【推荐1】If you already have a rough idea of what you want to achieve, wouldn’t you be better off just jumping right in? Not quite.    1    

Imagine that you were going to set off on a road trip to somewhere specific. Would you head out without a map, or some idea of how to get where you want to go? Probably not, because you’d waste a ton of time aimlessly wandering.    2    Thinking through the groundwork of the finish line you’re trying to cross gives you clear direction so that you can make decisions. Plus, contributing enough time and thought to goal setting in the beginning keeps you focused on your objective as you move forward.

In the definition of goal setting, you’ll notice the word “progress”.    3    It calls for a structured approach. Most frameworks and theories say to get specific, consider an important measurable way, set an end date, and lay the foundation for making your goal a reality.    4    It makes you stay on the right path more than you would if you just had a loose ambition in the back of your mind.

    5    Setting a goal feels more permanent and definite than just saying, “Oh, hopefully we’ll get to that thing eventually...” That’s the point. Goal setting boosts responsibility to you. It means you’re far more inspired to follow through.

Therefore, to make the most of your life, set your goal before you actually kick it off.

【推荐2】Are you having a hard time following your diet plan? Do you want your diet plan to finally work?     1     There are just no shortcuts to achieve weight loss. Well, here are several rules that will make you stick to your diet for good.

Rule 1: Healthy eating diets should be realistic

Some people go on diets that are just not possible to stick with for a long time. Some people would even starve themselves for days or weeks to lose weight fast.     2     When you are on this kind of diet, you are not helping yourself.

Rule 2: Healthy eating diets mean eating the proper amount

    3     Well, that rule also applies in healthy eating. Sure they are healthy, but if you eat too much of them, you might not see better results.

Rule 3: Healthy eating diets are based on how you eat

Always remember that eating should be something that you enjoy. You can’t just eat for the purpose of eating.     4     If you eat slowly, your body will have time to realize that you are already full and you are no longer hungry.

Rule 4: Healthy eating diets include healthy fat

It is not true that you should never have meals that contain fat.     5     You can use coconut oil when you need to fry something. You can also use olive oil on your salad.

Rule 5: Healthy eating diets are planned ahead

Now the last rule should be easy. The only thing that you need to do is to create a diet plan for the whole week and make sure that you stick to it for good!

【推荐3】From the moment we’re born, we acquire, and develop an internal ecosystem of microbes (微生物), trillions of them in all, which are living together with us in our body. In fact, there are roughly as many microbial cells in our bodies as human cells. This prosperous microbial world is called our microbiome.

While some microbes can make us ill, we need our microbiome to survive. Combined, they are every bit as essential as our heart, our lungs or our brain. We have microbes living all over our skin and in every other parts of our bodies. But most of the microbiome is found in our guts (肠道). Our gut microbes are essential for digestion. They also help regulate hormones and they can improve our immune system (免疫系统).

Our microbiome contains a wide range of microbes, some of which have beneficial effects on our health and some of which are detrimental. A healthy collection of microbes seems to be vital for our wellbeing, protecting against some of the biggest health threats, like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis and even depression.

On the other hand, having an unhealthy microbiome may be a contributing factor for many common diseases. Our modern lifestyles, western diets and overuse of antibiotics might all be having a harmful effect on our internal ecology.

So how do you develop a healthy microbiome? Well, it seems that the more diverse your microbial population is, the better. And the best way to increase your diversity is to eat a wide range of plant- based foods. Research shows that people who have at least 30 plant- based elements in their diet every week have a wider range of microbes in their gut, and that’s linked to better weight management, better heart health and better mental health.