Click the link below the picture

.

It all started years ago when I first learned my wife and I were going to be parents: I began collecting science-based parenting advice, both here on Inc.com and in my continuously updated (free) e-book, How to Raise Successful Kids, now in its 7th edition.

Shown are seven of the most interesting and useful studies.

.

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________

Click the link below the picture

.

Exercise and I have a tumultuous relationship. At best, it’s sunshine, roses, and defined triceps; at worst, it’s, in the wise words of Miss Britney Jean Spears, toxic. Here’s how it usually goes: I get really into working out, I go too hard, get burnt out, and then stop exercising for months (or years). Here’s an example: After playing sports my entire life, I got recruited to play soccer in college, which obviously meant working out constantly. At the start of my sophomore year, I decided that, for the sake of my mental health, I was going to quit. For the first time in 19 years, there was no coach yelling at me to do another lap—no real need to exercise at all. I was completely over the idea of physical exertion, so I just…stopped. Unsurprisingly, I gained weight and was completely unhappy, so I embarked on another intense bout of fitness, which eventually led to another break.

In the year since the cycle has continued. A few months ago, as I’m wont to do, I decided that enough was enough and it was time to get back into some sort of workout routine. Not only was I not happy with my body, but I felt down, mentally.

So I set out to do some sort of physical activity every day for two weeks to see if it would make me a happier person and—spoiler alert—it did.

.

BROOK PIFER/Getty Images

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________

Click the link below the picture

.

Traveling in a kayak feels like you’re tricking the universe. The boat has the impression of being vulnerable because it’s so small—an ocean-going boat that you can pick up with one hand. But once you gain some skills in it, the kayak is the safest, most seaworthy boat in the world. The universe thinks that you’re out there doing something dangerous, but really you’re in total control.

I’ve traveled the world in a kayak, thousands of miles on many expeditions. I’ve gone around Cape Horn near Antarctica, through the gnarliest piece of the ocean on the planet, even for big ships. I’ve paddled from Japan to Alaska, retracing the steps of Stone Age mariners. In 2012, I circumnavigated Ellesmere Island in the Arctic Circle on a 1,500-mile trip.

The thing about the kayak is it puts you in direct, intimate contact with nature. Yachts are great, but a kayak requires personal, tactile skill and interaction with your surroundings. When you’re in a kayak, your butt is below the level of the water and waves are washing over your boat, your chest, maybe even over your head. I’ve paddled past grizzly bears feeding on clams and come eye-to-eye with a gray whale. I’ve sat on top of a 60-foot wave, then surfed down it in a 65-pound boat.

But that’s not where you’ll start. You might start on a lake or a stream behind your house. And it’s just as fun.

.

.

.

Click the link below for the article:

.

__________________________________________