Weight Down Living

Get lean and strong with these 30 quick tips.

1. Throw your weight around

Using machines to train can get you just as big as throwing up free weights, according to a recent study.

2. Go to bed with casein

Supplementing with casein—a slow- digesting protein powder—before you sleep has been shown to stimulate overnight muscle growth. Also, a study from the Journal of Nutrition found that protein supplementation right before sleep boosts muscle synthesis by almost 22%.

3. Squeeze, please

Squeezing the bar hard for three to five seconds before your set gives you a connected feeling throughout your body and primes you to stay tight during the lift.

4. Lighten up, will ya?

Research from McMaster U. in Canada has shown that lifting with lighter weights (up to 50% of max) for 20 to 25 reps, matched the gains gotten when lifting up to 90% of max for eight to 12 reps. The key to it all is making sure you lift till the point of fatigue.

5. Jump for greater muscle gains

Don’t neglect agilty work — moves like box jumps will test those unused muscles. On leg days do 3×3, resting 60 seconds between each set— the central nervous system recruits more muscle after explosive exercise.

6. Consume creatine

Research published in the journal Nutrients found that 5g of creatine supplementation four times a day for six days gave a group of athletes a 14-pound bump in 1RM in squats.

7. Gym it up, part 1

Research that appeared in the Journal of Exercise Physiology Online showed insignificant differences in gains in three lifting protocols: two times a week, three times, or four. The exercises included eight resistance movements with three sets of 10 to 12 reps.

8. Mind your performance

A study on how visualization can help in the weight room found that those who conduct mental exercises of their performance in the gym can lift up to 14% more weight. And studies have shown that the exact same signals that fire when you are actually lifting weights also show up when just thinking about the moves.

9. Rest 3 to 5 minutes before a 1RM

Your body needs to regenerate as much ATP (adenosine triphosphate)—a cell’s main source of energy—to fuel muscle. Take a moment or two and let your body feel fully recovered before attempting a PR.

10. Gym it up, part 2

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that with volume equaled out, it doesn’t matter much if you train once a week or twice a week.

11. Do cardio after lifting

Aerobic exercise performed before resistance exercise significantly reduces performance even when unrelated muscle groups are involved.

12. Gym it up, part 3

According to a paper published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, both heavy-weight/lower-rep and moderate-weight/higher-rep routines elicit similar gains in muscle growth.

13. Gear up

Proper tools like bands and training shoes will help you get stronger faster:

14. Don’t always train to failure

For new lifters, taking sets to failure during a 5×5 protocol does not lead to greater strength gains than stopping short of failure.

15. Train with a gorilla

Pumping iron with someone who motivates or even intimidates you can push you to up your intensity.

16. Hit the sack

Aim for seven to eight hours of restful sleep per night to allow your body the time to replenish nutrients and rebuild muscle.

17. Add in Vitamin E

Vitamin E, a powerful ­antioxidant and staple of almonds and avocados, is crucial because it helps heal the muscle cellsthat rupture during exercise.

18. Spread out

Do squats and deadlifts as far apart from each other in a training week—or on the same day—as possible so that there’s ample recovery time before the next session.

19. Gym it up, part 4

A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that after four weeks of training to failure using 30% 1RM or 80% 1RM, both elicited similar muscle hypertrophy, but only 80% 1RM increased muscle strength.

20. Adjust for age

Train the same muscles three times a week for the first year or so, then twice a week when you get stronger.

21. Go for a spin

Light cardio is the best form of active recovery for pretty much any workout. Spin for 10 to 15 minutes on a bike at a low resistance and leisurely rate.

22. Beg off the brews

If you booze before you exercise, muscle biopsies show reduced activity in the chemical pathways tied to muscle growth and recovery.

23. Rub it in

Getting a massage can reduce inflammation and swelling, so sign up for regular sessions.

24. Be an arse man

Tightening your hips and glutes can lead to better stability and will help you put up more weight on any exercise.

25. Get pushy

When bench- pressing, actively push your heels into the floor and force your body backward to help turn the press into a full-body exercise.

26. Get the band back together

Banded side steps are great for improving hip stability and protecting the knees from injury. They can also help strengthen the hips, to prevent the knees from wobbling during squats.

27. Bend the bar

Another great bench tip: Grip the bar tightly—hands about shoulder-width apart—before starting a lift. Then, when you have the bar up, keep squeezing firmly, trying to “bend” it in half as you press.

28. Down some joe

A study from Coventry University in the United Kingdom reports that drinking a cup of coffee approximately 45 minutes before a squat session can give you close to a 29% bump in weight.

29. Hang in there

Grasping a bar and holding on helps decompress joints and improves grip strength, which helps you lift more.

30. Rest longer

A study on eight weeks of training found that three-minute rest intervals stimulated significantly greater 1RM bench-press and arm-mass gains compared with one-minute rest intervals.

El pasado Halloween decidimos publicar unos cuantos etiquetados que dan verdadero terror a las nutricionistas de Alimmenta. La excusa era compartir etiquetados poco saludables,  con exceso de grasas y azúcares, a través de un Story de nuestra  . En este artículo queremos aprovechar ese material para explicar por qué vale la pena ir a comprar con tiempo y/o recurrir a las gafas de cerca, para leer bien qué estamos comprando, sobre todo si son alimentos que compramos con frecuencia.

Ecológico no es sinónimo de saludable

La dietista-nutricionista  ha elegido este etiquetado de cereales ECO “por la cantidad de azúcar que contiene”. Al tener el certificado de producto ECO muchas personas lo relacionan con un alimento más sano y automáticamente dejan de leer el etiquetado, pero el azúcar es el segundo ingrediente “aportando 48g de azúcar por 100g de producto”.

¿Vitaminas  o azúcar?

Cuando la dietista-nutricionista entró hace unos días en la farmacia para comprar un medicamento, le llamaron la atención estos sobres de “vitaminas”. Según Marisa, nos venden “vitaminas, minerales y omega 3,  un producto disfrazado de jalea real que en realidad,  como se puede leer en la etiqueta, es azúcar más azúcar“. Marisa concluye su crítica con una reflexión: “Sé que vivimos en un mundo incoherente, ¿pero una farmacia no debería procurar mejorar la salud de las personas?”.

Cómo disfrazar un postre de producto saludable

Cuando ve que en el packaging de un postre chocolateado se destaca un contenido de “0% o 0’9% de grasa” activa todos sus radares: “Podemos creer que al tener tan poca grasa es una opción de consumo habitual y saludable, pero su etiqueta revela que el tercer ingrediente es el azúcar“. Además, la nutricionista de Alimmenta señala que “cada envase contiene la escalofriante cifra de 15g de azúcares simples y por lo tanto, aunque tenga poca grasa es una alimento malsano que, si queremos consumir ,deberá ser de forma ocasional”.

¿Nos podemos fiar de una crema con verduras de temporada?

A le llama la atención que una crema de calabaza industrial, que habitualmente se compra cuando uno tiene la intención de consumir verdura, incorpore solo un 23% de calabaza. Carme explica que hay algunas cremas de verduras con un  “contenido total de verdura de alrededor de un 40 % , al que añaden nata, mantequilla, almidón modificado, sal, azúcar, grasa láctea…etc.” El consejo de la nutricionista: “Prepararte tu propia crema de verduras para asegurarte de que únicamente contiene verdura”.

¿Unas barritas de cereales son siempre un snack saludable?

Para , “es terrorífico que productos que aparentemente se venden como sanos, acaben siendo totalmente lo contrario. Por ejemplo, en estas barritas “sólo el 48% es avena integral, el resto, más de la mitad de las barritas, está compuesto por ingredientes muy poco saludables“. La dietista-nutricionista de Alimmenta en Sabadell añade a su crítica que “el segundo ingrediente después de la avena es el jarabe de glucosa y fructosa, que no es más que un líquido dulce similar al azúcar, seguido de ingredientes como grasa vegetal refinada, jarabe de glucosa, sal…etc.” En total “contiene 24,7 g de azúcar por 100g“, concluye Vanesa.

Un hummus que no lleva solo garbanzos

La etiqueta que comparte es de un producto con una “supuesta alegación nutricional saludable en su etiquetado”. A Sara le llama la atención que destaquen la presencia de aceite de oliva virgen extra, algo que puede indicar que es más saludable. Pero la nutricionista de Alimmenta advierte que “si miramos su listado de ingredientes, solo contiene un 2% de aceite de oliva y un 62 % de garbanzos”.

¿Fruta deshidratada o fruta azucarada?

A le parece chocante “ir con la idea de comprarte un snack saludable y al dar la vuelta al envase, ver que han añadido azúcar a la fruta deshidratada”. Para la nutricionista de Alimmenta en Mataró, es mucho mejor incorporar a la dieta la pieza de fruta natural. Además, así  “te ahorrarás el azúcar y podrás disfrutar de su propio aroma y no del añadido”.

El embutido de pavo no siempre es una buena opción

Para la dietista-nutricionista Aina Huguet, la composición del embutido de pavo puede llegar a ser de pésima calidad: “Podemos pensar  que desayunar embutido de pavo es la manera más saludable de empezar el día pero el porcentaje de pavo de este envase es de solo el 70%, el otro 30% restante es agua, sal, azúcar, proteína de soja y aditivos varios“. La dietista-nutricionista de Alimmenta concluye diciendo que “otro factor que hace que la composición nutricional de este producto sea pésima, es la cantidad de sal que contiene que son 2g de sal por cada 100g de embutido,  cantidad que corresponde al 40% de la sal que tenemos que consumir en todo el día” .

¿Es saludable desayunar cada día cereales con un montón de azúcar?

A le indigna ver etiquetados como el que aporta a este artículo.  Se trata de un cereal de desayuno destinado principalmente a niños y encima se anuncia como un cereal “sin colorantes ni aromas artificiales” y “sin aceite de palma”. Su packaging también advierte que “un desayuno equilibrado incluye cereales, leche y fruta”. En el reverso de la caja leemos que “los cereales integrales son el primer ingrediente”, sin embargo no nos informa de que este tipo de cereal sólo supone el 50% de la cantidad total que contiene. La nutricionista de Alimmenta advierte que “tampoco nos dice que de cada 100g de cereal, 28,8g son de azúcares”.  Jessica se pregunta si  “es correcto que un producto con esta composición nutricional pueda escribir en su envoltorio que en un desayuno equilibrado se recomienda incluir un cereal como éste”. Con estas afirmaciones el fabricante busca dar una imagen de producto saludable cuando en ningún caso lo es y por tanto “no debería formar parte de la alimentación de una persona y mucho menos de un niño”, concluye la nutricionista.

¿Golosinas ecológicas?

Acabamos este artículo como lo empezamos, advirtiendo de que no hay que tener confianza ciega en lo ecológico. A le “asusta pensar en la gran cantidad de personas (padres, madres, abuelos o abuelas…) que compran estas gominolas pensando que resulta una opción saludable”. nos invita a fijarnos en su lista de ingredientes: “Lo primero que lleva es sirope de maíz, azúcar de caña, gelatina… en definitiva, azúcar libre. Ecológico no es siempre sinónimo de saludable y menos unas chucherías. Este tipo de productos, mires por donde lo mires, siempre serán alimentos ricos en azúcares simples y por lo tanto, nada saludables ni recomendables.”

Several years ago, wellness examinations were introduced into medical practices as a way of detecting possible health risks, especially among an older population. It made and makes sense. Detecting high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or blood glucose, and too low levels of essential nutrients meant that interventions could be started to prevent a worsening of the individual’s health and quality of life. But do these assessments really measure the wellness of the individual?

Consider falling. Falling is a common risk factor for older people, and now that the Baby Boomer population is in that category of older Americans the incidence of falling will predictably increase. The loss of bone and muscle mass and balance that accompany aging certainly increase the risk of tripping over obstacles that might not even register a slight stumble in a younger individual. And unfortunately 30 to 40 percent of people 65 and older may trip and fall. The effect of a fall is not a tumble and, “Don’t worry, I am not hurt.” About half of these falls cause injury that becomes more serious the older the individual.

Thus the wellness assessment should include detection of physical deficits that might make the patient vulnerable to falling. If a decline in balance or uneven gait is detected before injury from falling occurs, a “prescription” for therapeutic exercises can be offered so these conditions can be helped. This would be similar to a physician making sure a patient received nutritional advice if blood tests showed pre-diabetes or early signs of iron deficiency. But according to guidelines from American and British Geriatric societies, no assessment of risk from falling will be made unless the patient has already fallen or complains of feeling unsteady while walking. If one is lucky or unlucky enough to have fallen (excuse the pun) into this category, then he or she is sent to someone for evaluation of walking and balance.

But why wait until there is a problem? If a patient was pre-diabetic based on fasting blood sugar levels, should a doctor wait until the symptoms of diabetes appears before starting treatment?

Your physician does not have to be a physical therapist or certified personal trainer to assess whether you have poor balance or impaired walking and need help to improve these functions.  

The test to measure balance is simple. For example:

• Can you stand on one leg and bend the other 45 degrees or place it against the calf of the standing leg? Can you do this on each leg for 30 seconds?
• Can you walk ten steps with the heel of your front foot touching the toe of your back foot? (This is harder than it seems…)
• Step to the right with your weight on your right foot. Bring your left foot next to your right foot. Then do the same with the opposite feet. Slowly.

There are other similar balance tests that are also used as exercises to improve balance.

The results of a balance test can be surprising. A friend who had an ankle operation found that even though her ankle had healed and the muscle mass of her leg restored, she had much more trouble balancing on the operated leg than the other years after the operation. Another who had stopped going to yoga classes because of scheduling conflicts and who could stand on one foot seemingly forever was horrified to find that after a couple of years not doing balance exercises she had trouble standing on one foot for less than a minute.

Gait is a fancy term for moving your feet while walking. Gait speed is a measure of how quickly someone can walk from a specific point to another specific point. Measurements of gait needs a bit more space than a balance test, and if problems are detected, a thorough evaluation, including walking on a treadmill and the walking videoed for later analysis by a physical therapist. In the initial test, a distance is measured out and the individual asked to walk at a normal gait /speed to the end point. This is timed and often repeated to get an accurate result. Gait speed is then calculated by dividing the distance by the time it takes to cover it.

So, if you walked 12 meters (one meter equals three feet) in 12 seconds, than you would walk one meter (or three feet) per second. Although gait certainly can slow down simply with aging—a 90 year-old probably walks more slowly than a 50 year-old—other factors such as being unable to pick up one’s feet (shuffling), perceptual problems, poor balance and muscle weakness can slow down the pace of walking in an otherwise healthy person.

These measurements of balance and gait do not require the services of a personal trainer or physical therapist. They can even be made at home. They don’t take time. Indeed, they probably require less time than one typically spends in the waiting room when the doctor is behind in his or her appointments.  But they should be made under medical supervision because they can reveal problems that are more medically complex than aging or lack of exercise.  Loss of balance and abnormally slow gait can be due to inflammation or other inner ear problems, nerve damage to the legs, vision problems, muscle weakness, side effects of some medications and neurological diseases like Parkinson’s. The underlying causes must be addressed.

Balance is something we don’t notice we have lost until we do. All of us must find out how vulnerable we are before that first fall.

From Forbes…

There’s no arguing with the fact that a Mediterranean-style diet is just about the best choice for physical health and longevity. But a growing body of evidence is also reporting that the famous diet is good not only for the body, but also for the brain—and importantly, the mind. A new study in the Nature journal Molecular Psychiatry finds that a Mediterranean diet also reduces the risk for depression, considerably. It’s not the first to suggest this, but it is the largest meta-analysis to date.

Source: Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Risk For Depression, Study Finds

With marinated tuna, brown rice, avocado, cucumber, mango, macadamias and scallions, this Hawaiian style quick Ahi Poke Bowl is perfect for hot summer nights.

I love Poke bowls and often make them when I crave sushi! A few favorite dishes that satisfy my sushi cravings are Shoyu Ahi Poke, California Shrimp Stacks and California Spicy Crab Stuffed Avocados. I’m also really digging this poke bowl with mango and avocado, a guest post by my friend, Heather K Jones, please welcome her!

Hey there, I’m Heather K. Jones—I’m a registered dietitian and a wellness coach, and right now I’m hosting a totally FREE 4-part Feel Better Eat Better video workshop. If you struggle with emotional eating, binge eating, or food or body image issues of any sort, you really don’t want to miss this free workshop! You can sign up for the workshop right HERE.

While visiting Seattle a few weeks ago my sister Lori (who was just back from a Hawaiian vacation!) made me this delicious Hawaiian style bowl for dinner, and I’ve made it several times since.

What is a poke bowl?

Marinated sushi-grade tuna is tossed with veggies, nuts, fruit and brown rice—it’s sort of like a deconstructed tuna sushi roll in a bowl. It’s so easy, so tasty and it’s great for those summer nights when you really don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Enjoy!

Variations:

• Try this with salmon, albacore or yellowtail.
• If you don’t like raw fish, try this with cooked shrimp.

Ahi Poke Bowl

With marinated tuna, brown rice, avocado, cucumber, mango, macadamias and scallions, this Hawaiian style quick Ahi Poke Bowl is perfect for hot summer nights.

Ingredients:

For tuna: 

• ½ pound sushi grade tuna, cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced white onion
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon sriracha

For bowl:

• 1 medium mango
• 1 small (4-ounce) Hass avocado
• ½ medium cucumber
• ½-1 small jalapeno (to taste)
• 2 scallions
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped roasted Macadamia nuts
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Reduced sodium soy or gluten-free tamari, for serving (optional)
• Sriracha, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine tuna with onion, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha.
2. Gently toss to combine and set aside while you prepare the bowls.
3. Peel, seed and cube the mango and avocado.  Peel, halve, seed and thinly slice the cucumber.  Thinly slice the jalapeno and scallions.
4. In 2 bowls, layer 1/2 the rice, 1/2 the tuna, mango, avocado, cucumber, jalapeno and scallions.
5. Top with Macadamia nuts and sesame seeds and serve with lime wedges and extra sauce on the side, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 2 servings, Serving Size: 1 bowl

• Amount Per Serving:
• Freestyle Points: 9
• Points +:
• Calories: 527 calories
• Total Fat: 19g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 51mg
• Sodium: 353.5mg
• Carbohydrates: 60g
• Fiber: 10.5g
• Sugar: 26g
• Protein: 34g

All images and text ©Gina Homolka for Skinnytaste

5x5, the way I understand it, has no room for “the weights get too heavy”.

Start with a bare naked barbell. They’re like 35-45 pounds or something, depending on the type you use.

No really START with the barbell. SLOWLY add weights if the reps are too easy. If you can’t complete a whole “workout A/B” strength training routine, maybe try upping your calories.

Another thing that may be the issue - electrolytes. I’m in week 3 of 5x5. I love it. I wouldn’t be able to complete a whole routine if I didn’t salt the shit out of my water bottle, potassium too!

NoSalt for potassium and... salt for the NaCl. At LEAST one whole tablespoon. I like to refill my water bottle when it’s halfway done, and keep repeating that until I’m done.

Hope this didn’t come off as mean. You can do the 5x5! I believe in you. It’s okay to get tired and push HARD during a workout. It’s not supposed to easy.

I leave the gym completely exhausted after a workout with 5x5. Really breaks a sweat

Every kid growing up has a different experience with money. Some kids have no concept of it, whether that be due their parent’s wealth or lack of wealth, that money just doesn’t come up in conversation, or their parents go to great lengths to hide their money realities from their children. Others are very aware of money, having to earn it from a young age through chores and after-school jobs or simply by having an abundance of it at their own disposal.

I was somewhere in the middle. As a child of divorce, my parents had financial discrepancies in their net worths: they weren’t one unit, and therefore my experience with money was very different with each of them. Money was also a major factor in their divorce and therefore a source of contention in our family. My father is an immigrant from India. From a young age, I learned about the caste system and the idea that wealth is inherited. He was of the business caste and had more money than most in India. He had a path set for him, but he chose to go to America and struggle to have something of his own. He was successful and thus maintained his status, though not without hard work. My mother grew up in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s. She worked from the time she was 14, and she moved to New York City in the 70s to carve her own path for her and her son. That path eventually led to pursuing a social work degree when she was pregnant with me. She managed to become a successful social worker in her 40s and 50s. Neither of them reached their own financial comfort zones until later in life.

When I was young, my parents were still figuring it all out. As kids, we expect our parents to have it all together prior to having us, but the reality is they’re just like us — doing the best they can with what they have. As a kid, I was extremely aware of money, though I didn’t completely understand it. I did understand that it could break up a marriage even in homes of relative affluence. As a typical suburban kid, I had friends who lived in modern developments with clean carpeted floors and pantries full of snacks. I often felt poor in comparison, in my house from 1888 and my creaky, dirty wood floors and bare cabinets with the exception of a few staples like Ovaltine and cans of tuna. I must have thought we were somewhat poor — why else would my parents fight over spending money?

It’s ironic how black and white everything looks from the perspective of a child. In reality, we lived in a huge old house with an acre of property, I never went hungry even though we sometimes went without “essentials” (which turned out to be luxuries in the grand scheme of things), we had two cars, new clothes for every school year, birthday parties and Christmas gifts, and yet I felt deprived. Perhaps it was guilt, as I was too privy to the financial fights that eventually caused their divorce and caused me to feel like I couldn’t ask for more without causing more issues. But it was also privilege and entitlement, growing up in the richest country in the world and constantly comparing our lifestyle to those of my friends and neighbors who just seemed to have it better.

I chose to work from a young age because I wanted things that my parents could not or would not provide. But I had no real financial literacy; I didn’t understand savings, investments, credit, debt and I was really confused by the concept of a mortgage and why it caused so many problems. I learned from both of my parents to work hard. I learned from my dad to be prudent, and I learned from my mom to enjoy myself and to spend accordingly. But no one sat me down to discuss things like retirement savings or investments.

When you grow up somewhat low income, you learn to spend what you earn because that’s all you have. It all goes back to the household so that everyone can benefit, rather than socking it away for your future, which feels somewhat selfish in that dynamic. So I worked and supported my brothers for a time, not realizing what that money could have done for me in the future. When you grow up rich, you often learn about maintaining wealth and what that entails, like investing, passive income and compounding interest. Despite my father being rich, he didn’t teach us how to be rich or how to maintain wealth, with the exception of not spending every dollar you earn. My mom worked hard but overspent on items my dad saw as unnecessary and impractical and often hid her financial realities from us, so we didn’t fully understand how she could afford some things but not have enough money to buy something as simple as toilet paper. We had no idea how much money either of them had or made, only how much they spent and how much strife it caused.

My dad always paid for everything outright. My mom had no credit, so I never really learned about the concept of it. I graduated from college with no college debt — a blessing for sure, but also a missed opportunity for me to build some credit through good debt. When I graduated, I went to work and decided to build up my credit. I understood the basic concept and the importance of paying it off, but because I was always looking to make up for what I felt I missed out on, I spent beyond my means. It resulted in a good credit score, but mounting bills that became less manageable as time went on.

I now have quite a bit of debt, and for a while, I was angry with myself for it. Then, I shifted that anger towards my parents: if only they had taught me how to use credit, if only they argued in a different way or a different room, if only they made more money or gave me more money. If only I had learned from their mistakes instead of blaming them for them. But the truth is that it isn’t their fault. They did the best they could with what they had. They worked hard their whole lives and came from more humble beginnings than I did. They both had parents who worked hard and did their best, but who also could not teach them how to approach money — especially in today’s economy which so drastically differs from the one they grew with.

It’s easy to blame your parents, and there are cases when that blame is warranted. My childhood wasn’t perfect, but it’s all relative. especially when it comes to money and standards of living. It doesn’t mean there wasn’t some trauma involved in my childhood. It just means that, most likely, you bear some responsibility in your financial situation and literacy.

The question then becomes: how do you overcome your financial programming and patterns? After reading Kate Northrup’s Money: A Love Story, I realized that going back to my family of origin was completely necessary — not to absolve me of my own questionable financial decisions, but to understand how I came to make those decisions based on the family dynamics that shaped my understanding of money. By writing my own money love story, I am starting to own those decisions, not feel guilt or shame about them. Hopefully, I will be able to bestow some wisdom to my own children someday, allowing them the financial freedom we all yearn for. I do feel, even after processing my childhood experiences, that it is a parent’s responsibility to instill a sense of financial literacy in one’s children to better ensure their future success. But I still have a long way to go and a lot of debt to pay off myself, and if I were to have kids in the next five years I would be far from perfect in the financial department. But by no longer resenting my parents for my predicament, I can take responsibility for my decisions and make better ones in the future.

Josette Ramnani is a millennial writer based in the Hudson Valley.

Image via Unsplash

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