This article was produced in partnership with Cole Haan.
Remember what dressing up for the office was like? You’re not the only one who swapped a wardrobe of wrinkle-free workwear for a Zoom-friendly getup of sweats and slippers, but as companies across the country welcome employees back to their desks, it’s time to brush up on what it means to dress business casual. After a long hiatus from face-to-face interactions, you’ll want to transition back into office culture armed with a dress-to-impress attitude. Whether you’re on track to land a promotion or in the first few days of a new job, flexing your workplace style muscles with a game-raising outfit will pay off in spades.
“It’s no secret that we all dress down for virtual meetings and phone calls, but when you’re in the office around colleagues and your boss, it’s crucial to show that you’re committed to looking presentable while on the clock,” New York City-based menswear stylist Seppe Tirabassi tells Men’s Journal. “Now is an ideal opportunity to elevate the professionalism of your attire, which you can do without sacrificing the comfort of your stay-at-home clothes and footwear.”
When it comes to business casual, there are a few select menswear brands that get it right every time. Cole Haan is one of them. For nearly 100 years, the brand has been redefining the rules of how to dress in an ever-evolving workplace. The heritage label continues to revamp its most popular releases, like the best-selling 4.ZERØGRAND shoe, which disrupted the work footwear category in 2020 with its striking design and innovative construction. For Tirabassi, Cole Haan’s new 4.ZERØGRAND Stitchlite™ Oxfords are a rock-solid foundation for building a sophisticated office outfit.
Blurring the lines between formal footwear and casual sneakers, Cole Haan’s elegant Oxfords are crafted with ultra-breathable Stitchlite™ fabric to keep your feet dry and cool, and they feature decorative wingtip details that evoke the classic embellishments of a mainstay dress shoe.
“These are a great alternative to a leather Oxford that you’d typically pair with a suit,” Tirabassi says. “When you’ve got long days at the office, it’s alright to give your feet a break now and then with a more ergonomic shoe.”
Whether you’re an architect running around town for site visits or a software engineer glued to your keyboard, you’ll also appreciate the innovative multi-layered foam cushioning in the sole of the 4.ZERØGRAND Stitchlite™ Oxfords.
“No one has to know just how comfortable you are in these Oxfords,” Tirabassi adds. “Just keep your ankles covered with a pair of socks, like one of Cole Haan’s Stripe Dress Crew Socks in gray or navy.”
Tirabassi also has some advice for color matching.
“The beige version of the Oxfords with blue laces complements a relaxed navy or light blue suit perfectly,” he says. “Plus, the visual contrast will have eyes gravitating toward the shoe.”
As a reference, he points to J. Crew’s Ludlow Unstructured Suit, which is crafted with fabric from Baird McNutt, an Irish Mill that produces some of the world’s finest linen. Since the jacket is unpadded, it’s versatile and comfortable to wear all day long, from morning bike commutes to rowdy happy hours with the team.
“This isn’t your dad’s boxy suit. The slim fit is modern, cool, and very office-appropriate,” says Tirabassi. “Guys tend to think that clothes labeled as ‘slim cut’ will be uncomfortably tight, like a pair of skinny jeans, but it just means that the shape of the garment is a bit more tailored. In any case, the breathable blend of linen and cotton is perfect for a spring and summer wardrobe.”
Rather than styling your suit with a dress shirt, opt for a simple white oxford like Taylor Stitch’s organic cotton Everyday Oxford, which comes in a tailored fit with no pleats for easy ironing.
“The material is a lot less stiff than a formal dress shirt and will keep you cool on warmer days,” Tirabassi explains. “While this shirt is cut to a shorter length, which means it can be worn untucked, you’ll want to tuck it in when wearing it with a suit. A slim, loose tie is optional here, too. But don’t be caught without a belt if your goal is to appear put together at the office.”
In this outfit, Cole Haan’s two-tone GRANDSERIES Perforated 31mm Belt is a superb option. The perforated nubuck detail adds visual interest, and it complements the Stitchlite™ uppers of your Cole Haan shoes.
To carry all your daily essentials, like a laptop, water bottle, and notepad, complete the look with an office-friendly work bag—not a backpack (you’re not in high school anymore). Cole Haan’s ZERØGRAND All-Day Tote fits the bill.
“The camo breaks up the solid color of the suit with a fun, edgy pattern,” Tirabassi says. “It’s way cooler than a regular briefcase, but still a professional accessory to carry to your desk.”
The sleek, sturdy bag is constructed with water-resistant nylon and features double leather handles and a strap for slinging it over your shoulder (plus a back panel of compression-molded EVA foam for added comfort).
“With a business casual outfit like this,” Tirabassi says, “I promise you won’t be missing your work-at-home uniform at all.”
Marika Day reveals why she’ll never eat tuna in spring water again. (Marika Day/Instagram)
The videos have been watched more than 70,000 times with many of Day’s followers sharing the foods they have also ditched for the “real deal”.
“Butter. Proper butter on toast is delicious. And no amount of flora proactive will ever be the same,” one person wrote.
“Cauliflower anything. Cauliflower is not pizza. Sorry not sorry,” another person wrote.
“So relate to the tuna in springwater. Tuna in oil Is the way to go for me,” another wrote.
The Butterfly Foundation, the national charity for Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, defines diet culture as a set of beliefs that promote weight loss and equate it with a person’s health, success and self-worth.
More than 1 million Australians currently experience an eating disorder, with less than a quarter getting treatment or support.
If you or anyone you know is concerned about eating disorder or body image issues, you can contact theButterfly Foundation’snational eating disorders helpline, ED Hope, on 1800 33 4673.
Long gone are the days when milk meant one thing. Now it seems that there is a new type of milk popping up at supermarkets each visit – coconut, almond, oat, A2, light, reduced-fat and, of course, regular, full-cream milk just to name a few.
So, to help steer you in the right direction, whether you prefer a plant- or dairy-based milk, here is a run-down of all the different types and the pros and cons of each.
Regular milk
Technically speaking milk must come from mammary glands and in Australia cows’ milk can be found in full-cream, reduced-fat and skim or non-fat varieties.
A rich, natural source of protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B and potassium, the key difference between regular milk and lower fat varieties is that full-cream milk offers close to 10g of fat per 250mL serve compared to 4g of fat for reduced fat and 1g or less of fat for skim and non-fat varieties.
Milk is a rich, natural source of protein, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B and potassium. (Getty)
Contrary to popular belief, skim milk does not contain more sugar than full-cream milk, nor does it contain added sugars.
Rather the sugars found in milk are naturally occurring from the milk sugar lactose.
Organic milk cows’ milk has been shown to have a slightly higher nutrient content than non-organic dairy milk, while A2 dairy milk contains only beta-casein protein, which has some evidence to show it may aid digestive comfort. For those who are lactose intolerant you can also find full-cream and reduced fat varieties of lactose-free milk.
Almond milk
Extremely popular, it is actually water that largely makes up almond milk, along with sugar, vegetable oils and anywhere between 2-6 per cent almonds.
As almonds are such a small proportion of almond milk overall, it means that almond milk generally contains very little protein, at most 2-3g per serve compared to at least 8g of protein in soy and dairy milk.
While there are a number of unsweetened almond milks now available, regular varieties are also relatively high in added sugars with up to 12g of added sugars per serve.
Almond milk is extremely popular and is largely made from water. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A closer look at the ingredient list will also reveal a number of additives including oils, emulsifiers and gums which have the role of converting the almond water into a milk like consistency.
The other key issue to be aware of if your milk preference is for almond is that you need to find a variety that contains both added calcium and added vitamin B12, two key nutrients we often assume we will get when we consume ‘milk’.
Oat milk
Rapidly growing in popularity in Australia, oat milk is a mix of water and oats (up to 15 per cent), the biggest difference between other plant-based milks and oat milk is that oat milk does contain relatively high amounts of the dietary fibre beta glucan, which is clinically proven to help lower blood cholesterol levels.
The downside is that oat milk, even the unsweetened options are relatively high in calories and carbohydrates compared to dairy milk with close to 30g of carbohydrates per serve and remains low in protein with just 2-3g of protein per serve.
And again, a scan of the ingredient list reveals that oat milk contains a mix of oil, salt and gums in its formulation.
Rice milk
A popular choice for those battling various food allergies and intolerances, rice milk is a lot like almond milk in the sense it is a mix of water and brown rice, although the rice amounts tend to be higher at 10-13 per cent resulting in a milk that contains significantly more carbohydrate than cows and almond milk.
Soy milk is the closest to dairy milk in terms of the nutrients its offers. (Getty)
Like almond milk, rice milk too will use various oils and additives to create a milk like consistency. The protein content of rice milk is exceptionally low and again the key is to choose an unsweetened variety that is fortified with calcium and vitamin B12.
Soy milk
The closest to dairy milk in terms of the nutrients its offers, a serve of soy milk contains 8-10g of protein and 10g of carbs.
Regular soy milk will also contain a similar amount of fat to that of full-cream milk, although the plant source of fat means that the type of fat is mainly unsaturated fat unlike dairy milk which is primarily saturated fat.
The main ingredient in soy milk is again water, along with soy beans (10-14 per cent), sugar, gums, flavours and salt.
As soy milk has been available for a number of years there is also a lot of fortified varieties with more calcium, protein and also lower sugar varieties available.
Long gone are the days when milk meant one thing – now it seems that there is a new type of milk popping up at supermarkets each visit. (Getty)
Coconut milk
Popular on keto and low carb programs, coconut is rarely a dietitian’s favourite milk.
Made from a mix of water, coconut cream, sugar, emulsifier and salt, the main difference between other plant-based milks and coconut milk is that coconut milk has more fat but fewer carbohydrates, and the fat is largely saturated fat.
Overall, it could be argued that of all the plant-based milks available, coconut offers the least nutritionally.
With very few calories, minimal protein and carbohydrates, you are basically drinking a bit of fat and water minus any natural nutrients.
AuthorSusie Burrellis a leading Australian dietitian and nutritionist, founder ofShape Me, co-host ofThe Nutrition Couchpodcastand prominent media spokesperson, with regular appearances in both print and television media commenting on all areas of diet, weight loss and nutrition.
From simple fitness bands to rugged sports watches
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Fitness trackers have come a long way from the simple bands that tracked steps and little else. Modern trackers can monitor everything from your heart health to how well you’ve recovered from a hard bout of training. They’ve got sensors galore and, in some cases, can give smartwatches a run for their money. Whatever your fitness goals are, there’s probably a fitness tracker that can help you achieve them.
Compared to some other gadgets, wearables are incredibly personal. That means there are a few extra considerations you’ll have to take into account before reaching for your wallet. It makes it hard to say that any one fitness tracker is the best for everyone. Thankfully, the best thing about fitness trackers in 2022 is that there’s enough variety to fit into every kind of lifestyle.
The Fitbit Versa 3 is a versatile tracker with a reasonable mix of features for the price.Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Best fitness tracker overall
There’s a reason the Versa lineup is so popular. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, it’s got everything you need in a basic fitness tracker for a reasonable $229.95. Plus, you can frequently find it on sale for under $200.
In terms of sensors, you get continuous heart rate monitoring and SpO2. It supports NFC payments and has a microphone for taking phone calls on the wrist. Plus, you can have the option of both Alexa and Google Assistant. Unlike previous iterations of the Versa, this one also comes with built-in GPS. The Versa 3 also gets you about a week of battery life and the ability to get a day’s worth of charge in just 12 minutes.
Fitbit’s platform is also among the most user-friendly, especially for folks just getting started in the world of fitness trackers. It’s got a large community for competitions and one of the more streamlined companion apps. There’s no lack of data, especially if you opt for Fitbit Premium. The Versa 3 also comes with a 90-day trial of Fitbit Premium, so it’s something you can mull over before deciding to shell out.
Sure, you don’t get EKGs or the flagship Fitbit Sense’s electrodermal activity sensor — but I’d argue most people won’t end up using these features regularly anyway. Like the Apple Watch SE, the pared-down Versa 3 makes more sense for the average person.
This Apple Watch doppelganger features built-in GPS, Voice Assistance, and heart rate monitoring.
The Amazfit Bip S offers more features than you’d expect for $70.Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Best budget fitness watch
If you’re looking to save a little moolah, the $69.99 Amazfit Bip S is an excellent choice. It’s not the most attractive tracker out there, but it gets you a lot of features you wouldn’t expect on a tracker under $100. For example, it has built-in GPS, in-depth sleep tracking, continuous heart rate monitoring, an always-on display, and about two weeks of battery life. It’s definitely more fitness tracker than a smartwatch, but you do get the option of editing watch faces, notifications, and music controls. That’s impressive at this price point.
The Bip S won’t win awards for looks, but in testing, it delivered accurate results on par with more expensive watches. If you’ve been missing Pebble’s simple and cheap smartwatches, this is a worthy alternative.
An affordable fitness tracker that offers built-in GPS, always-on display, advanced sleep tracking, and two-week battery life for under $100.
The Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar is an excellent outdoors fitness trackerPhoto by Victoria Song / The Verge
Best for serious outdoor athletes
Garmin’s flagship Fenix 7 series is no joke. It’s got built-in multi-band GPS, weeks’ worth of battery life, the option of touchscreen or button navigation, topographical maps, and oodles upon oodles of data. There’s also a handy new real-time stamina feature that helps you figure out how much you’ve got left in the tank.
Depending on the model you get, you might also get a built-in LED flashlight and solar charging. Garmin wearables are also known for providing extensive, in-depth metrics, and the Fenix is no exception. You get excellent recovery metrics, as well as helpful training guides and coaching programs. The best part is Garmin doesn’t charge extra for those features. That’s good news since the Fenix 7 series starts at $699.99.
We appreciate how quickly the Fenix 7 watches are able to pick up a GPS signal. That’s a must if you’re training in the dead of winter. These watches can also take a beating. All models are built to military-grade standards and feature up to 10 ATM of water resistance. That means they’re more than capable of a dunk in the ocean. Another plus is that the Fenix 7 series comes in some attractive colorways, making this watch less of an eyesore than some other rugged fitness watches. That helps people who may want a watch that can double as a daily driver.
The transflective screen isn’t our absolute favorite — the OLED on the Garmin Epix 2 is a lot easier on the eyes. (The Epix 2 is also a good option if battery life isn’t your highest priority.) However, the Fenix 7 lineup’s multiple size options make it a more versatile pick if you don’t have large wrists. It’s on the pricier end of things, but it’s an excellent option for people who spend a lot of time outdoors.
The Garmin Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar is the smallest of the Fenix 7 lineup, but it combines durability with long battery life and solar charging.
The Oura Ring is one of the most recognizable smart rings around.Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Best non-wrist tracker
The vast majority of fitness trackers are worn on the wrist, but the $299 Oura Ring isn’t. The smart ring is a good option for people who are looking for something a little more discreet. It’s also less distracting than some other wrist-based options, as it lacks a screen and doesn’t forward push notifications.
While smaller than your average wearable, the Oura Ring still tracks a ton of metrics, including heart rate variability and body temperature. The third iteration of the device also introduces SpO2 sensors, as well as all-day heart rate monitoring and period predictions. Future updates will also add activity tracking (at the moment, you have to import activities) and blood oxygen levels. If you’re looking for some stress relief, the Oura Ring also lets you track guided meditation sessions.
The Oura Ring tracks typical metrics — such as steps and calories burned — but its main focus is sleep and recovery. Each day, you’re given three sets of scores for your readiness, sleep, and activity. It’s a simple, holistic look at your overall wellness and an ideal pick if you want a more hands-off experience with your data.
The Oura Ring Gen 3 is a discreet sleep and recovery tracker that tracks heart rate, body temperature, and activity. It comes with a six-month free trial, with a $5.99 subscription after that.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the most advanced fitness bands you can buy right now.Photo by Jay Peters / The Verge
Best fitness band
The $179.99 Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the most advanced fitness trackers you can buy. It’s also one of the more significant upgrades to the lineup in a while, adding a bright OLED touchscreen, electrodermal activity sensor, and EKGs. It also supports smart features like contactless payments, notifications, and timers. On the health tracking side, it has built-in GPS, continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and SpO2 sensors.
Is the Charge 5 one of the most exciting trackers out there? No. But it does its job well and for a decent price. The only thing we’re not super happy about is how enabling the always-on display is a mega drain on the battery. While the Charge 5 has an estimated battery life of seven days, but that drops to 2-3 once you’ve got the AOD on. Otherwise, it’s hard to beat the Charge 5.
The Fitbit Charge 5 is Fitbit’s latest fitness tracker, and it offers access to new tools like an EDA Scan app to manage stress as well as a six-month membership to Fitbit Premium.
The Garmin Vivomove Sport is a beautiful hybrid tracker that doesn’t cost a fortune.Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Most stylish fitness watch
While Garmin’s made some truly exquisite hybrid trackers in the past, the price made them hard to recommend. However, the Vivomove Sport finally gets things right. It looks like an analog Swatch, thanks to the hidden OLED display, but you don’t actually lose anything in terms of accuracy.
For $179.99, you are giving up some things like built-in GPS and NFC payments. However, you do get push notifications and access to Garmin’s entire fitness tracking platform. There are some more jewelry-like trackers — Bellabeat’s lineup or the Fitbit Luxe come to mind — but the Vivosport Move’s design is a lot sturdier for active lifestyles.
The Garmin Vivomove Sport is an affordable, stylish hybrid-analog tracker. It’s not as beefy as Garmin’s other trackers and is well suited for casual activity.
The Apple Watch SE doesn’t require you to give up a lot.Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Best for iPhone owners
If you’re looking for a smartwatch that does fitness well, then iPhone owners need to look no further than the $279 Apple Watch SE. Apple’s mid-tier smartwatch lacks marquee features like EKGs, an always-on display, and SpO2, but very little else. If you’re a relatively healthy person, EKGs aren’t necessary as the SE still provides abnormal heart rate alerts. Likewise, Apple hasn’t really figured out how it wants to best utilize its SpO2 sensors just yet. The SE also still gets you built-in GPS, cellular capability, contactless payments, and fall detection. It’s also compatible with Apple’s Fitness Plus service.
Put bluntly, the vast majority of people will get the same experience on the SE that they will on the flagship Series 7. You might as well save the extra cash. We’d recommend the Series 7 over the SE only if the slightly bigger screen is easier on your eyes, if you must have the always-on display, or if your doctor thinks you could benefit from EKGs.
Apple’s midrange wearable, the Apple Watch SE, serves as a step up from the Series 3, with features and a design similar to the last-gen Series 6.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 delivers the most advanced fitness tracking for Samsung phone owners.Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge
Best for Samsung phone users
If you have a Samsung phone, this is going to be the best full-featured smartwatch for fitness tracking. Not only is this the only Wear OS 3 smartwatch available right now, but Samsung’s genuinely put more effort into the Galaxy Watch’s health offerings. It recently beefed up sleep tracking, and the $249.99 Galaxy Watch 4’s new 3-in-1 sensor also enables body composition analysis. That’s a unique feature that no other smartwatch at the moment is capable of. You can also access workout videos from the Samsung Health app — though the production value isn’t as good as Fitness Plus or Peloton.
Keep in mind there are also growing pains with the Wear OS 3 transition. We’re still waiting on Google Assistant coming to this watch, though you can download alternatives like Google Pay if Samsung Pay isn’t to your liking. Also, some of the Galaxy Watch 4’s best features are limited to Samsung owners, making it hard to wholeheartedly recommend this to non-Samsung Android users.
The Galaxy Watch 4 features a snappy interface and more third-party support by way of Google’s Wear OS 3. But keep in mind that it’s paired best with a Samsung-made phone.
The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS is your best fitness tracking smartwatch for Wear OS right now.Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Best fitness smartwatch for Android
It’s slim pickings for non-Samsung Android users when it comes to a more smartwatch-y fitness tracking experience. That said, if you’re determined to go this route, the $299.99 Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS is your best bet. You get the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip. That’s big because this is one of the few watches that we know will get the Wear OS 3 upgrade when it arrives later this year.
On top of that, it has fitness-focused features that the Fossil Gen 6 simply doesn’t. That includes better durability and more in-depth sleep tracking. There’s also atrial fibrillation and irregular heartbeat detection, as well as stress tracking.
This Wear OS smartwatch packs a Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip and offers alerts for irregular heart rate, sleep tracking, and built-in GPS.
The Whoop 4.0 is best for elite athletes or people who don’t mind experimental trackers.Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Best for first adopters and elite athletes
The Whoop 4.0 is not for the casual enthusiast. Not only does it come with an expensive $30 monthly subscription, but the information it provides is only useful if you’re actively training for a cardio-intensive sport. If strength training is your main form of exercise, you’re better off looking elsewhere. Like the Oura Ring, this is a distraction-free tracker that specializes in sleep and recovery. The main difference is this has a more athletic bent. For instance, you’ll get way more insight into how much strain you’ve taken on in the past week.
Whoop also provides a lot of novel ways to wear its tracker, including in underwear and arm/knee sleeves. This makes it an appealing option if you’re one of those unicorns who needs a secondary tracker to supplement another form of fitness tracking. Again, this is a tracker best appreciated by people who go hard and aren’t afraid to experiment.
This distraction-free recovery tracker helps you monitor your sleep quality and cardiovascular strain. The hardware is “free,” but it costs $30 per month.
The third edition of Body and Soul Fair is coming back this weekend on Mar 26 and 27 and it will be a virtual event again this year.
Choose from a total of 20 webinars in four languages on topics that range from heart health to mental wellbeing. They will be led by experts and medical professionals, along with celebrity guests such as Mediacorp DJs Anand K, Azura Goh, Bukoh Mary, Jean Danker and Yasminne Cheng.
On mental wellness, learn how to handle post-COVID-19 anxiety, identify depression and manage your mental wellbeing.
There will also be sessions on heart health that explore how keeping your emotions in check can protect your heart from conditions such as ischaemic heart disease.
Another popular topic of interest is chronic pain management brought on by medical issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension. What medication can help and how can simple changes in your diet make a difference?
And because lack of sleep is the root cause of a myriad health issues, there will be sessions that share tips on how to get a good night’s sleep.
Need to get your body off the sofa and moving? The online event will also host free fitness classes such as a high intensity training class, and a Pilates session by celebrity trainer May Phua and other fitness experts.
Complete the tasks found on the Body and Soul Fair website and accumulate points to win up to S$10,000 worth of cash and prizes. There will also be product deals at this virtual fair.
To register and for more information, visit bodyandsoul.sg.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be considered for a job as an agent with the FBI, in part, it’s about good physical fitness.
At least, that’s what we could glean from the physical requirements description for applicants wishing to apply to the US government agency.
“Applicants who pass the official Physical Fitness Test (PFT) are considered sufficiently fit to safely and successfully complete physical and defensive tactics training at the FBI Academy and to effectively respond to life-threatening situations on the job,” a statement on the FBI website said.
Runners preparing for race at starting blocks.� (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The FBI says there can be no more than five minutes of rest between events.
“Applicants must score a minimum of 5 total points with at least 1 point in each of the four events (Baseline Score),” the FBI said.
“At least once while at the FBI Academy, candidates must pass a PFT scoring a minimum of 12 total points with at least 1 point in each of the four events.”
The FBI said applicants have an unlimited number of attempts to achieve the Baseline Score up to one year from successfully passing the Background Investigation.
However, after the 12-month period ends applicants will be permanently discontinued from the Special Agent hiring process.
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament moves to its regional rounds this weekend, with the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday and the Elite Eight on Saturday and Sunday. Most of the teams still hanging around in March Madness are exactly the ones you’d expect. Ten of the top 12 teams in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted efficiency ratings are still standing, including three of the four No. 1 seeds. A pair of No. 2 seeds (Kentucky and Auburn) didn’t make it out of the opening weekend, however, and four teams with double-digit seedings have made it to the regional semifinals.
For everyone left (you can view the complete schedule here), the days leading up to the Sweet 16 are a time for optimism. Here’s the brief case for each remaining team to be the one cutting down the nets after the Final Four, which tips off on April 2 in New Orleans. Teams are ordered by their bracket placement in each region, so the first two teams face each other and so on.
No. 1 Gonzaga is (on paper) the best team in the country for the second year in a row. Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren form the best frontcourt in college basketball, and the Zags’ superior conditioning and lightning pace should serve them well as we enter the later stages of March Madness. It isn’t hard to envision the Bulldogs getting over the hump this time.
No. 4 Arkansas is also well conditioned and comfortable playing at a fast pace, so the Zags might not overwhelm them like they have so many other teams. If the Hogs can win this game, they won’t face a more difficult opponent in the rest of the NCAA tournament.
No. 3 Texas Tech has what almost every team wants this time of year: loads and loads of experience. The Red Raiders lost their coach, Chris Beard, to Texas after last season. But new boss Mark Adams hasn’t missed a beat, and a mix of developmental players and transfers has TTU in the mix again. The team has players who were around for a lot of Beard’s success and others who have had it elsewhere—for example, forward Kevin Obanor, who was a star in No. 15 seed Oral Roberts’ ride to the Sweet 16 last year.
No. 2 Duke has as much raw talent as anyone remaining, with the possible exception of Gonzaga. You might prefer a “team of destiny” case considering it’s coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last season, but that doesn’t explain why Duke could win it all. The real reason: There just aren’t that many players in college basketball who can effectively guard 6’10” mega-athlete and Duke forward Paolo Banchero.
No. 8 North Carolina already beat No. 1 seed and defending champion Baylor, so the difficulty level is arguably all downhill from here. That’s not really how it works, of course, but it helps that the Tar Heels are one of the best recruiting teams in the nation and seem to be playing their best ball of the season right now. (Keep in mind that they stuffed Duke into a locker in the second half of Krzyzewski’s last home game just a few weeks ago.) Center Armando Bacot and power forward Brady Manek give the Heels a frontcourt edge over almost everyone.
No. 4 UCLA made the Final Four last year and nearly beat Gonzaga. The key players from that team are still here, the Bruins have no major statistical weaknesses, and they take good enough care of the ball (their offensive turnover rate is 11.4 percent, fourth-lowest in the country) to avoid shooting themselves in the foot.
No. 3 Purdue has both size in the frontcourt and elite shooting ability in the backcourt. The Boilermakers’ offense is scary in every way, and an occasionally troubled defense has looked quite good in the first two games of this tournament. Coach Matt Painter has had many good teams in West Lafayette, but there’s a real chance this one winds up being his best.
No. 15 Saint Peter’s is the longest of longshots to win even one more game, let alone four. The Peacocks are just the third 15th seed to ever make it this far (although they’re the second in two years), and everything about them—their lack of size, lack of scoring talent, and seed line—says they should lose. But they did beat Kentucky, so I’m not going to say they can’t keep this magic carpet ride going a bit longer.
South Region
Christian Koloko with BACK-TO-BACK blocks on the same play! 🖐🔥
No. 1 Arizona has lost just two games in this calendar year. The Wildcats are giant in the frontcourt, with two excellent seven-footers in Azuolas Tubelis and Christian Koloko. Freshman guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin is playing as well as just about anyone in the country and turned in 30 points against TCU. What’s not to like?
No. 5 Houston has been here before—last year, in fact—and has a head coach, Kelvin Sampson, who has repeatedly found ways to win March games. It’s fair to wonder if the Cougars, who got smacked by Baylor in last year’s national semifinals and have not played a team of Arizona’s caliber this year, are up to it. But the Cougars’ voracious offensive rebounding and interior defense should give them a shot.
No. 11 Michigan has Hunter Dickinson, a 7’1” center and one of the few players in the tournament who could drag a team to the Final Four with little help. Admittedly, we’re pushing it a bit here. Michigan will need to win four more games in a row to win it all and it has not won more than three in a row all season. But Dickinson? He’s good.
No. 2 Villanova is one of the most reliable great teams in college hoops. The 2022 outfit lacks the elite shooting talent of Jay Wright’s 2016–18 national champs, but it pounds the offensive glass and makes more of its free throws (82.6 percent) than any team in Division I. The Wildcats can string wins together, and Michigan is a good matchup for them this week.
No. 1 Kansas has what might be the easiest path to the Final Four of any team left. That doesn’t mean the Jayhawks will get there, of course. It simply means if they can get past No. 4 Providence, they’re guaranteed to face either a No. 10 or No. 11 seed in the Elite Eight. KU has both the shooters (Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun) and the rebounders (David McCormack) to be an all-around offensive threat against any team it faces.
No. 4 Providence feels like a longer shot than its seeding would make you believe, because the Friars are not awesome at any one thing. But they get to the foul line a lot, and their roster is almost entirely upperclassmen. In a tightly officiated game, they could be dangerous.
No. 11 Iowa State is what I like to call a chaos team. The Cyclones pressure the ball aggressively, and it works for them—they force a turnover on every one in four defensive possessions. The main problem for the Cyclones, though, is who they play in the Sweet 16 (see below).
No. 10 Miami takes better care of the ball than almost anyone, turning it over on just 14 percent of their trips down the floor. The Canes like to work the ball inside and have been able to score reliably around the basket. Their coach, Jim Larrañaga, made a Final Four with ultimate Cinderella George Mason back in 2006; compared to that, getting Miami to the Final Four doesn’t even feel like a big lift. Miami has the offense, and if its opponents have cold shooting nights to lighten the load on an iffy UM defense? Then hey, it’s possible.
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Malinauskas had indeed changed what he was doing. He was demonstrating, literally, fitness for government. Steven Marshall said he himself wasn’t into “Putin-style” campaigning but that the “Mali” pool pic had made him “hang my head in shame” and commit to fewer carbs.
Drawing attention to Anthony Albanese’s healthy new look may have backfired on Scott Morrison.Credit:Sky News/James Brickwood
Malinauskas had chiselled away at bettering his opponent on both the theatre and substance of politics, and did so just in time for the election.
He looked fitter to govern than Marshall and, crucially, crafted and communicated substantive policy tightly focused on immediate voter needs – like health, and future-oriented needs, like new generation jobs. His $593 million green hydrogen plant pledge for regional Whyalla was a campaign centrepiece.
Malinauskas’ Labor wasn’t a small policy target. It wasn’t a big policy target. It was a smart policy target, with a substantive offering crafted in a way that made it hard to attack.
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These things are, of course, contextual. Marshall’s decision to open SA’s borders just as Omicron arrived reversed his reputation for good pandemic management. Ambulance “ramping”, queued up with patients who couldn’t be admitted to Adelaide’s creaking hospital system, symbolised Marshall’s failure.
That inadequate COVID-19 management has taken its first victim in Australian politics is a significant development. Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks set to be next.
The Prime Minister is searching for the issue that can knock his opponent, Labor leader Anthony Albanese, down a few pegs to give the Coalition a chance to rebound in the campaign, Morrison’s alleged specialty. But this claim is based on just one victory where, on the back of voters’ scant knowledge of him at the time, he successfully sold a benign “daggy dad” persona to the electorate.
Morrison is now well known to voters. He’s the indifferent Morrison of the bushfire disaster, the complacent Morrison of the COVID-19 vaccine strollout, the bumbling Morrison who mishandled the Brittany Higgins and Christian Porter situations, and the absent Morrison of the current flood disaster.
The common factor is incompetence. It was the perception of incompetence, up against a better alternative, that caused the Marshall Government to fall on Saturday night.
A year ago Albanese, like Malinauskas, was considered an asset by the Coalition governments they sought to defeat. Not any more.
Three Morrison stun grenades against Albanese have failed to work so far.
The first, that Albanese is weak on China policy, was laughed out of town.
The second, that Albanese’s fitness drive made him somehow inauthentic next to dad-bod Morrison, simply drew attention to how much better the Labor leader looks these days, especially compared to the PM.
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The third – that bullying claims by the late Labor senator Kimberley Kitching represent some epochal fail on Labor’s part – has been eclipsed by the dramatic SA election result.
In any case, it was a bit rich from a government led by a man whose biographer, Annika Smethurst, quoted an unnamed male government minister saying Morrison “couldn’t stand” some of his female colleagues and “hated” working with former cabinet minister Kelly O’Dwyer.
Instead of casting a dubious eye on Anthony Albanese, the electorate – now tuning into Scott Morrison’s increasingly shrill attacks on Labor – may be wondering about the incumbent’s fitness to govern.
Political historian Dr Chris Wallace is an associate professor at the University of Canberra. Sean Kelly is on leave.
What is it, exactly, that makes a sedentary person decide that they want to get active? Or an overweight person decide they want to shed some pounds? Or a person decide they want to start lifting weights?
It’s a decision that comes from a thought that motivates action. We don’t just go out for a run without thinking to ourselves, “I’m going to go on a run.” Any action we take or activity we decide to embark upon starts with what we are thinking.
The simplicity of this scenario can work to our advantage. The downside is that our thoughts can just as easily tell us we don’t feel like going on a run, and make it seem like a great idea to skip it. This is why it’s important to find the thought that will get you going and keep you moving. This applies regardless of whether or not you work with a trainer or coach, or have support elsewhere. Ultimately, your own brain kicks your own body into gear.
Here are some of the thoughts that my clients had that motivated them to work with me to reach their fitness goals:
“I want to be in better shape when I turn 50.”
“I want to be a stronger, faster athlete.”
“I want to make the golf team.”
“I want to lose 30 pounds.”
“I want to hit the ball further.”
So, when it’s cold, grey, rainy and dark out, and you’re tired, and you didn’t get enough sleep or you worked all day and just want to sit on the couch, what do you choose to think that gets you exercising regardless?
Find that thought that pushes you into action.
Here’s how: 1. What is your motivating goal? It should be realistic and feel like it is attainable within a certain time period. (I recently set a goal to run a 5K as a way of motivating myself to get back into running regularly. My timeframe is six months, giving me time to train smartly, which really means injury-free.) 2. What thoughts are you thinking about this goal? Write down all thoughts you can think of. Some might be negative, some positive, but we’re searching for the one that feels like you want to take action by thinking it. (My thoughts range from “I’m doing this 5k even if I can only walk it” to “I’m going to run a full 5k and beat my time from two years ago, watch me!”) 3. Choose the thought and try it on. See how you feel. Then envision a time when you really might not want to get moving, and see if that thought might motivate you anyway. If it does you’ve found your thought. (I can see myself crossing the finish line and that motivates me. The thought that resonates the most with me is “I am training to cross that finish line no matter what.”) 4. Put it into practice. Know in advance that as fired up as you are about a goal, there will be times when you just won’t want to take action. Understand and acknowledge that you will feel that way, then plan to go do it anyway. (In my case, I have started training already, by running only 1 minute a couple of times on my walk. I am already out walking, so no reason not pick up the pace for a few minutes, even though there is some effort involved.) 5. Envision the future. It can be as simple as imagining what you will feel like after your workout. Or you can imagine where you intend to be in a month, several months or a year. Your thought should correlate to that future you are imagining. (My immediate future is completing the 5k. But I intend to keep running beyond that at least a couple of times a week to support my long-term health goals and I can easily see that transition occurring.)
And finally, the most important aspect of all of this is to commit. Pick a date and take action. Because if your thought is powerful enough, and your desire for your future outcome is strong enough, you have the ability to make it happen. We all do!
— By Pritam Potts
Coach Pritam Potts is a writer and strength coach. After 16+ years of training athletes and clients of all ages as co-owner of Edmonds-based Advanced Athlete LLC, she now lives in Dallas, Texas. She writes about health & fitness, grief & loss, love & life at www.advancedathlete.com.
Half the fun of getting out and enjoying winter activities is the pleasure of coming back to a warm, inviting shelter that protects you from the cold. To that effect, the Danish, who live in a climate that’s damp and chilly for most of the year, have coined the term “hygge” (pronounced hoo-guh), which simply means “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” To lean all the way in, you need a bevy of cozy winter essentials.
Examples of this cozy approach to life during the cold seasons include materials like wool, shearling, wood, ceramics, and stone, while items like handmade mugs, soft knits, natural blankets, slip-on shoes, and vessels for making warm beverages are cornerstones of the Scandinavian way of life. We’ve assembled a few hygge-focused cozy winter essentials that can help make the conclusion of your wintertime adventures a warm and cozy experience.
Cozy Winter Essentials to Bring Hygge Home
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1. Arc’teryx Fernie Toque
This comfy hat brings more panache to your quest for winter warmth than does a run-of-the-mill beanie. A jaunty pompom and subdued geometric pattern combine with acrylic yarn in an open weave for durability and breathability while schlepping wood for your evening fire.
A warm blanket is a must when sofa-snoozing after an epic day in the snow, and the Andean Alpaca Wool Blanket is the ideal cuddle companion. This extra-wide version (almost queen-size!) is made on 100-year-old looms in Ecuador from a blend of alpaca wool and acrylic, making for a supersoft and hypoallergenic couch cocoon.
Crunching across icy snow to bring in groceries or taking out the dog is made warm and comfortable in felted wool Glerups boots. This rubber-bottomed version gives you extra security outside, while side slits make slipping them on and off not a hassle.
You can’t really understand the meaning of hygge without trying on a pair of these Stretchdown Pants. Like a puffer jacket for your legs, these stretchy nylon pants are stuffed with 700-fill down and have a generously webbed belt for indulgent post-feast lounging.
A sweater inspired by classic Scandinavian styles, such as this Polo Neck Sweater, is a must when engaging in hygge. Featuring a buttoned neck and toasty construction from 100 percent Norwegian wool, this husky pullover doesn’t disappoint.
Double-walled cups are amazing, but there’s nothing like wrapping chilly hands around a warm mug. The Divide from small-batch Brookhart Ceramics is hand thrown porcelain, and painted with underglaze in a blue ombre, then excess surface color is scraped off (called Mishima).
Brewing on a blustery day using the Fellow Products Clara French Press is a slowed-down and simplified way to make some joe. The minimalist 24-ounce carafe is vacuum-insulated to keep liquids hot longer.
Stanley updates its signature thermos with the Classic Legendary Bottle. Still leakproof and boasting a lifetime warranty, this double-walled standard has a collapsible handle and insulated lid/ cup, and comes in retro-cool hammertone green.
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— By Pritam Potts
