Chocolate Milk Does a Body Good

shake-677437_640While people are always running around trying to drop their money on the next post-exercise energy shake, researchers have found a much more simple way to have muscle recovery – chocolate milk. As long as it’s a low fat brand, researchers from Cornell University have called chocolate milk the “gold standard for a recovery beverage”.

The team at Cornell used computer software to develop a formula for the best post-work out product. They combined their findings with advice from nutrition specialists in athletics.


Clint Wattenberg, who coordinates sports nutrition at Cornell, said that after numerous experiments they settled on a surprising find. They agreed that an 8 ounce bottle of chocolate milk was the best choice.

Packing Like a Pro

If you’re interested in the last post where we discovered how to travel on a budget, now it’s time to see how to pack. Tom Ayzenberg writes a travel blog and does an amazing (and amusing) job of showing you how it’s done. Enjoy!

4 Ways to See the World Cheaply

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If you’re an adventurous soul and you’re dying to see the world but you can’t afford it – these suggestions are for you. You really can see the world if you’re savvy and thoughtful about the way that you travel. Here are a few ideas:

1. Watch a stranger’s home: This is a really creative way to see the world. If you look at a site like TrustedHousesitters.com, you’ll see that you can find ways to watch other people’s homes while they are away.

2. Cruise around the world: You can work on a cruise ship and get paid while you travel. You could be a singer, a waiter, a photographer, a musician and more. Now, while this may sound romantic, many people find the hours grueling and the work isolating as you’re on the ship for so many weeks at a time.


3. Make it count: You can see parts of the world by helping others. You can do the Peace Corps. You can look into World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms where hosts provide the accommodations and food and you work on their farms. You could also teach English abroad.

4. Be a snow bunny: Here is a creative idea. Check out a ski resort that offers seasonal work. They might be looking for hotel staff, ski instructors, bartenders and cooks.

These are just a few of the ways that you can set sail on your next adventure without breaking the bank.

Understanding the Origins of Schisms

BuddhismToday, not only are there many different religions, but within those there are breakaways, schisms and sects. In this article we will take a look at one from three different practices and their leaders: Judaism (Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld), Buddhism (the Therras) and Tianshidao (Zhang Daoling).

Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld was the founder of Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community during the time of the British Mandate of Palestine. Although he passed away in 1932, his legacy still lives on. In his time, Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld worked alongside Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin, helping in community activities, including the founding of many schools as well as the Diskin Orphanage. Today, this work continues, from his legacy, via his descendants.

One of the branches of Buddhism is Theraveda. Based on Pali Canon (Buddhist texts) teachings, this features a large array of customs which have emerged over its interactions – historically – with other cultures and communities. Today it is practiced by small groups in Bangladesh, China and Vietnam. Its credibility hails in that it was the only one of the 18 schools of early Buddhism that survived the eras following the Buddha’s death. Originated by the Theras (which means Elders) it is the ‘Doctrine of the Elders,’ as opposed to being established by one individual. However, others have said that it was Anawrahta – who founded the Pagan Empire – who introduced this type of Buddhism.

Moving on to Taoism, around a century after his passing, Zhang Daoling earned the name Celestial Master. He was the founder and patriarch of Tianshidao (Way of the Celestial Masters) movement. He studied Taosim in the Scihuan area during the Han dynasty and reign of Shundi. He said he had received a revelation from Laozi, a great Sage and thus begun his prophesizing on the coming era of a time called Taiping (Great Peace). Today there remains a Celestial Master who claims he is a direct descendant of Zhang Daoling. Most non-Monastic Taoist priests from China and the Chinese diaspora are identified with this tradition now.

Earth Day Is Coming: Get Ready

Do you know what you’re doing for Earth Day? Learn about Earth Day and get great ideas for yourself and your children.

Setting Out to Prove Mom Wrong One Crack at a Time

portrait-317041__180Talk about taking matters into your own hands. Many people are told that they shouldn’t crack their knuckles and that doing so isn’t just bad matters – but bad for you. But is this really true? And does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis?

Donald Unger from California set out to find the answer on his own. He began cracking the knuckles on his left hand at least twice a day – while never cracking those on his right hand. He did so to create a long term study of knuckle cracking (we aren’t even making this up). After sixty years, he had still not developed arthritis. He actually published his findings in the journal of Arthritis and Rheumatism and talked with the LA Times about his experiment.

Cracking your knuckles can cause ligament or soft tissue damage, worn researchers. A study that was published in the  Annals of Rheumatic Diseases linked hand-cracking to hand swelling and lower grip strength. However, it does not appear to be the danger that some parents warn their children it will be.