BOOST Magazine by emstokes16

BOOST Magazine

Navigating Wellness During A Global Pandemic

The Best Apps to Build a Budget and Track Spending

PREMIERE ISSUE

MAY 2020

COVID-19 Health Tip: Do NOT Drink Bleach

BOOST

May 2020 / Premiere Issue

CONTENTS Departments

Letter From the Editor Trend Stories 4

Editor-in-Chief Emma Stokes on the premiere issue of BOOST and its topics, the mission of the publication and its community.

COVID-19 Health Tip: Do NOT Drink Bleach. We all want a cure for COVID, but ingesting bleach is not a solution.

Photo by: Denys Nevozhai, UNSPLASH

Photo Credits: Cover Photo by: Jeremy Lapak, UNSPLASH

Cover Story

9 Navigating Wellness During a Global Pandemic. How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle amid crisis? Social distancing is a start.

Photo by: Morgan Sarkkisian,UNSPLASH

Finacial Health

Editorial Mental Health

The Best Apps to Build a Budget and Track Spending. Now more than ever, being financially irresponisble is not an option.

Will We Need to Worry About a “Summer Body“? Quarantine and Shelter-in-Place extensions may change summer plans.

What If It’s All Too Much? Mental illness, anxiety and stress don’t just stop for a pandemic. Putting off healing isn;t good for anyone.

Photo by: Steven Lelham, UNSPLASH

Photo by: Nino MuĂąez

Letter From the Editor The creation of BOOST magazine is something I have wanted to come to fruition for as long as I can remember and I’m so proud at how this premiere issue has come out. Health and wellness are aspects that make up a happy and well-rounded lifestyle, and BOOST is meant to act as an outlet for readers to be able to achieve that. Growing up, I was never in a position of financial stability and I want BOOST to be able to give readers who don’t come from a position of wealth the tools to build a better life. Money itself doesn’t lead to happiness, but financial knowledge does. A big part of BOOST is centered on providing readers with ways they can take responsibility for their financial situations, whatever they may be, and be confident in them. The focus of the premiere issue is how to be well during such unprecedented global crisis. The cover of this issue was important in that it deomstrates the challenge we’re all facing but that moving forward is the only option. Our cover story is about navigating your health amid a pandemic, our trend story is about why you should never drink bleach and the financial piece is all about budgeting (everyone’s best friend right now.) I want the readers of BOOST to establish a community that is both positive and uplifting, especially in times as daunting as these. From myself and the staff at BOOST, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the support. Stay safe and be well.

Emma Stokes, Editor-in-Chief

COVID-19 Health Tip: Do NOT Drink Bleach. It will only do harm to you and your body.

Story by James Hamblin 5

Photo by: Kelly Sikkema, UNSPLASH

ne of the few definitive things that can be said about reopening the U.S. economy is that any plan will involve aggressive hygiene and sanitizing. Because the coronavirus can live on surfaces for several days, it seems to spread more often via something you touched than something you inhaled. At a White House press conference last night, a homeland-security official named Bill Bryan emphasized the effectiveness of common disinfectant products: “Bleach will kill the virus in five minutes; isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds, and that’s with no manipulation, no rubbing—just spraying it on and letting it go.” This was standard pandemic wisdom: Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (if you can find it) and wipe down high-touch surfaces often. The evening took a turn, though, when President Donald Trump stepped to the podium. He appeared surprised by Bryan’s remarks, and wondered aloud whether disinfectants could be used to treat the virus inside humans. “ “I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute,” Trump said. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that.” Doctors were quick to issue warnings. Isopropyl alcohol can shut down the central nervous system. Ingesting bleach can burn the esophagus, and is already a leading cause of household poisonings in the U.S., at 45,000 cases a year. Bleach is recommended for cleaning surfaces precisely because it so effectively destroys organic matter—which includes human tissue. Even administration officials pushed back; the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, told CNN, “I certainly wouldn’t recommend the internal ingestion of a disinfectant.” Even the manufacturer of Lysol weighed in, telling NBC News in a

statement, “Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” The toxicity of Lysol is part of the dark history of medicine. For decades, the product was marketed as birth control, and labels advised women to douche with it after sex. As my colleague Caitlin Flanagan has detailed, many women attempted to perform abortions with Lysol. Once it made its way into the blood, it could cause kidney failure within hours, and the effects could be fatal. Despite this very public history, suffering and sick people still sometimes attempt to heal themselves with bleach, drawing on some epistemically logical notion of cleansing the body. Misinformed parents have tried to administer it to their children as a treatment for autism. Today, Trump claimed that he was “being sarcastic” with his remarks, even though he’d given no indication that was the case. During Thursday’s press conference, he stopped short of overtly endorsing bleach injections—unlike when he repeatedly recommended trying to treat COVID-19 with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which today the FDA warned against using outside of hospitals or clinical trials, because it can have dangerous effects. Even so, Trump’s words matter beyond the profound ignorance they betray. Approximately 50,000 Americans have now died of COVID-19. In states of emergency like this, health officials are trained to clearly say what is known and what is unknown, what is actionable and what is not. Trump consistently does the opposite, suggesting something while also saying he is not saying it, making bizarre declarations followed by hedges about how what he just said may or may not be true. Trump attempted to deny and downplay the virus itself for months, and still sometimes does. He promised the return of a booming economy

at any moment, just as he promised packed churches by Easter. When people are afraid and either can’t access or afford health care—as is the case for many Americans in a pandemic that’s overwhelming hospitals and leaving millions of people unemployed—we become especially amenable to suggestion, desperate to cling to hope. Even more so than usual, our capacities for analytic reasoning become skewed by what we want to believe. Some people have abandoned life-saving social-distancing or hygiene practices because they’re convinced the threat is gone, or that it was never real to begin with. Large groups now march in demand that we immediately and categorically “reopen America.” There is hope and clarity to be had, though. Drugs that impede the virus or modulate the immune system are being studied across the country. Many Americans have meticulously followed advice to clean surfaces with bleach and their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The tragedy of Trump’s musings is less about their incoherence than about the opportunities wasted—the loss of a platform that could have been used to help Americans make sense of this dire moment. If Trump wanted to speak of cleaning products, he might explain why he has not, for example, made dispensers available on every street corner. Or at least in the subways. Trump might offer praise for effective social distancing, and urge that it must continue as these resources are more widely deployed. He might advise us to clap for the healthcare workers who risk their lives, in part to undo effects of the misinformation he spreads. He could even correct his comments. Almost a cleaning. This story originaly appeared in the Health Section of The Atlantic on April 24, 2020. One of the few definitive things that can be said about reopening the U.S. economy is that any plan will involve aggressive hygiene and sanitizing. Because the coronavirus can live on surfaces for several days, it seems to.

One of the few definitive things that can be said about reopening the U.S. economy is that any plan will involve aggressive hygiene and sanitizing. Because the coronavirus can live on surfaces for several days, it seems to spread more often via something you touched than something you inhaled. At a White House press conference last night, a homeland-security official named Bill Bryan emphasized the effectiveness of common disinfectant products: “Bleach will kill the virus in five minutes; isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds, and that’s with no manipulation, no rubbing—just spraying it on and letting it go.” This was standard pandemic wisdom: Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (if you can find it) and wipe down high-touch surfaces often. The evening took a turn, though, when President Donald Trump stepped to the podium. He appeared surprised by Bryan’ remarks, and wondered aloud whether disinfectants could be used to treat the virus inside humans. “I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute,” Trump said. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that.” Doctors were quick to issue warnings. Isopropyl alcohol can shut down the central nervous system. Ingesting bleach can burn the esophagus, and is already a leading cause of household poisonings in the U.S., at 45,000 cases a year. Bleach is recommended for cleaning surfaces precisely because it so effectively destroys organic matter—which includes human tissue. Even administration officials pushed back; the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, told CNN, “I certainly wouldn’t recommend the internal ingestion of a disinfectant.” Even the manufacturer of Lysol weighed in, telling NBC News in a statement, “Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be adminis-

tered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” The toxicity of Lysol is part of the dark history of medicine. For decades, the product was marketed as birth control, and labels advised women to douche with it after sex. As my colleague Caitlin Flanagan has detailed, many women attempted to perform abortions with Lysol. Once it made its way into the blood, it could cause kidney failure within hours, and the effects could be fatal. Despite this very public history, suffering and sick people still sometimes attempt to heal themselves with bleach, drawing on some epistemically logical notion of cleansing the body. Misinformed parents have tried to administer it to their children as a treatment for autism.

“There is hope and clarity to be had, though.“ Today, Trump claimed that he was “being sarcastic” with his remarks, even though he’d given no indication that was the case. During Thursday’s press conference, he stopped short of overtly endorsing bleach injections—unlike when he repeatedly recommended trying to treat COVID-19 with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which today the FDA warned against using outside of hospitals or clinical trials, because it can have dangerous effects. Even so, Trump’s words matter beyond the profound ignorance they betray. Approximately 50,000 Americans have now died of COVID-19. In states of emergency like this, health officials are trained to clearly say what is known and what is unknown, what is actionable and what is not. Trump consistently does the opposite, suggesting something while also saying he is not saying it, making bizarre declarations

followed by hedges about how what he just said may or may not be true. Trump attempted to deny and downplay the virus itself for months, and still sometimes does. He promised the return of a booming economy at any moment, just as he promised packed churches by Easter. When people are afraid and either can’t access or afford health care—as is the case for many Americans in a pandemic that’s overwhelming hospitals and leaving millions of people unemployed—we become especially amenable to suggestion, desperate to cling to hope. Even more so than usual, our capacities for analytic reasoning become skewed by what we want to believe. Some people have abandoned life-saving social-distancing or hygiene practices because they’re convinced the threat is gone, or that it was never real to begin with. Large groups now march in demand that we immediately and categorically “reopen America.” There is hope and clarity to be had, though. Drugs that impede the virus or modulate the immune system are being studied across the country. Many Americans have meticulously followed advice to clean surfaces with bleach and their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The tragedy of Trump’s musings is less about their incoherence than about the opportunities wasted—the loss of a platform that could have been used to help Americans make sense of this dire moment. If Trump wanted to speak of cleaning products, he might explain why he has not, for example, made dispensers available on every street corner. Or at least in the subways. Trump might offer praise for effective social distancing, and urge that it must continue as these resources are more widely deployed. He might advise us to clap for the healthcare workers who risk their lives, in part to undo effects of the misinformation he spreads. He could even correct his comments. Almost a cleaning.

evening took a turn, though, when President Donald Trump stepped to the podium. He appeared surprised by Bryan’s remarks, and wondered aloud whether disinfectants could be used to treat the virus inside humans. “I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute,” Trump said. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that.” Doctors were quick to issue warnings. Isopropyl alcohol can shut down the central nervous system. Ingesting bleach can burn the esophagus, and is already a leading cause of household poisonings in the U.S., at 45,000 cases a year. Bleach is recommended for cleaning surfaces precisely because it so

effectively destroys organic matter—which includes human tissue. Even administration officials pushed back; the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, told CNN, “I certainly wouldn’t recommend the internal ingestion of a disinfectant.” Even the manufacturer of Lysol weighed in, telling NBC News in a statement, “Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” The toxicity of Lysol is part of the dark history of medicine.tices because they’re convinced the anhis comments. Almost a cleaning. This story originaly appeared in the Health Section of The Atlantic on April 24, 2020.

Navigating Wellness During A Global Pandemic Story by Jamie Ducharme

uring a pandemic like COVID-19, actions are especially crucial for maintaining you physical and mental well-being. But social distancing complicates things. How are you supposed to eat right when you’re living on non-perishables? How can you work out when you’re cooped up at home? How can you sleep when you’re anxious about, well, everything? This expert-backed guide is a good place to start. Here’s how to stay healthy (and calm) while social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nutrition Carmen Byker Shanks, an associate professor of food, nutrition and sustainable food systems at Montana State University, says it’s key to have a plan before you stock up on groceries — both to ensure you pick up the right things, and to avoid panic-buying and wiping out community supplies. (Remember: it’s good to have a robust

Photo by: Macu Photo Agency, supply at home, but stores are still open.) Take inventory of what’s already in your pantry, and then plan around these items to create meals consisting of a starch, a protein and produce. While most people are going straight for grains and canned goods right now, Byker Shanks says it’s actually a good time to buy fresh produce. “Buy those fruits and vegetables, cut them up and put them in your freezer, because they can be used for months to come,” she recommends. Sturdy veggies and starches — like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes — also keep for a long time outside the freezer. If you do buy canned, dried or frozen goods, choose those low in saturated fat, salt and added sugars. Look for foods with less than less than five grams of added sugar per serving, less than 200 milligrams of salt per serving and less than 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, Byker Shanks recommends. Byker Shanks adds that boredom and stress eating is a common reaction

UNSPLASH right now. Your best defense against it, she says, is to admit that it’s happening, and try to productively channel those feeling elsewhere, whether by venting to a good friend, writing down your feelings or diving into a good book. Fitness You may not be able to go to the gym, but it’s okay to walk, run or bike outside, so long as you keep a safe distance — ideally about six feet — from other people, says Dr. Jennifer Lee, a clinical assistant professor of family medicine and community health at Penn Medicine. Many gyms and fitness instructors are also offering virtual classes right now, she adds. If you’re working out at home, Boston-based personal trainer and fitness instructor Amanda Brabec suggests getting creative with things you already own. Use wine bottles for weights, dish towels for sliders (for exercises like lunges and mountain climbers).

There are also plenty of no-equip-

ment-required exercises — like squats, burpees, sit-ups, planks, push-ups and mountain climbers — you can do in even a small space. Brabec recommends choosing five exercises, doing each for a minute, then repeating the circuit three to five times. And take comfort in the fact that physical activity doesn’t have to mean a gym-style workout. Plenty of research shows that everyday activities like walking, gardening and cleaning slash your risk of premature death and improve your overall health—so any amount of movement you can squeeze in counts. Managing stress and anxiety is crucial for getting enough sleep—and getting enough sleep is crucial for just about every other aspect of your health. Yoga and meditation are great tools for managing stress, and they can be done in a small space; check to see if your local studio is streaming guided classes. You can also turn to apps like Headspace and Talkspace for virtual mindfulness training and therapy, respectively. Jamie Gold, a wellness design consultant and author of the upcoming bookWellness by Design, also suggests setting aside a specific area in your home that’s free of technology, except maybe a speaker for music. She recommends stocking this area with things that calm you, like your favorite blankets and pillows, a scented candle and house plants. (The research isn’t conclusive, but some studies suggest plants can help purify indoor air—if nothing else, they can help boost your mood, Gold says.) “Over-exposure to news, over-exposure to chaos, creates a lot of anxiety,” Gold says. “If you can create a quiet space to reflect, to journal, it helps to calm you.” She also recommends, to the extent possible, designating specific areas for work and fitness, to mentally separate the parts of your day. Balance that quiet time with responsible social interaction, Lee says, since loneliness can compound mental and physical health issues. “Using FaceTime and the phone and video

chats … [can help you] feel not quite so alone when you’re at home,” Lee says. Cleaning Research suggests SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can live on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for 72 hours, cardboard for 24 hours and copper for four hours. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said surface contamination doesn’t seem to be the primary way the virus spreads (instead, it’s through respiratory droplets expelled by a sick person), it can’t hurt to wipe down high-touch objects like door knobs, railings and faucets, in addition to regular household upkeep. Most household cleanershaven’t been specifically tested against SARS-CoV-2, but they work against other coronaviruses and are presumed to be effective against this one, experts say. Lee also recommends washing your hand towels frequently, and removing your shoes and coats as soon as you return from any trips outside. But unless somebody in your household is actively sick, she says, there’s no need to clean obsessively—especially if you’re practicing social distancing and washing your hands regularly. Gold adds that decluttering is crucial, especially if you live in a small space. “That’s going to make your space feel larger and more comfortable, and you’re going to have fewer things to touch and transmit germs,” she says. Health care Lee recommends postponing non-essential medical appointments, such as annual physicals and dental cleanings, and using telemedicine for pre-scheduled appointments that need to happen now. If you have a pressing medical need, you can and should still seek care. But if you think you may have COVID-19, call your doctor’s office or hospital before arriving, as they may direct you to follow certain containment procedures. “I don’t think you can be too cau-

tious,” Lee says. “The more people can call ahead to pre-complete that triage protocol, the safer everyone is going to be.” This story originally appeared in Time Magazine on March 18, 2020. Research suggests SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can live on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for 72 hours, cardboard for 24 hours and copper for four hours. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said surface contamination doesn’t seem to be the primary way the virus spreads (instead, it’s through respiratory droplets expelled by a sick person), it can’t hurt to wipe down high-touch objects like door knobs, railings and faucets, in addition to regular household upkeep. Most household cleanershaven’t been specifically tested against SARS-CoV-2, but they work against other coronaviruses and are presumed to be effective against this one, experts say. Lee also recommends washing your hand towels frequently, and removing your shoes and coats as soon as you return from any trips outside. But unless somebody in your household is actively sick, she says, there’s no need to clean obsessively—especially if you’re practicing social distancing and washing your hands regularly. Gold adds that decluttering is crucial, especially if you live in a small space. “That’s going to make your space feel larger and more comfortable, and you’re going to have fewer things to touch and transmit germs,” she says. non-essential medical appointments, such as annual physicals and dental cleanings, and using telemedicine for pre-scheduled appointments that need to happen now. If you have a pressing medical need, you can and should still seek care. But if you think you may have COVID-19, call your doctor’s office or hospital before arriving, as they may direct you to follow certain containment procedures.

There are also plenty of no-equip-

protocol, the safer everyone is going to be.” This story originally appeared in Time Magazine on March 18, 2020. Research suggests SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can live on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for 72 hours, cardboard for 24 hours and copper for four hours. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said surface contamination doesn’t seem to be the primary way the virus spreads (instead, it’s through respiratory droplets expelled by a sick person), it can’t hurt to wipe down high-touch objects like door knobs, railings and faucets, in addition to regular household upkeep. Most household cleanershaven’t been specifically tested against SARS-CoV-2, but they work against other coronaviruses and are presumed to be effective against this one, experts say. Lee also recommends washing your hand towels frequently, and removing your shoes and coats as soon as you return from any trips outside. But unless somebody in your household is actively sick, she says, there’s no need to clean obsessively—especially if you’re practicing social distancing and washing your hands regularly. Gold adds that decluttering is crucial, especially if you live in a small space. “That’s going to make your space feel larger and more comfortable, and you’re going to have fewer things to touch and transmit germs,” she says. non-essential medical appointments, such as annual physicals and dental cleanings, and using telemedicine for pre-scheduled appointments that need to happen now. If you have a pressing medical need, you can and should still seek care. But if you think you may have COVID-19, call your doctor’s office or hospital before arriving, as they may direct you to follow certain containment procedures. This story originally appeared in Time Magazine on March 18, 2020.

Photo by: Dimitri Karastelev, UNSPLASH these actions are especially crucial for maintaining you physical and mental well-being. But social distancing complicates things. How are you supposed to eat right when you’re living on non-perishables? How can you work out when you’re cooped up at home? How can you sleep when you’re anxious about, well, everything? This expert-backed guide is a good place to start. Here’s how to stay healthy (and calm) while social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nutrition Carmen Byker Shanks, an associate professor of food, nutrition and sustainable food systems at Montana State University, says it’s key to have a plan before you stock up on groceries — both to ensure you pick up the right things, and to avoid panic-buying and wiping out community supplies. (Remember: it’s good to have a robust supply at home, but stores are still open.) Take inventory of what’s already

in your pantry, and then plan around these items to create meals consisting of a starch, a protein and produce. While most people are going straight for grains and canned goods right now, Byker Shanks says it’s actually a good time to buy fresh produce. “Buy those fruits and vegetables, cut them up and put them in your freezer, because they can be used for months to come,” she recommends. Sturdy veggies and starches — like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes — also keep for a long time outside the freezer. If you do buy canned, dried or frozen goods, choose those low in saturated fat, salt and added sugars. Look for foods with less than less than five grams of added sugar per serving, less than 200 milligrams of salt per serving and less than 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, Byker Shanks recommends. Byker Shanks adds that boredom and stress eating is a common reaction right now. Your best defense against it, she says, is to admit that it’s happening,

and try to productively channel those feeling elsewhere, whether by venting to a good friend, writing down your feelings or diving into a good book. Fitness You may not be able to go to the gym, but it’s okay to walk, run or bike outside, so long as you keep a safe distance — ideally about six feet — from other people, says Dr. Jennifer Lee, a clinical assistant professor of family medicine and community health at Penn Medicine. Many gyms and fitness instructors are also offering virtual classes right now, she adds. If you’re working out at home, Boston-based personal trainer and fitness instructor Amanda Brabec suggests getting creative with things you already own. Use wine bottles for weights, dish towels for sliders (for exercises like lunges and mountain climbers). This story originally appeared in Time Magazine on March 18, 2020.