Use brighter light
It’s true! Bumping up your smartness factor can be as simple as turning on the lights. In a recent study from Michigan State University, rodents exposed to bright lights showed significant improvement on tasks, while those exposed to dim lights lost 30 percent of capacity in the hippocampus, a brain region for learning and memory. “Many people don’t realize the actual physical impact that light can have on their bodies,” says Ute Besenecker, PhD, Director of HealthE Lighting, Senior Scientist, Lighting Science Group, maker of the GoodDay and GoodNight bulbs. “By exposing yourself to specific lighting spectrums you can actually enhance your mental alertness, focus, and cognitive performance.” Here are more ways to get smarter in your spare time.
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Ever heard of it? The answer is most likely yes, considering it is the most famous painting in the world. The criminal, 
Mary had a little lamb (whose fleece was white as snow, as you know) and it followed her to school one day. That actually happened! Real-life youngster 
When it comes to kitchen gear, I’m all about combining form and function. After all, who doesn’t love practical but pretty tea towels or adorable recipe cards? However, when it comes to kitchen workhorses—you know, the products you use every day—pretty doesn’t always pay. For those heavy rotation items, I turn to my local restaurant supply store.
Here’s news that can save you money: You can ignore the expiration date on many of your medications—for years. According to several reports, including this one just published in the 
It may feel really daunting to start Whole30. For one thing, it seems really restrictive on paper: There’s no sugar, legumes, dairy (oh, but the cheese!), bread, grains, or my beloved alcohol. You have to be mentally ready to make the sacrifices. I told myself to start with seven days—just seven—to see how I felt. And that’s the advice I now give to people when they start the Whole30: Be in it 100 percent for seven full days. If you don’t see a difference or feel a difference, by all means, stop. I have coached six people and counting through this program now. None of them have stopped after seven days. 
A lot of people swear by the “calories in, calories out” method of weight loss, but if this rule were true, deprivation diets would work, says 
The next time someone approaches you with palm outstretched, try a fist bump or air kiss instead. “Shaking hands may be a social expectation, but it is also an excellent method of transferring germs from one person to another,” says J.D. Zipkin, MD, at 
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While it might be a popular choice these days, going gluten-free isn’t for everyone. However, Avi Loren Fox, the founder of 
The 
Surprisingly, this wasn’t a gathering for March of the Penguin fans. The 
You probably wish you were one of the people that helped break 
McDonald’s tried its hand at a fancy seafood offering in 1993. The McLobster was a heap of lobster and lettuce in a bun, complete with “lobster sauce.” As the picture makes clear, the lettuce often outweighed the lobster, and many people were unwilling to pay $5.99 for it. But this wasn’t quite the end of the McLobster story; it’s still available in Canada and parts of New England. Can you guess where 
I waited 40 years for this moment. That’s how long it’s been since I first sat in a movie theater and I was transported to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Problem was, though, that I wasn’t really transported anywhere and when the movie was over, I was still in a galaxy very near and very right now—one with Tab cola, bowl haircuts, Kenny Rogers songs and incredibly lax seatbelt laws. How, I ask you, was a person supposed to become a Jedi in a place like that?
And then, like a disturbance in the Force, I felt it. My childhood dream. It was about to come true. It came in the form of a black box (the dark side, I thought, but let’s give it a chance). It was an augmented reality game, 
And then I did. I strapped on the augmented reality goggles, downloaded the game app, attached my smartphone, and charged everything up. Patiently, very patiently, meditating like a true Jedi, and then, at long last, I was ready to begin the training. Ah, the lightsaber, modeled after Luke’s, felt as if it were molded for my hands. I wore headphones (my own) to block out home noises and get the full immersive experience. I triggered the authentic-feeling light saber … and that sound, oh that beautiful sound, as the saber came to life. And I was there. I was truly there. At long last, a lightsaber in my hands and I was going to battle stormtroopers and Sith lords!
My first task was using my lightsaber to deflect shots from stormtroopers. And just like a true Jedi I deflected them back at the shooters and it was exhilarating, kind of embarrassingly so, but nevertheless, it was. And then I got to face the Sith lords. Oh yes, this was the moment I had been waiting for, to test my powers against the dark forces of the galaxy. And there he was—the ultimate bad guy. Darth Vader. He flickered to life in the room. That signature raspy breathing filled my ears. He triggered his lightsaber and stalked in my direction. I had been waiting for this moment for so long. (I already knew all these 
“Pain associated with sweating is always an indication of something bad,” says Cwanza A. Pinckney, MD, an emergency physician at CHI St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. “Sweating is a clinical indicator that the body is under stress and that the bodies flight or fight system is activated and the body is in distress. This is an ER physician’s red flag for danger, even if symptoms seem vague or mild. Sweating and abdominal pain warrant further evaluation by an emergency provider.” Discover 
Water coming from the cold water tap can be pretty chilly during the winter (or year-round if you have a well). According to washing machine manufacturers, if the water is colder than 65 degrees F, the additives in laundry detergent won’t work as well—and powder detergents won’t fully dissolve. Cold water for washing should be in the 65- to 85-degree range or clothes won’t get completely clean.To find out if your clothes are getting a good wash, check the water temperature with a cooking thermometer (one that registers low temperatures) when you do a cold, a warm and a hot wash. If the water temperature is below 65 degrees for cold water washes, boost it by selecting warm water for part of the initial fill cycle. If the warm water wash is below 85 degrees (a common problem during winter or when the washing machine is at the opposite end of the house from the water heater), try the hot water setting instead for all or part of the wash cycle. Or run the hot water tap into the laundry tub until it gets hot, then turn on the washer.