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Vitamin F is not a vitamin in the traditional sense of the word.

Rather, vitamin F is a term for two fats alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA). They are essential for regular body functions, including aspects of brain and heart health (1).

ALA is a member of the omega-3 fat family, while LA belongs to the omega-6 family. Common sources of both include vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds (2).

They were discovered in the 1920s when scientists found that fat-free diets had adverse effects on rats. Initially, the scientists suspected the rats were deficient in a new vitamin they called vitamin F later found to be ALA and LA (3).

This article discusses vitamin F, including how it works, its potential health benefits, and which foods contain the highest amounts of it.

The two types of fat that comprise vitamin F ALA and LA are classified as essential fatty acids, meaning they are necessary for health. Since your body is unable to make these fats, you have to get them from your diet (4).

ALA and LA play the following crucial roles in the body (5, 6):

Vitamin F deficiency is rare. However, a lack of ALA and LA can lead to various symptoms, such as dry skin, hair loss, slow wound healing, poor growth in children, skin sores and scabs, and brain and vision problems (7, 8).

Vitamin F supplies calories, provides structure to cells, supports growth and development, and is involved in major bodily functions like blood pressure regulation and immune response.

According to research, the fats that make up vitamin F ALA and LA may offer several unique health benefits.

ALA is the primary fat in the omega-3 family, a group of fats thought to have many health benefits. In the body, ALA is converted into other beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (9).

Together, ALA, EPA, and DHA offer a wealth of potential health benefits:

Linoleic acid (LA) is a primary fat in the omega-6 family. Like ALA, LA is converted into other fats in your body.

It offers many potential health benefits when consumed in moderation, especially when used in place of less healthy saturated fats (16):

Diets containing ALA may help reduce inflammation, promote heart and mental health, and support growth and development. Furthermore, LA may aid blood sugar control and has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

To optimize the benefits of vitamin F, maintaining a healthy ratio of LA to ALA in your diet may be key.

This is due to the opposing signals these fats send in the body. While LA and other omega-6 fats tend to induce inflammation, ALA and other omega-3 fats work to inhibit it (20).

Some experts estimate that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in Western diets may be as high as 20:1. According to studies, this may contribute to inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease (21).

Though an ideal ratio has yet to be determined, a popular recommendation is to maintain the ratio at or below 4:1 (22).

However, instead of abiding by a ratio, it may be simpler to follow recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). These suggest adults consume 1.11.6 grams of ALA and 1116 grams of LA per day (23).

Some experts suggest that adults consume a 4:1 ratio of LA to ALA, or 1116 grams of LA and 1.11.6 grams of ALA, per day to reap the greatest benefit from vitamin F fats.

Vitamin F supplements are unnecessary if you consume a wide variety of foods containing ALA and LA.

Though most food sources typically contain both, many carry a higher proportion of one fat than the other.

Here are the amounts of LA in some common food sources:

Many foods high in LA also contain ALA, albeit in lesser amounts. However, particularly high proportions of ALA can be found in:

Animal products, such as fish, eggs, and grass-fed meat and dairy products, contribute some ALA and LA but are mainly high in other types of omega-6 and omega-3 fats (35).

Both ALA and LA are found in plant oils, nuts, and seeds. Theyre also found in some animal products, though in small amounts.

Vitamin F is comprised of two essential omega-3 and omega-6 fats ALA and LA.

These two fats play a major role in regular bodily processes, including immune system function, blood pressure regulation, blood clotting, growth, and development.

Maintaining a 4:1 ratio of LA to ALA in your diet is often recommended to help optimize the potential benefits of vitamin F, which include improved blood sugar control and reduced inflammation and heart disease risk.

Consuming foods high in ALA, such as flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and chia seeds, is one way to help shift the balance in favor of positive health outcomes.

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What Is Vitamin F? Uses, Benefits, and Food List - Healthline

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As temperatures drop and the sounds of coughing and sneezing echo in crowded places like schools, public transportation, and busy shopping malls, individual (and often ineffective) methods of warding off illness rear their heads for a new season of popularity.

Though detox teas and high-zinc diets may ease the mind and create a false sense of security, theyre often unsuccessful in protecting you from getting sick. The next time youre looking for ways to stay healthy and combat seasonal sickness, remember these common myths about the cold and flu.

Getting vaccinated for the flu is highly recommended, but some people avoid taking the precaution in fear it may directly cause the illness itself. Despite the CDCs recommendation that everyone six months of age and older receive a flu shot, misunderstandings about how vaccines protect the immune system can prevent proper defense. Flu vaccines are given in two ways: by injecting an inactivated and therefore noninfectious strain of the virus into the blood stream, or by using only a single gene from the virus to encourage an immune response without causing a full infection. Neither option results in the flu, and a timely vaccine can reduce the risk of coming down with the flu by 40 percent.

Though young people often have the health and strength to effectively fight off illness, the flu should not be underestimatedits symptoms can be severe. Symptoms like fever, extreme exhaustion, cough, and chest discomfort that can last up to two weeks even in the healthiest individuals. Although the flu is certainly more dangerous in children younger than five and adults older than 65, the 2017-2018 flu season was one of the deadliest in decadestaking the lives of many otherwise healthy individuals.

People often believe they can go back to work or school without the risk of spreading their illness to colleagues or peers as long as they dont have a fever. While this isnt completely untrue (not having a fever is typically a sign of good health), not all transmittable colds show tell-tale signs of contagion with a high temperature. In fact, if you have a common cold, youre most contagious in the first two to three dayswith or without a fever. The spread of illness can also precede physical symptoms, andsometimes doesnt pass until day seven or ten. The flu is no different the CDC warns that healthy adults can infect others a day before they even show symptoms.

Theres a common belief that reaching for a tall glass of orange juice or using a vitamin C supplement can be an effective cold remedy. Though making sure we have ample amounts of vitamin C in our diets does contribute to healthy immune function, bone structure, iron absorption, and healthy skin, evidence doesnt support a sudden increase in vitamin C consumption is enough to thwart a cold. Instead of taking a vitamin C supplement at the first sign of a cold, doctors recommend maintaining a diet rich in fruits and vegetablesthat way, you not only reap the benefits of vitamin C, but you also get additional vital nutrients that encourage a healthy immune system.

Theres no sure way to prevent catching a cold or coming down with the flu, but educating yourself about effective protective measures minimizes the risk of illness among you and your loved ones.

This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information on this web site is for general information purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or health care provider on any matters relating to your health.

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Common myths about the cold and flu - PhillyVoice.com

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When I got the pitch to interview an executive coach on his method to develop high performers, I was skeptical I get these types of emails weekly. It seems like everyone is some sort of executive/life/spiritual coach today.

But Eric Frazer isn't your average peak performance coach, or as he likes to say, "peak performance expert."

I was intrigued that Frazer has helped major corporations such as Google, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services (Berkshire's real estate arm) and Cisco hire and find high-performers using his background in clinical and positive psychology. (He was a post-doctoral psychology fellow at Yale University School of Medicine, holds a doctoral degree in clinical forensic psychology at the Miami Institute of Psychology and has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Fordham University.)

Frazer, who founded his company Top Talent Psychology, two years ago, also coaches executives and entrepreneurs seeking to optimize their performance. Typically, one-on-one sessions with Frazer cost $250 an hour and up.

Credit: Dr. Eric Frazer, CEO of Hiring Top Talent

To see what peak performance coaching is all about, Frazer worked with me at no cost for a month. We did three sessions a week for an hour.

Here's what I learned.

According to Frazer, a key to success, and ultimately peak performance, is to identify your "core battle," as he calls it, which is, in essence, your "hero's journey" (an evolution toward greatness made famous by author Joseph Campbell). You must identify and realize what your top talents are, and figure out how to actualize your true professional potential in a way that brings fulfillment.

To do that, Frazer says it is important to identify what you believe are your top skills and how you ultimately want to use them in your career. This will also help identify what is holding you back.

To find my core battle, Frazer asked me what areas in my life I'm currently happy with and not happy with, and who I ultimately want to be.

I told him I'm generally happy but wanted to do more in my career and work on bigger stories and projects.

He also asked me pointed questions like:

1. What am I truly most passionate about in regards to reporting? For me, it's health, environmental issues and learning the inner workings of the food system.

2. What keeps me up at night, or what do I obsessively think about during the day? I think about the fact that I need to be doing more to challenge myself at work. How can I take on bigger stories and bigger interviews while maintaining my day-to-day workflow?

3. What could your professional life look like in two years? My answer: Being a successful journalist who reports on long-form features that inspire and educate others about health, wellness and environmental issues.

4. What am I afraid of? Not being successful. Failure.

Frazer then asked me about my daily work habits.

After talking for nearly an hour, Frazer determined that I was like most of his clients: I tend to have many moments of "high-performance" but it's not sustained. When I'm passionate about a subject or topic, for example, I obsess over it as a CNBC Make It senior reporter this could be landing an interview with a major CEO or drawing attention to an issue that hasn't been widely reported in the media. But if I'm not inspired, I can coast.

Frazer also determined that several things hold me back.

Some of the things that prevent me from reaching my potential are logistical: For example, in order to break big stories or land exclusive interviews, I need to actively pursue leads and subjects on a daily basis, not just when I remember to follow up.

Others are the stories I tell myself.For example, I said a lack of time was preventing me from going after bigger stories, when that's just an excuse.

And then there are my problematic beliefs, broader "themes" Frazer calls them. We discovered that I have a fear of disappointing others and myself. While I do have high expectations of myself, deep down I am a little fearful that if I really go for it and fail, I would find out that I'm not as good as I thought was. It also became clear that for a long time I have pushed aside that little voice telling me to pursue certain stories or take bigger risks in my storytelling so that my life feels manageable.

Having pinpointed what I want and what's holding me back, Frazer emailed me an "action plan."

For motivation, Frazer had me identify an A-list of people I'd like to interview. Since my early days at CBS News, I have always kept a shortlist of people I wanted to pursue, but it definitely needed to be refreshed.

Frazer said the list would help me feel more fulfilled on slower days, I can turn to it to help create momentum and feel inspired.

The action plan also included an exercise to visualize exactly how I saw each interview go and what questions I would ask. Then I journaled about it each night.

I also had to seek out mentors to help me with my fear of disappointment and to get a better idea of what others think of my work performance.

I tracked down two former bosses I admire to get their insights on my past performance, where I could improve and where they believe I thrive. They made me see my fear of disappointing others was something I invented. They said I have always been a high-performer and they didn't view me as a "coaster." So really it's my own thoughts of failing that are preventing me from pursuing certain interviews or controversial topics.

To help me with creativity, Frazer had me book a "float session" in an isolation tank (it's filled with at least 10 inches of water and enough dissolved Epsom salt to allow a person to float) at a spa. He said the relaxed experience could help me unlock new ideas.

During my first hour-long float session, it took me about 20 minutes to fully feel relaxed inside the tank. It didn't help me have any new ideas, but it did help me clear my head.

With regard to exercise, Frazer suggested using my outdoor runs to think and to do so without music for focus.

As for my habits, Frazer helped me create a new workflow, breaking down my "to-do" lists each day into small, actionable steps and creating deadlines for each task. For example, I should look at my list of ideal interviews every day and make phone calls or write emails to follow up, spend time researching topics related to each subject or add new targets to the list. This Frazer says, will help me stay accountable on projects that are important to me and my growth and make them more manageable.

After filling in Frazer on my progress, he told me that he could hear in my voice that I was excited about pursuing the new interviews and projects I had come up with. And I felt it too. I felt energized and focused after working with Frazer for only a few weeks.

I also found it empowering to bounce my ideas off someone who isn't a friend or family member, who could give me real feedback and help me navigate the pros and cons of my career aspirations.

Since working with Frazer, I have maintained my list of target interviews, which I update every other day. Additionally, I continue to journal daily about my goals and create short-term actionable steps to pursue them.

Frazer encouraged me to continue reconnecting with mentors, to find other techniques that will help me stay relaxed and to focus on my goals.

Not everyone can have a personal coach but there are some tips in Frazer's book, "The Psychology of Top Talent," that he says can help anyone with peak performance.

1. Have a daily health routine

Eating healthy and maintaining good physical wellness practices is essential for any high-performer. Frazer writes that he always carves out time to meditate and journal every day in addition to getting at least six hours and 45 minutes of sleep a night. He also sticks to a healthy diet that includes steel-cut oatmeal with fruit for breakfast and a kale salad for lunch.

2. Do constructive activities every week

Some of Frazer's weekly habits include listening to a new TED talk podcast and writing one new article about his profession on LinkedIn.

3. Rest

As a psychologist, Frazer says there are a lot of benefits to taking a "mental health day."

"In the work of high performance, it is important to replenish regularly," he writes. "This may mean taking a morning or afternoon off, a full day, and long weekends on a quarterly or tri-annual basis to have rest, but it can also mean you reflect and focus on your accomplishments and focus directions."

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I used a peak performance coach who worked with Google and Berkshire Hathawayand it actually helped me - CNBC

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The actor Darren Criss, 32, has a lot to say about grooming, diet, fitness and, most important, sleep. Mr. Criss, a San Francisco native who lives in Los Angeles, is so obsessed with sleep that he times it to REM cycles. He has also started a mens grooming site, the Motley, with the siblings Matthew and Madison Ruggieri, and has just introduced a unisex skin care line called Onekind. Here, Mr. Criss, who is in the war drama Midway and is filming Hollywood, the new Ryan Murphy Netflix show scheduled for release next year, explains his personal care routine.

Fully Groomed

I have a lot of cleansers, but honestly, this is the one category where I feel like you just need to get your face clean. You use a bar of soap, and as long as it does the job, its O.K. Then I use Port Products Sol Defense SPF moisturizer. Then, morning and night, I put on Recipe for Men Under Eye Gel.

For night, Im biased toward my own products. I do the Onekind Midnight Magic serum theres retinol in there and I use that in tandem with Onekind Dream Cream. Every two days or so, I do the Urth Botanical Resurfacing Mask. I love a lot of their products. I also have the Urth Antioxidant Face Complex. Its like taking your face to the spa.

The Perfect Shave

I have to shave every day for Hollywood, the show Im on, and its really tough on the skin. I have to pay attention to the length of my stubble and the kind of blade I use. If I have a few days growth, I like the Executive blades from Dollar Shave Club.

But if its a days stubble, Im using a safety razor. Thats because razor burn comes from multiple blades and multiple tiny cuts. Im trying to minimize that by the number of the blades and also how big the blade is.

I use a hot towel to warm up the stubble. I also try to use really hot water to warm up the blade. Lock Stock & Barrel makes a really great shave oil.

One of the most important things, though, is the Urth Post Shave Elixir. I have buckets of it. If I dont have it, Im in a panic. I recommend it to anyone. I recommend it to my wife after she shaves her legs. I guarantee you maybe five people in the world care this much about shaving.

The Eastern Medicine Thing

I know its a hippie-dippy thing, but Im a fan of oil pulling. I take a big dip out of a jar of coconut oil and swish that around my mouth. It sounds gross, and it is kind of gross. Its supposed to pull bacteria out of my mouth.

I think its an Eastern medicine kind of thing lets face it, theyve been ahead of everything on this front for millenniums. Someone recommended it to me years ago, and then when I was doing Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, I was literally making out with strangers every night. I did anything I could do to clean my mouth it was more for their benefit and less for mine.

Sleep King

Im really militant about sleeping for certain lengths of time. Ive been doing this for years and years: I make sure I sleep in increments of 90 minutes. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep and then the 90 minutes to complete a good REM cycle. So, for example, Id rather get three hours of sleep than four hours.

You know those days when you wake up and you feel really good even though you didnt really get a lot of sleep? Thats hitting the REM cycle. Or you sleep for a long time, but you wake up in the middle of a REM cycle and your whole day feels awful? I avoid that like the plague. Of course, there are a lot of variables what you ate, how much you drank but I try to have my sleep evenly timed out.

A Timed Diet

Ive been into health and food ever since I was maybe 12 or 13. I was fascinated by the idea that food is fuel in this very nonintellectual way. You need carbs to do this and protein to do that. How its translated today is that you see that the digestive system is directly related to everything else. Its not a subsidiary component.

So I time the way I eat. I dont mean Im timing while Im eating, but you know how if you have dinner plans at 8 with friends? Well, then you dont eat as much during the day so youll have an appetite and enjoy a meal out. I take the same approach with every activity throughout the day.

If Im working, the snacks and the doughnuts are all lying around, and I have to be careful of that. Otherwise Ill feel strung out and tired. I try not to eat three hours before bed, but if Im hungry, I might have a low-glycemic snack. Im not going to have a carnitas burrito.

Then one of my biggest life hacks: Im a huge chia seed person. If chia seed was a brand, Id be repping them so hard. I soak chia seeds overnight and then do chia seeds and matcha in the morning. Theyre the ancient form of good things.

Becoming a Fitness Fiend

I got heavily into fitness in my late 20s. Now Im a certifiable fitness rat. I work out like I used to play video games. Its competitive and fun. Its also meditative. For me its really about the cardiovascular benefits and general well-being. If my body is a little more toned, thats a super-bonus.

When I first started, that entry point was hard to find. I was completely allergic to the bro-y gym culture. Get swoll, dude! The thing that changed my life was P90X. Ive never met him, but Tony Horton is the biggest dweeb in fitness.

I was too embarrassed to go to the gym, and I didnt want to work out in a public space, and here was a guy who was making the dumbest dad jokes. This guy was all right. I knew this guy from high school.

I now love the social aspect of working out. I have maybe six or seven friends on rotation, and instead of going out, we do a workout class together. It might be H.I.I.T., a Pilates reformer class or yoga. I try to change it up as much as possible. I want to confuse my muscles.

I also love Training Mate in Los Angeles. Its by these goofy Australians. Theyre super-fun and funny. When Im in New York, Refine is my jam. Fhitting Room is really great.

Making Time for Recovery

A lot of people dont know how to keep their muscles healthy. They need to do the recovery. Physical therapy is really nice, but its expensive. I believe in rolling out the muscles, and that just takes some time. Also, cryotherapy is incredible.

You can do other things, like an Epsom salt bath, and Im a big fan of the steam shower if you can get access to one. I do it at night too, as it helps me relax before going to sleep.

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How Darren Criss Overcame His Fear of Gym Bros - The New York Times

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American workers are increasingly strapped for sleep and the ones grappling with life-or-death decisions on the job might be most likely to get poor shut-eye, a recent study says.

About 50% of protective-service workers such as police officers, firefighters and correctional officers and military workers reported short sleep duration in 2018, the highest prevalence among occupation groups, according to the study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Community Health. The study defined short sleep duration as sleeping less than seven hours.

Health-care support workers a group that includes home health aides, psychiatric aides and nursing assistants, according to the Department of Labor werent far behind, at 45%. Workers in transport and material moving (for example, air traffic controllers, truck drivers and railroad workers) and production (for example, quality-control inspectors, food-and-tobacco processing workers and power-plant operators) had the next-highest levels of short sleep duration, both at 41%.

The findings are disconcerting, the authors wrote, because many of these occupations are related to population health, well-being, and safety services.

Workers in the law-enforcement and health-care fields in particular are always living in hyperactivity mode, said lead study author Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of health science at Ball State University. They deal with a lot of health and safety of people; life and death, he told MarketWatch. Its hard to unwind when you see suicide and shootings [and] bloodshed.

Previous research has highlighted the perils of sleep deprivation among law-enforcement and health-care workers. One 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for example, found that sleep disorders among American and Canadian law-enforcement officers were common and significantly linked to a heightened risk of negative health, safety and performance outcomes.

Another 2014 study in the Journal of Nursing Administration found that night-shift nurses who were more sleep-deprived made more errors in patient care.

There are guidelines and recommendations on shift work and number of working hours that have been prescribed for these professions to improve worker safety and occupational health, the present studys author wrote.

Their study, funded by a grant from Merck Research Laboratories, analyzed data from 158,468 working adults who participated in the Census Bureau-administered National Health Interview Survey from 2010 to 2018. The prevalence of professionals getting insufficient sleep rose substantially over the study period, from nearly 31% in 2010 to almost 36% in 2018.

Other groups at increased risk for short sleep duration included racial and ethnic minorities, workers who were less educated, and those who lived alone, the study found.

Khubchandani and his co-author, James Price of the University of Toledo, suggest that working Americans short sleep duration might be related to changing workplaces, greater access and use of technology and electronic devices, progressive escalation in workplace stress in the U.S., [and] rising prevalence of multiple chronic conditions.

Prior research by the same authors also highlighted the high prevalence of job insecurity and workplace harassment in the American workforce two factors linked with poor sleep, among other negative outcomes.

The National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group, recommends that adults aged 26 to 64 get seven to nine hours of sleep but one in three U.S. adults in a nationally representative 2018 study said they got less than six hours a night. A 2018 survey by the foundation also found that one in 10 U.S. adults prioritize sleep over other factors like work, fitness and nutrition, hobbies and social life.

Insufficient sleep is associated with conditions like obesity, depression, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How can those working in high-stress jobs with life-or-death stakes or anyone starved for Zs, for that matter get better sleep? Think about how you can reduce your technology use, Khubchandani said. Find a creative way to manage your stress, and exercise more. Stress reduction and exercise generally promote good sleep, as does a healthy diet. MarketWatch previously spoke with four sleep experts about their own personal strategies for getting better sleep.

Employers also play a role in keeping workers healthy, Khubchandani said, whether its through stress-management programs; smoking-cessation programs; or resources promoting good sleep hygiene, healthy diet and exercise.

Employers that are willing to help employees develop adequate sleep times may increase the probability of workplace productivity, reduction in employee health-care costs, and improving workplace safety and health, the authors wrote. Sleep hygiene education may be one method to help employees optimize their levels of sleep and reduce a significant form of preventable harm.

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These are the most sleep-deprived professions in America - MarketWatch

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Im not a stressed-out person. Now, dont get me wrongrunning a business is definitely a stressful endeavor. You have to ride an unpredictable roller coaster every single day, and your ups and downs are exponentially bigger swings. You could close your first million-dollar deal, and hours later your lead investor pulls out of a negotiation. Its a wild ride.

Thats why its critical for startup founders to establish tools for managing the highs and lows of a startup. That starts with understanding your own personal stressors. For me, I tend to get forgetful and scattered when Im stressed. Ill misplace my keys or my phone. I forget to eat lunch or look up at the clock and realize its 8 or 9 p.m. and I havent taken a break. Physically, my stress manifests as headaches. Ill get gentle nudges from time to time that remind me I havent had a glass of water in a while.

In the 10 years that Ive worked in startups, Ive figured out how to manage my stress and turn it into a strength rather than a weakness. Here are the biggest lessons that I learned.

While it seems counterintuitive, staying occupied can actually help manage stress. This is something I discovered as a kid, as I hopped around from ballet to tennis to softball to debate to violin practice on any given day. When your brain is active and learning something new, it can bring greater focus to daily tasks. Right now, I spend Sundays and occasional evenings evaluating companies to invest in for XFactor Ventures. It doesnt take too much time, but I get to see how other founders are running their business. This may lead to an investment, and it also makes me a better founder. I also read while I fly for work.

Balancing thinking and talking time can be a great way to manage stress. This is especially true for solo founders that dont have a business partner to lean on for advice. There are a lot of things I work out by myself, but there are other things I need help with. In those circumstances, working with my board, my team, my husband, or other founders is the better option. When Im stuck on something, I typically need a bit of alone time before I can work through it. When I need to lean on someone else, I always make a point to indicate whether I want to vent, or whether Im looking for feedback. There are so many occasions where talking something out helps unblock the issue, and I dont necessarily need any external inputs or opinions.

As a busy startup founder, its easy to put fitness and health on the back burner. Last year, I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), a hormonal disorder that affects diet, energy levels, stress levels, anxiety, and a number of other things. In December, I worked to completely overhaul my diet and started working with a personal trainer. I now work out six days per week, even when Im on the road.

Many founders find themselves on the road a lot. Pitching, speaking, meeting clients, attending events, and visiting customers. Traveling is the easiest way to get out of a routine and disrupt well-being. Introducing a few simple products and habits into your routine while on the road can make a big difference. Before bed, I wash my face, make a cup of tea, and put on a face mask while answering the final emails of the day. In the morning, I work out before any meetings. Im also an aggressive disinfectant user on airplanes. That, in addition to an Emergen-C every morning on the road, has prevented me from getting sick despite all the flying.

Every once in a while, its good to hit reset and get away from the business. I knowit sounds scary for founders. However, its often the best way to get back into a productive mindset. Ive got a bunch of things I do to get out of my head. My husband and I like to choose a show and watch an episode or two during the week (right now were watching old episodes of Castle). I love cooking and baking, so I try new recipes. I spend time with family or friends. Its not possible to do all of these things, but its good to set aside some time when you need it to reset.

At the end of the day, stress affects everyone differently. So its important to understand your own triggers, and experiment with different ways to combat them or use it to your advantage. Building a startup is one of the most rewarding jobs imaginable. You just have to make sure that you take care of yourself in the process.

Allison Kopf is the CEO of Artemis.

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5 things that every founder needs to learn about managing stress - Fast Company

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via Ross Dellenger

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Some recognize him in time for a photo or handshake, maybe for a youre doing a great job or a Roll Tide, GB! Others recognize him too late, and as he whisks by, theyll whisper to a companion, I think that was the athletic director, and the other replies, Whats he doing up here with us? Up here is Section LL and KK in the upper reaches of Bryant-Denny Stadium. On this chilly Saturday afternoon, there you will find Greg Byrne, glad-handing and picture-taking with befuddled Alabama ticket holders wondering why the leader of their athletic department is interacting with the commoners in the nosebleeds and not the dignitaries on the field.

Before he climbs steps and crosses ramps to get way up here, Byrne marched the one-third of a mile from his office to the stadium. He sidled up to fans at crosswalks, high-fived students and directed game-goers to their appropriate gates. He fist bumped stadium entry workers, encouraged game security officers and even greeted visiting fans with a hearty Welcome to Alabama! All of this came after he met in his office with millionaire boosters and before he socializes on the field with some of the nations best high school football players. Amid this all, hes making time to spend with family members, occasionally checking Twitter and feverishly texting as part of daylong conversations with operations officials.

Meanwhile, the man hired to protect him during these maddening long game days is just trying to keep up. Mike Harris sometimes loses the man hes tasked to guard amid a sea of Crimson and White. Byrne is known as a fast-walker, his long-legged strides covering what seems like twice the ground of a normal man. His traditional pre-game march in and around Bryant-Denny Stadium sometimes traverses five miles in a matter of less than two hours, and hell politely remind those in his wake that theyd better keep up. You look up and hes gone, says Harris, a 17-year member of the Alabama State Troopers assigned to Byrne. Good thing hes 6 foot 6. He towers over everyone.

Welcome to life as a major college athletic director on football game day. Sports Illustrated requested and was granted access to follow Byrneand his security guardfor more than eight hours Saturday, as they weaved through crowds much larger than normal. Alabama hosted LSU in a showdown between top-three, unbeaten SEC western division rivals in an event dubbed as the biggest regular season college football game since the two met in 2011. There was something else: U.S. president Donald Trump attended the game. While Alabama appreciated the visit, it added an additional layer of anxiety to an already encumbered game-day operations crew. Despite all of this, Byrne kept mostly to the same routine. In fact, he was busy enough on Saturday that he didn't even get to see the President. After all, why hang out with the leader of the free world when you can rub elbows with fans in the nosebleeds, some of whom refer to you by role and not by name. You see that man, says one Alabama fan to his young son, gesturing toward Byrne, thats Coach Sabans boss.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne speaks to a police officer ahead of Alabama's game against LSU. U.S. president Donald Trump's visit to Tuscaloosa went off without a hitch.

via Ross Dellenger

Greg Byrne hasnt eaten anything in about 15 hours. This is how he likes it. He subscribes to a diet that calls for fasting from 8 p.m. to noon the next day. In six months, hes lost 10 pounds. But on this busy Saturday morning, Byrne is breaking his diet, eating a small peanut butter-flavored energy bar about 90 minutes before noon. He apologizes for this, which is incredibly unnecessary, but thats his style. Later in the day, someone asks him the secret to being a successful athletic director and he dispenses three words that youd expect from a man who apologizes to a virtual stranger for breaking his own diet. Treat people right, Byrne tells the person.

Byrne, 48, is on his third stop as a major college athletic director, a once-rising star in the college sports world who has expectedly risen, a path taking him from Mississippi State to Arizona to now Alabama, where hes the boss of one of the games best coaches ever and the captain of the fifth-richest athletic department in the country. Though hes over the proverbial hill, Byrne is one of the new athletic directors in college sportsfor his approach, not his age. The athletic director role has evolved over the years from the gruff ex-football coach to the invisible businessman to the savvy fundraiser to, now, the tweeting, fan-friendly marketer. Not only are these new ADs active on social mediaone even accepts all direct messagesbut they are comfortable from behind the podium and they work a crowd like a campaigning politician. They are the face of a program, someone who communicates with a legion of fans, whether through social media or pregame visits to the far reaches of Bryant-Denny Stadium. I think everything evolves. College sports is no different, Byrne says. I think its important for me that in my leadership style that they dont view me as locked away in some tower. I enjoy interacting with our student athletes and fans.

In many places, long gone are the days of athletic directors you never saw, those buried in an office and shielded from the public. Nothing wrong with the coach and ex-coach or a traditional candidate, Texas AD Chris Del Conte says, but the profession has become more professionalized. Del Conte and Byrne are not the only administrators subscribing to this new athletic director model. In fact, Byrne and Del Conte lead a group of ADs who have for the past few years met annually in a type of summit. The participants of this summit are kept somewhat secret, but at least two other members are known: Florida AD Scott Stricklin and Virginia Techs Whit Babcock. Babcock says Byrne initiated the first of these meetings about five years ago in Chicago. Its a chance to let your hair down a little bit and talk to people who walk in your shoes, Babcock says.

Byrne is one of the more aggressive administrators in the industry. He is the son to longtime college athletic director Bill Byrne, who some herald as bringing Oregon athletics out of the dark ages, says former Ducks football coach Rich Brooks. Greg Byrne served as Brookss ball boy at age 12, turned down small-college basketball scholarship offers at 18 to attend Oregon and, at one point, served as a valet and bellman at a Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix before joining his fathers line of work. He was meant for this. In fact, in his office in Tuscaloosa hangs on the wall a framed research project that Greg produced in the fourth grade titled Athletic directors and assistant athletic directors, his name below it in the kind of penmanship youd expect from a 9-year-old. He received an A on the project, and now four decades later, hes the AD at Alabama. I planned this a long time ago, laughs Bill Byrne, in town to watch Alabama play LSU from his sons suite in the press box, but really, its part of the family business.

Hanging in Greg Byrne's office at Alabama is a research paper he wrote as a fourth-grader. It is titled "athletic directors and assistant athletic directors."

via Ross Dellenger

Byrnes oldest son Nick, in fact, is already working in athletics as a development coordinator with Mississippi State. Greg left the family business for nearly two years in 2005 to become a salesman for a technology company, a fathers attempt to have weekends free while he and wife Regina raised two young boys. He didnt have the passion for it, says Marilyn Byrne, his mother. The passion returned long ago, as seen in his game-day schedule. Before his walk to the stadium, Greg grabs an outfit accessory off the hanger, a Crimson plaid sports coat. It is subtle yet stylish, and its stripes match his Navy blue pants. The ensemble is topped off by a hounds-tooth tie and blue Nikes? I wear tennis shoes on game days, he says. Greg puts in roughly 18,000 steps on a normal home game day. Thats about eight miles. Moments before heading out, Greg cranks the volume up on a television set showing ESPN College GameDay, broadcasting live from Alabamas campus. He wants to hear the picks of the broadcast team. As soon as Lee Corso pulls a hidden Tiger head from beneath the desk, Greg flips off the television and strides toward the door. OK! he exclaims. Lets go!

--

Nick Saban isnt the only savvy recruiter on Alabamas campus. Greg Byrne isnt too far behind. This is part of his home game-day schedule, schmoozing with both prospective football and basketball players on the field just before kickoff. Weve got 90 recruits here with offers, an Alabama staff member says. Ive selected three for him to speak with. One of the three just so happens to be South Carolina defensive end Jordan Burch, the No. 2-ranked overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Byrnes pitch to recruits is pretty simple. Come to Alabama and well develop you in the three most important areas of life: academically, athletically and personally. At some point ball is going to end, OK? he tells one. Byrne is attentive enough at the recruiting aspect of his job that he assembled his office strictly for hosting prospects, he admits. Maybe theres a reason these two guysSaban and Byrneget along so well. I tell people that its a partnership, Byrne says. Hes been awesome. Saban is 68 going on 50, Byrne likes to say. He watches Saban coach during practice from his second-floor office window and is left scratching his head. How does he have so much energy? In the fall, the two men meet each Sunday afternoon. They are somewhat opposites in how they express their emotions. Saban is known for his explosive anger, at times using profane language. And Byrne? If you hear a Gosh darn it, youre in trouble, smiles Jeff Purinton, Alabamas executive associate athletic director.

On this Saturday before these two titans meet, Byrne displays all of the characteristics of the new athletic director in college sports. Hes not stuck in his suit, not boozing with donors in some fancy club level, but hes out with the people, parading around the stadium like a politician running for re-electionright down to knowing everyones name. Thats the hardest part of the transition to a new school. Sure, youve got to learn the customs and traditions but try memorizing thousands of names. Just as hes describing that challenge, up walks a man, Hey Greg! Byrne doesnt miss a beat, Hey, Hunter!

Moments later, Byrne is at the highest possible point in Bryant-Denny Stadium, the west side upper deck. He began the pregame and sometimes in-game tradition of visiting random parts of the stadium during his first AD role at Mississippi State. He even takes the custom on the road, milling about among traveling Alabama fans from the visiting section. The only thing that changes is our attire, says Mike Harris, the 39-year-old Alabama trooper whos spent every season since Byrne arrived in 2017 assigned to him on game days. Byrne and Harris are in short-sleeve collar shirts on those sticky September and October days in the south. And even then, they do enough walking that Harris sometimes must change shirts halfway through the day. This Saturday is cool, the temperature barely cracking into the 60s and the sun shining brightly.

Its a big game, sure, but Byrne above anything else is more nervous about a tradition he plans to bring back: playing country music hit Dixieland Delight during the third quarter. Vulgar chants from students during the rendition of the song led Byrne to shorten it or completely stop it from being played. He took some heat for it, so there is a new plan: infuse white noise to drown out the obscenities. Just before the song booms over Bryant-Denny Stadium, Byrne alerts everyone in his suite to listen. He hopesno, praysthat enough white noise has been added. After all, this a nationally televised game on CBS and his parentshis parents!are sitting right next to him. Two minutes later, he and Purinton exchange high-fivesthe song was a success.

And so too was Donald Trumps visit to Tuscaloosa. The president arrived just before kickoff and left at some point in the third quarter. Trump occupied a suite near the 50-yard line belonging to an Alabama booster who donated heavily to his campaign. Byrne was the first person at Alabama athletics to learn of Trumps plans to attend the game. He received two calls at 6:30 a.m. Sunday from an unknown number, ignoring them both, because weekend mornings are his only real downtime during the week. I got a text after the second call, Byrne says. He called the number back and got the news. The president plans to attend the game. He told Saban that afternoon. There were no real issues during the visit. Some private planes carrying donors had to land in Birmingham or Columbus, Mississippi, instead of Tuscaloosa. Many fans adhered to the schools warnings and arrived early. Secret Service agents were in town as early as Monday, five full days before kickoff, and the U.S. government brought metal detectors to station at each gate. The government first proposed to bring 60 metal detectors. The school convinced officials to more than double that. Thankfully, Byrne says, they brought 150.

*****

At an Alabama home game last year, Greg Byrne noticed his Twitter notifications dinging more than normal. He scrolled through them to learn that toilets in one particular bathroom of Bryant-Denny Stadium were clogged and overflowing. Within seconds, he alerted attendants. Toilets were unclogged. The mess was cleaned up. Problem solved. You cant manage by Twitter, but you can get a feel of the common themes, Byrne says. I dont sit and read all my mentions, but I do look at them occasionally to try to help get a feel for any trending things.

Byrne says he gets about 75% of his news from the social media site these days, and hes recently taught his father Bill to tweet. Greg has embraced Twitter, just like dozens of athletic directors across the nation. Among his close-knit group of colleagues, Scott Stricklin at Florida and Texass Chris Del Conte are most active. Some topics are too nuanced for 240 characters, says Stricklin. I have some unofficial rules. If someone uses an alias or profanity, Im not going to respond to them. Del Conte takes a different approach. He has open direct messages. Greg and Stricklin were doing social first, Del Conte says. I was like That makes me nervous. I started looking at it. I spend a lot of time worrying about donors and stuff, but I think social for me is communicating constantly with our fans about their program. I opened it up to everybody. My wife will say What are you doing? The idea is youre taking the mystique out of the office. Our main job is to support you. Were all in this together. Their voice matters.

Social media has impacted some programs more than others. At UCF, athletic director Danny White attributes the Golden Knights success to the athletic departments aggressive push on social. I dont think we would have accomplished what we accomplished here the last few years without social, he says. Weve doubled our donor base in three years, doubled our season-ticket base. Whit Babcock at Virginia Tech calls his social media game a work in progress. He is far less active than his colleagues, but one tweet he posted in August became somewhat of a viral sensation. A North Carolina radio station posted a tweet rhetorically asking if Tech coach Justin Fuentes job was in danger. Babcock, not mentioned or tagged in the stations tweet, replied to the post with one word: No. I need to have a burner account, he laughs. I think of funny things that I want to say but I enjoy when you take a little heat and then come back to win the game. Social is a necessary part of the game and theres no manual on how to do it.

Byrne used social media to cap the day, firing off a post about two hours after the game that featured a dozen game day workers

LSU eventually won Saturdays game, 46-41, over the Crimson Tide. Byrne watched the Tigers secure the victory by snaring an onside kick in the final seconds. Outside of the result, things went off without a hitch. He received no wild Twitter notifications of clogged toilets. The presidents visit sailed smoothly in and out. Byrne even got to meet a pair of NFL celebrities, Terrell Owens and Ray Lewis, both in attendance watching the game from the sideline. After the game, he visited the Alabama locker room before conducting a meeting on the field with operations officials, and then it was off to home where he planned to eat pizzaas long as it was before 8 p.m.

Excerpt from:
From Greeting Fans to Recruiting, Alabama's AD May Be the Busiest Man on Game Day - Sports Illustrated

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There are many athletes who work hard on their sport.

Then theres Ian Roach.

From reading books, getting private lessons, analyzing video of his swing, staying after practice daily, hitting the weight room and more, the Putnam County senior does whatever it takes to improve his golf game.

Ive studied (golf) like Im studying for a masters degree almost, Roach said.

The many hours spend studied the game and working on his swing has paid off for Roach.

He led the area in average by two strokes with a 36.8, won the Kewanee and Rock Falls invitationals, placed third in the Tri-County Conference Meet, won the Class 1A St. Bede Regional with a 75, finished second in the Aquin Sectional with a 76 and placed fourth at the state meet with a two-day score of 147.

For all he accomplished this fall, Roach is the NewsTribune Boys Golfer of the Year for the second season in a row.

He set really high goals for himself and came really close to getting exactly where he wanted to be, PC coach Chelsi Straughn-Niewinski said. He wanted to contend for a state championship, and he ended up in fourth place so he did pretty well for himself. He worked really hard and spent a lot of time on the golf course all summer and all fall. He definitely earned it.

Hes said it so many times that theres nothing in this world he loves more than golf, so he just wants to be the best he can be at it. He enjoys it so spending hour upon hour on it doesnt bother him. He can play all day and be happy. He has a strong desire to succeed at it so he just works and works and works.

His work has helped Roach come a long way when he started in the backyard with his dad coaching him.

He gave me the baseball grip just thumb over thumb, Roach said. He told me to keep my head down on the ball. Those were my main swing thoughts.

Since he really enjoyed the game, Roach wanted more than that.

At age 10, at the urging of former PC girls golf coach Eric Ciucci, he started golfing in more competitive tournaments.

Roach read Tiger Woods book, taking lessons from the golf legend and adapting them to fit himself.

He gave tips about his diet and tips about how to practice, what not to eat during practice and all that, Roach said. I took notes from that and was creative with it for myself. I wanted to make sure I was not just trying to emulate Tiger but trying to be me, see what worked for me and just get confident with it.

Roach, who hits the weight room hard in the offseason, follows a certain diet - not super strict - that consists of plenty of lean chicken and pork along with drinking plenty of water while e avoiding drinking anything with too much sugar while on the course.

As a freshman, Roach started seeing Butch Haverland, the director of golf at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill, the site of the John Deere Classic.

I was a mid-80s golfer when I met him and at the end of the year I credit my regional and sectional scores to him because my short game and swing was so much better, Roach said. Hes definitely the reason why my mental game is better. Ive learned so much from him that I can do things without him and just look myself and know that Butch would want me to do that.

With all of his research on diet, swing speed and body rotation along with the lessons learned from Haverland, Roach spent hours on the course fixing his own swing.

It was just getting comfortable, Roach said. There were a lot of times wed get done with practice and I would play well, but there were some shots where I thought, I just cant have those. I didnt want those shots in the tournament. Sometimes Id get stumped and stay because I really cared about the tournaments. I didnt want to have an elongated period of not knowing what Im doing then go to a tournament and try to figure out what Im doing.

So after practice, Roach would set up his phone in the umbrella holder of his push cart, take a swing then watch it back and repeat as many times as necessary.

I do what feels best first then go off of how it looks, Roach said. If it feels good but it doesnt look good on the plane all those things for consistency I know about I have to change it.

I would say looking at my swing definitely helped out with 90 percent of what I did along with a tip from my friend (and teammate) Ben (Cyr) or a tip from my coach.

But no matter what fixes Roach makes to his swing or how much he improves, hes never satisfied, and he plans to keep working as he continues his career at IVCC before pursuing a career in golf.

The thing about golf is you can get so much satisfaction from the work you do, Roach said. You can always get better. I look at my rounds and think, I could have taken three shots off. Even after Kewanee (when I shot a 67) I thought of strokes I could have taken off.

BOYS ALL-AREA TEAM

Kevin Chlum can be reached at 220-6939, or at kchlum@shawmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @NT_SportsEditor.

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2019 Boys Golfer of the Year - LaSalle News Tribune

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Thanks to a growing interest in all things fermented, sourdough is more popular than everand for good reason. The perfect piece of sourdough is chewy and distinctively tangy, more complex in flavor than white bread, and healthier, too.

Raw sourdough is home to the same bacteria that are in yogurt, Lactobacilli, which consumes the flour in the same way as yeast, breaking down some of the gluten proteins while the bread rises. Because of this, some people who struggle to digest gluten find that they can tolerate sourdough bread. The longer the bread rises, the lower the gluten content will be. (That said,store-bought sourdough typically still contains plenty of gluten.)

Fermentation helps lower the breads phytic-acid content, explains Lori Nedescu, a registered dietitian and professional cyclist. Phytic acid is an antinutrient that inhibits the bodys ability to absorb minerals by bonding to them, and its present in most flours. Ultrarunner and registered dietitian Kylee Van Horn explains that phytic acid binds to iron, zinc, and calcium, which can be a concern for those eating a lot of seeds, grains, and legumes at each meal.Lessening the phytic-acid content in a food can help increase absorption of these essential minerals, she says. And athletes, especially those eating vegetarian or vegan diets, are particularly at risk for developing deficiencies.

Research also shows that the carbohydrates in sourdough digest slower, which means you wont get a blood-sugar spike or the subsequent crash. Keeping your blood sugar stable will not only help your energy levels and mood throughout the day, but it can help prevent cravings from happening, says Van Horn. Simple carbohydratesrefined sugars, white flour, white ricecan cause a quick burst of energy for the body, but the body simultaneously releases a burst of insulin, which utilizes those sugars quickly. This causes a quick blood-sugar drop, which leads to hunger, jitteriness, trouble concentrating, and a dropin energy.

Good sourdoughwhich will be more rustic and less processedis my first choice when it comes to bread, Nedescu says.Opt for homemade or bakery-fresh loaves, Van Horn adds.Commercial companies typically use a small amount of starter but then add commercial yeast and other flavors, like vinegar, to give it a sour taste, she says. The very short leavening process means it doesnt have the same health benefits.

Learning to bake sourdough is a great at-home projectfor athletes and foodies alike, but it does take time to perfect the process. It seems simpleall you need is a starter, flour, salt, and waterbut the process is trickier than you might expectand requires patience to get right. Baking is a chemistry experiment, and sourdough is one of the hardest types of bread to perfect, since its yeast-free rising can be influenced by temperature, altitude, and the quality of ingredients, among other factors. Read on to learn how to start your own sourdough journey.

(Photo: Ina Peters/Stocksy)

The first thing youll need is a sourdough starter, which replaces the yeast you would add to typical bread dough. It looks a little like yogurt, but its just flour, water, and salt that has been left at the right temperature to encourage the wild yeast found naturally on flour to ferment. Precise measurements are key with sourdough baking, so youll also want to buy a food scale to measure your ingredients in grams. (You can find one for under $10 here.)

Most bakeries will give you a small sourdough starter if you askas will sourdough-baking friendsor you canbuy one on Amazon. Its easy to do it yourself, too. In a one-quart mason jar, combine 60 grams of whole-grain flour and 30 millilitersof warm water, and let it sit at room temperature, with the lid loose. After two days, stir in 40 millilitersof warm water and 40 grams of flour to feedit, says baker and bikepacker Karlee Gendron, who teaches a sourdough cooking class at Fort Whyte Farms in Alberta.

Thencontinue to feed it with 40 millilitersof water and 40 grams of flourdaily, which is a standard feeding schedule for any starter kept at room temperature.Youll notice it bubblingthat means its beginning to ferment! Ataround seven days (or by the time your starter is bubbling consistently), its ready to use in baking.

Outgrowing your mason jar? Skip to the sourdough pancake recipe below or discard some of the starter, but dont stop feeding it.Each day before feeding, I recommend discarding about two tablespoons of starter in the jar, or you will eventually run out of room, Gendron warns. Oryou could take it out and use that for something like pancakes, or give it to a friend to start their starter.

You can slow the fermentation process by storing your starter in the fridge and feeding it only once per week. But be sure to take your starter out of the fridge at least two days prior to baking. Youll want to feed it twice a day and wait until its actively bubbling again before beginning the baking process, Gendron says.

Baking sourdough takes a couple of days, though your actual time in the kitchen will be minimal. Youll need a Dutch oven: these heavy cast-iron pots hold in heat and trap steam for the perfect baking environment for bread. If you dont have one, you can use any ovenproof heavy pot with a tight-fitting lidor a baking stone with an inverted roasting pan (as a makeshift lid), but cast-iron does make a difference.

Below, Gendron shares her favorite way to turn a sourdough starter into an edible loaf of bread. She has perfected her recipe after years of trial and errorand emphasizes that baking sourdough is hard to get right. Expect a few imperfect loaves before you nail it.

Ingredients

Directions

Day One:

Mix leaven: Add 200 milliliterswarm water (roughly 80 degrees), 200 grams flour,and 50 grams starter to a container and stir. Cover with cling wrap or a tea towel, and let sit approximately 12 hours.

Day Two:

Add 250grams of the leaven to a large mixing bowl. Pour in 700 millilitersof warm water, and mix with your hands until the leaven is dispersed. Add one kiloof flour and mix with your hands until combinedand no dry flour is left. Cover your bowl with a towel or cling wrap, and let it sit for 45 minutes in a warm spot to rise. Mix 20 grams salt with50 millilitersof warm water, dissolving the salt. Pour this over top of the dough, and squeeze the dough with your hands to incorporate the salt water throughout. Cover for 30 minutes, then fold the dough every 30 to 45 minutes, repeating four times (this step takes around three hours). Then let it rest one to two hours untouched and covered. Lightly sprinkle flour on the counter, and cut the dough into two equal halves. With lightly floured hands, shape each half into a loose boule, and let them rest on the counter, covered with a tea towel, for30 minutes. Place into heavily floured bowls, and leave the dough covered in the fridge overnight.

Day Three:

Place the Dutch oven (lined withparchment paper if so desired) in the oven,and heat to 500 degrees. Place the bread into the Dutch oven by flipping the bowl over atop it, notingthat the side of bread facing up in the bowl will be the bottom of the bread in your Dutch oven. Score the top of the bread in the Dutch oven by making two slashes, then cover it with the lid. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on, then reduce the temperature to 475degrees and bake for 20 minutes with the lid off. (If using a thermometer, the bread should reach 200 degrees.) Cool for one hour, and enjoy!

Use the same first steps in the bread recipe, but instead of putting the bread in the Dutch oven on day three, grab your favorite pizza sauce and toppings, then follow these steps:

Once the final shaping is finished, divide the dough into rounded one-pound pieces, cover,and let them rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, placing a pizza stone in the oven to heat up at the same time. Dust a cutting board with cornmeal and flour, and press the dough rounds flat until theyre a half-inch thick.Pick up the dough and stretch it using the back of your knuckles, rotating the discaround your hands.Once the dough is at your preferred thickness for a pizza crust, lay it back on the flour-and-cornmeal-dusted cutting board, and assemble your desired toppings.Slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone and bake for about eight minutes, turning the pizza 90 degrees about four minutes in.Cut and serve.

That extra starter can make delicious pancakes, with the perfect amount of tartness to cut through the sweet berries or maple syrup that you put on top.

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the starter, egg, and sweetener (if using). Add the flour and milk as needed to achieve your desired consistencythicker batter makes thicker pancakes. Heat a griddle overmedium heat, and pour the batter in three-inch circles, flipping them when theybeginto bubble. Serve with berries, syrup, or Greek yogurt for a breakfast protein boost.

As you prepareyour first few loaves, you might make some common mistakes that lead to dough that doesnt rise or bread thats too dense. Here, Gendron explains some easy fixes for the most frequent sourdough mishaps:

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Everything You Need to Know About Sourdough Bread - Outside Magazine

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The Warriors Insider Podcast

LOS ANGELES --The history of Warriors basketball in the Bay Area is rife with throwaway seasons, including two in which they posted 17 wins and two more with 19 wins. Not once in those 57 years, though, have they lost more than 80 percent of their games.

That inglorious standard is within stumbling distance this season. At 2-9, the Warriors are on pace to finish 15-67. Thats not to say they will. With enough progress and development, they could push their win total deep into the 20s.

That requires a significant upgrade from the pillow-soft defense theyve exhibited thus far.

We just havent found an identity defensively, coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. We dont expect to be the best defensive team in the league, but I dont think we should be the worst.

The Warriors are, 11 games into this transitional season, the worst defensive team in the NBA. In a 30-team league, they are No. 30.

As they stroll into Staples Center to face the Lakers on Wednesday night, the Warriors rank dead last in defensive rating (117.0), in defensive efficiency (1.136), in field goals made per game by opponents (44.7) and in largest average deficit over the course of a game (19.5 points).

Theyre No. 29 in effective-field-goal defense (56.4 percent), just ahead of the last-place Kings.

The lapses and indifference cant be hidden, and they are spotlighted in team video sessions. Its a team game, particularly on defense, but the Warriors wont get much better on that end unless point guard DAngelo Russell and primary center Willie Cauley-Stein are appreciably more effective.

For us to be the team that we need to be, weve got to be super pesky, super aggressive, out in passing lanes, Cauley-Stein said. Our defensive mistakes need to be being aggressive and not just not knowing where to go.

When I asked Cauley-Stein about his thought process when Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drove in for a soaring dunk off a halfcourt set Monday night, the 7-footers reply was try to just put a body in front of him and make him miss it.

Thats not what happened. Cauley-Stein stood flat-footed and watched Mitchells highlight. In fairness to Cauley-Stein, he was nudged toward the baseline by Utah big man Rudy Gobert. But there was no aggressive effort to defend what should be his domain.

Asked, also, there was no indication that Cauley-Stein felt his domain was violated by Mitchell.

Theres no comeback, he said. Its a play-on. Theres probably 200 plays that happen in a game. Its not a touchdown. Its two points. You probably go down and probably score a 3-pointer right afterward.

Its one of them things like, yeah, you want to protect the paint but were also fouling too much. Guys are getting downhill. We have to figure out a way to play without our hands and just being in the way and making dudes miss. Thats where were trying to go to now, is making it extremely difficult.

Though Cauley-Stein looks and runs the part of a rim protector, his resume protests otherwise. In 199 games over four seasons in Sacramento, he totaled 228 blocks. For perspective, Andrew Bogut, who considered the paint his domain, had 227 blocks in 137 games in his last two full seasons as a Warrior.

Understand, blocks are not the only stat, or even the primary stat, that matters. The key is presence, which is best built by consistent assertiveness, a level of resistance that discourages driving.

Cauley-Stein arrived with the reputation of being relatively soft in the paint, uninclined to consistently make others feel his presence. If this continues, so will the dunks.

Willies added quite a bit since his return from injury, Kerr said. Just the size, the rebounding, the ability to change shots at the rim is really important for us.

But this is a teamwide exercise, all five guys being on the same page. Being aggressive, taking teams out of their comfort zone. I dont really look at it as one position. Its all five guys communicating, talking, playing with aggression, playing with force and doing it as a unit.

Which brings us to D-Lo, whose apathetic defense is attracting such derisive nicknames as Angelo and Lo --as in no D.

In his first four NBA seasons, Russell was hounded by coaches and teammates --including as a rookie by Kobe Bryant when the two were Lakers --to work harder on defense. Show more fight. Be more engaged. Take pride. And there were stretches in Russells past, with the Lakers and the Nets, when he played respectable defense.

Indeed, his 110.2 rating last season in Brooklyn was superior to Dennis Schroder (110.3) and Mike Conley (110.8), to players generally considered solid defenders.

Russell now is in his fifth NBA season and first as a Warrior, and both the eye test (indifference and/or immobility) and sheer statistics (119.0 defensive rating) point to steep regression. Only two rotation players in the league, Collin Sexton (121.0) and Jordan Clarkson (119.5), both Cavaliers, finished last season with a worse rating.

After the loss to the Jazz the other night, Draymond Green, general of defense for the Warriors, was probed for his thoughts on fixing the defense.

That all starts at the point of attack, he said. One thing weve been good at over the years is guarding the pick-and-roll with two guys. If you can guard the pick-and-roll with two guys, maybe two-and-a-half guys, you give yourself a lot better chance at taking the 3 out of the game, and also dunks out of the game.

Its not one person in particulars fault. Its just something that weve got to continue to get better at as a team.

The Warriors team defense is so incredibly poor that their players are saddled with the seven worst defensive ratings in the league. Rookies Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole are at 119.4. Veteran wing Glenn Robinson III, cooked repeatedly by Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins despite everyone in the league knowing he always goes right, is at 118.9. Rookie Ky Bowman is at 118.5, two-way guard Damion Lee and veteran wing Alec Burks are both at 117.8

Why is Russell, who made his first All-Star team last season, defending at the level of rookies learning the ways of the NBA and guys trying to prove they can contribute in the league?

Perhaps because hes focused on scoring, especially now, with StephCurry and Klay Thompson out for at least a few months. His scoring is needed to keep the Warriors in games, and its conceivable that he simply lacks thejuice to contribute at both ends. An old quote might provide a clue.

I wanted to play defense in L.A.," Russell told ESPN in August 2017, shortly after being traded to the Nets. "But I felt like I had to score every chance I got for us to be relevant."

[RELATED:How Russell is back to torching opponents in mid-range game]

Can he be blamed if he feels that way with this group of Warriors?

The outlook, then, is grim. The Warriors want no part of being the worst team in franchise history. If they cant do better on defense, they invite that possibility.

Go here to see the original:
Warriors must fix ugly defense to avoid hitting rock bottom - NBCSports.com

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