the Boston-based Kuthunur says. Missing those in her inner circle allowed her to approach the elegy assignment with greater empathy, she says.

It is worth noting that many of the students, as accomplished writers as they may be, are only in their late teens, and were suddenly thrust into real-world reporting, which can get messy at times, says Hempel.

Every single one of them rose to the occasion, she says. They put forth not only an amazing piece of journalism, but an amazing tribute.

Hempel fondly recalls the little details of her own grandmothers life, from her singing voice to the Italian meals around the dinner table on Sundays. These are the things that carry on through life, she says. These are the sorts of moments and details that we want to try to capture.

For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.

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These Northeastern students made sure that COVID-19 victims' stories were told in the Boston Globe - News@Northeastern

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