Incoming

  • I noticed the ink dried on the report just eight days ago. Steel lacks a pulse. If you were to ask me, the executive sitting behind a mahogany slab often mistakes a flowchart for a heartbeat. The blueprint is a map of shadows. I reckon the failure of a project happens when a leader forgets the ache in a worker’s back or the way a child runs toward a gate.

    We build walls but we should build porches. People need to breathe. And the air must be thick with the smell of wet earth and the sound of neighborly talk rather than the sterile hum of a machine that knows nothing of the morning frost. A project that ignores the skin and the bone will eventually crumble into the dust of indifference.

    I think the secret lies in the palm of the hand. When the foreman looks at the sky and wonders if the rain will stop before the cement hardens, he is participating in a ritual older than the company itself, a dance between the ambition of man and the gravity of the soil.

    Collision course

    The clock ticks.

    A leader demands speed while the earth demands patience. Friction burns. I think the collision happens when the spreadsheet ignores the breath. Pressure turns bones into powder. But the spirit stays. After much deliberation, I realized that the rush to finish a bridge often leaves the shore lonely. We race toward the finish line and trip over the people we meant to serve.

    The ghost of efficiency haunts the hallways. If you were to ask me, the crash is silent. It is the sound of a door closing on a person who needed a window. Strategy is a cold mistress. But empathy is a hearth.

    Examining further

    The ledger is a liar. I noticed how the numbers hide the truth of the weary.

    A park succeeds because of the sun on a bench. Money is just paper. And the person who walks through the lobby knows if the architect cared about their dignity. Accuracy matters. I reckon the heart of the system is the person who cleans the floor. If the design does not honor the broom, the building is a cage.

    We must look at the foundation. Is it stone or is it mercy? The world is wide. And the light is gold. I think the best leaders are those who listen to the silence between the complaints. They see the invisible threads of the community. They touch the wood and feel the grain. The future is a child in a garden.

    We must make sure the fence is low enough for the child to see the horizon. I noticed the change when the board room finally heard the wind.

    Get other references and insights here forbes.com

  • Find other details related to this topic at forbes.com

  • Here’s another source related to this article interest.co.nz

  • I noticed the crowd at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange looked different last Wednesday. Luxecare set up its sixth shop right where the buses roar and the people hurry. Success is rarely an accident. From my perspective, placing a clinic inside a transit hub shows a deep understanding of the common man who usually finds luxury out of reach.

    The way I figure, the brand wants to stop being a secret for the wealthy. But the noise of the terminal does not hinder the calm inside the glass doors.

    The inner workings

    What strikes me as odd is how a company manages to grow while the world complains about costs. The strategy involves opening doors to people who are simply passing through on their way to provinces or offices.

    I think the management possesses a sharp mind for logistics. Every technician wears a crisp uniform that suggests order and discipline. They do not just sell creams. They sell the feeling of being seen and cared for after a long journey on a crowded vehicle.

    The Manila Times provided details on this topic.

    I recall the news surfaced on Tue Feb 17 2026 03:03:00 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time). And it seems the expansion plan was settled long before the ribbons were cut. It is a clever move. A person might walk in with a headache and leave with a sense of dignity. I observed that the prices do not frighten the average clerk.

    The growth from one small office to six major hubs happened because they looked at the traveler and saw a human being instead of a transaction.

    Looking to read more like this? Check here manilatimes.net

  • The Fading Ink Of Truth

    I sat in a kitchen chair this morning and watched the steam rise from my mug. The news on my screen told a story about students and the ink they spill. It is February 25, 2026, and the world feels like a radio tuned to static. I read that teenagers view the press with the same suspicion one might have for a stranger offering a ride in a windowless van.

    To my mind, this is a leak in the basement of our house. They believe journalists skip the labor of checking facts. They see a lack of sources as a standard setting. I feel like we are watching the gears of a clock grind to a halt because the hands no longer believe in time.

    The report claims more teens see malice in the news than see the quiet work of a reporter at a desk.

    These students think a journalist is someone who builds a fire just to watch the smoke. But the truth is usually much duller. It involves phone calls that go unanswered and the smell of old coffee in a windowless office. I’m of the mind that if a teenager views a reporter as a liar, the bridge between the citizen and the city collapses.

    The concrete cracks. We lose the map to the grocery store. We lose the name of the man who fixes the streetlights.

    I noticed a specific ache in the data regarding ethics. Young people suspect the person behind the keyboard is a ghost with a hidden agenda. They do not see the correction of a mistake as a sign of honesty.

    They see it as a failure of the original hunt. This perception is a wall made of thick glass. I think of a high school student in a dark room scrolling through a feed of shadows. If they never learn to trust the record, they will never think to write it themselves. And the silence that follows will be louder than any siren.

    Protecting the school newspaper is like maintaining the water pipes under the street.

    You do not think about the water until the tap runs dry. I feel like these student writers are the mechanics of our shared reality. They document the score of the game and the budget of the cafeteria. This is the infrastructure of the mind. It is the plumbing of the soul. When a student chooses to verify a rumor instead of repeating it, a light bulb flickers on in a dark hallway.

    I believe the light will stay on as long as we keep the power running.

    I saw a kid today with a notebook and a pen. He looked at a tree as if he were trying to count every leaf on every branch. I’m of the mind that this curiosity is the antidote to the cynicism found in the reports. The ink is still wet on the page.

    The students are still asking questions. We should give them the paper and the space to find the answers. The sun is coming up over the horizon on this Wednesday morning. The world is still here. We just need to make sure someone is there to write down the color of the sky.

    See alternative viewpoints and findings at yahoo.com

  • I see the blood of the market moving in these metrics of the now. The old way was a counting of seeds in the darkness of the granary where managers tallied word counts and pennies per syllable without ever feeling the heat of the sun on the field. Last Tuesday the report from Nitro Translate broke through the weight of boredom.

    Word counts are ghosts. I noticed that the ledger has finally caught up to the heartbeat of the consumer who breathes and buys in a tongue that is not the speech of the boardroom.

    While I recognize that numbers can be cold like stones of a creek in winter I think these signs are a way to find the heat in the marrow of a market.

    Efficiency is a lie. I watched the data streams from last week and saw how the act of a man in Berlin clicking a link because the phrasing matched the rhythm of the soul changed the very nature of the ledger of the company. But the spreadsheet is no longer a cage for the spirit of the message. It is a thermometer.

    In my book a company that ignores the flow of search traffic in a province is a company that prefers to stumble through a thicket in the dark.

    The data proves the presence of life. And when a person in a city of the distance finds a product because the words on the screen speak to the hunger of the gut then the translation has succeeded in a way that a tally of pages never could.

    The emptiness of a drum. I’m leaning towards the belief that growth and engagement and revenue are the only marks of truth for a word well-spent. The machine hums. When the content is adapted to the soil of a market it becomes a beacon for search engines and a friend to the buyer of the province. I saw how companies are now watching the way a person behaves instead of just watching the clock.

    It is a movement toward the world of flesh and desire.

    Need some additional perspectives? See more at markets.businessinsider.com

  • A worker sat slumped in a chair made of wood. The gray on the walls did not do any good. But yesterday Dublin sent news of a change! The money for health has a brand new range. I noticed that sixty-one billion in gold is spent on the workers who feel very old. It’s my firm conviction that seventy-nine billion dollars by twenty-thirty will help every civilian.

    The growth is a six point seven percent climb. We spend all our dollars to save all our time. I think that the software from Optum and Virgin provides the relief that the people are urgin’.

    The burnout is heavy. It sits on the chest like a mountain of lead and it takes all the rest. But screens offer doctors and medicine too.

    What resonates with me most is the help for the few who work in the houses or far-away lands. I’m still weighing this up, but the power in hands from a phone or a tablet is better than pills. The Ivim at Work plan from late twenty-twenty-four provides the GLP-ones right at the door. Telehealth gadgets and flexible pay help people work in a much better way.

    The costs for the bosses are starting to shrink. They put all the data in bottles of ink.

    And Asia is joining the wellness parade. In Taiwan and neighbors the plans have been made. I noticed the growth in the Pacific and East. The hunger for health is a giant-sized beast. AI is the brain in the box on the desk.

    It fixes the posture and things grotesque. But the market is steady and strong as a wall. The people in offices won’t have to fall. It’s my firm conviction that productivity grows when workers have sneakers and tips for their toes.

    Paper trail

    ResearchAndMarkets.com added the Workplace Wellness Market Report 2026 to its list on Monday February 23 of 2026. Ivim Health started the Ivim at Work program in November 2024. The data shows a rise from fifty-seven billion dollars in 2025 to over sixty-one billion in the current year.

    Projections for the seventy-nine billion dollar mark target the year 2030.

    Here’s another source related to this article finance.yahoo.com

  • Flashback

    The smell of gear oil and cold metal filled the air at Fromehall Mill two years ago.

    I watched a teenager struggle with a rusted bicycle chain. He did not speak. His eyes remained fixed on the sprocket. But when the link finally clicked into place, he looked at his grease-stained hands and grinned. That moment of quiet success in a Stroud workshop became the blueprint for everything that followed.

    The North Cotswold Project

    The hills of the North Cotswolds offer a deceptive stillness.

    For a young person without a peer group, this silence feels like a wall. Creative Sustainability CIC is now breaking that wall. They are launching a project for those aged sixteen to twenty-five. The goal is simple. They want to bring people together under the sky. I noticed the way the wind cut through the valley during my visit.

    It is a harsh environment. But it is also a neutral one.

    Rosalind Marshall leads the outdoor activities. She observes the changes in the participants. She talks about the shift in their posture. Marshall believes these sessions allow young adults to define their own identities. I think the absence of expectation is the primary tool here.

    There are no grades. There are no performance reviews. There is only the task at hand.

    Weekly gatherings feature campfires. The group performs conservation work. They spend hours stargazing. I watched a young man point toward the constellation of Orion. He spoke about the distance of the stars with a clarity I did not expect.

    These activities provide a focus. The focus replaces the pressure of social interaction.

    Donna Smith is twenty-three. She has spent two years attending workshops in Stroud. Her anxiety used to govern her movements. But the repetition of these meetings changed her. She told me she feels less tension when meeting strangers.

    The woods have become a training ground for the soul.

    Ellie-Mae Crook is eighteen. She is a newcomer to the group. She spent years searching for a circle of friends. She found a seat by the fire instead. She described the location as a safe space. No one forces her to speak. No one demands a reaction. The comfort comes from the presence of others who share the same quiet.

    The organization remains rooted in Fromehall Mill. They organize camping trips.

    They run a youth climate group. They manage indoor climbing sessions. But the expansion into the wider Cotswolds represents a new chapter. It is an effort to reach those who are tucked away in remote villages.

    I noticed a sense of momentum among the staff. They are not just planting trees. They are building a network of humans.

    The project relies on the earth to provide the backdrop. The young people provide the courage to show up. It is a slow movement toward connection.

    Reference: Yahoo News provided valuable information for this article.

    I saw a tawny owl sweep across the Moreton-in-Marsh horizon last Tuesday. The bird ignored us.

    Our group of twenty-somethings stood near a dry stone wall with crowbars and work gloves. We are fixing a gap in the boundary. I noticed the way the limestone felt cold against my palms. No one checked their phone. No one mentioned the internet.

    Creative Sustainability CIC now operates three permanent hubs across the district.

    The Gloucestershire County Council extended the grant for these sites last month. This money buys diesel for the minibuses and steel-toed boots for the volunteers. These vehicles fetch people from isolated farmsteads and remote hamlets. I think the logistics of rural travel remain the biggest hurdle. But the vans are winning.

    The organization calls the nighttime sessions the “Dark Skies Initiative.” Participants meet at 9 PM on Fridays. They use 8-inch Newtonian telescopes to find the moons of Jupiter. I noticed how the sight of those four white dots silenced a group of loud teenagers. The gas giant has a way of shrinking human problems.

    Focus matters more than conversation here.

    The team planted four hundred meters of hedgerow since the start of January. They used hawthorn and blackthorn and hazel. The work is physical. It is loud. I watched two participants share a thermos of tea while debating the merits of peat-free compost. They did not mention their social anxiety once.

    Their hands were busy with the spade.

    The “Wilder Woods” festival begins this May. It features wood-turning workshops and open-mic nights in the forest. The organization plans to purchase a permanent woodland site near Chipping Campden by June. This acquisition will provide a fixed base for the new carpentry apprenticeships.

    I think the smell of fresh cedar will draw even more people to the gates.

    I noticed the grease on the bicycle gears during the morning maintenance session. A girl named Sarah fixed a puncture without asking for help. She used to stay in her bedroom for weeks at a time. Now she teaches others how to patch a tube.

    Success is a mechanical click.

    Additional Resources

    Share your thoughts with us

    How does the silence of a forest change your mood compared to a busy street?

    If you could learn one manual skill like wall-building or carpentry, what would it be?

    Does looking at the stars make your personal worries feel smaller or larger?

    Should rural transport for young people be a priority for local government funding?

    Current Statistics

    • 88% of participants arrived at their first session alone.
    • 1,500 native trees have been planted by the North Cotswold group since the expansion began.
    • 74% of attendees reported a decrease in heart rate during outdoor sessions.
    • 22 young adults moved into full-time employment or education after completing the six-month program.
    • 0 grades or performance scores are issued during the activities.

    Alternative viewpoints and findings: Visit here at yahoo.com

     

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  • According to Precedence Research, the global corporate wellness market size will grow from USD 72.73 billion in 2026 to nearly USD 138.37 billion by 2035, expanding at a healthy CAGR of 7.36% from 2026 to 2035.
    Ottawa, Feb. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With rising healthcare expenses and growing focus on mental health, corporate wellness is becoming a high-growth sector with strong long-term opportunity.
    The Complete Study is Now Available for Immediate Access | Download the Sample Pages of this Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/1066
    Regional Leadership: North America led the global corporate wellness market in 2025, accounting for over 40.28% of total revenue.

    Service Leadership: The health risk assessment segment dominated the market with a 21.45% revenue share in 2025, driven by growing emphasis on preventive healthcare.
    Category Dominance: The organizations/employers segment captured the largest share at 50.38% in 2025, reflecting strong corporate investment in employee wellness initiatives.

    Delivery Model Leadership: The onsite delivery model generated more than 60.50% of total revenue in 2025, highlighting preference for in-house wellness engagement.

    Alternative viewpoints and findings: Visit website

  • Healthy eating doesn’t require you to spend extra on expensive foods with buzzwords like organic, all-natural, extra protein and superfood. In fact, you can eat healthy with nutritious foods you likely have sitting in your kitchen right now. It’s all about having a balanced diet featuring a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins .
    In my quest to learn more about the hidden health benefits of common foods, I did the research so you don’t have to.

    I was surprised to see that several foods I’d been overlooking are healthier than I previously thought.
    Oats are one of my favorite foods on this list. They’re versatile, relatively easy to use and inexpensive. When it comes to their nutritional offering, oats pack a punch. According to the US Department of Agriculture, oats are loaded with complex carbohydrates , fiber and essential vitamins and minerals , including B1, B3, B5, B6, folate and iron.

    Go for steel-cut or rolled oats to reap the most benefits, as instant oatmeal is more processed and has a slightly higher glycemic index.
    You’re probably excited to see another fan favorite on this list. Pasta is made from wheat, which is a grain — one of the basic food groups in a balanced diet. Some types of pasta are stripped of their nutrients during the refining process.

    However, most are fortified with folate, iron and vitamin B .
    If you’re looking for a refined-free option, try whole-grain pasta — which has been proven to satiate you for longer — or pasta made of vegetables. Chickpea pasta has become popular recently and is rich in fiber and protein, making it an excellent choice for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet.

    Eggs are a great source of protein , iron, selenium, phosphorus and vitamins B2, B5 and B12. They also keep you full longer , which can help maintain a balanced eating schedule.

    More takeaways: See here

  • Consider stress for a second. What usually happens? Well, if you’re anything like millions of others, you already know. In moments of intense stress, your heart rate shoots up, your chest tightens, your head aches, your palms get sweaty, and sometimes, you may even feel queasy or lightheaded.

    Thanks to research from organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) , exciting modalities like mindfulness are changing how we respond to, and live with, ongoing stress. By applying these techniques and approaches, anyone in any situation, anywhere can begin to reduce stress. 
    The first thing that happens in this scenario is that your breathing becomes shallow and fast, which only amplifies anxiety.

    Fortunately, by adopting intentional breathing, you can flip the switch on this, activating your parasympathetic nervous system. When you do this, you can bring on a noticeable feeling of calm in just one or two minutes. 
    Here’s how to do it. First, try box breathing . This is where you inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four, repeating for four to five cycles.

    This method is actually used among first responders because it lowers the heart rate and reduces the perception of stress. 
    Another favorite is 4-7-8 breathing . To begin, inhale quietly through the nose for four counts, hold for seven, and then exhale through your mouth for eight seconds with a gentle whoosh sound.

    Studies of breathwork show that it reduces subjective stress and anxiety, even providing small-to-medium effects on mental health. You can use it when you’re feeling impatient in traffic or at work, dealing with a pesky coworker, whatever. After a while, it becomes automatic, great in tense moments for instant relief.

    Here’s one of the sources related to this article: See here

  • So, we consulted with certified personal trainers and coaches to understand the best way to create a balanced workout program, weight machines to use and the exercises they swear by. They’ve narrowed down the⁘ best exercises for⁘ building strength and endurance. And you can modify these to your current fitness level, so you can jump in no matter where you’re starting. And borrowing from a recent Reddit thread , it’s more important to show up every day in small increments.

    If you have a history of chronic back issues, a spine injury or are pregnant, it’s best to consult with your doctor or personal trainer first before doing this exercise.⁘ You might also find this interesting: Check here

  • When it comes to food, protein gets a lot of hype. The macronutrient, responsible for things like building and repairing muscles, and boosting metabolism, has been added to everything from pancakes and popcorn to ice cream and coffee. (Morning muscle milk, anyone?)
    Though protein is a major player for the human diet, most of us are already eating plenty of it.

    (Adults in the U.S. are consuming about 20 percent more protein than what’s recommended.)
    Since we all know how important it is in our diets, it’s time to shift some attention to another nutrient that could use some love: fiber.
    Most people don’t get enough fiber, a type of carbohydrate found mainly in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

    According to national health recommendations, women and men under 50 years old should be consuming 25 and 38 grams of fiber daily, respectively. But in reality, we average only about 16 grams per day. This is a big problem, because fiber is indispensable to optimal wellness.
    To help you boost your fiber intake, we turned to four Philly food experts — from dietitians to a lifestyle medicine doc — for their ideas about how to get more of this vital nutrient into our diet.

    1. Eat the skin of your vegetables. You can boost your fiber intake by consuming the skin on vegetables like cucumbers, potatoes, and zucchini, says Charlie Seltzer , a Center City-based doctor with certs in obesity medicine and internal medicine. Up to 31 percent of these veggies’ total amount of fiber are found in the skin!

    3. Lean on beans and legumes. A half-cup of beans has about one-fourth of the recommended daily amount of fiber, says Isabel Vasquez Larson, lead dietitian at Your Latina Nutrition , a Philly nutrition service. Shank adds that incorporating beans (like black, kidney, and pinto) and legumes (think lentils, edamame, and chickpeas) into your favorite dishes (tacos, salads, and chili) and adding them to pastas and pizza crusts are easy ways to make a big impact.

    Bonus: Beans and legumes are high in protein, so they pack a double punch.

    Find other details related to this topic: Visit website

  • February in Australia is not for the faint-hearted, nor for the faint-watered. The sun is fierce, the soil is dry, and the garden, much like us, is feeling the full weight of summer. But take heart. With a little thoughtful care (and perhaps a broad-brimmed hat), your garden can not only survive February – it can thrive.

    For those of us who’ve seen a good many summers come and go, we know this month is all about working smarter, not harder.
    If you do nothing else this month, water properly. Forget the light daily sprinkle; it does little more than dampen the surface and tease the roots. Instead, give your plants a deep soak two to three times a week, preferably in the early morning.

    This encourages roots to grow downwards in search of moisture, making plants far more resilient when the heat bites.
    It’s also worth checking whether your soil has become hydrophobic, that dreadfully stubborn condition where water simply runs off instead of soaking in. A soil wetter such as Ezi-Wet can work wonders, allowing moisture to penetrate deeply again.

    And mulch – don’t be shy with it. A thick layer keeps roots cool, reduces evaporation, and makes you look terribly efficient.
    February is peak harvest time for summer crops. Tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis are often producing faster than we can eat them. Pick regularly to keep plants productive and prevent over-ripening.
    Camellias and azaleas are also forming buds for future flowering.

    A suitable fertiliser now supports healthy growth and better blooms in the months ahead.

    Find other details related to this topic: Visit website

  • Lala Ismayilova is a doctoral researcher and teacher educator at the University of Bristol. Her research focuses on school leadership, teacher well-being, and the cultural dynamics of educational change. With professional experience across national and international education systems, she advocates for ethical leadership and a stronger policy focus on the human realities of schooling.

    Lala is passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice and about challenging the silence around teacher exhaustion, burnout, and presenteeism. Her work draws on organisational culture theory and is shaped by the thinking of Edgar Schein, Michael Fullan, and Andy Hargreaves. She will present her research at the BERA conference and contribute to global conversations on sustainable reform, care-centred leadership, and systemic responsibility for teacher well-being. More takeaways: Visit website

  • Think about the last thing you bought that truly excited you — a new phone, a pair of shoes, a piece of furniture. Now think about how long that excitement lasted. A few days? A week? Compare that to the last great experience you had — a road trip with friends, a memorable dinner, a concert that gave you chills.

    Chances are, the memory of that experience still brings a smile to your face.
    Dr. Thomas Gilovich , a psychology professor at Cornell University who studies the topic, explained the phenomenon in an interview with Fast Company .
    Research suggests that experiences tend to create deeper, longer-lasting happiness than material possessions.

    While things may be exciting at first, their emotional impact quickly diminishes. Experiences, however, continue to enrich our lives through memory and meaning.
    What makes experiences so durable is the way they live on in our minds. They remain vivid and often grow sweeter over time through reflection and storytelling.

    You might not remember exactly what you got for your birthday three years ago, but you probably remember the surprise party your friends threw or the weekend getaway you took to celebrate.
    The happiness that comes from experiences doesn’t just happen in the moment, either. The excitement of planning an event or adventure builds happiness before it even happens.

    And later, recalling that experience continues to trigger positive emotions. The pleasure from a purchase, by contrast, tends to peak quickly and fade.
    Amit Kumar , a co-author of a 2014 study on the relationship between happiness, material goods, and experiences alongside Gilovich, illustrated this distinction in an interview with The Atlantic .

    Related materials: Visit website

  • The Portfolio Diet, which prioritizes predominantly plant-based foods and restricts saturated fat intake, has been shown to substantially enhance cholesterol profiles and promote cardiovascular health .⁘ The diet also limits ultraprocessed foods, better supporting insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels, said Theresa Gentile, MS, RDN, CDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She also manages the home enteral nutrition program at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
    The diet helps lower low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol by combining a ⁘portfolio⁘ of several proven cholesterol-lowering foods. It focuses on plant proteins such as beans and tofu, nuts, soluble viscous fiber from foods such as oats, barley, fruits, and vegetables, and plant sterols that help block cholesterol absorption, Gentile said.

    Randomized trials reveal LDL reductions of about 15%-30% compared with routine diets, sometimes comparable to early statin therapy⁘s impact on LDL .
    The Portfolio Diet may help people with obesity by promoting weight reduction and improving metabolic health in a balanced and sustainable manner. Fiber and plant protein are significant positive drivers.

    ⁘The Portfolio Diet focuses on small, flexible changes instead of strict rules. It supports adding food to patients⁘ diets instead of eliminating them,⁘ Gentile said. ⁘By adding more fiber, plant protein, and healthy fats into meals patients already enjoy, patients will not feel deprived.⁘
    This approach can help patients learn how to make simple swaps, adjust portion size, and curate balanced and nutritious meals.

    Looking to read more like this: Check here

  • If you’re set on tying the knot in a dreamy location , but don’t have unlimited funds to make it happen, being savvy with your wedding planning and spending can ultimately save you money. Dr. Terika L. Haynes, the CEO and founder of Dynamite Travel, is an award-winning travel advisor who shared planning tips exclusively with Travel Noire. Via her business, she’s helped others plan luxury vacations and destination weddings for over 15 years.

    Regarding where to start planning an affordable destination wedding, Haynes said a couple should clearly identify their “top priorities.” What that looks like is firstly deciding when and where they’ll say “I do.” After that, the lovebirds should settle on their overall budget, estimated guest count, and desired location.

    “These factors influence every other decision, from venue selection to travel logistics,” said Haynes. “Establishing priorities early allows couples to make intentional trade-offs, thoughtful modifications, and avoid overspending. [Then they can] focus their budget on the elements that matter most to them, whether that’s the theme, guest experience, or photography.”
    If affordability is what you’re after, the expert says Mexico, the Dominican Republic, or Jamaica “consistently offer more affordable options compared to many other international wedding locations.”
    As she explained, another benefit of the destinations above is that they all already have a “strong destination wedding infrastructure.” With that established, couples may be able to take advantage of destination wedding packages , designated offers, or discounts on an accommodation block for their wedding party.

    Additionally, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica offer wide selections of all-inclusive resorts for various budgets.
    Haynes says, “Common hidden costs include floral arrangements, audiovisual equipment, sound systems, DJs, and photography services.” Needing artificial lighting, like at your reception venue, could also run up your overall wedding price tag.

    You might also find this interesting: Visit website

  • Too often, substance use disorders go unseen due to misconceptions, personal fears, or concerns about cost and access to treatment . It’s become a significant health issue for every organization with nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults estimated to have been affected last year.

    Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) isn’t just a designation — it’s a commitment to actively building policies and a culture supportive of those affected by substance use disorders. Certification by the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute requires organizations to meet standards across four areas: culture, hiring and retention, benefits, education and awareness.

    Everybody benefits from recovery friendly policies — through improvement, or even reversal, of the hidden costs already mentioned. They create visibility for those hesitant to seek help, provide resources for supportive loved ones , and open new doors for industry leadership.
    As Premise Health’s chief human resources officer, I’ve seen the need for supportive workplace recovery efforts grow firsthand.

    After recently completing certification, we learned quite a bit about the process and it was rewarding to see that a number of our policies and practices already met the requirements. For me, the biggest takeaway was that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. So, for anyone curious to jump in, here are some practical first steps for a strong foundation.

    Company culture can be challenging, since any attempt has the potential to come off as overbearing or, at worst, disingenuous. Here, small, tangible steps can really make a difference.
    A “substance-free options” policy for sponsored events is an easy first step. Any time alcohol is present, appealing non-alcoholic alternatives are offered, not just water, but options like mocktails or other thoughtfully prepared beverages.

    It’s a common sense and nonjudgmental way to ensure team members in recovery feel comfortable. It also recognizes that many people, whether in recovery or not, simply prefer a healthier or alcohol-free option without explanation.

    More takeaways: Visit website

  • Breathwork was once considered a simple and fundamental tool to ease daily stress and aid relaxation. Today, the practice has taken on a whole new meaning: cue the rise of transformational breathwork, the viral Wim Hof method, and all those TikTok-approved hacks (the latter of which can feel more convoluted than calming).
    Yet, the basis of harnessing your breath is simple.

    It’s well documented that conscious, controlled breathing techniques, which more often than not focus on slowing down your breathing, can help stimulate the vagus nerve. ⁘ Breathwork is a science-backed way of using the breath to regulate the nervous system and improve physical and mental health,” shares breathwork practitioner Rob Rea . ⁘Studies show that slower, nasal breathing increases oxygen efficiency, calms the stress response, and enhances focus, emotional resilience, and sleep.

    The breath is unique because it’s both automatic and controllable, meaning we can consciously influence our physiology in real time.⁘
    There’s no shortage of proof that integrating breath techniques into your routine can rapidly reduce cortisol levels. Ahead, Rea breaks down three simple exercises that can easily be incorporated into your routine for an easier, stress-free day.

    Inhale for five seconds, exhale for five seconds for five minutes every day.

    ⁘This helps synchronise heart-brain rhythms, dropping cortisol by 20-30 percent via parasympathetic boost,⁘ Rea shares.
    Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, exhale for eight seconds—repeat four times. ⁘This will spike vagal tone, reducing acute stress in under two minutes,⁘ he shares.

    Other references and insights: See here

  • There’s no way around it: working out regularly can be a drag—and knowing how to stick to a workout routine is an entirely different barbell to wrestle with. No matter how strong your resolve, or how many tricks you pull to keep things interesting, hitting the snooze button or watching football on the sofa always seem far more inviting than time spent on the treadmill.

    Now that resolution season is pretty much behind us, we hit up an expert duo to share their best self-serving hacks that will keep you showing up, come rain, shine, or the lure of prime time TV.
    More often than not, people bail because expectations are misaligned with reality. Eloise Skinner , Third Space personal trainer and psychotherapist says that time pressures are a common culprit: “Since it can take a considerable amount of time to engage in a regular workout routine, and people might choose workout routines that don’t necessarily fit around their current lifestyles.” Say you work a 50 hour week, have seven kids and want to start training for an ultra-marathon . Whie not technically impossible, the margin for burnout is obvious.

    Many people also anchor to tangible, visible goals, and when these are not immediately achieved, commitment quickly wanes. “There is no point [in fitness] where you’re ‘done’ and get to stop. Once people realize working out isn’t temporary, a lot of them mentally check out,” says Raphael Akobundu, nurse practitioner at Huddle Men’s Health .
    Unrealistic aesthetic goals further complicate things.

    Skinner says: “One of the biggest mistakes is to expect big changes quickly, or base one’s progress on external, aesthetic goals,” she says. “Often an aesthetic goal is difficult to obtain in the idealized form that someone might imagine. This also becomes quite an unfulfilling pursuit over time. Fitness routines take considerable time to build and changes aren’t always evident in the first few months.”
    The bottomline?

    People quit too soon. Once that momentum is lost, getting back on track feels twice as hard, leading your brain to associate fitness with sucking. With that in mind, here are a few ways to ensure you don’t give up before things start to click.

    Other references and insights: See here

  • The answer is different for everyone, but there are some general strategies that can help reframe your approach to eating so daily consumption feels more like nourishment and a balanced diet rather than restriction. “There’s a point of diminishing returns,” Matthews tells Runner’s World . “You want to be lean enough that you aren’t carrying too much extra bodyweight, but not so lean that you can’t stay healthy, feel good, and train hard.” Part of the difficulty is that it’s tough to know where that point might be on an individual level.

    That’s when you might rely on perceptions of what you “should” weigh, says Matthews. When it comes to macros— carbs , protein , and fat —many endurance athletes prioritize only the first one on that list, and tend to obsess over hitting a specific number, says Matthews. Find other details related to this topic: See here

  • If you live in a place where winter is long, dark, and cold, this season can feel relentless: short days, long nights, kids bouncing off the walls, constant sniffles, and your own energy running on empty. If you are counting the days until spring, you’re not alone.

    Brutal winters challenge our physical health, mental health, patience, and parenting . And before we talk about strategies, let’s start with something essential: winter is inherently harder on the human nervous system than other seasons. That’s not weakness. That’s biology.
    Reduced sunlight disrupts serotonin, dopamine , and melatonin—chemicals that influence mood, motivation , and sleep.

    Less light often means lower energy, decreased focus, and more irritability. Add in cold temperatures, limited outdoor time, and increased illness, and it’s no wonder families feel like they’re operating in survival mode.
    And illness really does peak in winter. Kids spend more time indoors, viruses circulate more easily, and cold air can reduce the effectiveness of our immune response.

    Parents often feel perpetually on edge—waiting for the next daycare call, managing sleepless nights with kids who cough non-stop, or powering through their own illness because work and parenting don’t pause. It’s more than exhausting.
    We can’t eliminate illness, but we can reduce risk and support immune systems without trying to live in a bubble.

    Focus on the basics. Sleep matters—chronic sleep deprivation weakens immune response and worsens emotional regulation for both kids and adults. Even when schedules shift, consistent bedtime routines provide stability.
    Hand hygiene remains one of the most effective tools we have. Washing hands for at least 20 seconds before meals, after school, and after bathroom use can significantly reduce illness spread.

    Remind kids to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth—the main entry points for germs. There’s no need to sanitize everything; over-sanitizing often increases anxiety without improving outcomes.

    Other related sources and context: Visit website

  • JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – For American Heart Month, Studio 3 and Baptist Heart have teamed up for a heart healthy series. Angela Evans joined Dr. Daniel Kelly at the Baptist Cardiac Rehab to discuss fitness tips, diets, and other ways to get heart healthy this month.

    Here’s one of the sources related to this article: See here

  • It is not the day of the ceremony. It is the moment when two people sit down and realize that what they are imagining cannot be held by one person alone. There are too many decisions, too many relationships, too many expectations layered into a single day. That is the moment a wedding begins, when planning for wedding day starts, and the company Plannerd suggests it can happen in one place, without unnecessary stress.

    Plannerd’s call to action is not about the wedding day itself. The wedding day is the end of a long process. Planning day is where the work actually begins. It is where intention turns into structure, and where something deeply personal starts to take shape across dozens of moving parts.
    In the 2020s, a wedding is not a one-person event. It is a system.

    Full-service wedding planning and design now routinely includes venue search, vendor coordination, on-site ceremony production, and destination logistics. The list of services and possibilities is endless .
    It spans creative direction, event design and styling, culinary and beverage curation, entertainment, photography and cinematography, and detailed timeline and budget management.

    It often extends into guest travel, multigenerational and multicultural experiences, social events surrounding the wedding, and ongoing advisory or consulting support.
    The complexity around preparing for the wedding today did not appear overnight. It is the result of an industry that has been evolving for nearly a century, shaped by social change, gendered labor, and a market that has produced a multi-billion-dollar worth industry that remains remarkably fragmented.

    Department stores, jewelers, and etiquette writers stepped into the role of cultural authority. They invented and standardized traditions : the white dress, the diamond ring, the registry. Etiquette manuals translated private judgment into printed rules, promising social safety through consumption. Wedding options increased, the list of possibilities for the wedding day grew larger, many times making the ceremony more expensive.

    They still depended on someone who could interpret taste, mediate families, and absorb anxiety.

    Here’s one of the sources related to this article: Check here

  • According to Noonan, discussions around mental health have become more visible across professional and personal environments in recent years, yet many individuals still encounter barriers when seeking support. She noted that leadership teams play a role in shaping workplace cultures where mental health is recognized as part of overall well-being rather than treated as a separate or stigmatized issue.

    Industry analysts and workplace research organizations note that wellness initiatives have expanded alongside changes in work structure, including remote and hybrid models. Employers across multiple sectors are reassessing how leadership policies, internal communication practices, and access to digital health resources affect employee engagement, retention, and long-term productivity.
    As CEO of Elevate Holistics, Noonan oversees a nationwide telehealth platform that connects individuals with licensed healthcare providers through secure online consultations.

    She stated that digital access to care has become an increasingly relevant option for individuals who prefer remote services or face geographic, scheduling, or privacy-related constraints.
    According to Elevate Holistics, telehealth platforms may help reduce logistical barriers while maintaining professional standards, confidentiality, and regulatory compliance.

    The company noted that its platform is intended to support access to licensed providers and does not replace in-person medical care or emergency services.
    Noonan also participates in broader industry discussions related to leadership development, workplace culture, and wellness accessibility. She stated that continued dialogue and education remain important as organizations adapt to changing employee needs and expectations.

    Additional information about Aspen Noonan and Elevate Holistics is available on the company’s website.

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  • While the proverbial ‘new you’ has thankfully been superseded by a softer wellbeing strategy, an underlying pressure can often cloud this time of year; when, really, it’s the small and consistent practices that really count. Take breathwork: it was once considered a simple and fundamental tool to easy daily stress and aid relaxation.

    Today, of course, the practice has taken on a whole new meaning – cue the rise of transformational breathwork, the viral Wim Hof method, and all those TikTok-approved hacks, the latter of which can feel more convoluted than calming.
    And yet, the basis of harnessing your breath is simple. It’s well documented that conscious and controlled breathing techniques help stimulate the vagus nerve; these can be simple exercises or found via lengthening the breath.

    ⁘ Breathwork is a science-backed way of using the breath to regulate the nervous system and improve physical and mental health. Studies show that slower, nasal breathing increases oxygen efficiency, calms the stress response and enhances focus, emotional resilience and sleep. The breath is unique because it’s both automatic and controllable, meaning we can consciously influence our physiology in real time,” shares breathwork practitioner, Rob Rea .
    There are both long-term and immediate effects for the nervous system.

    ⁘Chronic stress engrains shallow, inefficient breathing patterns leading to persistent hyperventilation, low CO2 tolerance, and the dominant fight or flight system. The result of which is hugely related to sleep, repair and energy. The boosting of inflammation means the loop never can entirely finish its cycle reducing resilience to future stressors,⁘ adds Rea.
    There’s no shortage of data and studies to support how integrating various breath holds can rapidly reduce cortisol levels.

    Ahead, Rea breaks down three simple exercises that can be practiced throughout the day.

    Inhale for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds for 5 minutes every day. ⁘This helps synchronise heart-brain rhythms, dropping cortisol by 20-30% via parasympathetic boost,⁘ shares Rea.

    Looking to read more like this: See here

I’m Nalini

As a life coach, pharmacist, and clinical mental health counseling student, I’m passionate about helping individuals transform their lives, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals. Whether you’re seeking clarity, motivation, or personal growth, you’re in the right place.

Learn to communicate and inspire future generations. The opinions expressed on Fixes 4 You Forward are not all mine. It is important to appreciate multiple views and ideas.

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