IFYL Just the Facts: Walking Book Clubs; Scam Alert; Take a Skillcation

In this episode we discuss:

Don’t skip lunch;

Dating Doppelgängers?

Smell like a Bakery;

And many more topics.

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For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com

Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard

Episode Transcript

Unknown (00:46):
Hello and welcome to another episode of the podcast.
We have another special just thefacts with JT edition of the
show. It's gonna be clips fromthe radio show. So if you can't
listen to the radio show, youmissed it on the air. You want
to just, you want to get thatinformation that we put out
there every single day. You wantto take it with you in your
pocket. But you don't want anyof the back and forth. You just

(01:07):
want to hear John Tesh givingyou that information. This is,
that's what this is. That's whatwe're providing for you today.
So excited to bring this to you.
Here we go with just the facts.
It's John Tesh. Allright, listen to this. There's a
new kind of high tech scamthat's draining people's bank
accounts in seconds, and it's soconvincing, even tech savvy and

(01:27):
skeptical people are falling forit. So this is important. Here's
how it works. Scammers are usingspoofing software to make their
phone number look like it'scoming from your bank, then they
call or text claiming there hasbeen, quote, fraudulent activity
on your account. They soundprofessional, sometimes even
using AI generated voices thatmimic real customer service

(01:48):
reps, the scammer will create asense of panic, saying your
money is at risk, move it now toa safe account. That's the
trick. They pressure you totransfer your money, and once
you do, it is gone. The FederalTrade Commission says this
imposter scam is now the numberone consumer complaint, with
more than half a million victimslosing billions of dollars in

(02:10):
just the last two years, andthose are only the ones who have
reported it. Experts say thebest protection is to never
trust a call or text from yourbank, even if the number looks
real and if something seems off,hang up immediately and call
your bank using the number onthe back of your card. Hey, so
check this out. There's a newtype of book club, and I'm

(02:30):
loving this. It's called awalking audio book club. So
instead of meeting up insomebody's living room or a
coffee shop to chat about abook. People meet outdoors, pop
in their ear buds and take awalk while listening to audio
books. The idea is catching onfrom coast to coast, like
bookets around DC, where memberswalk through parks or trails
listening to whatever bookthey're into. Afterward, they

(02:52):
share thoughts about whatthey're reading or listening to.
But some people just enjoy thecompany while they're going for
a walk. Experts say this trendreflects two powerful needs in
modern life, staying active andfinding low pressure connection.
It's part exercise, partmindfulness and part social
time. Of course, audio bookwalking clubs are also helping

(03:14):
revive interest in reading,which studies show has dropped
in recent years, publishers haveeven started donating audio
books to these book clubs, andmembers say walking together
makes reading feel like anexperience again, not a
solitary, passive activity. Soif you have a favorite audio
book and some good walkingshoes, find a walking audio book
club near you, or start oneyourself. Some Public Libraries

(03:37):
also host them. Just Googlewalking book club from our
health and wellness files, whichis better? Can we get an answer
to this one long walk or severalshort ones? Which is better? It
turns out, if you're wearing anactivity tracker and counting
steps, there's something new tothink about. It might not just
be how many steps you take, buthow you take them? A study in

(03:58):
the Annals of Internal Medicinefound that people who took
longer more continuous walks hadbetter health outcomes than
those who spread their steps outthroughout the day. Researchers
followed 34,000 adults, bigstudy, they found that those who
regularly walked for at least 15minutes at a time were about 80%
less likely to die from anycause. They were also nearly 70%

(04:20):
less likely to develop heartdisease compared to people who
mostly walked in short fiveminute bursts. The experts say
this doesn't mean short walksdon't help but giving your body
a little more time in motionallows your heart rate,
circulation and muscles tobenefit more fully. So keep
moving however you can. But ifyou have time, do go for a

(04:41):
longer walk, even a few moreminutes, can make a big
difference. Now, the datasupports this. I have a question
for you. Have you noticed howeverything from soap to perfume
smells like dessert? Lately,we're talking caramel, vanilla,
pistachio, even donut scentsshowing up everywhere, from
luxury perfumes to body wash.

(05:04):
Now this is what the fragranceworld is calling, gourmand
scents, basically products thatsmell good enough to eat.
According to research fromBloomberg and Mintel, nearly 1/4
of all new perfumes now fallinto this food category, the
highest it's ever been. What'sdriving it? The experts say
we're in a comfort seeking era.
Psychologists say these cozyfood like scents, help lower

(05:25):
stress, boost mood and evenspark feelings of comfort and
safety and familiar scents cancalm the nervous system, slow
down heart rate, and improvefocus. So sniffing a vanilla
candle or you. Producingpistachio scented lotion might
actually help you feel morerelaxed and even sleep better.
Add to that, more people aretaking weight loss medications,

(05:45):
and experts believe scent may bereplacing taste for people. The
psychologists say these, quote,food like scents, hit the same
brain centers as comfort foodand can satisfy a craving
without eating a bite. Sowhether it's a pistachio candle
or vanilla shampoo, it's allabout indulging our senses. I've
seen a lot of posts about this,and now we know we have data to

(06:09):
support the fact that thehottest new workout today is
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, from MarkZuckerberg to Elon Musk to the
average person, jiu jitsuclasses are taking off big time.
It's a martial art. There'sgrappling and strategy and
plenty of sweat, but jiu jitsuis really a workout for your
mind. Experts say it strengthensyour focus, builds emotional

(06:31):
control and teaches you to staycalm under pressure. You learn
how to think your way out oftight spots, both on and off the
mat. Physically, it's a fullbody challenge that builds
strength, flexibility andendurance, but without the heavy
pounding of high impact sports,you're also learning patience,
strategy and resilience. Andmentally, it's almost

(06:52):
meditative. You can't Doomscroll multi task or zone out,
because if you do, you'll end upflat on your back. That total
focus gives your brain a breakfrom daily stress, and it
rewires how you handlechallenges. As one instructor
puts it jujitsu teaches you tomove on from a plan that didn't
work. And it's not just for men.

(07:14):
Classes are booming for women,kids and even seniors. Seems
like every day on this program,we're talking about how our
happiness is cratering in NorthAmerica, but now we're finding
out the solution may be to stoptrying to be happy and start
figuring out how to make otherpeople happy. This is also
biblical, right? Thisconclusion, there is a

(07:35):
conclusion of a six year studyI'm going to tell you about from
Cornell. So researchers wantedto see whether feeling a sense
of purpose would actually makepeople feel happier. So
psychologist Anthony burrowrandomly selected more than 1000
college kids to receive $400 andthey had eight weeks to use the
money on something thatbenefited their communities. It

(07:56):
was called the contributionproject. One person built bird
houses and put them aroundcampus. Another student funded a
trip to a national competitionfor his taekwondo team, and
afterward, researchers analyzedthe well being, sense of purpose
and belonging of those whoreceived the money, and they all
showed significant improvement.
The great thing is, we can allreplicate the study ourselves by

(08:18):
thinking of ways to give ourtime and resources. You just
spend some time on an activitythat does some good, whether
that's donating to a local foodpantry or volunteering at an
animal shelter. Yes, livingbeyond yourself, outside
yourself, think about this. Haveyou ever come back from vacation
and felt like you needed anothervacation. Psychologists say it

(08:40):
might be because you took thewrong kind of break. So instead
of sitting on a beach doingnothing, experts are now saying
we should be trying askillcation. It's a vacation
where you learn something new orhone a skill, like cheese making
classes in Switzerland, knittingyour way around Iceland or even
a hiking trip to your localmountains. Why is this more

(09:01):
refreshing than a lounge chairin a pina colada? Psychologist
Sabine sonatag says rest is goodand we need it, but it's not the
only way to recharge. Whatreally wakes up our brain is
something called a quote masteryexperience, basically doing
something challenging andstepping out of your comfort
zone. And here's what that doesfor you. It tires you out in a

(09:22):
good way. So you actually sleepbetter. It forces your brain to
focus on right now and not onyour inbox. And most
importantly, it reminds you thatyou're capable, strong and
you're still growing, you'llalso have more energy,
confidence and a clear head.
It's a form of self development,right? You can still take a

(09:44):
couple of days to sit in thebeach chair, but a skillcation
might be what your brain trulyneeds once and for all. What's
the difference between breakfastand lunch? Well, you've heard
that breakfast is important, butdon't forget lunch, especially
at work, say the experts newdata showing skipping the midday
meal can seriously hurt ourproductivity, our focus and even

(10:06):
office morale. A survey foundthat 88% of full time workers
say their performance does dipwhen they don't eat lunch. They
take longer to finish tasks,they make more mistakes, and
nearly 85% report getting hangryat mix of hunger and
irritability. I know exactlywhat that is. So why are so many
workers skipping meals?
Inflation is making lunches moreexpensive, up more than 20% in

(10:29):
just a year, combined with heavyworkloads or guilt about taking
a break. Gen Zers in particular,think. Taking a lunch break will
make them look lazy. Many ofthem feel this way, but
researchers from Cornell sayregularly eating at your desk
can force you to develop ahabit. Essentially, your brain
begins to associate working witheating, so after a while, you'll

(10:51):
find yourself craving snacks asyou sit down to work and
consuming extra caloriesthroughout the day. On top of
that, eating only at your deskmeans you aren't absorbing as
many nutrients from your food,because when you're under
pressure, your digestive processslows down from our dating and
relationship files question foryou, have you noticed a pattern

(11:12):
in your dating life, eithercurrently or in your past? Some
people end up being drawn topartners who look alike, so
maybe all your boyfriends havecurly hair and glasses. It's
called doppelganger dating, andit's more common than we
thought. A study from theUniversity of Toronto finding
that not only do people preferromantic partners who are

(11:32):
similar to themselves, but theyalso choose partners who are
similar to each other, meaningsimilar to their previous
partners. Of course, we alsotend to choose people with
similar personalities. Forexample, if somebody had dated
an introvert in the past, theirnext partner was also highly
likely to be introverted aswell. So why do we keep going
for the same type? Because itfeels comfortable. Having a type

(11:56):
gives us a sense of security. Wefeel safer partnering with
somebody who's a known quantity,say these experts, so is it bad
to date people who fit yourtype? The researchers do say no.
In fact, finding someone who'ssimilar to your ex gives you the
best shot at lasting love. Timefor a conversation starter for
you remember that oldcommercial, I've fallen and I

(12:18):
can't get up. Well, at somesenior living communities,
artificial intelligence ishelping predict and even prevent
falls before they happen. At oneassisted living home in New
York, for example, residents canchoose to have motion sensors in
their rooms that track thingslike their gait, their posture
and changes in movement. Ifsomebody stumbles, the system

(12:41):
alerts staff instantly, and ithas been life changing, by the
way, 181 year old woman used tofall every few weeks. Since the
home started using the system,she's only fallen once all year.
Dr Jing Wang is the dean of theFlorida State University College
of Nursing. She says that's ahuge deal, because falls are the
number one cause of accidentaldeath in adults over the age of

(13:04):
65 we've reported this manytimes. Elderly patients are
three times as likely to diefollowing a ground level fall
than people under age 65 and AIsystems like these could even
sense subtle changes, likeslower walking, poor sleep,
changes in heart rate, all ofwhich do increase the risk of

(13:24):
falls. And at one facility usingthis system, falls are down a
full 40% Hello. If you want tolook into it, one sensor system
is called safely. You You canfind out more at safely, Dash
you.comThat's it for the show today.
Thank you guys so much forlistening. If you like the show,
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