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On March 18, Bryan Majors, a personal trainer specializing in basketball, sent 5,000 subscribers an email message with the subject line I am Corona-positive.

Majors was trying to say he was being proactive and simply keeping an optimistic attitude about dealing with the virus and pandemic. The balance of his email made that clear.

But the subject line caused some to freak out. Understandably, some readers assumed he was actively battling the virus.

Two days later, he sent a follow-up message called Positive Mindset.

Don't be scared or worried, he wrote, I do not have Covid19. I apologize if you did not understand the previous email. I'm talking about how we ALL should be during these trying times of the spread of the Corona VIRUS! POSITIVE!!!''

It's something of a metaphor for the personal training and fitness industry during the pandemic getting knocked sideways, then getting back up and finding new methods that may outlast it.

I don't regret the wording one bit, said Majors, who has counted former McCaskey High School stars Kobe Gantz, Jerry Johnson, Dustin Salisbery and Lamar Patterson among his clients.

Now Majors is pumping out workout videos to clients.

I am surely going to remain in business, he said, and maybe get better.

Gyms are closed throughout Pennsylvania and most of the country. That means trainers who work at gyms, generally independent contractors, are taking a serious hit.

It's going to have a huge financial impact, Dan Cless, a trainer at Hempfield Rec Center, said last week.

If we have two weeks of down time, obviously, we don't make any money.

But as much as any profession, trainers are embracing online technology to take their service to the client.

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Cless uses training software to connect with his clients and create workouts for them. He also does at-home training.

Lancaster's Solid Rock Fitness and Health does almost exclusively in-home training, but that business has mostly dried up during the past couple of weeks.

So it has turned to online training, posting videos to a Facebook group.

The community aspect of it is really beautiful, said Solid Rock's owner, Valerie Petersheim.

Petersheim has engaged a nutritionist and yoga teacher to provide videos. The Facebook group is made up of mostly Lancaster County residents, although it includes members from as far away as Arizona and Florida.

It's a week-to-week thing, but I think it can sustain, Petersheim said. The mental and emotional benefit, right now, is as important as the physical.

Crunch Gym in Lancaster is offering a variety of workout videos to members, and also offering a 45-day free trial membership.

Universal Athletic Club in Manheim Township is offering a library of video workouts, many of them open to non-members, and live workouts utilizing the Zoom video teleconference software.

A week and a half ago, we were scratching our heads, wondering how we were going to pull this off, said Sheldon McBee, Universal's personal training director.

Now, we're thinking that when this is over, we're going to continue to use this technology.

Petersheim went a step further.

People are going to want this model, she said. It's a lot less germy than a gym.

We believe quality, fact-based reporting about the COVID-19 outbreak is essential to the health and safety of our community. We are providing unlimited access to coverage related to the global pandemic and its impact on Lancaster County.

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Coronavirus news is free to readers.

We believe quality, fact-based reporting about the COVID-19 outbreak is essential to the health and safety of our community. We are providing unlimited access to coverage related to the global pandemic and its impact on Lancaster County.

Subscribe Today and show your support for local journalism.

' + submsgtxthtml + '

Coronavirus news is free to readers.

We believe quality, fact-based reporting about the COVID-19 outbreak is essential to the health and safety of our community. We are providing unlimited access to coverage related to the global pandemic and its impact on Lancaster County.

Subscribe Today and show your support for local journalism.

' + submsgtxthtml + '

Coronavirus news is free to readers.

We believe quality, fact-based reporting about the COVID-19 outbreak is essential to the health and safety of our community. We are providing unlimited access to coverage related to the global pandemic and its impact on Lancaster County.

Subscribe Today and show your support for local journalism.

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In the wake of COVID-19, the fitness industry goes remote - and some of it might stay that way - LancasterOnline

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By Wesley LeBlancwesley@opcfla.com

CLAY COUNTY For the time being, workouts will be moved out of the gym and into the home as a result of Gov. Ron DeSantis order last Friday to close down all workout facilities.

Without word of how long COVID-19 could last, getting into shape and improving the capabilities of ones health might sound more appealing than ever right now. Workouts could soon be conducted through YouTube, and group workouts are already a thing of the past for now. The biggest concern about the coronavirus is keeping things sanitized. The few gyms that are open are drastically increasing the frequency of cleanings.

We always pride ourselves on having the cleanest facilities in town, Clay and Duval County Regional Workout Anytime owner Blake Odom said. However, since the news broke, we have ramped up our cleaning efforts.

Odom said the gym urged members to be more vigilant in wiping down equipment after use something the gym already asks its members to do. He said staff were going behind members and completely sanitizing the entire piece of equipment. A member may wipe down the parts of the dumbbell their hand touched, but a Workout Anytime employee followed by wiping down the entire dumbbell.

Apparently, that wasnt enough.

We were also sanitizing door handles, restroom stalls, toilets, shower handles, counters, door jams and any other areas that are commonly touched every hour, Odom said. At the end of each day, we went through the entire club and do a deep clean. We are committed to keeping up this regiment until we have been made confident this virus is no longer a threat.

Odom said he noticed a slight decline in member usage but has seen a number of new faces signing up for memberships, presumably after other gyms in the area temporarily closed their doors. Now all gyms are closed.

Some of those new signups came from LA Fitness and Planet Fitness members after their respective gyms closed their doors early in the virus outbreak. Both closed last week and are not expected to open again this month.

Planet Fitness is ensuring its members still get a workout, though. Workouts with certified trainers will be livestreamed on the companys Facebook page every day at 7 p.m. The company said the workouts are available to everyone, not just members. For those that cant catch the live stream, the workouts will be available on-demand on the Planet Fitness YouTube channel.

LA Fitness has online workouts available as well and they can be viewed through the gyms app. Both YMCA locations in Clay County are currently closed as well, but like LA Fitness and Planet Fitness, the YMCA is offering live online fitness classes as well as on-demand exercise videos.

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Coronavirus weighing heavy on fitness industry, local gyms - Clay Today Online

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New York, March 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Infrared Aerial Camera Market 2020-2024" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05878574/?utm_source=GNW Our reports on global infrared aerial camera market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increasing use of infrared aerial cameras in UAVs. In addition, increasing use of infrared aerial cameras in solar farms is anticipated to boost the growth of the global infrared aerial camera market as well.

Market Segmentation The global infrared aerial camera market is segmented as below: Application: Commercial Military

Geographic Segmentation: North America APAC Europe South America MEA

Key Trends for global infrared aerial camera market growth This study identifies increasing use of infrared aerial cameras in solar farms as the prime reasons driving the global infrared aerial camera market growth during the next few years.

Prominent vendors in global infrared aerial camera market We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the global infrared aerial camera market 2020-2024, including some of the vendors such as DIAS Infrared GmbH, FLIR Systems Inc., HGH Systemes Infrarouges SAS, Infrared Cameras Inc., InfraTec GmbH, Jenoptik AG, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Leonardo Spa, SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. and Yuneec Europe GmbH . The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05878574/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

__________________________

See more here:
The Global Infrared Aerial Camera Market is expected to grow by USD 362.77 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period...

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- Kalbe Genexine Biologics (KG Bio) will receive right of first negotiation for an exclusive license to potentially commercialize I-Mabs TJD5, in Southeast Asia and other territories

- Partnership to include right of first negotiation on an additional I-Mab-discovered product candidate to be agreed upon by both parties

-Total potential value of TJD5 agreement up to approximately $340 million

SHANGHAI, China, and ROCKVILLE, MD., March 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- I-Mab (the Company)(IMAB), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel or highly differentiated biologics to treat diseases with significant unmet medical needs, particularly cancers and autoimmune disorders, today announced a strategic partnership with Kalbe Genexine Biologics (KG Bio), a joint venture of Kalbe Farma Tbk (Kalbe), and Genexine, Inc. (Genexine). Under the terms of the agreement, KG Bio will receive a right of first negotiation for an exclusive license for the commercialization of two I-Mab discovered product candidates: TJD5, a highly differentiated anti-CD73 antibody in Phase 1 development for advanced solid tumors, and an I-Mab product candidate to be agreed upon by both parties.

With the agreement, KG Bio will have a right of first negotiation for exclusive rights to commercialize these two product candidates in the ASEAN (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and MENA (Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, and Yemen) regions, as well as Sri Lanka.

This partnership recognizes the potential of our internally-discovered anti-CD73 antibody TJD5 in immuno-oncology, and its clear clinical differentiation related to a novel epitope of CD73, said Dr. Jingwu Zang, Founder, Honorary Chairman and Director of I-Mab. We are pleased to enter into this strategic partnership with the Kalbe corporate family, which is a leader in commercializing innovative therapies in Southeast Asia and other key strategic markets and deepen our relationship with Genexine. We believe this partnership will expand the commercialization potential of TJD5 and other candidates in our portfolio.

I-Mab has a highly innovative and globally competitive pipeline epitomized by products with best-in-class potential such as TJD5. With this novel partnership KG Bio will further strengthen its immuno-oncology portfolio. We are determined to maximize the potential of these products by leveraging our commercial capabilities and presence in the ASEAN, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions as well as Sri Lanka, where demand for breakthrough therapies is growing significantly, commented Sie Djohan, President Director of KG Bio.

If and when I-Mab and KG Bio enter into the definitive licensing agreement for TJD5, I-Mab would be eligible to receive from KG Bio an aggregate amount of up to approximately $340 million, including an upfront payment and subsequent payments conditional upon achieving certain development and commercial milestones. KG Bio would pay I-Mab tiered royalties in the low to mid-teen percentages on net sales from the ASEAN and MENA regions, as well as Sri Lanka.

About TJD5

TJD5 is a differentiated, humanized monoclonal antibody against CD73. CD73 is expressed in tumors and plays a critical role in suppressing immune cells in tumor micro-environment. By binding to a novel epitope and inhibiting CD73, TJD5 is believed to reshape the immuno-suppressive tumor micro-environment and increase T-cell anti-tumor activity. When combined with a PD-L1 antibody in vivo, TJD5 achieved better anti-tumor efficacy. TJD5 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1, dose-escalation clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors in the United States.

About Kalbe Genexine Biologics (KG Bio)

KG Bio is a joint venture between Kalbe Farma of Indonesia and Genexine of South Korea. KG bio is focused on clinical development and the commercialization of novel biologics and monoclonal antibodies in ASEAN, Asia Pacific and MENA. Through innovative technological platform that ensures affordable and high-quality products, KG Bio aims to provide innovative biologic and immuno-oncology products, and better solutions in treating human diseases.

Story continues

About Kalbe

PT Kalbe Farma Tbk was established in 1966 and is one of the largest publicly-listed pharmaceutical companies in Southeast Asia. It has four main divisions including prescription pharmaceuticals, consumer health, nutritionals and distribution with over one million outlets. Kalbe Farma currently has more than 35 subsidiaries and 12 production facilities with international standards, supported by around 17,000 employees, spread in 76 branches across Indonesia. Since 1991, its shares have been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX:KLBF)

About Genexine, Inc.

Genexine, Inc., listed on KOSDAQ (095700) since 2009, is a leading biotherapeutics company focused on immuno-oncology and orphan disease. Genexine has a robust pipeline of products in the clinical stage, e.g. Hyleukin-7, HyTropin (GX-H9), Papitrol (GX-188E), etc. based on long-acting Fc fusion technology and therapeutic DNA vaccine technology. Genexine has completed multinational phase II trials and is preparing to apply IND of US Phase III trial for HyTropin (long-acting human growth hormone, hGH-hyFc). Papitrol, a therapeutic DNA vaccine for HPV-associated diseases is under Phase II trial in combination with Keytruda (MSD) for cervical cancer. Founded in 1999, Genexine has over 180 employees, and half of them are scientists with MSc, or Ph.D. Genexine is located in Pangyo Techno Valley near Seoul, Korea.

About I-Mab

I-Mab (IMAB) is a dynamic, global biotech company exclusively focused on developing novel or highly differentiated biologics in the therapeutic areas of immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. I-Mabs mission is to bring transformational medicines to patients through innovation. I-Mabs innovative pipeline of more than 10 clinical and pre-clinical stage drug candidates is driven by the Companys Fast-to-PoC (Proof-of-Concept) and Fast-to-Market development strategies through internal R&D and global partnerships. The Company is on track to become a fully integrated end-to-end global biopharmaceutical company with cutting-edge discovery platforms, proven pre-clinical and clinical development expertise, and world-class GMP manufacturing capabilities. I-Mab has offices in China and the United States. For more information, please visit http://ir.i-mabbiopharma.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes certain disclosures which contain forward-looking statements. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as anticipate and expected. Forward-looking statements are based on I-Mabs current expectations and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements, which are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are set forth in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. I-Mab undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

For more information, please contact:

I-MabJielun Zhu, CFOE-mail: jielun.zhu@i-mabbiopharma.comOffice line: +86 21 6057 8000

Investor Inquiries:

Burns McClellan, Inc. (Americas and Europe)Steve KlassE-mail: sklass@burnsmc.comOffice line: +1 212 213 0006

The Piacente Group, Inc. (Asia)Emilie WuE-mail: emilie@thepiacentegroup.comOffice line: + 86 21 6039 8363

Media Inquiries (Americas and Europe):

Burns McClellan, Inc.Ryo Imai / Robert Flamm, Ph.D.E-mail: rimai@burnsmc.com / rflamm@burnsmc.comOffice line: +1 212 213 0006

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I-Mab Enters into Strategic Regional Partnership with Kalbe Genexine Biologics for Commercialization Rights of CD73 Antibody, TJD5, for...

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These days many people are looking for ways to reduce obesity and belly fat. In today's world people are busy in earning money and are not careful about their eating habits. You will be surprised to know that diet has the biggest contribution in the process of reducing obesity. It doesn't matter how many hours people sweat in the gym, if their diet is not proper. Many people choose dieting and fasting to reduce weight and Muscle Gain but let me tell you that those people are wrong and have misunderstood dieting. For many people dieting means eating less food, but they can't see that in this way their body becomes weaker day by day.

In the course of dieting, quitting food is absolutely wrong. If you are serious towards your goal then first calculate your body's mass index by Body mass index calculator and then body's calories by calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

Different ranges of BMI are :-

If you're in the underweight range then BMI will be below 18.5.

If you're in the healthy weight range then BMI will be between 18.5 and 24.9 .

If you're in the overweight range then BMI will be between 25 and 29.9.

If you're in the obese range then BMI will be between 30 and 39.9.

Your obesity will reduce soon, if you follow a diet plan. The best thing about diet plan is that you do not have to be hungry, all you have to eat nutritious food every two hours. Many people around us have this misconception that if they eat less their weight will be reduced but its not true. By eating less, you will never become thin, instead you will become weak.

Diet plan to reduce your weight and overcome obesity :-

First of all you have to consume lukewarm water as soon as you wake up in the morning on an empty stomach. You can add honey and lemon if you want to reduce your weight faster and this drink will eliminate your body fat and will also help in removing the body's toxic substance.

After one hour of drinking water eat a rich protein breakfast like eggs, protein shake, brown bread, oats/ poha, roti and sprouts. But avoid fried or oily food.

Then again after two hours of breakfast, you eat a bowl of fresh fruit or eat avocado because they actually increase the rate of burning fat.

What to eat for lunch

Then the main part comes that is lunch. Many people make mistake on this stage.

Keep one thing in mind you have to eat lunch two o'clock because discipline plays an vital role in reducing weight.

I would recommend you to have pulse, simple vegetable, two flour rotis, one cucumber raita and salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and onions ) because they contain more fiber, which gives the body energy.

Consuming above food will give you around 400 calories.

You can drink green tea one hour after lunch because it will help you to digest your food.

what to eat for dinner

This is the last meal of the day, many people quit/ skip this meal. But let me tell you skipping a meal are absolutely the wrong way.

You should have dinner by 8 o'clock.

I would recommend you to have two flour rotis with simple vegetable.

You can have vegetable soup in the dinner too.

The most important thing to remember is that do not sleep immediately after eating because this causes obesity.

Tips to lose weight:-

You need to Discipline, if you want to reduce your weight.

Avoid fry and oily products.

Eat Balance diet.

Workout regularly.

Keep one day as a cheat day in a month in which you can eat whatever you want to.

Eat avocado regularly.

Stay positive.

Early to bed and early to rise.

Have green tea once a day (you can avoid it on cheat days).

Keep a track of your weight (on monthly basis).

Avoid sugar.

Avoid high Carb diet.

Eat food that is high in fibers.

Avoid cold drinks & Alcohol

Quit smoking.

Continued here:
Obesity and Dieting: Diet Plan to Overcome Obesity - Krishi Jagran

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Last summer, it seemed like everyone I knew was going on a retreat. One friend had just returned from a retreat called Radiantly Alive, which sounded fun, if maybe a bit embarrassing. Another friend had signed up for a mother-daughter retreat for herself and her pre-teen; they would be doing yoga together, eating healthy and learning to maintain more open lines of communication with each other. My upstairs neighbor left town to meditate in silence for 10 days. Someone I had just met began aggressively promoting a retreat she was leading, spamming my social media feeds with heartfelt calls to action about taking time for myself.

Meanwhile, celebrities were at it too. Jack Dorsey meditated in silence in Myanmar just over a year ago, and Elizabeth Gilbert has been taking her Big Magic awaken-your-creativity show on the road to retreats all over the world. Gwyneth is hosting a Goop retreat, onboard a cruise ship in August that costs over $5,000 per person. (Its sold out.)

Somethings up with retreats, I thought. Isnt this supposed to be the age of burnout? Dont people deny themselves vacation days and spend all their leisure time working on their side-hustles? How, I wondered, are retreats so popular when regular, no-frills relaxation is elusive for so many people? Maybe retreats are the future of vacations, I thought. Maybe theyre what my life has been missing.

When I booked my very first wellness retreat, at the New Life Hiking Spa in Vermont, it was the first time in years that Id traveled aloneno kids, no husband. New Life is one of the most affordable wellness retreats on the market, and it operates more on principles of suggestion than doctrine. The meals are healthy and simple, and if youre in the mood for a burger, you can grab a bite down the road at the pub and without ruffling any feathers. There are several hikes planned for each day, but nothing is mandatory. Many people go to New Life to lose weight but peoples motivations vary. A surprising number of people I met at New Life were repeat visitors; for many of them, its an annual tradition akin to healthy summer camp for adults.

On my first night there, I hastened to my hotel room after our healthy group dinner and took a running leap onto the Best Western duvet. (Like many retreats, New Life isnt a permanent installationit operates during the summer off-season at the base of Killington Mountain ski resort in Vermont, and is housed in the mountain-side Best Western.)

Mixed in with my excitement at being all by myself with no housework or care-giving to do was a nagging worry that I would let this golden opportunity for pure, uncut relaxation go to waste. I should do all the relaxing things at once, but also slowly, with great intention: take a hot shower, watch Bravo shows, luxuriate in bed, eat the chocolate I had smuggled into my room. Worrying about getting the most out of your relaxation-time, to the extent that you may be sabotaging your very ability to relax, feels like a richly contemporary flavor of self-defeating behavior, and this worry flooded my brain within minutes of my arrival at New Life. Its exactly the sort of maddening circular thinking that makes spending a grand on a retreat seem not only appealing, but essential.

A woman sitting on a rock on the cliffs overlooking an ocean playing a wooden flute at the Esalen Institute in 1987. Photo by Matthew Naythons/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty.

New Life is one of the older wellness retreats currently in operation; it calls itself "America's original wellness retreat," and was founded in the 1970s by Jimmy LeSage, who still runs it, along with his wife Kathleen. New Life is not a luxury experience, nor is it sexily, interestingly spartan, like a fasting retreat. The menus have a homely Moosewood Cookbook qualitycooked veg, a starch, a plastic bowl of tomato soup. At any given time, there are about 50 people doing retreats at New Life, ranging in age from teens to people in their 80s.

New Life has changed remarkably little since its founding. Although it has updated its menu and programming slightly over the years, many regulars return year after year because of its comforting consistency. Meanwhile, in the decades since New Life started, the wellness retreats industry has exploded.

Turns out, it wasnt a coincidence that so many people I know have been going on retreats lately: Retreats are big business. According to the Global Wellness Institute, a nonprofit that works to support the wellness industry internationally, wellness tourism grew by 6.5 percent annually from 2015-2017, twice as fast as global tourism overall. Wellness retreats were once a tourism niche, an alternative to more mainstream options like cruises or all-inclusive vacations. Today, cruises and all-inclusives are rebranding themselves as retreats, broadening their appeal to people across class and cultural spectrums.

These modern-day wellness retreats have their roots in the 19th century sanatoriums that offered fresh air, curative water, and medical care for people suffering from tuberculosis, asthma, and many other respiratory illnesses. Some experimented in therapies that were then considered alternative, like electro-shock therapy and hypnosis.

Many of these were basically long-term care facilities, and they varied from luxurious resorts for the wealthy, like the Battle Creek Sanatorium in Michigan, to the dozens of small, threadbare curative-hotels for lower-class visitors that were once scattered throughout New Mexico and Arizona, as Richard Melzer outlined in his 2014 book Sanatoriums of New Mexico.

As the retreat concept has extended its goal-driven structure into our precious remaining leisure and vacation time, we are clearly leaning away, and even afraid to engage with, any activity that is simply supposed to be fun and pointless, an end in and of itself.

With the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics in the early 20th century, many illnesses that had been linked to retreats began to be treated medically. By World War II, Melzer explains, health-care sanatoriums all but vanished from the landscape. But with the growing interest in alternative wellness modalities in the 1970s, a new kind of sanatorium emerged: the holistic retreat. The Esalen Institute, founded in 1962, was at the vanguard of this movement, and now stands as one of the most renownedand most expensivewellness retreats in America.

Esalen is located in Big Sur, on the site of hot springs where visitors can bathe overlooking magnificent Pacific shoreline cliffs. It was founded by Dick Price and Michael Murphy, two young Stanford graduates from wealthy families. In a recent article about Esalen in The New Yorker, Murphy (now 88) told journalist Andrew Marantz, Our whole intention was, and still is, to allow people to get out of their inherited orthodoxies and into the business of discovering truth.

Esalen remains at the forefront of the wellness movement, incorporating programming that critically engages with technology use and progress. But this level of discourse isnt for everyoneretreats at Esalen start at around $400 for a weekend (if you bring your own sleeping bag), and range up to around $10,000 for a week.

As the wellness trend has migrated from its crunchy-granola origins to the mainstream, retreats have reoriented themselves toward todays over-extended, overworked, anxiously entrepreneurial middle class. Their organizers are starting to promise much more than just relaxationthey are promising to help you unlock your hidden potential.

There are retreats about stepping into your power. Of slowing down and moving the fire within us. You can connect with nature in one of the most sought-after regions in the country. You can fall in love with yourself and life through the guided removal of fear-based thoughts. You can detoxify the body, mind and spirit. You can re-set, re-group, and start anew. Or journey into a life well-lived. A service called Retreatify helps companies plan meaningful retreats for their employees.

Its hard to argue with the stated goals of retreats; they all sound like noble endeavors. But as the retreat concept has extended its goal-driven structure into our precious remaining leisure and vacation time, we are clearly leaning away, and even afraid to engage with, any activity that is simply supposed to be fun and pointless, an end in and of itself. As we continuously work on ourselves, that has left very little room for us to attend to our own humanity outside of the confines of the marketplace. The retreat industry promises to give us the tools to liberate ourselves from the cages of stress and burnout that define post-capitalist life. But it operates based on the same logic of experience-consumption and self-optimization that, many argue, form the very root of our discomfort.

New Life Hiking Spa guests take on an intermediate trail, one of 21 different hikes the spa offers. Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty.

On my first morning at New Life, over eggs on supermarket whole wheat toast, coffee with milk (but no sugar) and oranges, I met a birdlike woman in her 60s from Princeton, New Jersey, who comes every summer for a few days of hiking by herself. I love to be out in nature, but I have a terrible sense of direction, and Im a total klutz, she said. My husband does not participate in this kind of activity. So I come by myself. I love it.

About half the people I met at mealtimes (which are taken communally, like at summer camp) were traveling solo, and two women were retreat veterans. Ive tried them all, said Sue, a 50 year old woman from Canada. I dont like the calorie-restricted places, but I like spending my vacation time doing something healthy.

Retreats are an appealing vacation option for unattached people, particularly women, who have disposable income and demanding jobs. As younger generations put off marriage until later in life (or forever), a growing number of adults are going on vacation alone. Retreats are appealing because they offer low-pressure opportunities for meeting people, and a structured schedule that takes the pressure off the traveler to fill the day with activities.

Allison Hunter, a literary agent, went solo to a wellness retreat called Miraval in Arizona last year, and loved it.

Originally I thought I would go somewhere warm and be chilling on the beach, but I really liked Miraval because it felt like a very normal place to travel alone. It was a way to go by myself and meet people and not be alone the whole time.

Allison found the retreat transformative in part because it forced her to change her habits. I felt relaxed like I have never felt before. And part of that, honestly, was that they have a no-cellphones policy. It's a digital detox I feel like I always have to be available for work. I will go on vacation, but I am very rarely off the gridif ever. It would have been impossible for me to unplug unless it had been imposed on me, she said.

Anne Helen Petersen, a senior culture writer for BuzzFeed who is working on a book about millennial burnout, remarked that for young professionals working in todays highly competitive job market, retreats offer a structure to vacation that can make them easier to justify.

With retreats, youre very formally spending time on yourself. For a lot of people, you have to force yourself to take time off, and retreats can operate like that. It can be helpful if theyre extreme in some wayif theres a detox element, or a challenge of some kind.

Conventional wisdom maintains that vacation is a time to cease working. But increasingly, people use vacations as an opportunity to work on themselves.

Among people for whom taking time off is hard, retreats can assuage guilt. Retreats, even when theyre really relaxing, can make you feel that youre being productive in some way, said Petersen.

During one of our hikes, a woman from Houston who was at New Life with her childhood best friend told me they try to take a trip together every few years, but planning a vacation by oneself can be a lot of workand then, what if it ends up being a bust? Theres a lot of pressure. We want to go somewhere and basically not have to think, at all, she said.

Some people go on retreats to structure their time off, or to create a sense of accomplishment that they feel they need in order to justify their vacation time. On the other side of this coin are the people who go on retreats because they have run out of ways to cope with the demands of their lives.

Janet Nicol is a yoga and movement teacher who leads retreats all over the world. The people that I meet most often on the retreats I lead are women who are exhausted from worrying and care-giving, she said. They are just completely spent when they arrive. Often youll see amazing transformations happen to people. After a retreat they look different. They sound different.

My friend Joseph has attended two meditation retreats, which he sees as a rare opportunity to explore new terrain within himself that his regular schedule simply would never allow him to do. On a recent meditation retreat, however, he noticed that some of his fellow attendees kept falling asleep during meditation. They let us recline during meditation, and the snoring drove me nuts for the first few days, he said. It seemed like what people were really doing all week was catching up on sleep. (Of course, theres a retreat for that.)

In each of these cases, the rigors of daily life seem to make it impossible for people to take unstructured, un-defined time off from work. Either people work so hard that they have to be forced by a set of hierarchically enforced house rules to stop workinga weeks silent meditation, say, or a phone-free facilityor they arrive at their vacation so spent from working and giving care that they are unable to plan and enjoy time off without the facilitation (and cost) of a third party. In all three cases, the rigors of daily life are pushing people to the point where regular time off is not enough to facilitate rest and relaxation.

Conventional wisdom maintains that vacation is a time to cease working. But increasingly, people use vacations as an opportunity to work on themselves. Life lived outside of a goal orientation is hard for some of us to imagine. Even rest itself has been reframed as a skillsomething to practice and develop based on a set of ground rules and principles. Restthe very antithesis of workcan be optimized, and transformed into a goal to be accomplished or fallen short of. The growth of retreats has happened alongside this growing obsession with optimization.

Time off is never just time off; in a capitalist social order, its empty space to be filled with the best possible consumer experience we can afford. Millennials, but also younger people, have this tendency toward optimization, said Anne Helen Petersen. On vacations its this hope that youve picked the right thingand then feeling, while youre doing it, some sort of regret: Oh, I didnt pick that thing.

I enjoyed my time at the New Life Hiking Spa. I cant say that I left more relaxed than when I arrived, but I was pleased with having taken a break from unhealthy food and alcohol, and it felt good to spend most of every day outside.

Everyone I met at New Life had modest goals for their stay: To get back on track with healthy eating, or to get moving after a period of hard work during which they sat at a desk too long. Some people were there to lose a particular number of pounds, like a mother-daughter duo from Texas. In the van on the way to a daily hike I sat next to a woman traveling solo. The mother of two teenage sons, she was treating herself to some quiet, healthy time where she could enjoy nature without having to cater to her familys needs (and I dont have to listen to them complain constantly, because theyre not here, she added). A retreat was a structured excuse to take a vacation without her family.

New Life is unusual in its resistance to self-optimization. All you need for wellness is to feel comfortable and be relaxed. That doesnt really sound sexy I guess, said Kathleen LeSage, who manages New Lifes marketing. People come here, they dont wear makeup, and they just enjoy nature. Jimmys never been one to chase after the latest trend. We dont give things the latest buzzy name.

Unlike many wellness retreats, it exists more or less outside the totalizing sphere of social media. Besides the hikes themselves, which take place along the nearby Appalachian Trail, the spa is not photogenic. People do not go there to burnish their personal brands; its not the kind of place youd boast about.

What I found most appealing about New Life was the frankness with which my fellow retreaters spoke about their own frailty, and about their vulnerability in a world that challenges our willpower at every moment of the day. When, during our hike, a 65-year-old man cheerfully told me that he returned to the spa every summer, lost weight during his eight days of hiking, and then gradually regained it all until returning the following summer, it felt like a rare and radical truth-telling.

The struggle to cope with the stress of everyday life is one of the great ironies of life during our era of post-capitalist plenty. For many people whose basic needs are fully met, its still hard to feel at peace, though the concept that anything could really calm the endless restlessness of the human condition is one that retreats capitalize on as well. And as we each feel more stressed, we become less available to bear the burden of others everyday struggles. Social interdependencethe free, flawed, yet existentially essential emotional mycelium that runs throughout a healthy societyis eroded in a social order that emphasizes hard work and self-optimization over everything else.

Retreats give us a short break from the impossible lives weve built for ourselves, but its very hard to bring the lessons we learn at retreats back home with usjust ask the man who gains back his weight every year. If it were easier to enact retreat-life at home, retreats would become obsolete. In the meantime, we use our vacation days to recover from work in structured environments where our anxious and unhealthy habits are eased into submission by professionals.

I had a long talk with a woman around my age as we hiked back down toward the trailhead. Like many other people I met at New Life, she was a veteran of many retreats. Every one had its strengths and weaknesses; she rattled them off to me like an old hand. But they all serve the same fundamental purpose, she admitted. Some have amenities, some take away your phone, some encourage you to take part in sharing circles, others leave you alone to watch TV in your room if you so desire. The main thing is, you dont have to think, she said. You dont have to figure out what to eat, what to do, when to do it. Its all decided for you. Its a huge relief. Im just likeplease, put me in your hands. Im exhausted, and planning a vacation is so much work.

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UGA expert recommends following well-established guidelines

With the novel coronavirus dominating the news, a lot of misinformation has been circulating about immune boosting diets that can supposedly ward off infection.

Everything from loading up on vitamin C to blueberries and other foods, drinks and vitamins has been lauded on social media and elsewhere as some sort of miracle fix.

The truth is, they probably wont do what some so-called experts claim.

If only it were that easy to boost your immune system through diet, said Emma Laing, clinical associate professor and director of dietetics in the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Any food or supplement marketed to do so, such as vitamins, herbs, essential oils, juice cleanses or natural health products, is not evidence-based.What we do know is that our diets can support our immune system so that its able to do its job that is, defend against disease-causing microorganisms and prevent infections.

Laing urged consumers to be leery of marketing gimmicks and other unproven claims.

Though some misinformation being shared might be with the best of intentions, my fear is that those feeling vulnerable and scared will be taken advantage of if they buy into claims that a product or service purports boosting immunity through diet, she said.

Here, Laing provides some tips about what people can do to help support a healthy immune system.

How does diet interact with our immune system?

Our immune systems are sophisticated in the way that the nutrients we eat interact with organs and cells in the body. Consider this system as not a single part of the body, but one that includes white blood cells, antibodies, bone marrow, the spleen, the thymus and the lymphatic system all working together to stay balanced. If you were somehow able to boost or force your immune system to perform above and beyond its normal functioning, you would be disrupting this balance.As an example, having an overactive immune system could lead to developing an autoimmune disorder where your bodys own tissues are attacked. This is obviously not what youre aiming for when choosing foods that support immune health.

What dietary changes would be helpful in supporting immune health?

To support the optimal function of your immune system, focus on consuming foods that support a healthy digestive tract, such as a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Lean proteins and fat-free or low-fat dairy products are also part of an eating pattern that promotes health as set forth by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/dietary-guidelines-for-americans/index.html. If you have trouble meeting these recommendations, its OK to take a multivitamin and mineral supplement, but be wary of single-nutrient products that come in large quantities or mega-doses.With respect to nutrition, consuming anything above target recommendations is not necessarily better for your health. Just like aiming for a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, obtaining sufficient sleep, taking steps to quit smoking and managing stress also contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.

What are some trusted resources for diet and food safety questions?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shares helpful resources on their coronavirus (COVID-19) pagehttps://www.eatright.org/coronavirusregarding food safety concerns, access to food, and supplements and claims for cures. Also visit UGAs National Center for Home Food Preservation athttps://nchfp.uga.edu/.

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Photo-Illustration: Megan Paetzhold. Photos: Getty Images

Last week, New York and Grub Street asked some of our favorite past Grub Street Diet subjects to keep one-day diaries of what they eat while self-quarantining, which well be running over the next few days. Here, the author, chef, and host Samin Nosrat walks us through the way she spent Monday, March 23.

The truth is, I havent been eating the way I usually do since the stay-at-home order started. I havent zeroed in exactly on what is different, but I dont have the same sort of appetite as I normally do, and I am craving a lot less sugar and fewer snacks than I normally eat. Even though I spend a lot of my time thinking about what I want to cook later in the day, or the following day, I dont really feel all that excited about eating.

Upon waking up, I took my antidepressants always crucial, but especially so these days!

I wasnt very hungry for breakfast, so I made a milky, cardamom-y cup of coffee, sat in my heated garden chair, and watched a pair of titmouses titmice? work on the nest theyve been building in my garden for a few weeks.

I came in and continued to sip the coffee while I listened to the first draft of Home Cooking, a new podcast Im working on with my friend Hrishikesh Hirway, and found myself pleasantly surprised by how little I hated my own voice.

After some puttering in the garden, I walked a few blocks to see my friend Elazar Sontag, who just got back to Oakland from Brooklyn. Hed posted on Instagram that he had made cookies and had left them out for neighbors on his stoop. My pup, Fava, foraged for treats on the steps, I sat at the bottom, and Elazar stayed at the top while we had a nice check-in, and I grabbed a cookie to eat at home: gluten-free oatmeal raisin with a big melty piece of chocolate on top. Perfectly baked, so nice!

I caught up on email, talked to Hrishi, took a nap, tried to watch St. Elmos Fire (good music, bad movie), and finally decided to heat up some of yesterdays baked beans (which were essentially half-bacon). I spread them on a piece of toast and ate a Persian cucumber and drank a huge glass of water alongside it all.

I worked in the garden some more mostly weeding and then, as it started to get cold, I came inside and made myself a pot of soba tea, which is so warming and delicious. I finished reading, for the second time, my friend Jon Mooallems beautiful new book, This Is Chance, which left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, and I decided to start a pot of congee for dinner.

I mixed chicken stock Id made the week before with Kokuho Rose short grain rice in a pot with some sliced ginger, a few cloves of garlic, a generous pinch of salt, and a splash of fish sauce. I let that simmer for about four hours. In the meantime, I realized I was out of peanuts, so I took Fava for a walk to the corner market to get some.

When it was time to eat, I realized I hadnt had any vegetables all day, so I boiled a bunch of broccolini from the farmers market and ate that alongside my congee, which I topped with cilantro, chile crisp, and chopped toasted peanuts. I also fished a sparkling passion-fruit drink out of my fridge. My friend Greta Caruso sent it to me. Its a slightly evil, very delicious prototype she is testing for a premixed cocktail (I couldnt tell there was any booze in there!). I drank that alongside my porridge while Fava ran zoomies around the living room.

*This article appears in the March 30, 2020, issue ofNew YorkMagazine.Subscribe Now!

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Now that we're in dystopia, my diet is like a menu from a women's magazine from the old days--for young women who wanted to lose five pounds. They seemed like a good idea--but the food was so skimpy. And no one could stay on diets like that for more than a meal. Or two.

But now, eating a daily diet that an editor at Glamour may have written up in 1966 provides structure. And the ingredients are easy to get at Trader Joe's. And are probably good for resisting invasive invisible little fairy-dust-like Corona viruses, if they happen to get into your mouth, eyes or nose via your own unwashed hands, and multiply by hijacking the DNA in your lungs.

So the following is typical of what I'm eating these days; and very typical of how those diets were in the old magazines.

Breakfast: oatmeal, fresh berries, half-banana and coffee (I use 1/2 and 1/2 or even heavy cream but the original diets would have only allowed skim milk)

Midmorning snack: a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter (I use the kind with nothing but peanuts and salt)

Lunch: another slice of whole wheat toast with mayonnaise and sliced cold chicken (from last night's nicely roasted chicken), two slices of tomato and an apple for dessert

Dinner: a small salad of butter lettuce, grape tomatoes, a green onion and dressing of choice; a 2-egg omelet with asparagus, smoked salmon, onion (white or red), cheddar cheese and a fresh orange, cut in quarters

Bedtime snack: two squares of dark chocolate (this wouldn't have been on the menu back then because no one knew about it yet) and a cup of tea with lemon and sliced kiwifruit

I think about this kind of food all day. Because it's pretty much the only thing that requires planning now. Because I have to make sure that the refrigerator is stocked and that all the items are there. I can't go to the store any more than absolutely necessary. I probably shouldn't go at all.

No more dinners out before plays or concerts, obviously; or lunch meetings where lunch is provided; or brunch with girlfriends who want to get together to chat; or stops at fast food places where I love their salads and sandwiches and almond croissants and brownies.

It's just me and my food and turning on the dishwasher every day with a full load. I stopped doing that about the time menopause struck, never looking back or caring. Because of the rise of meals on the go, meals cooked by someone else and meals that only money could buy--all prepared. I only turned my dishwasher on every two weeks to wash coffee cups.

So I read this terrific article last night that a friend shared on Facebook about a couple who lives in New York. He's a chef at thetwo-Michelin-star Atera. And he's off work since dystopia struck. She's a prolific freelance writer and she's moved in with him for the duration. They don't live together ordinarily. She lives Uptown and he lives south in another Manhattan neighborhood in a very small apartment with one window that faces a wall. It's dark and cramped and he stores cooking tools all over the place.

In normal times, he doesn't like to cook on his days off. So unless she goes to his restaurant she never eats what he makes. While she's there with him, he's decided to cook for her every day. Gorgeous, interesting, delicious things that you can read about here. And see pictures of, too.

And I realized that their life, like mine now, is structured by food. By the basic building blocks of life that keep us alive and help us stave off disease. By the same nutritional components that I studied in college (BS in Community Health, 1971), and in graduate school (MS in Public Health, 1972) and that have stood upon my shoulders, whispering tips for decades. During many of which I paid no attention.

There were other times, when food was really important, particularly during my first marriage, where we bought all the kitchen accoutrements of our generation and tried making fancy things together--like paella and fondue and crepes.

Speaking of the day we made crepes, that was the day we invited his grandmother and great aunt to come over and partake. It was a hot day, and I had no idea that you had to put your mixing bowl and beaters--and even the little carton of whipping cream--in the the refrigerator for a while before beating.

And I beat and beat and beat and basically made very soft butter. And Tim's grandmother said, "Oh, honey, that's what happens when you get nervous and you want to make everything perfect for guests--you make 'company cream.'" I got the joke right away. But few people who I've told that story to over the last 45 years ever seemed to.

But that was before we were in dystopia.

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Environment Scores in the Red

From the long list of environmental indicators we report on, we use seven to calculate an Environmental Condition Score (ECS) for each region, as well as nationally.

These seven indicators high temperatures, river flows, wetlands, soil health, vegetation condition, growth conditions and tree cover are chosen because they allow a comparison against previous years. In Australia's dry environment, they tend to move up and down together, which gives the score more robustness. See the interactive graphic below to find the score for your region.

Environmental condition scores by local government area, and values for each of the seven indicators. See more data on http://www.ausenv.online.

Nationally, Australia's environmental condition score fell by 2.3 points in 2019, to a very low 0.8 out of ten. This is the lowest score since at least 2000 the start of the period for which we have detailed data.

Condition scores declined in every state and territory. The worst conditions were seen in the Northern Territory (0.2 points), New South Wales (0.3 points) and Western Australia (0.4 points), with the latter also recording the greatest decline from the previous year (-5.7 points).

What is most striking is that almost the entire nation suffered terrible environmental conditions in 2019. In each case, the changes can be traced back to dry, hot conditions. Only parts of Queensland escaped the drought.

Comparing local government areas, the worst conditions occurred in Armidale and Gwydir in northern NSW. In contrast, Winton and Townsville in Queensland escaped the overall poor conditions, thanks to the beneficial impact of high rainfall early in the year although those same events also caused floods killing around 600,000 livestock.

Extreme Drought and Extreme Heat

So what exactly happened in Australia in 2019 to cause such widespread environmental damage? There were several causes.

Across most of Australia, the environment was already reeling from poor conditions in 2018. Also, cool temperatures in the Indian Ocean delayed the onset of the monsoon in northern Australia and reduced the flow of moisture to the rest of the continent, creating hot and dry conditions. Average rainfall was a mere 229 mm across the continent, the lowest in more than 119 years and probably longer than that.

The heat was also extraordinary. The average number of days above 35C across the country was 36% more than the average for the 19 years prior.

Values for 15 environmental indicators in 2015, expressed as the change from average 2000-2018 conditions. Similar to national economic indicators, they provide a summary but also hide regional variations, complex interactions and long-term context. ANU Centre for Water and Landscape Dynamics

In eastern Australia, arid and hot conditions pushed farmers and ecosystems deeper into drought. In many regions, dryness and declining protection from wind erosion created the worst soil conditions in at least 20 years. Consequences included several dust storms and widespread dieback of forests, especially in NSW.

The severe drought also affected inland water systems, especially the Darling River and its tributaries. Town water supply reservoirs ran out of water, the rivers stopped flowing, and the heat turned the remaining pools into death traps for fish.

Other rivers in northwest Australia, southeast Queensland and northeast NSW also saw their worst flows in 20 years.

Unprecedented Fires

Of course, 2019 will be remembered as the year of unprecedented bushfires. Nationally, the total area burnt was not unusual, not even when the fires of early 2020 are included. But this is only because fire activity was much below average in northern Australia, where ongoing dry conditions left little vegetation to burn.

The extent of forest fires last year was unprecedented, however. As predicted well in advance, the tinder-dry forests in eastern Australia provided the fuel for a dramatic fire season that started in September. Between then and the first month of 2020, vast areas of forest in New South Wales, eastern Victoria, Kangaroo Island and the Australian Capital Territory went up in flames.

The fires destroyed more than 3,000 homes and directly killed 33 people. Indirectly, the most hazardous air quality in living memory created major but poorly known health impacts. The fires also damaged the reliability of drinking water supplies.

The ecological damage was also profound. Fires raged through ecosystems poorly adapted to fire, from rainforests in tropical Queensland to alpine vegetation in Tasmania and the Snowy Mountains of NSW. It remains to be seen whether they can recover. Across NSW, 35% of rainforests were turned to cinders.

About 191 species of animals and plants saw more than one-third of their living area burnt, among them 52 species that were already threatened. Thankfully, the last remaining stands of the prehistoric Wollemi pine and the rare Nightcap Oak were saved.

Even before the fires, 40 plant and animal species were added to the threatened list in 2019, bringing the total to 1890. Following the fires, more species are likely to be added in 2020.

We're Not Doomed Yet

Last year was neither an outlier nor the "new normal" it will get worse.

Greenhouse gas concentrations continued to increase rapidly in 2019, causing the temperature of the atmosphere and oceans to soar. Australia's population also continued to grow quickly and with it, greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, and our demand for land to build, mine and farm on.

Whether we want to hear it or not, last year represented another step towards an ever-more dismal future, unless we take serious action.

The current coronavirus pandemic shows that as individuals, and collectively, we can take dramatic action once we acknowledge the urgency of a threat. By comparison, addressing environmental decline will cost less, whereas the long-term costs of not acting will be far greater.

There is much we can do. In the short term, we can help our natural ecosystems recover from the drought and fires. Government agencies and land owners can cull and manage invasive species in fire-affected areas from weeds, to foxes, cats and feral horses and stop damaging logging in fire-affected areas.

Individuals can do their bit. We can donate money or time to organizations committed to helping ecosystems recover. Record what you see on bushwalks to help environmental managers monitor and assist ecological recovery.

But the damage of climate change is not limited to natural environments. We must get serious about curbing greenhouse emissions. Humanity has the tools, technology and ingenuity to do it and Australia, one of the countries worst affected by climate change, should lead the world.

Beyond that, individuals can also make a contribution: recycle and reuse rather than buy new, choose low-emission and renewable energy technology and reduce waste it can save money even now. Let governments and politicians hear your voice. Try to convince friends and family that things need to change.

In the long term, we must find a more balanced relationship with the natural world, understanding that our own survival will depend on it.

The full report and webinar are available here.

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