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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thejackerwin/photos/pb.613490008713736.-2207520000.1463408772./1200795796649818/?type=3&amp;theater">Jack Erwin</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Jack Erwin Cooper boat shoe.</p></div><p></p></div></div>We've said it before, and we'll say it again: The boat shoe, as we know it, is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-wear-instead-of-boat-shoes-2016-3">over</a>.</p><p>That doesn't mean, however, that low-profile moccasin-style leather shoes shouldn't be worn at all. In fact, there are a number of styles that we <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-wear-instead-of-boat-shoes-2016-3">recommend</a>.</p><p>Let's add one more to that list: Jack Erwin's new <a href="http://www.jackerwin.com/pages/boat-shoe">Cooper boat shoe</a>. Jack Erwin is a New York-based shoe startup that has gathered a following with their reasonable prices for made-in-Portugal shoes and free returns.</p><p>While the name implies that these are your typical boat shoes, the styling certainly does not. Made from soft calfskin and nubuck leather (regular cow leather that has been sanded or buffeted to give it a velvet or suede-like appearance), the shoes are a significant upgrade to your typical boat shoe and will mold to your foot over time.</p><p>In fact, we hesitate to even call them boat shoes like Jack Erwin does. It seems to do the shoe a disservice to lump it in the same category. The leather colors, the matching stitching, the minimal design, and the low-profile sole all add up to an elevation of the classic boat shoe style.</p><p>The shape is more reminiscent of an elegant loafer than a sporty boat shoe, since Jack Erwin elected to use a loafer last (the wooden piece used to mold the shoe) instead of a typical boat shoe one.</p><p>If the issue with regular boat shoes are that they look more suited to yachting than running errands in the city, these shoes completely solve that issue.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thejackerwin/photos/a.617874144941989.1073741828.613490008713736/1200798946649503/?type=3&amp;theater">Jack Erwin</a></span></p><p class="caption">The $125 Cooper boat shoe comes in caramel, slate, and navy.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Unfortunately, all of these upgrades come at a price. The Cooper line sells for $125 and comes in caramel, slate, and navy. This price point raises the shoes into a more competitive shoe style category, along with penny loafers and other loafer-style shoes. <a href="http://www.sperry.com/en/authentic-original-2-eye-boat-shoe/10118M.html?dwvar_10118M_color=0195115#cgid=men-shoes-boat-shoes&amp;start=1">Sperry's start at $95</a>, but can be had even more cheaply than <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Top-Sider-Mens-Boat-Sahara/dp/B000EP6HYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1463411953&amp;sr=1-1&amp;nodeID=7141123011&amp;keywords=sperry">that on Amazon</a>.</p><p>It might be hard to convince guys to invest in a nicer pair of boat shoes, especially when the whole point of them is that they are made to be bought semi-cheaply, worn into dust, and then tossed aside and replaced.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/essential-shoes-professional-men-need-2015-10">5 classic men's shoes for work and play</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="8yeHlvajp8oxNVfYncWyv4nTSkJShDYH" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This startup's new boat shoes are the perfect replacement for your sweaty Sperrys

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Practicing yoga may help relieve swelling, muscle tension, cramping, and other period-related pain.</li><li>Ideal poses for cramps help stretch your abdominal muscles, open your hips, or relax your pelvis.</li></ul><p>Persistent or intense <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/reproductive-health/period-cramps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">menstrual cramps</a> can easily disrupt your daily life — especially when your go-to <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/reproductive-health/what-helps-with-period-cramps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategies for relief</a>, like heating pads or <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/treatments/types-of-painkillers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">painkillers</a>, don't do much to relieve your pain. </p><p>Evidence suggests, however, that yoga can provide additional relief. According to one small study, practicing <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29037637/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 minutes of yoga twice a week for 12 weeks</a> may lead to<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29037637/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> significant improvements</a> in menstrual pain.</p><p><a href="https://feminapt.com/about-us/about-kasia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kasia Gondek</a>, a licensed physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist trained in yoga for pelvic pain, says yoga can help reduce discomfort from period cramps by:</p><ul><li><a href="https://juniperpublishers.com/jyp/JYP.MS.ID.555726.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Increasing circulation</a>, which prevents swelling in the uterine veins</li><li>Delivering <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/7-heart-benefits-of-exercise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more oxygen to your muscles</a> to ward off aches and pains</li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Relieving muscle tension</a> in the hips, low back, inner thighs, and abdominal areas — common sites of pain during menstruation </li></ul><p>Certain yoga poses may do more to ease your pain than others, however. Yoga instructors specifically recommend these six poses to help relieve and prevent period cramps.</p><h2>1. Reclined goddess pose (Supta baddha konasana)</h2><div type="image" title="person laying on their back with their knees bent out to the side and propped up" height="384" width="512" msid="94995214" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Why it helps: </strong>Gondek says this pose, also called restorative goddess pose, is one of the best poses for any kind of pelvic pain. </p><p>It helps open up your hips, which may feel tight and restricted <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4415749/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before, during, and after your period</a>.</p><h3><strong>How to do it:</strong><strong><br /></strong></h3><p><strong>1. </strong>Start lying on your back, with your knees bent and feet planted on the floor. </p><p><strong>2. </strong>Place one bolster pillow underneath your knees. Then position another bolster lengthwise under your spine. Your butt should rest on your <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/best-yoga-mat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yoga mat</a>.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>Lie back and allow your props to support your back, neck, and head. </p><p><strong>4. </strong>With your arms relaxed by your side, turn your palms facing upward. </p><p><strong>5. </strong>Touch the soles of your feet together and let your knees gently fall to either side. If this feels uncomfortable, you can also keep your feet planted on the mat.</p><p><strong>6. </strong>Remain in this pose for at least 3-5 minutes. </p><p><strong>7. </strong>When you're done, plant your feet flat on the floor, remove the prop from under your knees and slowly sit upright.</p><p><strong>Note: </strong>Many yoga classes use special oblong pillows as bolsters. If you don't have one, you can make your own with a rolled towel or blanket. </p><h2>2. Cat-Cow pose (Chakravakasana)</h2><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Person in cat pose yoga" height="338" width="450" msid="94995215" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Why it helps: </strong><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/multimedia/cat-cow-pose/vid-20453581" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cat-cow pose</a> may <a href="https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources/helping-hands/yoga-exercises-and-menstrual-cramps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help ease period pain</a> because it can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852652/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stretch the abdominal muscles</a>, which may become tight and tense from cramping. </p><p><a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD006345/PVD_prevention-of-poor-blood-flow-in-the-veins-in-a-standing-worker-population" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> suggests that poor circulation can <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21882-poor-circulation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cause pain and discomfort</a>, and this pose may stimulate blood flow to the pelvic region, according to certified yoga instructor <a href="https://mimiyoga.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mimi Ghandour</a>, which may help ease your pain. </p><p>Cat-cow pose also opens up the chest and encourages <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3864467/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slow, deep breathing</a>. This can help your whole body relax, which is important since the uterine spasms that cause cramps can cause tension in your body — and those spasms tend to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852652/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worsen when you're stressed</a>.</p><h3><strong>How to do it:</strong><strong><br /></strong></h3><p><strong>1. </strong>Start on your hands and knees with a neutral spine — in other words, avoid arching or curving your spine. </p><p><strong>2. </strong>Position your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Point your fingertips to the top of your mat.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>To move into cat pose, exhale as you start rounding your spine, tucking your tailbone, and drawing your pelvis forward.</p><p><strong>4. </strong>Next, to move into cow pose, inhale as you come back to a neutral spine. Slowly tilt your chest forward and arch your back, lifting your chest as you drop your belly toward the mat. Gently gaze toward the ceiling without straining your neck.</p><p><strong>5. </strong>Continue alternating these two stretches for at least five breaths, while synchronizing your inhalations to the cow pose and exhalations to the cat pose.</p><h2>3. Supine twist (Supta matsyendrasana)</h2><div type="image" title="person laying on their back with their arms out to the side and their legs bent and resting on the ground" height="384" width="512" msid="94995216" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Why it helps: </strong>Gondek says this pose can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6852652/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help release tension and tightness in your abdominal fascia</a> — the connective tissue surrounding your abdominal muscles.</p><p>Also, this pose may offer additional benefits if you experience <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/lower-back-pain-causes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lower back pain</a> during your period, since it's great for stretching and <a href="https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/supine-spinal-twist-supta-matsyendrasana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strengthening the lower back</a>.</p><h3><strong>How to do it:</strong><strong><br /></strong></h3><p><strong>1. </strong>Start out lying on your back, with your arms outstretched to form a "T" shape with your body and your palms facing upward. </p><p><strong>2. </strong>Keep your left leg extended out in front of you. As you inhale, bend your right knee and gently hug it to your chest.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>As you exhale, keep your right knee bent and cross it over to the left side of your body until your shin and foot touch the floor. Place your left hand on your right knee for support. </p><p><strong>4. </strong>Keep both shoulder blades on the mat, even if that means you can't touch your right knee to the floor.</p><p><strong>5. </strong>Stay in this position for five full breaths. To deepen the stretch, turn your head toward your right hand.</p><p><strong>6. </strong>Bring your right knee back to the center and extend that leg. Repeat steps 2-5 with your left leg.</p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>If the stretch in this pose feels too intense, you can try placing a bolster pillow or blankets under your bent knee.</p><h2>4.  Standing forward fold (Uttanasana)</h2><div type="image" title="person standing up and touching their toes" height="384" width="512" msid="94995217" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Why it helps: </strong>The Sanskrit word "uttanasana" comes from "ut," meaning intense, and "tan," meaning to stretch. </p><p>"Intense stretch" is a fitting name, since Ghandour says this pose provides a deep stretch along the entire backside of your body — which is beneficial since menstrual cramps can <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menstrual-cramps/symptoms-causes/syc-20374938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cause pain in your thighs and lower back</a>.</p><p>Standing forward fold is a common pose in <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/hatha-yoga" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hatha yoga</a>, a gentler style that focuses on timing your breath to your movements. </p><p>Gondek says hatha yoga may prove an especially helpful approach for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27869485/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">relieving pelvic pain during your period</a>. Since it emphasizes slower movements and deeper stretching, it's less strenuous on your body — a bonus if you don't feel up to moving much at all. </p><h3><strong>How to do it:</strong><strong><br /></strong></h3><p><strong>1. </strong>While standing with your arms by your sides and feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly as you hinge forward from your hips.</p><p><strong>2. </strong>Keep your spine long and shoulders down as you touch your fingertips to the floor in front of you. Release all tension in your neck and let your head hang, relaxed. Breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth for 1-2 minutes.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>When you're ready, very gradually allow your upper body to rise, with your head coming up last.</p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>For a deeper stretch, you can try bringing your palms flat onto the mat. For a gentler stretch, you can place a <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/best-yoga-blocks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yoga block</a> in front of you to rest your fingers or hands on.</p><h2>5. Happy baby pose (Ananda balasana)</h2><div type="image" title="person on their back with their legs up and bent. they are grabbing their toes" height="384" width="512" msid="94995218" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Why it helps: </strong>This pose helps relieve pain by <a href="https://www.bidmc.org/-/media/files/beth-israel-org/centers-and-departments/rehabilitation-services/relax_your_muscles_sheet_2016_05_rev.pdf">relaxing the pelvic floor muscles</a> along with releasing tension in your lower back muscles, says Gondek. That makes it a great option if you tend to have an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-causes-back-pain-2019-5">achy or tender back</a> and pelvis during your period.</p><h3><strong>How to do it:</strong></h3><p><strong>1. </strong>Start lying on your back. Bend your knees in toward your chest, and raise your arms up to grip the outsides or inner arches of your feet.</p><p><strong>2. </strong>While keeping your feet flexed, gently spread your knees apart so they're wider than your torso, and shift them upward toward your armpits.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>Gently rock from side to side as you inhale and exhale deeply for 1-3 minutes.</p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>If you're having trouble reaching your feet or getting your knees to widen and shift upward, you can try placing your hands on your calves or behind your thighs instead.</p><h2>6. Downward dog pose (Adho mukha svanasana)</h2><div type="image" title="person in the downward dog pose" height="384" width="512" msid="94995219" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Why it helps: </strong>Downward dog pose simultaneously stretches and strengthens the body, says Ghandour — and as with other inverted poses that place your heart higher than your head, it <a href="https://www.ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT1807265.pdf">boosts blood flow</a> throughout the body, which may help relieve <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/reproductive-health/cramps-before-period">period pain</a>.</p><h3><strong>How to do it:</strong><strong><br /></strong></h3><p><strong>1. </strong>Begin on all fours, with your wrists slightly in front of your shoulders, knees under your hips, and toes curled under. </p><p><strong>2. </strong>Inhale for 3-4 counts, and then as you exhale for 3-4 counts, push through your hands to raise your hips to the ceiling and straighten your legs without locking your knees.</p><p><strong>3. </strong>Spread your fingers wide and press your hands into the mat. Let your head hang, keep your shoulder blades relaxed away from your ears, and lift your tailbone toward the ceiling.</p><p><strong>4. </strong>Stay in this pose for five to 10 breaths. </p><p><strong>Quick tip: </strong>If you'd like an additional stretch, Ghandour suggests peddling out your feet by bending and straightening each leg one at a time.</p><h2>Best yoga mats</h2><div type="image" title="A bald man doing a yoga pose on the Hugger Mugger Para Rubber Yoga Mat, best yoga mats 2022" height="900" width="1200" msid="94995220" hostid="261"></div><p>A good yoga mat cushions your body and grounds you in the practice. Find the mat best for your body in our guide to the <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/best-yoga-mat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best yoga mats</a>.<br /><br /></p><ul><li><strong>Best on a budget: </strong>Hugger Mugger Gallery Collection Yoga Mat, $46.95 on <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHugger-Mugger-Gallery-Collection-Ultra%2Fdp%2FB07DF1W3QW" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.avantlink.com%2Fclick.php%3Ftt%3Dcl%26mi%3D10060%26pw%3D184534%26ctc%3D%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.backcountry.com%252Fhugger-mugger-gallery-collection-ultra-mat" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Backcountry</a></li></ul><ul><li><strong>Best for sweaty yogis: </strong>JadeYoga Harmony Mat, $84.95 on <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FJade-Yoga-Harmony-Professional-Mat%2Fdp%2FB000ECD6N2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.avantlink.com%2Fclick.php%3Ftt%3Dcl%26mi%3D10248%26pw%3D184534%26ctc%3D%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.rei.com%252Fproduct%252F786833%252Fjade-harmony-professional-yoga-mat" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">REI</a></li></ul><ul><li><strong>Best washable:</strong> Yogi Bare Teddy Yoga Mat, $47.99 on <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FYogibare-Exercise-Microfibre-Washable-Friendly%2Fdp%2FB07D7ZRC11" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.yogi-bare.com/collections/yoga-mats/products/yogi-bare-teddy-yoga-mat-luxury-velvet-feel-sweat-adaptive-mat-stars" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Yogi Bare</a></li></ul><h2>Insider's takeaway</h2><p>You may not always feel like moving when you have period cramps — but doing some gentle yoga can often make a difference by helping stretch and relax tense, achy muscles and boosting blood flow throughout the body.</p><p>All that said, always listen to how your body responds to your yoga practice, and honor your limitations. If certain poses feel too intense or end up aggravating your cramps, Gondek suggests modifying them or trying something else, like walking, swimming, Pilates, or basic stretches.</p>

6 best yoga poses to relieve period cramps and soothe aching muscles in your thighs and back

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Despite being aware of the limited evidence of its benefits, I love <keyword id="2697432" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="bulletproof-coffee">Bulletproof Coffee</keyword>.</li><li>I find it gives me more energy and fewer side effects than plain coffee.</li><li>However, I only drink it occasionally, and it's not a substitute for a healthy breakfast. </li></ul><p>Bulletproof Coffee, the trend of blending freshly brewed coffee with butter from grass-fed cows and MCT oil, is one of the rare <keyword id="6358230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diet">diet</keyword> fads I actually like as a <keyword id="52652" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="nutrition">nutrition</keyword> reporter. </p><p>Fans say the drink can boost energy and focus, reduce caffeine crashes, and helps regulate appetite and blood sugar levels. Bulletproof coffee isn't for everyone; one <a href="https://www.insider.com/we-tried-buttered-coffee-from-bulletproof-2017-9">Insider reporter who previously tried it</a> didn't notice a difference in drinking it from consuming regular coffee. There's also <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-bulletproof-butter-coffee-health-benefits-2021-5">mixed evidence behind some of reported benefits</a>. </p><p>And dietitians tend to caution against the butter brew because it's high in saturated fat. </p><p>While I'm aware of the limitations of research supporting the benefits of Bulletproof Coffee, I still drink it because it offers me a major productivity boost. Drinking it makes me feel more energized, and makes me less likely to crash mid-afternoon than when I drink regular coffee. </p><p>However, it's not a magic <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> hack for everyone, and it's not a regular part of my routine. Here's what to know if you want to try it yourself. </p><h2><strong>How to make Bulletproof Coffee</strong></h2><p>There are different versions of Bulletproof Coffee (or tea), but all involve mixing a caffeinated beverage with rich sources of fat like butter, ghee, and oil. It was popularized by biohacker and entrepreneur <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bulletproof-coffeehttps://www.insider.com/bulletproof-coffee-dave-asprey-morning-routine-2017-4">Dave Asprey</a>, who credits it with fueling his high-intensity lifestyle. </p><p>I prefer to drink eight ounces of hot (but not scalding) coffee, mixed with a tablespoon of butter and half a teaspoon of coconut oil (This is the raw material for MCT oil. It's significantly cheaper, and I haven't notice a difference in benefits). </p><p>I blend it in a shaker cup or blender until it's a smooth, creamy consistency. </p><p>Drinking it is a bit like having a latte, but a silkier texture and richer flavor. </p><div type="image" title="Bulletproof Coffee" height="2274" width="3024" msid="83244001" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Its high fat content makes it somewhat controversial</strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-bulletproof-butter-coffee-health-benefits-2021-5">Nutritionists sometimes caution against drinking buttery coffee</a> because of its high saturated fat and cholesterol content, which <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/harvard-researchers-renew-warnings-about-saturated-fat-and-heart-disease">some evidence</a> suggests can increase the risk of <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-heart-disease">heart disease</a>.</p><p>For people trying to lose weight, the high-calorie drink may make it harder to sustain a calorie deficit.</p><p>However, I drink it anyway, in part because I have an overall healthy and active lifestyle, and I enjoy it as part of a balanced diet. </p><h2><strong>With Bulletproof coffee, I have fewer caffeine crashes or jitters </strong></h2><p>The main reason I add butter to my coffee is that I like the taste. I'm not a sweet coffee person, and this is a fun treat, especially with a flavored coffee like butter rum. </p><p>I also feel like I get the benefits of caffeine with fewer side effects. </p><p>I'm a <a href="https://www.insider.com/is-coffee-good-for-you-science-says-yes-moderation-2020-7">daily coffee drinker</a>, and while I'm generally pretty good at pacing myself, I sometimes overdo it on the caffeine when I'm sleepy or stressed. That means instead of feeling alert and productive, I end up getting sweaty and distracted.  Too much caffeine for me also tends to lead to a crash a few hours later. </p><p>Since I <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-you-get-tired-2pm-what-to-do-2021-5">naturally have lower energy in the afternoons</a>, feeling groggy as my morning coffee wears off is the last thing I want. </p><p>When I've had Bulletproof Coffee, I feel like the energy boost is more gradual, so I'm less likely to get too amped up. It also lasts longer and feels less jarring when it wears off.</p><p>That makes it ideal for times that I need a pick-me-up. Overall, it helps me be productive when I need to stay focused and work for a long period of time without breaks. </p><h2>I don't feel hangry after drinking it, even if I don't have time to eat</h2><p>Another advantage of Bulletproof Coffee is that I find I'm really not hungry after drinking it, and can go several hours without thinking about food. </p><p>As someone who tends to get "hangry," that makes it helpful for when I'm too busy to stop for a healthy meal or snack in between tasks. I noticed the appetite-suppressing effects of rich Bulletproof Coffee were similar to when I tried a high fat <a href="https://www.insider.com/carb-cycling-helped-boost-workouts-but-hard-to-adjust-to-2021-4">carb-cycling diet</a>. </p><p>While Bulletproof Coffee is high in calories, that's not a problem for me since I'm not trying to lose weight. As someone who is fairly active and lifts weights, I'm more concerned about getting enough calories, so being able to have a reliable, tasty source of liquid calories in my coffee is a plus. </p><h2><strong>I don't see it as a substitute for a good breakfast</strong></h2><p>Swapping out Bulletproof Coffee for breakfast on a busy day is useful, but not as a permanent part of my routine. </p><p>I almost always have a healthy breakfast and lunch. For me, that means plenty of protein from eggs, Greek yogurt, or beans, as well as fruits, veggies, nuts, and whole grains. </p><p>When I don't do this, I find that my mood and energy levels immediately suffer. I'm less focused and more likely to get sleepy or distracted at work. </p><p>Bulletproof Coffee can help if I need some extra pep for a few hours, but unless I follow up with a healthy meal, I'm eventually going to be just as drained as if I drank too much black coffee.</p><p>Eating a <a href="https://www.insider.com/is-breakfast-important">nutritious breakfast</a> has loads of benefits for health, including stabilizing blood sugar and energy levels, and supporting a more balanced mood. </p><h2>I like Bulletproof Coffee best in moderation</h2><p> I drink Bulletproof Coffee about once a month or so. But it's not a magic replacement for planning and prepping healthy whole foods for most of my meals. </p><p>I haven't experienced any of the side effects potentially linked to Bulletproof Coffee, such as digestive issues, either.</p><p>If you want to try it yourself, I recommend starting with a smaller amount of butter and MCT oil at first. Then, follow up with a good meal afterward. </p>

I swear by buttery Bulletproof coffee for energy and focus, even though nutritionists warn against it

<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/">imgur/tramstopdan2</a></p><p class="caption">The Box of Crazy</p></div><p></p></div></div>If it's viral hoax, it's Inception-level viral hoax.</span></p>
<p>The Box of Crazy is getting a lot of Redditors hot and sweaty right now, and if you're into treasure, aliens, maps and mystery, this has it all waiting for you.</p>
<p>"I was told that you'd like to see this Box of Crazy illustrations" is the title of Redditor <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/TramStopDan" target="_blank">TramStopDan's</a> original post.</p>
<p>It links to his imgur post of 102 images. Images of, well, all sorts of crazy, starting with several pages of suspiciously uniform text regarding a possible UFO sighting and the study of it by the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_Phenomena_Research_Organization" target="_blank">Arial Phenomenon Research Organization</a>" (note the typo in "Arial"), with particular reference to the STEALTH project.</p>
<p>From the looks of it, TramStopDan became a, imgur member purely in order to post them, as it's his only album.</p>
<p>That might be your first clue there, conspiracy theorists.</p>
<p>TramStopDan claims a friend found a box containing the images by some trash cans near his house.</p>
<p>The earliest dates TramStopDan can see are from the early 30s and he's pretty sure they belong to someone called Daniel Christiansen.</p>
<p>Following the pages of bizarre text is quite a journey, <a href="http://imgur.com/a/uCSg1" target="_blank">which you should take</a>, but here a few highlights:</p>
<p><span>There a load of beautiful old maps, all of which contain a single pinhole. TramStopDan says that may be so they could be piled on top of each other for some kind of referencing task.</span></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</p>
</div>
<p><span>The text at the bottom of one image reads: "Carl Sagan the jewish astronomer said that he believes them" &amp; "There is many(?) civilization in our galaxy more advanced (illegible) are"</span></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</p>
</div>
<p><span>There's a tiny cow with a helmet</span></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</p>
</div>
<p><span>A Puma train</span></p>
<div class="display-media image xlarge pull-right"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a><small>Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</small></div>
<p><span>And the map of Australia is missing Victoria (but not Melbourne)</span></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</p>
</div>
<p><span>Some kind of design that looks like a patent</span></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</p>
</div>
<p><span>And where it gets properly weird, aliens</span></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http://tramstopdan2.imgur.com/"></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur/tramstopdan2</p>
</div>
<p>Redditor <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/Sipues" target="_blank">Sipues</a> says he's found Daniel Christiansen, who's now dead. His take on it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>He had children. This drawings belong to them.</p>
</blockquote>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone">
<p class="wp-caption-text">Picture: imgur</p>
</div>
<p>All great stuff, but is it a little too… neat? Here's some of the pointers Redditors say highlight the possibility of a hoax:</p>
<p>"The font on the first pages is modern, and does not correspond with the rest of the documents. Given the new font on old or weathered to appear old paper, I'd assume this is a hoax or promotional item. Never enlist a graphic artist to create a "forged" document."<br /><em>- Reddit user <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/pendomatic" target="_blank">pendomatic</a></em></p>
<p>- Christiasen is Nesa-it-sirhc backward. One Redditor claims they <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=7eb12379-5bea-4ae5-82d5-2fcc6c6cf249" target="_blank">found a geocacher</a> who goes by that name who lives in North Carolina.</p>
<p>But <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/initials_games" target="_blank">initials_games</a> summed it best:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>That's a lot of work to go to in order to promote your new movie, Paramount.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If that's true, then hey, credit where it's due.</p>
<p>Speaking of which, the post which made the front page of Reddit was a knock-off of 4chan's knock-off of TramStopDan's original post.</p>
<p>So, wheels within wheels.</p>
<p><span>Follow <keyword id="1785757" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Business-Insider-Australia">Business Insider Australia</keyword> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderAustralia">Facebook </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/businsiderau">Twitter</a></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>

This 'Box Of Crazy' Illustrations Has Reddit All Worked Up

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/gas-flare-is-seen-at-an-oil-well-site-on-july-26-2013-news-photo/174480636#">Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>WHEN his neighbour discovered gold in a Californian river in 1848, Sam Brannan could have kept quiet about it. Instead, he filled a jar with gold dust and rushed around the streets of San Francisco shouting "Gold! Gold! Gold!" He had good reason to incite a gold rush: he owned a shop nearby. He became California's first millionaire by selling picks, shovels, beans and bacon to the horde of prospectors who heeded his call.</p>
<p>Gold fever spread fast. The lure of buried treasure "sucked nearly every free hand and available arm to the gold mines", observes H.W. Brands in "The Age of Gold", a brilliant history of the period. "They tore themselves from warm hearths and good homes, promising to return; they fled from cold hearts and bad debts, vowing never to return." The Alta California, a local paper, reported that "The whole country...resounds to the sordid cry of gold! GOLD!! GOLD!!!" It added that this would be the last issue for a while, since all its staff were heading for the gold fields.</p>
<p>America's current shale-energy boom has plenty in common with the gold rush, and might prove as momentous. It has created a gusher of wealth in remote places. It has lured young men to wild frontier towns, such as Williston, North Dakota. Jim Cramer, a television host, sounded just like Brannan when he reported from North Dakota in 2011. "This new black gold rush is just getting started!" he bellowed, against a backdrop of nodding donkeys. "Listen, people in this country who need a job, get up here!"</p>
<p>Unlike the Alta California, not all of The Economist's writers have headed for the frontier. But one correspondent, intrigued by the parallels between the two booms, put on stout boots, packed a copy of "The Age of Gold" and set off for Williston.</p>
<p>For the '49ers--as the men who hurried west in that year became known--the trek to California was arduous. "Mules old enough to travel well were unavailable at any price," writes Brands. Prospectors who made their way overland went "at the pace of the slowest oxen [pulling their wagons], no more than two miles [3.2km] per hour". Many succumbed to cholera, thirst or Indian arrows. One group, on escaping from the most godforsaken tract of the Mojave desert, doffed their hats, turned back and said: "Goodbye, Death Valley!" "The name stuck," notes Brands.</p>
<p>The journey to North Dakota today is more straightforward. Still, when your correspondent tried to reserve a rental car at Bismarck airport, they were sold out. He eventually found a pickup truck. Driving it through the Badlands was hairy: hundreds of huge oil lorries kept thundering in the opposite direction along narrow country roads. The pickup went much faster than an ox wagon, except in the traffic jam outside Williston, which looked like a long, motionless steel snake festooned with lights. A sign offered a cheerful welcome to "Boomtown, USA".</p>
<h3>Men behaving badly</h3>
<p>The communities formed by the two groups of migrants have some striking similarities. For gold miners in California, life was almost as rough as the journey west had been. San Francisco in the summer of 1849 looked like "the bivouac of an army on the move", writes Brands; most of the buildings "were actually tents". The miners smelled awful. No one "could be bothered to wash dirty underwear, only to wash gold".</p>
<p>Workers in Williston today generally have it easier--though newcomers sometimes sleep in their cars, which is not advisable in the winter, when temperatures often drop below minus 20°C. Places to stay are scarce and expensive. Many oil workers live in "man camps", which look like college dormitories that have been built in a hurry. The companies that run them, such as Target Logistics of Texas, prefer the term "crew camps" to man camps; it sounds less burly and tattooed. But who are they kidding? When The Economist visited Tioga Lodge, one of Target's camps, 99% of the 930 residents were male.</p>
<p>It is a bare-bones place for men who work long, sweaty hours to sleep and eat. Happily the food is free and unlimited. The kitchens chop up vast quantities of meat into portions just small enough to fit on a plate. "They eat a lot," says the chief cook, Jeff Ball, who used to cater for troops in Afghanistan. Some workers heap their trays with meat and potatoes in the dining room, then walk over to the cafeteria to load up with burgers, hot dogs and pizza. Your correspondent, at the salad bar, felt lonely.</p>
<p>Mr Ball gives the oilmen whatever they want. If they crave blackened catfish and prawn gumbo like mom used to make in Louisiana, they can have it. Likewise if a crew from Mexico wants tamales. The only thing they can't have--in the man camp, at least--is alcohol. Oil firms prefer that dangerous machinery be handled by men with clear heads.</p>
<h3>Too drunk to frack</h3>
<p>Life in the gold fields was often violent. Miners drank and gambled and fought. Thieves and ruffians preyed on the weak and unwary. Justice was rough. Brannan, the shop-owner, led a committee of vigilantes. In June 1851 his men caught a gangster stealing a safe. After a two-hour "trial", they hanged him from a beam in a public square.</p>
<p>Williston, too, has developed a bareknuckle reputation. "The theft up here is unbelievable," says a private detective hired by an insurer to investigate the disappearance of 15 truckloads of oil. "A lot of people here are trying to get a piece of the action without working." And, with so few women in the neighbourhood, many men are frustrated.</p>
<p>"You put a bunch of guys together, working 12 hours a day, and they're going to get into fights," shrugs Josh Wipf, a mechanic from Montana who moved to Williston last year. Mr Wipf, who says the ratio of men to women in Williston "sucks", admits to having been in a bar fight himself. "It was about a girl, I think. I don't really remember. I was, you know..." he trails off.</p>
<p>"They get rowdy when they get drunk," says Alice Trottier, a student at Williston State College. "I would never go out jogging alone at night now," she laments. Like many young females in Williston, she finds it annoying to be stared at all the time. On the plus side, scarcity gives women power. Men "treat you like a princess. They pay for everything," says Ms Trottier. On a good night waiting tables at a pizza joint she can make $200.</p>
<p>In California during the gold rush, many men could only find female company if they paid for it. Life for boomtown prostitutes was rough and risky; some Chinese women, speaking no English, were in effect slaves to their pimps. But others made a lot of money. "At a time when a Paris streetwalker might make the equivalent of $2 a night, some of the Frenchwomen in San Francisco made $400," writes Brands. Belle Cora's brothel on Dupont Street was renowned for fine wine and music as well as sex. "Men with lust in their hearts...and gold in their pockets beat a path through the muddy streets to her door, where she made sure they wiped their feet before entering."</p>
<p>The same trade exists today in Williston, but with fewer chandeliers and violins. Most paid hookups are probably arranged online: the oil workers all have smartphones. Some practise the oldest profession the old-fashioned way, but this can annoy bystanders. One of the staff at Bubba's Bubbles, a laundry shop, says she "had to kick out" a woman with a pink wig who was accosting male customers in the parking lot.</p>
<h3>Striking it lucky</h3>
<p>The California gold rush was a low-tech affair. "No capital is required to obtain this gold, as the labouring man wants nothing but his pick, shovel and tin pan," wrote William Sherman, later a civil-war general, in a missive to President James Polk in 1848. It seemed to offer ordinary people a chance to get rich quick: one man, sifting through the dirt at the bottom of a stream, might conceivably find enough gold to retire on. Not a good chance, mind: only a lucky few prospectors struck the mother lode. The rest typically struggled to find enough ore to cover their expenses; some died poor and sorry, or quit panning to find a steadier job.</p>
<p>Fracking, by contrast, requires capital and expertise. Oil giants such as Statoil and Schlumberger are flocking to North Dakota. They bring pricey, high-tech equipment, from microseismic sensors to drilling rigs that walk, like something out of "Star Wars". From little frack pads in the middle of vast wheat fields, they can drill four miles down, more than a mile to the side, and, thanks to satellite technology, hit a target three feet across. Then they shoot thousands of gallons of water, sand and chemicals into the shale formation, creating hairline fractures in the rock--hence the procedure's proper name, "hydraulic fracturing". The sand stops those fractures from closing up when the pressure is turned off.</p>
<p>But North Dakota rewards ordinary folk, too. The lure is not a slender chance of becoming rich, but the near-certainty of finding a blue-collar job that pays middle-class wages. A roughneck or truck driver can easily make $100,000 a year. (Why did Mr Wipf make the trek from Montana? "Good money.") Anyone who can pass a drug test can find work.</p>
<p>And just as the gold rush made shopkeepers and shovelmakers rich, so the spoils of gas are widely spread. A whole economy has sprung up to support the frackers. Someone has to build man camps, roads and schools. North Dakota Developments, a property developer, is trucking ready-made six-room housing units over from Minnesota and erecting them in what used to be a cornfield. Rob Gavin, the boss, says demand is so strong that he expects to recoup the development costs in a single year.</p>
<p>The place is growing so fast that, even at boomtown wages, finding workers can be hard. Paul Coppinger, a boss at Weir-SPM, a firm that makes oil and gas pumps, says that only a couple of his 63 staff in Williston are native North Dakotans. The Walmart in town is the messiest your correspondent has ever seen; there are too few hands to tidy the shelves. Workers quit and take better jobs faster than you can say "frack".</p>
<p>Theron Amos, the manager of the local Pizza Hut, says he has lost a fifth of his staff--in the past week. "I have 20. I need 30," he sighs, as he wrestles with the cash register and passes the shrieking phone to a colleague. "Oh, man, I've got more grey hairs than when I started this job." Would Mr Amos turn any applicant away? "Well, one woman came in and ordered a pitcher of beer before the job interview. I didn't hire her."</p>
<h3>Sitting on a gold mine</h3>
<p>The locals in 19th-century California were not consulted about the gold rush. Many Native Americans, who in previous decades had reached accommodations with Spanish and Mexican settlers, were murdered or infected with unfamiliar diseases. Scorched-earth offensives starved them off their land: since hunting them down was too time-consuming, one white soldier wrote, "It was therefore decided that the best policy was to destroy their huts and stores, with a view of starving them out." Their descendants live in reservations. Williston's natives are faring rather better.</p>
<p>Because they can drill sideways, frackers can suck out the oil and gas under a huge farm while disturbing only a tiny part of it. So the farmer carries on rearing cows as before. The fracking takes place so far underground that he never notices it. But he notices the royalties that the energy firms pay.</p>
<p>"Most farms round here have mineral income," says Tom Rolfstad of the Williston Economic Development office. A farmer with two square miles of land will get a signing bonus of $2.5m and nearly 20% of the gross value of the oil and gas pumped from it, he estimates. A good well can keep producing for 30 years and yield 500,000 barrels of oil. At $100 a barrel, that's $10m for the farmer. Even small landowners benefit. Mr Rolfstad gets regular little cheques for the oil and gas extracted below his modest home.</p>
<p>Many of the ancestors of today's North Dakotans arrived at Ellis Island in the 19th century. "If you were Norwegian, they'd send you to North Dakota. If you didn't speak English, they'd give you a card round your neck asking people to help you find the right train," explains Mr Rolfstad. Under the Homestead Act of 1862, if the immigrants staked out 160 acres and farmed it for five years, they owned it--and their descendants own the mineral rights. In Europe, where such rights typically belong to the state, people resent the disruption fracking might cause. Americans, by contrast, tend to be delighted if a firm wants to frack under their land.</p>
<p>And for landowners, the fracking itself is not the only money-spinner. A farmer with land near Williston will have no trouble renting it out. The town is desperate for more offices, homes, shops and hotels. In one small field your correspondent counted 50 mobile homes.</p>
<p>One occupant, Cindy Martin, says the farmer charges her $1,000 a month to park there, with no electricity or water. "It's a terrible price," she complains. But the boom means labour is scarce and wages are high; Ms Martin makes twice as much as she would elsewhere, working at Bubba's Bubbles. She and her husband drove up 2,000 miles from Arizona. She seems content: "We came here to work. We refuse to lay back and let the government take care of us. We're too American for that."</p>
<p>For all their good fortune, some locals fret about the crowding, pollution and change that accompany the new wealth. "It was a quiet, small town," laments Gary Daniel, a middle-aged Willistonian, as he eats fried chicken at Gramma Sharon's family restaurant. He has seen oil booms before, "but not like this one." People used to know each other in Williston, he recalls: "Now everyone's in a hurry to go nowhere." Prices have soared. Mr Daniel knows of old people whose rent quadrupled so they had to leave their homes. "It's flat-out greed," he spits. The schools are packed; their walls are "just bulging out". The traffic is "insane". Overall, "whether it's good or bad, I haven't made my mind up."</p>
<p>Mr Rolfstad has fewer doubts. Growth is being carefully planned, he says. "We decided to double the size of the town. Then we decided to quadruple it."</p>
<h3>After the flood</h3>
<p>The gold rush of 1848-55 not only transformed the lives of those who found fortunes in the dirt (and those who failed to); it also changed America. It rapidly populated the new territory of California, which America had just seized from Mexico, and hastened the day that the Golden State became a state. It led to the construction of railroads to bind the settled eastern states to the Wild West. Its legacy includes San Francisco and America's thriving Chinese population (which exploded during the gold rush, as boatloads of Chinese prospectors arrived).</p>
<p>Brands, the historian, goes further, arguing that gold transformed the American dream. Whereas the Puritans dreamed of accumulating modest fortunes "a little at a time, year by year", through "sobriety, thrift and steady toil", the '49ers dreamed of "instant wealth, won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck". Among the early settlers, failure "connoted weakness of will or defect of soul". In the gold fields, by contrast, "a person was expected to gamble, and to fail, and to gamble again". And "[w]here failure was so common, it lost its stigma." This idea--that failure is a socially acceptable stepping stone to success--is one reason why American capitalism is so dynamic.</p>
<p>The fracking boom could be every bit as important as the gold rush. It is about to turn America into the world's largest oil and gas producer, outstripping Russia and Saudi Arabia. It could add almost $700 billion to the economy by 2020 (about 4% of GDP), predicts McKinsey, a consultancy. By then it will have created up to 1.7m jobs--far more than the car industry provides. The sudden abundance of natural gas has drastically reduced American energy bills while curbing greenhouse-gas emissions, since gas is cleaner than coal.</p>
<p>The longer term effects of a boom are unpredictable. For instance, the gold rush arguably led to the creation of Silicon Valley. It spurred the laying of the railroads, making Leland Stanford rich. He founded Stanford University, which trained the engineers who started the tech firms, from Hewlett-Packard to Google, which made the Valley the envy of the world.</p>
<p>In North Dakota fracking has poured money into schools. Some of those Norwegian immigrants used to set aside a portion of their farmland income to support the village school. That rule lives on, in places, and the land now generates mineral royalties. No one expects to see a great university emerge in the Great Plains just yet. But you never know. Who in 1849 could have predicted that the empty hills around San Francisco would one day sprout an Apple?</p>
<p>Life in the gold fields was often violent. Miners drank and gambled and fought</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The lure is not a slender chance of becoming rich, but the near-certainty of finding a blue-collar job that pays middle-class wages</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist</p>
<p></p>

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