XMWare

2023-11-30T10:01:00

(BPT) – As we head into winter, the days are growing shorter and nightfall comes earlier. Given the weather and lack of sunlight, you’ll likely spend more time indoors during the colder months. While this can bode well for spending quality time indoors with friends and family, especially during the holidays, it also means that you’ll spend a lot of time staring at screens.

While mobile devices can simplify life, too much screen time can harm your health. Screen time and blue light exposure have been raised as a growing health concern, and doctors, educators, employers and parents agree that there are potential risks from overexposure.

Blue light is part of our natural world, but high energy visible (HEV) blue light from digital devices can also affect your sleep, resulting in trouble sleeping, waking up during the night, or reduced alertness the next day.

According to Harvard Health, blue light — especially at night — can suppress your body’s release of melatonin, an important hormone that promotes feelings of sleepiness. Additionally, a survey by The Vision Council found that many American adults experience eyestrain, dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and neck and shoulder pain after extended screen time and blue light exposure.

While you can’t and shouldn’t completely get rid of blue light, you can take steps to reduce your exposure. ZAGG, known for its device cases and screen protectors, cares about protecting users from high energy light exposure and has offered five tips to help you protect your eyes from blue light this winter and beyond.

1. Reduce screen time

The easiest way to protect your eyes from blue light is to reduce screen time. According to estimates by Eyesafe, the average screen time for U.S. adults has increased to over 13 hours a day. Children ages 8-12 and teens spend an average of 4-6 hours and up to nine hours, respectively, watching or using screens.

You don’t have to stop using your devices altogether. Find other hobbies and activities you can do on your own or with company to give your eyes a break.

2. Put away your devices before bedtime

For the sake of your sleep, it’s critical that you put away devices before going to bed. According to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), too much blue light exposure from viewing screens at night may impact our circadian rhythms and cause trouble sleeping, waking during the night and reduced alertness the next day.

Aim to put away your electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime so you can increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.

3. Install blue light filtering screen protectors

Thanks to modern technology, there are now products on the market that can help reduce your exposure to blue light.

For example, ZAGG’s InvisibleShield Glass XTR3 is the world’s first screen protector with Eyesafe RPF60 technology that filters blue light which can disrupt sleep. This new-to-world Eyesafe technology filters intense blue light between 435-440 nanometers, which is the portion of the spectrum most concerning to eye doctors. Best of all, ZAGG screen protectors won’t change the color on your screen, meaning no yellow tint.

4. Wear blue light-blocking glasses

When using computers and tablets or watching TV, make it a habit to wear blue light–blocking glasses. There are many options for prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses with blue light filtration. They also come in several styles and colors so you can protect your eyes in style.

5. Use device software

Many devices now have software installed that can help reduce a user’s exposure to blue light. For example, you can set your device to night mode and adjust the screen display to a warmer temperature to reduce blue light output. The downside is your screen will have a yellow or amber tint. Alternatively, if you use a ZAGG screen protector or wear blue light-blocking glasses, you’ll receive the same filtering benefits without changing the colors on your screen.

This winter, make your eyes a priority. Using these five tips, you’ll be well on your way to reducing your exposure to blue light so you can decrease digital eyestrain and hopefully get a better night’s sleep. To learn more about blue light, visit ZAGG.com/Blue-Light-Filtering.

2023-11-29T16:35:00

(BPT) – Are video games at the top of your kids’ wish lists this year? Chances are good that they are. In a recent survey of U.S. adults and children aged 10 through 17 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), kids were most likely to ask parents for video game–related presents (72%). It’s not surprising, as there’s a video game out there for every player, and video games are a fun activity that can also engage friends and family in interactive play.

In the survey, a majority of both girls (59%) and boys (86%) say they plan to ask for video game gifts, with the top five requests being for game subscriptions (39%), game consoles (38%), game gear/accessories (32%), in-game currency (29%) and physical video games (22%). And they’re not just for kids — about 1 in 3 (32%) adults say they plan to buy video game gifts for themselves or others for the holidays, with that number jumping to 57% for parents.

“More than 212 million Americans play video games regularly, so it comes as no surprise that games are at the top of this year’s wish lists,” said Stan Pierre-Louis, president and CEO, ESA. “Whether a family is getting a new console, updating their controllers and headsets or adding to their library with new games and expansion packs, we know video games are a great tool for families to play together and connect during the holiday season and beyond.”

Before you head online or to a store to do your shopping, it’s important to take steps to ensure the games you choose for your kids are appropriate for their ages, and that you’re comfortable with their content.

If you’re a parent or caregiver — or other relative looking for games for the kids in your life — the ESA encourages taking these three steps before purchasing and gifting video game items for kids, so you can relax and let them have fun playing games they love.

1. Check the age and content rating information

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) assigns age and content ratings to video games and mobile apps to help parents and caregivers decide which are appropriate for kids. Parents should look out for the ESRB’s three-part rating system:

Rating Categories suggest age appropriateness. Ratings include E for Everyone, E10+ for ages 10 and older, T for Teen, M for Mature for ages 17 and older or AO for Adults Only.

Content Descriptors highlight content leading to the assigned age rating. ESRB has over 30 Content Descriptors to let parents know when a video game contains language, humor, violence and more.

Interactive Elements provide upfront notice about interactive features that may be important to parents. For example, the “In-Game Purchases” label lets parents know when a game offers the ability to spend money for additional in-game content, and the “Users Interact” label lets parents know when a game allows user-to-user communication.

You can find ESRB rating information on the front and back of all video game boxes, and on product detail pages on digital storefronts.

2. Make use of parental controls

Tools exist on virtually all game devices to help parents and caregivers manage gameplay experiences for their family. Parental controls can include:

• Filtering games by ESRB age rating
• Managing time spent playing games
• Controlling — or preventing — spending
• Limiting — or blocking — communication with other players
• PIN and password settings to prevent unwanted changes
• Regular playtime reports

3. Have family conversations about responsible online behavior

Video games are a positive and meaningful outlet for billions of players worldwide. To help your family enjoy their games, it’s important to communicate clear household rules around limits (such as time of day and duration of play), the types of games allowed and when it’s appropriate to spend money — then set up parental controls around these rules.

In addition, games increasingly allow interaction with others online. You’ll want to consider whether family members should be able to interact with other players and if so, with whom. You can decide to activate parental controls to block online communications. In some cases, parents can curate their kids’ friends list to only allow communications with people they know in real life.

If children are allowed to interact with others online, remember to discuss appropriate behavior, including treating other players kindly and respectfully. It’s also key to have conversations with children about interacting with strangers online. If they’re allowed to talk to strangers, make sure children understand what to do if they encounter another player behaving inappropriately. Remember: Kids can always mute, block and report players, and if they’re unsure what to do, let them know they can always ask you or another trusted adult for advice.

Learn more about nurturing ongoing conversations around video games in your home by checking out ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide and tools for parents, and following the ESRB blog. Steps the video game industry is taking to help protect everyone in the player community can be found on TheESA.com.

2023-11-30T02:01:00

(BPT) – If you love holiday baking, but one look at your tired old pans does not inspire you to make holiday magic in your kitchen, you may be ready to upgrade to better-quality bakeware. You may have noticed that some of your old bakeware doesn’t perform as well as it used to — or may sometimes lead to problems like uneven baking or even burning your favorite baked goods. But what do you need to look for when choosing new bakeware?

Here’s a guide to help you find bakeware that’s worthy of your holiday baking menu.

Consider your main baking goals

Do you prioritize your family cookie swap, or making mouthwatering muffins, perfect pies, fresh-baked bread or festive yuletide cakes? Make a short list of your favorite seasonal recipes, and you’ll get a pretty quick idea of what kinds of pans you need most.

Rather than investing in a huge set of bakeware that includes specialty pans you know you’ll never need, choose smaller sets that offer exactly the kinds of bakeware you see yourself using most often. This will help you save money as well as space in your kitchen cupboards.

Look for quality materials — and no-burn insulation

For cookies and other baked goods — plus roasted vegetables or other savory items — that cook perfectly evenly, you’ll want to find a baking sheet that’s not only made of the most durable, high-quality materials but also created with two layers, allowing a pocket of air to circulate between them to ensure even browning in the oven. The strongest materials for any bakeware include carbon steel, aluminum, and aluminized steel.

Choose non-stick surfaces

The last thing you want is to struggle with scraping your beautiful holiday cookies off the sheet or a cake that won’t come out cleanly. Instead, opt for nonstick surfaces that will make moving your baked goods from pan to cooling rack easy — and clean-up even easier.

Get a grip

If you’ve found it challenging to maneuver sheets full of baked goods in and out of the oven with your bulky oven mitts on, you may want your next pans to be specially designed to be easier for anyone to use.

Select the right sizes

Size matters when it comes to cookie sheets. You’ll want to consider not only how big your oven is but whether you usually like to cook in large batches or small and if your favorite holiday recipes require baking one sheet at a time (for those that need to be baked on the center rack of the oven for optimal results).

No matter what types of sweet or savory items you like to bake, it can be helpful to have a couple of different sizes on hand for more than one purpose.

Baking sheets to please any cookie fanatic

For avid cookie bakers, GoodCook^® AirPerfect™ Nonstick Baking Sheets have over-baking under control with their two insulated layers, and a textured bottom that heats up quickly while retaining moisture to prevent overheating on the top. Using these pans, you’ll have the perfect bake for your delicious cookies, biscuits, pastries, and much more. They’re also constructed from durable premium-grade carbon steel with a nonstick surface coating, so you’ll have an easy, mess-free release — and they’re dishwasher safe for quick and simple clean-up after use.

To solve the problem of handling your cookie sheets as you move them in and out of the oven, these pans also feature ergonomic handles that provide a firm grip, making your holiday cookie baking time even better from start to finish.

Need a set? GoodCook AirPerfect Nonstick Baking Sheets come as a set with two convenient sizes: two large sheets (16″ x 14″) and one medium sheet (14″ x 12″), so you’ll have plenty of room for any size batch of cookies or other items you love to bake. After you order your set, you may want another one as a gift for the favorite baker in your life!

You can find your next favorite set of cookie sheets and plenty of other kitchen must-haves in time for the holidays at GoodCook.com.

2023-11-29T07:01:00

(BPT) – Many holiday celebrations center around food and good company. A meal can bring people, whether acquaintances, friends, or family, together to celebrate the season.

To make your holiday get-togethers extra special this year, infuse some holiday spirit into your menu. Incorporate fruits and vegetables for a fresh and joyful twist on traditional dishes. Whether you’re a health-conscious host or just eager to add a dash of nutritious value to your holiday spread, explore these tips to create a memorable and magical holiday feast.

1. Extend a Heartwarming Welcome with a Bountiful Fruit and Veggie Platter

Chances are your guests will arrive at your home ready to eat, even if you won’t be sitting down to eat for an hour or so. Having a platter of fresh and vibrant fruits and veggies ready for guests to snack on as they settle in and chat before the main course helps infuse your gathering with the spirit of health and happiness that defines this special season.

Cut up some Fresh Del Monte^® produce, including bananas and pineapples, and skewer them or leave out toothpicks for a pleasant, sweet snack. These fruits are excellent sources of essential nutrients, with bananas providing potassium and pineapples offering a boost of vitamin C. This combination not only makes for a nutritious treat but also helps bolster your immune system during the colder months. For an extra special touch, consider adding a Pinkglow^® Pineapple to your lineup. This Instagram-worthy fruit boasts a sweeter, less sour taste, and is exceptionally juicy, taking your holiday gathering to new heights of joy.

Arrange these fruits on a tray along with crunchy raw veggies like Mann’s Family Favorites^® Stringless Sugar Snap Peas and Snow Peas, a good source of iron the body needs to grow and develop. Pick up a few bags of Mann’s Family Favorites^® vegetables, which come trimmed, washed and cut, ready for you to serve! As an alternative, consider Mann’s ready-to-go veggie trays. No need to chop or prep — simply open and serve, or re-plate to give it that homemade touch. Save your energy for the main course and let us take care of the veggie tray prep. It’s a healthy-made-easy way to keep your holiday spread fresh and festive.

2. Festive Freshness: Revitalize Your Appetizers with Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce isn’t just for salad. You can make fresh appetizers to charm guests without spoiling their appetites before dinner. Use large green leaf or romaine lettuce leaves as cups or wraps for savory fillings like sauteed mushrooms or seasoned and browned ground turkey. These healthy, tasty appetizers are great alternatives to traditional finger foods.

Make prep for these crisp lettuce bites simple by purchasing Mann Packing Co.’s Better Crunch Lettuce, Better Romaine^® Leaf, or Better Green Leaf^®. Each package includes single-cut lettuce that is washed and ready to use, so you can quickly assemble lettuce wraps and cups and get back to cooking the main holiday meal.

3. Experience Holiday Joy with Lower-Carb Alternatives for Diverse and Delicious Dishes

While traditional holiday side dishes are often rich in starchy carbohydrates, yours don’t have to follow suit. Instead, consider innovative, vibrant and lower-carb alternatives that indulge your cravings without the accompanying guilt. Purchase Mann Packing Co.’s Better Pasta, Better Rice and Better Fries at your local grocery store to quickly make diverse and delicious dishes. These carbs are cut from gluten-free vegetables to replace traditional carb dishes without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Cook up a bowl of MANN™ Better Pasta, — a low-calorie pasta alternative — to complement your chicken dishes. For a delightful twist, sauté MANN™ Better Cauliflower Rice with a medley of aromatic spices, creating a fragrant bed for your entrées. And for a truly festive treat, why not dust some MANN ™ Better Fresh Cut Sweet Potato Fries with a sprinkle of warm cinnamon or a touch of nutmeg? These wholesome, fiber-rich substitutes for foods heavy in calories and carbs, infused with cozy holiday flavors, will have you savoring every guilt-free bite, bringing a touch of seasonal tastes to your holiday table!

4. Elevate Your Holiday Feast with Steakhouse-Style Vegetables

Bring a little taste of an upscale restaurant to your cozy holiday gathering with Mann Packing Co.’s Steakhouse Style vegetables. Sauté asparagus in garlic butter, roast BROCCOLINI^® baby broccoli, in parmesan or grill CAULILINI^® baby cauliflower with pine nuts to dazzle your guests’ taste buds. All three vegetables are a great source of fiber and pair well with most meats. Best of all, Mann Packing Co.’s Steakhouse Style vegetables are incredibly convenient and easy to prepare.

Incorporating fresh fruits and veggies into your holiday menu doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste. Using these four tips, you can add vibrancy, nutrition and a unique twist to your festive meals with tasty produce. For more information on Fresh Del Monte and Mann Packing Co. products, including retail availability and recipes, please visit DelMonteFresh.com, PinkGlowPineapple.com and VeggiesMadeEasy.com.

2023-11-29T09:01:00

(BPT) – By Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, Executive Director & CEO, The American College of Surgeons

Navigating healthcare is a complex endeavor and knowing where to find high-quality surgical care can be an intimidating task. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) makes it easier for patients and families to find hospitals that meet high-quality evidence-based standards and consistently deliver better surgical outcomes.

For more than 110 years, the ACS has been setting standards for the care of surgical patients around the world. Surgeons who are Fellows of the ACS — designated by the letters “FACS” after their name — undergo careful review before attaining this distinction. In a similar way, hospitals that participate in 13 different quality programs submit themselves to detailed scrutiny to earn ACS accreditation or verification.

Meeting the rigorous qualifications of our programs is extremely difficult. Hospitals that achieve this distinguished status earn the designation of ACS Surgical Quality Partner and can proudly display the ACS Diamond in their hospitals.

ACS Quality Programs encompass care in a variety of specialties including cancer, trauma, bariatric, vascular and emergency surgery, among others. We also help hospitals deliver better care to specific populations such as children and older adults. For example, delirium is a frequent complication for older adults and our Geriatric Surgery Verification program equips hospitals with strategies and tools to reduce the risk delirium poses. This can lead to shorter hospital stays and higher success in achieving a patient’s care goals. Our Children’s Surgery Verification program ensures that hospitals take into account the different requirements for delivering the best care to our youngest patients.

The ACS Commission on Cancer and our quality programs in breast and rectal cancer guide hospitals in building team-based approaches to care, centering patient needs and adhering to the latest and best practices in cancer care. The ACS Committee on Trauma sets standards to ensure that hospitals are well prepared to care for injured patients, especially during those critical early moments that can mean the difference between survival and death. Patients treated at ACS-verified trauma centers have demonstrably higher survival rates than those treated at non-verified hospitals.

Through our ACS Power of Quality campaign, we are working to help patients find the best care for themselves and their loved ones. We understand the importance of being treated at hospitals that demonstrate a deep commitment to quality. Our hospital finder provides patients with information on more than 2,500 hospitals nationwide that have earned the distinguished ACS Surgical Quality Partner Diamond by participating in one or more of our programs.

Together, these hospitals and our more than 90,000 ACS members have made the professional commitment to putting quality at the forefront of all that they do. The next time you or a loved one need surgical care, seek out a surgeon with the FACS designation and a hospital displaying the ACS Surgical Quality Partner Diamond; you can feel confident about the quality of your care.

Patricia L. Turner is the Executive Director & CEO of The American College of Surgeons, the largest professional association of surgeons in the world, founded in 1913.

2023-11-29T07:01:00

(BPT) – Three-quarters of Americans are planning to enjoy the end of the year and not worry about their diet — up from just half last year, according to a new survey.

Results of a recently released survey by Herbalife, a global health and wellness company, revealed that 72% of the 2,000 Americans surveyed want to make the most of the end of the year, regardless of what that means for their diet, compared to 54% in last year’s survey.

That attitude may help explain why respondents in the sixth annual “Writing Off the End of the Year” survey expect to gain 8 pounds before the end of the year — compared to 5 1/2 pounds last year. The results also revealed that two-thirds (66%) of respondents use the end of the year to postpone being healthy — a 24% increase from the previous year.

“The end of the year should be a time to focus on family, friends and self-care,” said Herbalife Chief Health and Nutrition Officer, Dr. Kent Bradley. “Identify specific, attainable actions you want to take to improve your health and your mindset, and if you can, bring your friends and family along on that health journey.”

Despite leaning into temptation at the end of the year, 68% of respondents are confident they’ll have healthy habits in the new year. And they expect it will take them an average of about 19 days to get back on track with their healthy habits, or to start new ones. With this in mind, 47% are planning to make a New Year’s resolution for 2024, up from 32% the year prior.

The 2024 “Top 5” New Year’s Resolutions are:

1. Eating healthier (68%)
2. Exercising more (66%)
3. Getting more sleep (56%)
4. Focusing on self-care (54%)
5. Saving money (53%)

To help set yourself up for success now and into the new year, Bradley recommends these six attainable resolutions to help people lose holiday weight and achieve better health:

1. Be specific

Being too general with a resolution makes it difficult to follow. Rather than saying you’ll exercise more or eat better, make your goal to work out three times a week or have a vegetable with every meal. These small, measurable and specific goals set you up for success.

2. Find a friend

A support network can be a big help on your health journey. Find a friend or group of like-minded people to support each other and keep everyone accountable. It also adds a social element that is essential for overall well-being.

3. Get moving

Physical activity is essential in getting healthy. According to guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening activity, each week. It may seem like a lot, but breaking up the physical activity into 30-minute sessions, five days a week, makes it more manageable.

4. Add protein

Protein is a nutritional powerhouse that satisfies hunger and builds lean muscle mass. Include protein-rich foods like lean meat, poultry, eggs, legumes and seeds at every meal and snack to fuel your body and satisfy hunger throughout the day.

5. Avoid fad diets

It’s tempting to jump on the newest trend but remember there are no quick fixes for health. Fad diets do not address the core problems that cause people to gain weight and often eliminate foods that are actually healthy, which can result in nutritional deficiencies.

6. Give yourself grace

Something is always better than nothing. If there isn’t time for a 30-minute workout, do 15. If you can’t make a home-cooked meal, order out a plant-based option. If you have an off day, don’t give up completely. Focus on forward momentum even if you’ve taken a few steps back.

“Make sure you take the time to plan and prepare for the positive behavior changes you’d like to make and be kind to yourself in the process,” said Bradley.

For more healthy lifestyle tips and information, visit Herbalife.com.