MSI Press Blog

I’ve been thinking about planks lately — mostly because I keep hearing that Cher holds a plank for five minutes and swears it’s the secret to her good health. Five minutes. I admire her, but I also suspect she has a higher tolerance for boredom than I do. I tap out around the two‑minute mark, not because my core gives up, but because my brain does. There’s only so long I can stare at the floor and contemplate my life choices. Still, planking has become one of my quiet, reliable rituals — the kind that keeps me functional, upright, and able to get off the floor without looking like I’m reenacting a Greek tragedy. What I actually get out of planking When I plank, I can feel the deep core muscles switch on — the ones that don’t show up in photos but keep me steady in real life. My glutes fire, my quads brace, my shoulders stabilize, and my diaphragm negotiates with me about breathing. It’s a full‑body negotiation, really. This is why I keep doing it. Planks aren’t glamorous, but they’re t...

  I love the demands of daily living — they keep me trained-fit when I cannot make the gym. Every task is a kata, every chore a drill. Picking up pebbles from four Fresh Breeze litter boxes → good for 40–50 squats Cleaning out the dishwasher → a couple dozen bend-and-lifts Sweeping the floor → upper body activity, broom as staff practice Cat vomit on the floor → down on my knees, scrub-scrub, arms at work Bringing in cat litter (38-pound boxes, two at a time, up 17 stairs) → farmer’s carry with elevation — grip, biceps, glutes, and cardio all in play  Being jungle gym for the 3-year-old little tyke → lifting up and over my head, down and around — ah, finally, some tricep action Getting dressed → balance drill: one leg for pants until topple, then switch — 40–50 seconds per leg Phone ring in the middle of it all → sprint drill: dash to the other room, cardio, heart rate spike Break time — Russian twists → ah, finally, some core love: obliques firing, torso rotation, balanc...

  Study Finds Specific Cancers Could Be Prevented by Exercise ,  as recently reported by MSN.  To cite a portion, " Jones [the researcher] and his team found that regular exercisers had a slightly reduced risk of developing cancer overall compared to non-exercisers. However, the associated lower risk was higher for head and neck, breast, and lung cancers in particular. At the same time, the team found no link between exercise and a reduced risk of other types, like colorectal and ovarian cancer, and they found a possible higher risk linked to exercise for two types of cancer, melanoma and prostate cancer. They also noticed a dose-response effect, meaning that more exercise seemed to have a more potent impact on cancer risk in either direction." Now, it seems that the study included walking, jogging, and running outdoors. Commonsense says that additional sun exposure might have been involved with the increase in skin cancer (but, certainly, hats and sunscreen will help). F...

  Today's book excerpt comes from Joanna Romer's Widow: How to Survive (and Thrive!) in Your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Years CHAPTER SIX Exercise Dare I bring up the obvious? There are few things as crucial to your state of mind as exercise. While it may have been easy to go the gym, run around the block, or swim at the neighborhood pool during your first year of widowhood, by Year Two it’s become a little harder. Why is that? Quite simply, when you’re in a state of extreme stress or depression, such as early widowhood, exercise acts as a tonic, giving an immediate boost. As your sense of wellbeing returns, the benefits of exercise aren’t so obvious. They are still there, however, and exercise is still vitally important. Even though we begin to feel a new sense of calm and acceptance waking up in the morning, that doesn’t mean we should loll around the house all day in our pajamas. Yes, certainly, once a week it’s great to take a day off, but during the week try to incorporate a little...

  From  Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star Chemicals I once had a student who appeared unable to retain anything she was taught. Trying to figure out the cause, I gave her a series of learning styles test, which had odd results. I called her into my office and told her, “Either you answered the questions very strangely, or you have a storm in your head.” “I have a storm in my head,” she said, which was not the response I expected. It turns out that she had been given some incorrect prescription medicine that had caused some temporary damage. With her permission, I spoke to her doctor, who told me that the medicine had caused damage to short-term memory that would, over time, dissipate. With some support from the doctor, we were able to move beyond her temporary impairment. Chemicals can impede language learning, where possible they should be avoided. Here are some chemicals you may not be thinking about: some allergy medications nicotine too mu...