brain training perks with neuroscience & neurolingistics cutting-edge knowledge, experience and trends will improve and boost your brain health and all your learning | education | lingüistics | english as a second language | ESL | ELT | second language acquisition | learning & teaching | neuroscience | neurology | holistic methodologies | management | effective communication | liaising with clients | travelling & tourism | general news | animal protectionism | youtube curator
The 7 Minute Workout is the training offered by a study at the McMaster University that showed that high-intensity 7-minute are sufficient for:
Burning fat more quickly Maximizing caloric consumption Training the muscles of the whole body, Improving health by reducing the risk of cardio vascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
One of the best home gym workouts designed to tone your body and lose maximum fat in the shortest period of time possible.
23 May 2013
Based on the article published in American College of Sports Medicine. It features 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a wall and a chair.
28 Mar 2022
Take on the 7 Minute Workout – Do this now at home, just 7 minutes and no equipment needed. This home workout is designed to get you fit and healthy
The 7-minute workout is a science-backed circuit routine that uses only body weight.
7 minute HIIT workouts can be traced back to a study at the University of Leeds, UK, in 1953. Researchers created a workout combined of 9-12 exercises, with very short rest periods and tested it on a group of participants. The study showed that participants improved their muscle strength, endurance and aerobic fitness.
It’s designed to give you the benefits of a sweaty bike ride or longer cardio workout in just a few minutes — but you have to commit to doing it regularly. That means exercising three to five times a week at minimum.
How to lose belly fat and weight fast? An exhausting workout in the gym doesn’t suit everyone, and, let’s be honest, sometimes we have no time for it.
What is the difference between HIIT and SIT?
HIIT workouts often include short bursts of high-intensity, full-body movements — such as burpees, squats, and mountain climbers — with short rest periods between each exercise.
SIT workouts often “amp up” exercises more than HIIT workouts do and incorporate moves like jump squats to ensure maximum effort.
30 Jun 2017
The 7-minute workout is a science-backed circuit routine that uses only body weight. The high-intensity interval-training program was designed by two exercise scientists, Chris Jordan and Bret Klika, to be the most efficient workout. Our video producer, Kevin Reilly, spent 30 days using the 7-minute workout as his exercise.
5 Jul 2017
Quick interval training is really effective. Try these five simple exercises that will take you just 5 minutes. You don’t even need a stopwatch – I’ll count for you so you can perform the whole set while watching the video.
10 Sept 2017
Is it you who always dreamt about the fit body but didn’t how to start? These 7 simple exercises will take JUST 5 MINUTES of your time and will suit any level of physical condition because they are all based on one phenomenal exercise – Plank.
Just do it with us every day preferably in the morning when you are still fresh and full of energy, and we will make sure that every training is fun! And in just 30 days, you will be surprised to find a so much slimmer and fitter body in the mirror. So, why don’t we make the first step to your transformed body right now? Let’s start!
TIMESTAMPS Full Plank 1:28 Elbow Plank 3:02 Raised-Leg Plank 4:03 Left-Side Plank 5:37 Right-side Plank 6:41 Full Plank again 7:44 Elbow plank 8:57
7-Minute Workout
Medically Reviewed by Ross Brakeville, DPT on September 13, 2023
Written by Stephanie Watson
5 min read
How It Works
You’re busy. But chances are, you have 7 minutes in your schedule that you could spare.
When you don’t have 30 or 60 minutes for a full workout, the 7-minute workout packs in a full-body exercise routine in a fraction of the time.
A performance coach and exercise physiologist from the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, FL, came up with this program to give their busy clients a more efficient yet still effective workout. They’ve put together a series of 12 different exercises that work the upper body, lower body, and core.
You do each exercise for 30 seconds — long enough to get in about 15 to 20 repetitions. In between sets you rest for about 10 seconds.
The 12 exercises in the 7-minute workout target all the body’s major muscle groups:
Jumping jacks (total body)
Wall sit (lower body)
Push-up (upper body)
Abdominal crunch (core)
Step-up onto chair (total body)
Squat (lower body)
Triceps dip on chair (upper body)
Plank (core)
High knees/running in place (total body)
Lunge (lower body)
Push-up and rotation (upper body)
Side plank (core)
Depending on how much time you have, you can do the 7-minute workout once, or repeat the whole series two or three times.
Intensity Level: High
Because this workout condenses an entire exercise program into 7 minutes, it has to be intense. The exercises are challenging, and you do them one after the other with only very short breaks in between.
Areas It Targets
Core: Yes. Abdominal crunches, planks, and side planks work your core muscles.
Arms: Yes. Push-ups and triceps dips work the arms.
Legs: Yes. There are several leg exercises, including jumping jacks, wall sits, step-ups, squats, and lunges.
Glutes: Yes. Squats and lunges also work the glute muscles.
Back: Yes. Although there are no specific back exercises, this is a full-body workout, and many of the whole-body exercises also work the muscles in your back.
Type
Flexibility: No. This workout doesn’t include a stretch, although you could add one afterward.
Anaerobic: Yes. Because you run through the exercises very quickly and work many large muscle groups at once, you get an aerobic workout that helps burn fat and trim down body weight.
Strength: Yes. The exercises work all the major muscle groups, building strength throughout the body.
Sport: No. This is not a sport; it’s a workout.
Low Impact: No. The recommended anaerobic exercises (jumping jacks and high knees/running in place) are high-impact.
What Else Should I Know?
Cost. The workout is free, and there are free apps you can download to your smartphone or tablet that will walk you through the program and time the intervals for you.
Good for beginners? No. It’s too intense. And because you’re doing this solo, it helps to have some experience with general exercises like crunches and planks, so you use good form and technique.
Outdoors. Yes. You can do this workout outside, but you will need to bring along a chair and find a wall for some of the exercises.
At home. Yes. The routine is basic enough to do anywhere in your house.
Equipment required? No. This program uses your own body weight for resistance. The only tools you need are a wall and a chair.
What Dr. Michael Smith Says:
The 7-Minute Workout could get you in the best shape of your life. But it comes at a price: intensity!
The program only works if you put your all into it and then some. So if you’re not a regular exerciser now, look for a program that can get you in shape first. Then, when you’re up for the challenge, dive into high-intensity circuit training like this routine.
When you exercise at a vigorous level, you can get the same benefits in half the time. By limiting rest in between, you get a calorie- and fat-burning workout that also builds strong, lean muscle. Even if you can do only one round to start off, your body is gaining huge benefits.
Push yourself. The rewards will be worth the effort.
The downside of intense workouts is there is a higher risk of injury. Make sure to warm up with light cardio to get your heart, muscles, and joints ready.
Also, you need to know how to do the exercises exactly right. If the intensity is too much, rest a little longer, but the way to gain the greatest benefit is to push yourself.
The exercises in the 7-Minute Workout are examples of the types of exercises you could do in any high-intensity circuit routine. So you can swap them out for other exercises that work the same muscles.
When you’re done, cool down for a few minutes to bring your heart rate and breathing slowly back down.
Is It Good for Me If I Have a Health Condition?
The 7-Minute Workout is challenging, and it will produce results. It’s science-based, so you can trust it will do what it’s supposed to.
But it’s not for everyone. You have to push yourself hard to get the most out of it, which means it could be tough if you have joint or back problems. Moves like jumping jacks, squats, and lunges can be hard on the knees. Push-ups can be stressful on your wrists and shoulders. Planks will be tough if your back muscles are weak.
If you have joint or back problems and are not already active, this is not the workout for you — at least not yet. You need a kinder, gentler program to get your muscles stronger to better support your joints.
Check with your doctor or a trainer they recommend to find a program that’s right for you. Then, once you’re ready for the challenge and your doc says it’s OK, talk to a trainer about adapting the 7-Minute Workout for you.
If you’re working on losing weight, the 7-Minute Workout can help, along with a healthy diet. It’s an extreme, calorie-burning workout that will help shed the pounds and keep them off.
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or another condition that could benefit from dropping some extra weight, this routine could be what you’re looking for if your doctor agrees.
If you’re pregnant, you can exercise intensely if you did so before getting pregnant, but you would need to make some changes to this specific workout. The main concern during exercise is falling, so you don’t want to risk it by stepping up onto a chair. Plus, jumping jacks and high knees later in pregnancy could be painful. You can replace those exercises with others or find a workout program that doesn’t involve jumping and climbing.
Only in the early 1900s we saw 3 game-changing platforms emerging and evolving in parallel: telephone, electricity and automobile
18 Dec 2023
Investor Cathie Wood explores this unique moment in technology, which she sees as being marked by the simultaneous evolution of five pivotal innovation platforms — a scenario unparalleled in history.
Exploring the role of AI in reshaping economic paradigms, she predicts a surge in global GDP growth and productivity, underscoring the need for businesses and investors to adapt in order to keep up.
NVIDIA producing not only hardware but robotics, AI, self-driving cars, video games and GTC
8 Mar 2024
Cathie Wood, ARK Investment Management CEO and CIO talks about the monthly jobs report, monetary policy, Nvidia stock and artificial intelligence. She is on “Bloomberg Businessweek.”
13 Mar 2024
Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawasaki remains optimistic on Nvidia and calls the stock a “massive opportunity”.
13 Mar 2024
Most investors think of #nvidia ( #nvda stock ) as a company that builds AI chips for data centers and PCs but I’m going to show you a very different side of the company.
I’m joined by Michael Kaplan, Nvidia’s Director of Global Business Development for AI Foundry for Media and Entertainment, who has been with Nvidia for 14 years. In this episode, we preview some of Nvidia’s latest developments in mixed reality and generative AI, (similar to #chatgpt and #sora by #openai ).
Nvidia #gtc takes place on March 18-21 and is the best way for investors to learn about the science behind the stocks and decide which AI and semiconductor companies could be the best stocks to buy now!
TESLA’s biggest asset is AI and specifically, autonomous driving
NVDA are the leaders in chip-making
UIPATH (PATH) ‘the’ robotics process automation company in the world
TWILIO (TWLO) has big domain expertise in cloud communications
24 Oct 2023
The financial world was left baffled when ARK Invest trimmed its Nvidia holdings, just weeks before the company’s stock catapulted on the back of a record-breaking first-quarter earnings report. Nvidia now stands tall among the giants of market capitalization.
But Cathie Wood isn’t looking back. She stands resolute, unapologetic for her choice, dubbing it “portfolio management.” Yet, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. In this video, we unveil Cathie Wood’s audacious claim that a single tech stock may outshine even the mighty Nvidia in the long term. And the plot thickens.
Wood’s calculated moves have cast a spotlight on two other stocks, both battered, and both down by a jaw-dropping 80% from their all-time highs. What’s her game plan? Watch the video to get into Cathie bet.
S&P 500: Stay Invested, Cut Risk, And Be Ready To Buy The Dips
Mar. 14, 2024 5:02 PM ET S&P 500 Index (SP500)
Summary
A growing number of analysts are beginning to warn of a near-term peak on the S&P 500 Index. However, such warnings generally do more harm than good for investors.
The S&P 500 Index is experiencing its longest stretch since 2018 without a decline of at least 2%.
Staying invested, eliminating unnecessary risk, and buying the dips are recommended strategies for navigating the market.
NicoElNino
A growing number of Wall Street analysts are beginning to warn of a near-term peak on the S&P 500 Index (SP500). While strategists at JPMorgan have warned that the market is “priced for perfection” and is at risk of a sharp correction, Morgan Stanley is sticking to its year-end target of 4,500 for the S&P 500 Index (around 13% below current levels). However, such warnings generally do more harm than good for less discerning investors.
More often than not, calls for equity market peaks have been misinterpreted as some form of expert advice to dump equity positions, or even worse, to short the equity market. The result is investors turning into traders and repeatedly trying to short an equity bull market with hopes of making a quick buck. Some would even go to the extent of arguing that market timing is good risk management if it is done correctly. That is only true under the assumption that one is truly a market wizard capable of consistently catching the peaks and troughs over time. A ludicrous assumption to say the least.
Just take the S&P 500’s year-to-date performance, for example. Any trader attempting to short the index since the beginning of the year would have suffered irreparable losses by now. The S&P 500 has already gained 8.3% year-to-date and has yet to experience a pullback since October. At the time of writing, the S&P 500 Index is experiencing its longest stretch since 2018 without a decline of at least 2%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Bloomberg
Many technical indicators have been screaming overbought, yet the market will do whatever it wants to. So long as buyers are willing to ignore valuations to chase their favorite Artificial Intelligence (AI) theme, and passive investors are willing to add to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) regardless of price, then the market could certainly keep heading higher whether the bears like it or not.
Don’t get us wrong. Neither are we suggesting that investors should completely ignore valuations to chase the bull market, nor are we suggesting that investors should dump equity positions entirely and watch from the sidelines. Absolute precision in timing the stock market is rarely needed to be a successful investor, and there are certainly more passive ways to beat the market and generate alpha.
Staying Invested
Let us start with the easiest part. First and foremost, it is absolutely critical for investors to stick to a long-term investment plan and a strategic allocation that matches their unique risk tolerance and investment objectives. For readers who are unfamiliar with these concepts, we urge them to read our article on these topics. Essentially, having a strategic allocation means having some visibility into how a portfolio will likely perform in the long run based on asset class returns.
Staying invested means not deviating from one’s strategic allocation. Because deviation may potentially result in devastating long-term consequences. For example, if an investor misses just a handful of rallies in an equity bull market, trying to play catch-up becomes extremely difficult later on. Since the investor will have to achieve meaningful alpha just to catch up after making a mistake, there will be pressure to take on excessive risk to boost returns.
Recall how almost every analyst on Wall Street was certain that the U.S. economy would head into a recession in 2023. If an investor had decided to stay out of equities in 2023, the investor would need to achieve a 24.2% gain just to catch up to the performance of a passive equity portfolio. Missing the gains year-to-date means the investors would need to achieve another 8.3% to catch up. Now the odds look truly insurmountable. Only a handful of the best-performing hedge funds in the world can deliver that sort of return, and only occasionally.
Eliminating Unnecessary Risk
Staying fully invested and sticking to a strategic asset allocation, however, doesn’t mean that one has to sit on an equity portfolio like the S&P 500 Index. Investors can tactically rotate their exposures within their strategic equity allocation. This can be done by making meaningful changes to an equity portfolio’s exposure to different industries or factors such as quality or value. Rotating out of expensive sectors or themes achieves the goal of eliminating unnecessary risk.
The current bull market has been narrowly driven by AI-themed technology stocks, and many of these names seem to be priced for perfection, in our view.
J.P.Morgan Guide to The Markets Q1 2024
Not only are investors taking on excessive risk should these stocks head even higher (potential for larger pullbacks), but the prospective returns from current levels have been greatly diminished. So even if the investment thesis for AI plays out nicely for investors in the coming years, we believe the potential gains will likely be capped. From a risk-reward perspective, it makes little sense to chase the hottest themes, especially at current levels.
J.P.Morgan Guide To The Markets Q1 2024
We think it makes sense to meaningfully reduce exposure to overvalued technology names and to rotate towards attractive undervalued themes such as residential real estate, healthcare, and biotechnology. We also like the copper theme, which we think has a much longer runway for alpha versus tech.
Buying The Dips
We recently outlined our strategy in a separate article discussing these laggard themes, and a correction on the S&P 500 would provide a great opportunity for investors to accumulate into these themes. This means we would be looking for opportunities to buy into dips, and a 5%-10% correction on the S&P 500 from current levels would present attractive levels for us to start accumulating aggressively.
High-Yield, Still More Attractive Than Cash
We understand that some investors may be uncomfortable staying fully invested in equities. The good news is that fixed income is still providing attractive risk-adjusted returns right now.
Normally, we wouldn’t suggest switching aggressively from equities to fixed-income because equities have consistently provided higher returns over time. However, for the first time in decades, high-yield bonds and private credit (only accessible to high-net-worth investors) are providing returns that are close to long-term equity returns.
J.P.Morgan Guide To The Markets Q1 2024
In the short term, however, we note that spreads on high-yield fixed income have been driven down to near-historic lows. This means that high-yield bond investors are no longer being adequately compensated for taking on additional risk. Nonetheless, for investors who are just sitting in cash, we think high-yield bonds still provide superior risk-reward at the moment. As and when the Federal Reserve begins its rate cut cycle, investors sitting in cash are likely to end up sitting on reduced interest while struggling to find good value to invest their money.
This article was written by
Stratos Capital Partners
Stratos Capital Partners (S.C) was established in 2017 by a small team of professionals from the investment industry with a deep passion for financial markets, macroeconomics, and investment strategy. S.C.’s original goal was to focus exclusively and extensively on the research & development of algorithmic trend-following strategies. The implications of our research over the years have not only strengthened our conviction for systematic strategies but have also led to the profound evolution of our philosophy towards a multi-asset and multi-strategy investment model. Author Bio: An original co-founder of S.C., I am also currently a portfolio manager for a family office with more than US$180 million in assets under management. 15 years of experience in the investment industry, of which I have spent 10 years actively managing investment portfolios for ultra-high net worth families. My investment philosophy is firmly anchored to systematic strategies that are evidence-based and applicable to multiple asset classes and across market cycles. Ideally, an investment portfolio should be systematic by design, multi-asset in composition, and multi-strategy in execution. Rigorous risk management is fundamental to this multi-asset and multi-strategy investment model. For equities specifically, I rely heavily on value investing principles alongside other factors that have proven to generate consistent beta across market cycles. Good equity investing, of course, should not be entirely quantitative in approach. Thus, a certain degree of judgment and strategic thinking is required for making qualitative assessments at the individual stock level. ______________________________________________________DiDisclaimer: Stratos Capital Partners is a pen name adopted solely for the purpose of contributing independent investment and trading analysis for Seeking Alpha. Stratos Capital Partners is not a registered fund and is not licensed by a financial regulator. Stratos Capital Partners does not receive any form of benefit or compensation from companies mentioned in our analyses. However, the author does receive monetary benefits in the form of payment for article views as a content contributor for Seeking Alpha. The author shall not be held responsible for any losses whatsoever that may arise due to the author’s analyses. Readers are advised to exercise due diligence when making investment decisions.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SPY, SPX either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Like (
Retire With These 9-10% Dividend Yields In March 2024
Samuel Smith Mar. 12, 2024 7:15 AM
Summary
High-yielding stocks can dramatically improve your retirement.
Living off of passive income makes budgeting easier, reduces the sequence of returns risk, accelerates the retirement timeline, and enhances peace of mind.
We share three 9-10% dividend yields that are very unlikely to be cut and have strong growth momentum right now.
I am Samuel Smith, Vice President of Leonberg Capital. I lead the investing group High Yield Investor where we do our best to find the right balance between safety, growth, yield, and value.
JamesBrey
Retiring on dividends from quality high-yielding stocks is a great way to meet financial needs during the golden years because:
It provides a clearer picture of how well your portfolio is prepared to sustain your lifestyle during retirement
It reduces the sequence of returns risk given that dividend payouts tend to be much less volatile than stock prices
It can enable you to retire sooner than you would under the 4% Rule.
It can give you peace of mind during market crashes since your retirement income stream is not dependent on where stocks trade at any given time
With these pros in mind, here are three conservative 9-10%-yielding investments that can facilitate a rich and happy retirement.
#1. Blackstone Secured Lending Fund Stock (BXSL)
BXSL has arguably the best dividend in the entire BDC sector (BIZD) given its very attractive 10.1% yield, strong dividend growth momentum, and the safety of its payout.
In fact, it has the highest yield among its large blue-chip peers, including Main Street Capital (MAIN) and Ares Capital Corp (ARCC), has the second-strongest projected dividend growth in 2024 among the six largest BDCs, and the largest dividend growth rate from 2021 through projected 2024 levels among the same group of BDCs.
Moreover, its dividend coverage ratio is quite conservative for a BDC at 1.25x on a Q4 net investment income basis and its balance sheet is investment-grade rated, further bolstering its status as a strong dividend stock. In fact, there is little cause for concern of financial distress at BXSL given that it has $1.8 billion in liquidity, a 1.0x leverage ratio (which is on the conservative end of the spectrum for BDCs), the backing of the world’s leading alternative asset manager in Blackstone (BX), very strong underwriting performance (less than 0.1% of its investment portfolio is currently on non-accrual), and 98.5% of its portfolio is invested in first lien, senior secured loans.
As a result, investors can sleep well at night knowing that their 10.1% dividend yield is likely to continue flowing into their brokerage accounts each quarter, going a long way toward meeting their living expenses.
#2.Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA)
PFFA is a preferred stock ETF that pays out a hefty monthly dividend and currently yields nearly 10%. We are not particularly fond of preferred equities because oftentimes they give investors the worst of both worlds:
They lack the growth potential that common equities provide
They lack the seniority in the capital stack and contractual dividend payouts that debt investments provide.
As a result, it is very rare that we ever invest in preferred securities in our Core/International Portfolios due to their weak long-term total return prospects, and are highly selective in which ones we invest in within our Retirement Portfolio. Given that we do not think that preferreds offer much downside protection in the event of financial distress for a company, we think that only preferreds in high-quality businesses and/or a very broadly diversified portfolio are even worth investing in at all, and only then they are only worth investing in if consistently attractive income is the investment objective rather than total returns.
We therefore only invest in preferreds that combine very high and very well-covered yields with strong balance sheets and underlying business models in our Retirement Portfolio. However, PFFA is a potential exception for retirees for the following reasons:
It offers an attractive near 10% dividend yield paid out monthly that is fully covered by internally generated cash flow.
It is very well diversified, with 186 holdings, and is actively managed with a focus on valuation and quality.
It employs leverage fairly prudently to juice returns and its yield, combining with the active management approach to more than double the total returns generated by the broader preferred stock index (PFF) since its inception:
Data by YCharts
As a result, investors can enjoy a diversified preferred income yield of nearly 10% paid out monthly through PFFA while also resting easy knowing that it is backed by a skilled portfolio manager whose strategy has generated massive alpha over time. You can read our more in-depth thesis on it here and our recent interview with the portfolio manager here.
#3 Energy Transfer Stock (ET)
Last, but not least, ET pays out a 9% distribution yield that is arguably the safest 9%+ yielding common equity in the market today. The reason for this is that:
It owns a large and well-diversified portfolio of strategic and mission-critical energy infrastructure assets that are mostly contracted with lengthy terms and strong counterparties.
~90% of its adjusted EBITDA is commodity-price resistant, making its cash flow profile very stable.
Its balance sheet is in excellent shape, with a BBB credit rating, well-laddered debt maturities, substantial free cash flow generation, and plenty of liquidity.
Its distributable cash flow is nearly twice its distribution payout obligation, giving it a very large cushion to support its payout even if its cash flow did take a substantial hit.
On top of the safety of its distribution, ET is investing aggressively in growth projects, enabling management to project that it will continue to grow its distribution at a 3-5% CAGR for years to come while also continuing to deleverage and buy back units opportunistically.
As a result, investors in ET can sleep well at night knowing that they are locking in a very attractive passive income stream that should not only be sustainable but actually grow faster than inflation over the long term.
Investor Takeaway
Between BXSL, PFFA, and ET investors can build a strong foundation for their income portfolios while also generating very high income yields. Moreover, BXSL – with its emphasis on investing in floating-rate loans – will likely benefit from rising interest rates, while PFFA – with its focus on primarily fixed-rate preferreds – will likely benefit from falling interest rates. ET – with its strong balance sheet, significant free cash flow, and inflation-resistant business model – is somewhat indifferent to the direction of interest rates. Best of all, all three business models are quite defensive in nature. As a result, investors who diversify across these three securities should be able to sleep well at night in just about any macroeconomic environment.
brain-perks 