MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Six takeaways:

1. 1. 1. Why do Leap Years occur? Mathematically, the exact length of a year is not 365 days on the dot, but 365.2422 days. That small extra 0.2422 days adds up over time… every four 0.2422 days roughly equal one full day. So every four years, we add one on.
      2. If we didn’t account for this extra time, the seasons would begin to drift. This would be annoying if not devastating, because over a period of about 700 years our summers, which we’ve come to expect in June in the northern hemisphere, would begin to occur in December.
      3. Who made leap days? By the third-century BCE, Egyptians followed a solar calendar that spanned 365 days with a leap year every four years. Julius Caesar would later adopt this calendar, inspired by the Egyptians. Caesar’s math of 365.25 days was close, but it wasn’t the exact 365.2422 days the solar year contains- in fact its roughly 11 minutes short. As a result, the Julian calendar would be short a day once every 128 years.
      4. When Pope Gregory introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582, he likely didn’t know that it too was not perfect: the Gregorian calendar falls short once every 3,030 years.
      5. What happens if you are born on leap day? With odds of one-in-1,461, a leap day birthday is the rarest one can have. At least 5 million people across the world boast a leap day birthday nonetheless.
      6. What are the upcoming leap days? On the Gregorian calendar, leap years occur once every four years. They will be Feb 29 2028, 2032, and 2036.

By Olivia Munson for USA TODAY:
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Five takeaways:

Studies show that only 16% of resolutions made are followed & implemented to completion. Here are some tips for setting New Years Resolutions more accessibly and realistically!

1. Set your New Year’s resolutions at the right time. setting New Year’s resolutions at the right time, especially when actively engaged in activities similar to those that will help you achieve your goal, is a great trick. Set workout-related goals, when you’re already high on the endorphins of exercise in order to create a positive neurological association.
2. Make an explicit plan for achieving your goal. This includes thinking through ways to eliminate potential obstacles. This will make implementation of your goals much smoother.
3. Choose a goal you’ll enjoy. Research shows that people have more success achieving goals if they use a method known as “temptation bundling.” If your goal is to get more exercise, link it with a pleasurable activity such as a favorite podcast or TV show. If you’re trying to eat more healthfully, take a cooking class or make a plan to prepare a healthful recipe with a friend.
4. Subtract things from your life, such as activities you are only loosely committed to, or that directly hinder your stated goal. Clear the path.
5. Forgive failures. Don’t define success as pass or fail. Celebrate the small successes, even if you don’t get all the way to your stated goal. Do not turn a partial win into a full defeat.

From Lindsey Bever for The Washington Post
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Note: At the time of this posting The Washington Post requires an account to view the article.

Eight takeaways:

Relaxing on vacation is easier said than done, and there is nothing more unfortunate than coming back from a holiday with the primary memory being how stressed you were throughout the entire trip. Here are some tips to stay relaxed– and happy– on your vacation.

1. 1. Pack properly: Do not leave packing until the day you fly; something will always wind up missing. Make a list of weather-appropriate clothing items and pack early to reduce overall stress.
   2. Structure and Schedule: Organizing your leisure time prior to the trip can help you feel assured that you are getting the most out of your trip. Make lists of unmissable sites or museums, and book favored restaurants in advance. Of course, plan for necessary downtime.
   3. Spend Time Outside: Those who spend more time outside on vacation are going to reap the health benefits of greater Vitamin D intake, raised heart rates, and a greater sense of adventure/experience.
   4. Soak Up Local Culture: Switch off the stress of home by intentionally locking in on the new experiences and learnings that surround you on vacation. The more immersed in local culture you become, the more remote your worries home will feel.
   5. Take Your Time: Do not rush from excursion to excursion. Squeezing everything you can into each day is a recipe for stress.
   6. Practice Mindfulness: This does not necessarily mean “meditate.” Simply be mindful- take time to appreciate the things you encounter on vacation that may have otherwise overlooked. The food, the architecture, the atmosphere. This can enhance your connection and enjoyment of a place.
   7. Treat Yourself: Do not spend the entire trip worrying about the expense. Give yourself the opportunity to maximize your enjoyment by planning to spend a bit more on vacation than you would at home.
   8. Don’t Put Too Much Pressure On The Trip: Understand that a trip is never going to go 100% smoothly. Relinquishing the need to control every outcome is freeing and will allow you to kick back to your full relaxation potential!

By Olivia Morelli for Condé Nast Traveler:
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Nine takeaways:

Being healthier can often feel like an exhausting, endless burden– but we often forget the extraordinary power of small life changes to have gargantuan benefits. Here are nine accessible wellness tips that will help 2024 be your healthiest year yet:

1. Get healthier without even going to the gym: Scientists now say you can get a lot of health benefits associated with the gym simply by being more active in your daily life. For instance, choose to walk places when you can, or do stationary exercises while seated for work.
2. Flip hunger into satisfaction with this cheap superfood: Eat more foods with fiber, which is found in inexpensive foods like oats, rye, whole wheat, and legumes. Fiber helps control blood sugar levels while lowering cholesterol and inflammation.
3. Little acts of joy can have a big payoff: Small moments add up, and small acts of happiness have a demonstrably positive effect on our wellness. Take a moment to notice the beauty of nature, or to make normal human interaction more meaningful with more thoughtful questions.
4. Outsmart dopamine and screens: We are so often glued to our screens because they cause dopamine releases. There are many ways to overcome a dependency on phones/devices for dopamine release, as per this article.
5. Learn from the Japanese way of life: Not only do the Japanese walk more than we do, but they also prioritize fresh rather than packaged foods which are far more healthy.
6. Combat loneliness through creativity: Research shows that making art or even viewing it reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases levels of the feel-good hormones, like endorphins and oxytocin. Any creative act will do, from painting or writing to gardening or cooking..
7. Find a therapist you can afford: As awareness of therapy’s benefits have become more destigmatized, its price has gone up. There are many new resources for finding accessibly-priced therapists, as per this article.
8. Cut back on the ultraprocessed foods in your diet: Ultraprocessed foods make up nearly 60% of what the typical U.S. adult eats and nearly 70% of what kids eat, and they’re linked to heart disease and diabetes, and so much more. Cut back and go fresh when shopping for groceries.
9. Manage back and neck pain: Short spurts of movement throughout the day can help relieve stress/pain by increasing blood flow. this article contains five exercises to prevent pain, developed by fitness specialists at NASA, an agency where people work in high-stress seated positions.

By Carmel Wroth and Andrea Muraskin for NPR:
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