We can't all be Olympians. 

But we couch-bound Olympics-watchers can still reap serious health benefits from trying out some of the sports in play at the Winter Games.

We've rounded up nine of the most exciting winter sports to determine about how many calories you'd burn based on a metric called METs.

We calculated how much the average Joe and Jane USA might burn doing each Olympian-style sport for 60 minutes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average American woman weighs about 168.5 pounds (~76kg), and the average man is somewhere around 195.7 lbs (~89 kg), so we've used those weights.

The calorie estimates are based on a tool built by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Arizona State University. Of course, they aren't perfect, and the numbers would likely be different for you based on your fitness, age, and other factors.

But with that in mind, take a look at what a spin around the rink or slide down an icy chute could do for your body. 

SEE ALSO: We compared 7 popular granola bars based on dietitians' health advice — here's how they stack up

Traveling around the ice at 9 miles an hour or less (that's a regular pace, not an Olympic one) burns around 490 calories for an average man, and 418 for a woman.

In an hour of consistent movement on the ice, you're probably expending around 5.5 METs. By comparison, competitive speed skaters and ice dancers can burn up to 14 METs an hour. 

When people really get moving, ice skating and ice dancing can be some of the most intense winter sports. 

Ski jumping is also a heart-pumping sport. For average Americans, an hour of it burns 532 calories for a woman and 623 for a man.

Carrying your skis up the hill then hurling yourself off the top can blow through energy — around 7 METs an hour.

If you want to calculate for yourself how many calories might be in an hourlong workout, multiply your weight, in kilograms, by the MET of 7.

A typical American adult cruising down the slopes at a race pace would burn 608 calories for women and 712 for men.

But that estimate is for someone speeding downhill with their most vigorous effort.

Reigning Olympic slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin eats 3,000 calories a day to fuel her impressive runs down the mountains. But how much people burn skiing and snowboarding depends a lot on how fast they go and how fit they are.

Skiing can plow through up to 8 METs in an hourlong race, or as little as 4.3 METs if you exert just a light effort. 

 Taking it slow, you'd burn closer to 327 calories for women and 383 for men.

Again, multiply your weight in kilograms by the MET to find your hourly calorie burn.

The White House has been engulfed in scandal in recent days after allegations emerged that a high-ranking staffer, Rob Porter, abused his two ex-wives.

Though Porter resigned on Wednesday, the controversy only escalated after news surfaced that Porter's security clearance had been delayed over the allegations, and that top White House staffers had been aware of them for at least months.

Colbie Holderness, Porter's first wife, accused him of punching her in the face and leaving a black eye.

His second wife, Jennifer Willoughby, said Porter frequently verbally abused her and once dragged her by her shoulders out of the shower. She also said he once came to her apartment in violation of their separation agreement and later punched in the glass door.

Porter has denied the allegations. But he's far from the only one working alongside Trump in the White House — or on the campaign trail — who has been accused of abusing women.

Here are the others who have faced accusations:

SEE ALSO: Rob Porter's not the only one — the Trump White House has been plagued by people not getting security clearances

DON'T MISS: Hope Hicks, who is reportedly dating Rob Porter, may have helped draft a statement defending him after abuse allegations surfaced

Corey Lewandowski

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski ignited weeks of controversy during the 2016 election after he was accused of grabbing then-Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a campaign event.

Fields said Lewandowski yanked her arm as she attempted to question Trump, jerking her backwards so hard that his fingers left bruises.

Though he initially called Fields "totally delusional" and insisted he never touched her, security footage and eyewitnesses revealed that he had, indeed, grabbed her by the arm.

Police charged Lewandowski with misdemeanor battery, but dropped the charge several weeks later after determining there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.

New allegations against Lewandowski surfaced late last year, after the singer Joy Villa, a Trump supporter, filed a sexual assault complaint accusing Lewandowski of slapping her on the buttocks at a holiday party.

Villa said she threatened to report Lewandowski over the slap, and that he said, "Go ahead, I work in the private sector," and slapped her a second time, harder.

Though Lewandowski never made it to Trump's White House, he remained on the Trump campaign for months after the altercation with Fields, and remains close to Trump's inner circle.

Andy Puzder

The fast-food CEO was forced to withdraw his nomination to be labor secretary last February after a decades-old "Oprah Winfrey Show" interview resurfaced, featuring his ex-wife alleging domestic abuse.

Lisa Fierstein appeared in disguise on a 1990 episode titled "High Class Battered Women." She wore sunglasses and a wig and used the name "Ann."

She said Puzder "assaulted and battered me by striking me violently about the face, chest, back, shoulders, and neck, without provocation or cause," and leaving "bruises and contusions to the chest, back, shoulders, and neck" and "two ruptured discs and two bulging discs."

Though Fierstein later recanted her allegations as part of a child custody agreement, they became a sticking point for lawmakers in both parties as they were reviewing Puzder's labor secretary nomination in early 2017.

Puzder called the resurfaced allegations a "smear campaign," but withdrew his nomination.

Steve Bannon

Bannon, the former Trump campaign chair and White House chief strategist, was once charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and battery after an altercation with his then-wife in 1996.

According to police report, Bannon's ex-wife said he injured her neck and wrist during a fight over money and smashed her phone when she tried to call police.

The report said the couple also had a history of arguments that turned physical, though the police report said they attended counseling.

Bannon pleaded "not guilty" and the case closed after his then-wife failed to appear in court. The couple filed for divorce in 1997.

• Protein bars are considered a workout staple because they have a high protein content, which is essential to building muscle mass.
• But they can also be packed with sugar and artificial ingredients. 
• We tested 12 different protein bars available at a local CVS and ranked them based on nutritional content, taste, and cost.

After sampling 12 different protein bars, the only place I don't feel like going is the gym.

Protein bars are designed to be high-energy snacks that contain a large concentration of protein, a macronutrient that helps to build muscle mass and repair wounds or damaged tissues. Some contain around 20 grams of protein in a bar. To put that into context, a large egg has around seven grams of protein in it.

There's a big market for protein bars in the US, and other snack companies are wising up to this. In October 2017, Kellogg's bought the maker of RXBAR protein bars for $600 million in an attempt to cash in on healthier food trends. 

But these "healthy" snacks can also be stuffed with sugar, artificial ingredients, and calories, making them about as healthy as a candy bar. 

We decided we'd had enough of being fooled and headed to our local CVS store to sample all of the protein bar brands on offer. We've put together a ranking based on taste, nutritional content, and price. Find out which bar won, below:

SEE ALSO: I'm gluten-free and survived on nothing but fast food for 5 days — here's what happened

12. Questbar, double chocolate chunk, $2.99

Weight: 60g

Protein: 20g

Calories: 180

Sugar: Less than 1g

Carbs: 24g

Fats: 7g

Review: On first glance, this bar looks great — the packaging seems authoritative and low-key, the kind that makes you trust it instantly. It's very high in protein, low in sugar, and has a decent calorie content. But this is actually a great example of why you shouldn't get suckered in by first impressions, because it does not taste good.

In fact, it has the same consistency as soil.

11. Think Thin, cookies and cream, $2.29

Weight: 60g

Protein: 20g

Calories: 220

Sugar: 0g

Carbs: 25g

Fats: 7g

Review: I'm instantly skeptical when I see it says 0 grams of sugar in bold on the front of the wrapper. My first thought is, if there isn't sugar in it, they're probably replacing it with something much worse.

Sugar is replaced with 20g of sugar alcohols. The offender here is Maltitol – it's 90% as sweet as sugar, but it can claim to be sugar-free despite replicating some of the harmful effects of sugar and causing spikes in blood sugar. 

The bar is high in protein but has a bitter aftertaste.

10. Balance, cookie dough, $1.99

Weight: 50g

Protein: 15g

Calories: 210

Sugar: 17g

Carbs: 22g

Fats: 7g

Review: This bar is stuffed full of artificial ingredients and sugar, which makes it seem like there's no real advantage to eating it over a chocolate bar. Its redeeming feature is that the protein content is pretty high, and it's affordably priced. 

Microsoft’s Xbox group is in a weird place.

An estimated 30 to 50 million Xbox One consoles have been sold, putting Microsoft in a distant second place in the console race behind Sony's 70-plus million selling PlayStation 4 console. And Nintendo's Switch console? It's a runaway success.

In under a year, Nintendo sold over 14 million Switch consoles — it's the fastest-selling console in US history. Nintendo attributes this success primarily to one thing: A lot of really good games you can only play on the Switch.

"We were able to offer multiple hit titles early on for Nintendo Switch that serve as powerful drivers for hardware sales," Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said in the company's latest financial presentation.

The Xbox One, by comparison, isn't doing so great. On paper, it's competitive with or outright better than the competition from Sony and Nintendo.

Starting at $200, the Xbox One is low in price, and jammed with great games, to boot. Even the lowest-end model of Xbox One supports HDR, a high-end video technology that makes games look better on TVs that support. It does everything a set-top box like the Apple TV does, like let you watch Netflix — plus it plays high-end blockbuster games. 

In reality, though, it's the console I'm least likely to suggest to any would-be buyer. 

If you don't own any consoles, the PlayStation 4 has many of the same games, like the latest "Assassin's Creed," and a bunch of great exclusive games, including the critically-acclaimed "Horizon Zero Dawn."

Though the Nintendo Switch doesn't have many third-party blockbusters like "Call of Duty," it has a big edge in terms of exclusives — there's no other way to play the latest "Super Mario" games. That's a pretty big advantage.

And if you already own a PlayStation 4 or PC? There simply aren't many major Xbox exclusive games that make the Xbox One worth owning.

So, what's Microsoft going to do? That's the big question.

Here are some ways they could go:

SEE ALSO: Xbox is in trouble — and Microsoft is considering a major acquisition to fix it

1. Microsoft could buy a game publisher or development studio, as recently suggested by rumors.

The latest rumors suggest Microsoft is considering an acquisition of some sort— a game development studio or publisher that could bolster Microsoft's stable of intellectual properties. 

The companies most recently rumored as acquisiton targets are as follows:

1. EA (makers of "Madden NFL" and "FIFA," among many others).
2. Valve (operators of Steam, makers of "DOTA 2" and "Half-Life" and much more).
3. PUBG Corp. (the South Korean subsidiary of Bluehole Studio that makes/manages the very popular "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds"). 

But does that make any sense? "Close to zero probability of buying EA," Wedbush senior analyst Michael Pachter told Business Insider in an email exchange. 

There's a good reason for that, and it's the same reason that Microsoft's unlikely to most any of the other major game publishers (like Ubisoft, Activision, Take-Two Interactive, or Bethesda Softworks). EA, like many other major game publishers, has a business that's dependent on making games for every platform, including Sony's and Nintendo's. If Microsoft bought one of these publishers, it would be to keep that publisher's games for the Xbox platform.

That makes any such proposition a poor business choice. Not only would the publisher cost Microsoft a ton of money up front just to buy, but it would be difficult to make money back on the investment when they're suddenly limited to only developing for Xbox. 

"That would lower EA revenues — by a lot, unlikely to be made up by growth on Xbox — and would make a purchase prohibitively expensive," Pachter said. Though EA has a large library of intellectual property, losing the revenue of selling that IP on competing platforms would hurt too much. This same scenario applies directly to the other big publishers, from Activision ("Call of Duty") to Ubisoft ("Assassin's Creed").

2. Microsoft could lean in to its PC business and walk away from consoles altogether.

There's a major initiative at Microsoft's Xbox division that's years deep at this point: It's called "Xbox Play Anywhere." 

The concept is simple: Any game published by Microsoft will come to both Xbox One and Windows 10. If you buy it once, you get it both places. If you save your game one place, you can pick up the game where you left off on the other device. It's pretty sweet!

And it may very well be the entire future of the Xbox business. "The next platform might end up being the PC," Pachter said. "The Xbox Anywhere initiative seems to acknowledge that a Windows 10 PC works fine as a game console." 

This doesn't mean saying goodbye to Xbox as a platform. It could live on in software form, as a user-friendly interface on your TV (for instance). Maybe "Xbox" as we know it becomes a component of another device — an Apple TV or a Roku, perhaps.

In the short term, Microsoft is unlikely to abandon the Xbox console altogether. But you can, perhaps, expect Microsoft to shift focus towards the PC. 

"There probably will be a next generation," Pachter said, "but it is likely to be smaller."

3. Microsoft buys Valve, thus acquiring Steam (and much more).

Valve's Steam service, a computer-based storefront and platform for gaming, is huge. Somewhere in the ballpark of 200 million people actively use it every month. 

If Microsoft's looking to the future of Xbox as a computer-based platform that works "anywhere" (instead of only on a dedicated piece of hardware created by Microsoft), buying Valve would certainly be a way to massively bolster that initiative. 

Not only does Valve have Steam — which brings a huge chunk of new users and a lucrative storefront — but Valve also owns a bunch of classic gaming IP. The "Half-Life" franchise, for instance, could finally see its long-promised third installment as a big Xbox exclusive. 

But Valve is a private company, and there's no way to know how much it's worth. Valve takes a 30% cut of Steam sales, on average, and Steam is the most widely-used game store on Earth. "I presume they do around $2 billion in Steam sales, but just a guess," Pachter said.

All of which is to say one thing: Valve could be outrageously expensive to buy, and it's entirely possible that they're not up for sale.

• Poppy is an artist who's gained over 250 million views on her YouTube channel.
• She has mesmerized and confused viewers with videos such as "I'm Poppy," a 10 minute video featuring her repeating the words "I'm Poppy," that has over 14 million views.
• She was recently compared to Andy Warhol by New York Magazine.

Poppy is a YouTube star who claims she's"from the internet." Her robot-like, soft voice and puzzling YouTube monologues — sometimes sung, sometimes recited — deliver slightly nonsensical messages to her viewers.

"Do you ever think about followers? What does it mean when you have a lot of followers? There's a number after my name. Do you have a number after your name? The number keeps climbing higher and higher," she says into the camera during one of her videos published last year.

Her YouTube channel has over 250 million views, and she and her director, Titanic Sinclear, recently debuted her new YouTube Red show "I'm Poppy" during the Sundance Film Festival. She also released an album on Diplo’s Mad Decent records called "Poppy.Computer" that features songs such as "Computer Boy" and "Interweb."

Poppy is influenced by Japanese "kawaii" culture, ASMR videos, David Lynch, and of course, the internet. In a recent profile on the artist in New York Magazine she was compared to Andy Warhol.

Because little is known about the woman who represents Poppy, conspiracy theories from Poppy Truthers have flown around both Reddit and YouTube. Some believe she's a member of a cult, or that Sinclear is keeping her hostage, or that her YouTube Channel — which has videos dating back to 2014, is actually just a marketing campaign for something.

Poppy plays with and responds to these theories within her videos such as "Tide Commercial" and "I Am Not In A Cult."

Below, a look at the artist Poppy.

SEE ALSO: These four women want to help plan your dream funeral

Poppy's first YouTube video came out in 2014. During it, she quietly eats cotton candy.

She and Sinclear have produced over 300 videos for her channel. Her monologues vary in subject, but her words often ring satirically empty. In her video "Politics" she says: "I like politics. I have an opinion. I like politics because it's fun."

The aesthetic of her videos has remained mostly consistent — pale pastel backdrops and generally light colored clothes fill the frame.

• Carl's Jr. is arguably known more for its provocative ads than its burgers, but the chain pivoted away from its controversial image in 2017.
• The chain just opened a location in New York City, and I decided to try it for the first time. 
• The burgers were underwhelming, but the fries were fantastic. 

I'd never been to a Carl's Jr. before, but I certainly knew about it. Through some rather controversial ad campaigns, the brand has certainly made itself a household name over the years.

Paris Hilton crawling across the soapy hood of a Bentley, a burger in hand. Kate Upton writhing around in the backseat of a convertible, enjoying the chain's patty melt a bit too much. A (barely) bikini-clad Charlotte McKinney setting up visual double-entendres left and right at a farmer's market.

Critics slammed the chain's sex-centric advertising, with feminist groups decrying the objectification of women and the comparison to pieces of meat. For better or worse, it made the chain — and its parent company, CKE Restaurants — pretty memorable. 

The company's former CEO, Andy Puzder, told Entrepreneur in 2015, "I like our ads. I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it's very American." 

Puzder was also unsuccessfully nominated as Trump's labor secretary.

With all that beef swirling about, I was well aware of Carl's Jr., despite having never seen one in my life. 

But starting last year, Carl's Jr. turned over a new leaf, scrubbing up its image as it began to tackle expansion into the Northeast. CKE currently operates about 3,300 locations of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's across the country. It just opened a new Carl's Jr. location in Manhattan, so my opportunity to try the scandalous chain had arrived at last.

Do the burgers earn the same buzz that the chain's titillating image did? I had to find out. So I hopped on the subway and headed towards Penn Station where the new outpost was — and as luck would have it, I was pretty hungry.  

SEE ALSO: A Mediterranean fast-casual chain that people are obsessed with is planning to take over America — here's what it's like

DON'T MISS: We tried loaded fries from major fast-food chains to see who does it best — and the winner is shocking

The first Carl's Jr. outpost in Manhattan is on 7th Avenue, right across from Penn Station. Hilariously, considering the chain's former image, it's right next to a Hooters.

I went around 1:30 p.m., when I assumed the lunch rush would be over — but the restaurant was packed even then. I waited in line for at least 10 minutes.

During the long wait, I was comforted by Carl's Jr.'s iconic "Happy Star," a beaming and benevolent deity smiling down upon us weary, hungry line-waiters.

• Census Bureau data shows that over 46% of American renters are housing cost-burdened — and the problem is worse in big cities. 
• SmartAsset reviewed the data to find the hours of work needed to pay rent in the 25 largest cities in the US.
• They compared three metrics: average hours worked per year, average earnings per year, and average monthly rents. 
• Out of the top 10 cities, renters in San Jose, California need to work 89.7 hours to cover monthly rent, while those in Charlotte, North Carolina need to work 65 hours. 

Does it feel like most of your paycheck goes to covering rent? You’re probably not alone.

Data from the Census Bureau shows that over 46% of American renters are housing cost-burdened. But the scale of the problem changes depending on where you look. In California over 52% of renters are housing cost-burdened while in North Dakota that figure is just over 36%. The rent problem tends to be at its worst in the big cities. In order to highlight this problem, we looked the data to find the hours of work needed to pay rent in the 25 largest cities in the country.

In order to find the cities where rent takes the most hours of work, we looked at data on three metrics. We looked at data on average hours worked per year, average earnings per year and average monthly rents. To see where we got this data and how we put it together check out the data and methodology below.

SEE ALSO: I learned my biggest money lesson the hard way — here's how you can learn from my mistake

Key findings

California taxes hurt — With or without income taxes, the top three cities in this ranking would not change. San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego would still take the top three spots. However, on average, workers in these cities would see incomes increase by about $5 per hour if they were not paying income taxes. That translates to about 17 hours less of work needed to pay rent. San Francisco is hurt worst. They rank sixth after taking out taxes. If we ignored taxes they would rank 12th.

Midwest is best — Workers who are renting in the Midwest appear to be getting the best deal. Four of the five cities where you need to work the least hours to pay for rent are all in the Midwest. In cities like Indianapolis, Columbus and Detroit, it takes just over one week of work to pay for rent.

1. San Jose, California

Despite having some of the highest-paid workers in the country, rents are still a burden for San Jose residents. The average worker here earns $47,030 per year but after taking out both federal and California income tax, that number is whittled down to $36,949.

The typical worker works about 1,726 hours per year meaning they earn an hourly rate of $21.39. That means covering rent – which in San Jose costs an average of $1,919 – equals roughly 89.7 hours of work.

2. Los Angeles, California

Like San Jose residents, Angelenos have to contend with the steep California tax rates. That lowers their average take home pay of $30,800 to $25,300. After taking total hours worked into account, we estimate the average Los Angeles worker earns about $14.85 per hour. Comparing that to rent, which costs $1,315 per month, on average, we estimate that a Los Angeles worker needs to spend 88.6 hours at work to pay for rent.

• The 2003 documentary "Born Rich" is 15 years old now.

• The film looks into the lives of incredibly wealthy young heirs and heiresses.

• Some of the film's participants regretted appearing in the controversial documentary.

Fifteen years ago, Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnson came out with a documentary exploring what it's really like to inherit a fortune.

He delved into his own experience growing up wealthy, and also interviewed 10 other young, uber-rich heirs and heiresses. Some were friends, and others ran in the same social circles. 

The interviews delved into the attitudes, taboos, and culture of the 1%, and produced an endless number of memorable, outrageous, and, occasionally, tone deaf soundbites.

The resulting film, "Born Rich," took Johnson years to put together, and resulted in two Emmy nominations and a lawsuit from one of the cast members.

But that's all in the past. Here's a look at where all of the "Born Rich" stars have ended up:

SEE ALSO: A look inside the daily life of Ivanka Trump, who works from the White House, likes watching 'Real Housewives,' and doesn't use her phone on Saturdays

DON'T MISS: A look inside the incredible life of Georgina Bloomberg, the heiress to her father's $52 billion empire who once said 'having the last name Bloomberg sucks'

Georgina Bloomberg

Georgina Bloomberg, the 34-year-old second daughter of former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, is heir to one of the biggest fortunes in the world. Forbes estimates that Bloomberg is worth $49.8 billion.

That's part of the reason she made headlines when she declared at 19 that "having the last name Bloomberg sucks" in "Born Rich."

In the years since the documentary, Bloomberg has established herself as a top equestrian and philanthropist with a passion for animal rights. She's also come around to be more accepting of her family name, telling Town and Country,"It's a last name that now I'm proud of. At 19, I wasn't."

Stephanie Ercklentz

In the documentary, finance heiress Stephanie Ercklentz said she had never dated outside of her "social background,"The Daily Mail reported.

She's since married powerhouse investor Chase Coleman III, tying the knot with him in Palm Beach in 2005. Coleman is worth $2.2. billion, according to Forbes.

The heiress and her husband are both private people, Town and Country reported, and have kept a low profile in the press for years.

Christina Floyd

Christina Floyd, the daughter of famous golfer Raymond Floyd, attended Wake Forest University and graduated with a degree in art history.

Floyd remained close friends with fellow "Born Rich" star Ivanka Trump over the years, Town and Country reported. Putting her art history degree to good use, she worked at Sotheby's, where she met art dealer Emmanuel Di Donna, before leaving to run her own firm, Floyd Contemporary.

According to 27east.com, she married Di Donna in 2010, in a beachside ceremony in Mexico.

When President Donald Trump had his first physical as a presidential candidate in December 2015, Dr. Harold Bornstein did not shy away from exaggeration.

"If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency," he said.

In January, Rear Admiral Dr. Ronny Jackson gave Trump another, somewhat more down-to-earth health assessment. Jackson gave the president high marks for cognition, heart strength, and overall health, and recommended Trump reduce his cholesterol, improve his nutrition, and start a workout routine to lose 10 to 15 pounds.

Though Trump does practice healthy habits like refraining from smoking and drinking, he is not a fan of exercise.

"All my friends who work out all the time, they're going for knee replacements, hip replacements — they're a disaster," Trump told The New York Times in 2015.

Trump isn't the only president who didn't like working out, though most were more active than he is. Here's how he stacks up against past occupants of the Oval Office:

SEE ALSO: Trump likes his steaks well-done with ketchup — here's how the other presidents ate theirs

DON'T MISS: Trump's being slammed for this photo of his desk — here are past presidents' desks for comparison

Other than golfing, Trump is not too hot on exercise, despite his insistence that he does work out. "I get exercise. I mean, I walk, I this, I that," he once told Reuters.

Sources: CNN, Reuters

When Trump plays golf, he drives a golf cart. During the campaign, Trump also said he viewed rallies as a form of exercise.

Sources: Axios, The New York Times

President Barack Obama enjoyed golfing, too, which Trump frequently criticized him for.

Source: Business Insider

Hustle is important, but entrepreneurs are humans, not robots. Breaks, downtime and recuperation are key to staying hyper-focused over the long haul. Time-management titans and members of The Oracles share their top tips for using downtime to up your business game.

SEE ALSO: Why we should all spend more time alone

1. Get away

I always ask the real estate agents I coach to identify their "Why": their real, genuine motivation for working hard every day. Nothing reminds me of my "Why" more than getting away for a family vacation.

Too many businesspeople don't prioritize vacation time. I put it on my calendar first. You've got to reserve that time to revive yourself and recharge your batteries.

Fishing with my boys or watching a tropical sunset with my wife: that's the embodiment of my personal "Why." Consequently, I return to work refreshed, motivated, and full of passion. My advice: Take your family vacations!

Tom Ferry, CEO of Tom Ferry International, ranked the #1 Swanepoel Power 200 real estate coach, and NYT-bestselling author of "Life! By Design"; follow Tom on Facebook, Instagram

2. Renew your obsession

I sleep eight hours a night, make "family time" part of my daily schedule and take short breaks when needed. Any "break" should refresh you enough to return to work stronger.

That said, it's popular to believe you need two weeks' vacation to relax and unplug. I've been on vacations that took more energy than work itself! The point of getting away is to rejuvenate your mind, body, and purpose. But most people aren't in a position to take a long enough vacation to unwind properly.

So, get full-tilt re-obsessed with your purpose, achieving your potential and making a monster contribution to the world. That way, you'll naturally regenerate and create energy.

— Grant Cardone, sales expert and NYT-bestselling author; follow Grant on Facebook or YouTube

3. Explore your "inner domain"

Not taking the time to explore what I call the "inner domain" is perhaps the greatest challenge top leaders face today. Elite Navy SEALs often take time to reflect on their lives, visualize their craft, or study a sacred text (like "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius) to develop internal peace of mind and focus, which fuels their performance wins.

My favorite downtime tool is a simple practice called box breathing, which we teach in my Unbeatable Mind training. Inhale through your nostrils for a slow four count, hold your breath with a lifting feeling for another four count, exhale slowly four counts, and hold the exhale for a final four count. My challenge to you: Box breathe for a week, and experience new levels of stress-free mental clarity.

— Mark Divine, retired U.S. Navy SEAL commander, founder of SEALFIT and NYT/WSJ bestselling author; follow SEALFIT on YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram

South Korea's Pyeongchang, host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics, will welcome nearly one million athletes and spectators to its quiet slice of the Korean Peninsula this month.

The county of Pyeongchang is one of the safest places to live and visit across the globe — with one major catch. It sits only 50 miles from the border of North Korea, which has raised the prospect of war with a series of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons tests in recent months.

Stretched across rugged mountains and valleys, Pyeongchang covers an area roughly the size of Houston. More than 43,000 people live there, with many working in agriculture.

Here's what it's like to live in the host city of the 2018 Olympics.

SEE ALSO: Photographers captured these dismal scenes along the border area between North and South Korea

Pyeongchang (not to be confused with Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea) sits about the same distance from the border of North Korea and the capital of South Korea, Seoul.

The area has an average elevation of approximately 700 meters above sea level, which gives it the nickname "the Alps of Korea." Mountains cover more than 80% of the terrain.

Source: PyeongChang 2018 and Wikipedia

Pyeongchang is also one of the country's coldest places. During winter, cold air comes down from Russia and chills the area to about 35 degrees Fahrenheit and below.

Source: Wikipedia

• Many people dream of traveling the world full-time, but it can seem expensive and out of reach.
• Luckily, there are ways to make travel cheaper and even profitable if you are willing to think outside of the box and work hard.
• Some options include teaching English, WWOOFing, travel-blogging, and working on a cruise ship.

Traveling the world is a dream for many people.

While there are ways to do it cheaper and safer than ever with sharing platforms like Airbnb and Couchsurfing, and more information on budget backpacker travel than could fit an encyclopedia, the cost is still out of reach for most.

But what if you could travel and not spend a dime? What if you could even get paid?

Many would jump at the opportunity to experience new cultures, traverse through beautiful landscapes, and satisfy their insatiable wanderlust. 

Luckily there are more ways than ever to travel and get paid. They aren't easy, most are a lot of work, but the opportunities are out there if you want it bad enough. 

We’ve compiled 15 ways for just about anyone to get their golden ticket to spending weeks, or years, in exotic lands while earning some cash. 

1. Teach English

If you're looking for adventure in a foreign land, one of the most accessible and lucrative ways to get there is by taking up a job teaching English. Jobs in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America are abundant, and most of them do not require that you speak the native language.

Schools are looking for native English speakers with bachelor degrees who can teach the "direct method," by which students learn through concepts, pantomiming, and the target language exclusively.

While not all schools require it, a certification for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) can make you a more desirable candidate. Salaries can be as high as $36,000 a year in Japan or $45,000 in the United Arab Emirates.

2. Research for a travel guidebook

There aren't many professions as romanticized and misunderstood as researching and writing for travel guidebooks such as Lonely Planet and Fodor's. While the job is exhilarating — jetting you off to hundreds of places to try the local culture, food, and hotels — the reality of the work is a grind.

Most guidebook researchers and writers report having to meet unrealistic deadlines that require them to work 12-to-14-hour days. In addition, seeing the sights is a small part of the job. Researchers and writers must crank out reports and articles, make maps of the areas they visit, and engage in extensive, tedious data entry.

Because of tightening budgets and an abundance of 20-somethings willing to do the job for next to nothing, guide writing is hardly a lucrative profession. But you can earn enough to make a living.

In an illuminating New York Times' feature about the lives of guidebook writers, Warren St. John reveals the cardinal tenet of the job: "Most who do it quickly learn the one hard-and-fast rule of the trade: travel-guide writing is no vacation."

3. Become an Instagram influencer

Instagram is flooded with "influencers" trying to grow their reach on the platform, but if you are one of the few lucky enough to build a sizeable following, there are opportunities to turn it into serious income. 

Twentysomething travel 'grammers Jack Morris and Lauren Bullen currently parlay the more than 3 million Instagram followers under the names of their successful travel blogs into travel around the world and a six-figure salary. Morris told Cosmopolitan last year he once earned $9,000  for a single post on Instagram, while Bullen has received $7,50o for one photo. Typically he and Bullen are paid to promote various brands and locations through their feeds.

Even smaller accounts can get some benefits. David Guenther, who runs the Great North Collective (@greatnorthco), told Rangefinder Magazine in 2014 he received a free press trip to Alberta, Canada provided that he post photographs on Instagram. 

Of course, most travel Instagrammers end up stuck at a few thousands followers and burning through their savings before they ever cash a check. Best to start building that following before you leave.

Year after year, southern states consistently rank among the worst in the US for health and wellness.

This is not a new trend. The rankings have changed little over the last quarter century. What's causing residents of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana and other southern states to live such short lives, while experiencing higher rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease?

As a researcher who's worked on state health promotion in Hawaii and Texas, it's clear to me that there are a variety of factors behind people's poor health in southern states — and none will be an easy fix.

SEE ALSO: Big beer corporations are making 'imposter beers' that masquerade as artisanal brews — and Americans feel deceived

DON'T MISS: Here's why Facebook is such an awful echo chamber

Premature deaths

People in southern states die earlier from a variety of chronic conditions than people in the rest of the U.S. Infectious diseases including whooping cough, salmonella and chlamydia are high across the south, particularly in Louisiana and the Carolinas. 

According to America’s Health Rankings, an annual report by the nonprofit United Health Foundation, someone living in Kentucky is 55 percent more likely to die from cancer than a person living in Utah.

A resident of Mississippi is 85 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than someone living in Minnesota. If you live in West Virginia, you are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as someone living in Colorado. 

Overall, premature death occurs almost twice as often in many of the southern states compared to Minnesota and California.

A July study found a 20-year difference in life expectancy by county, with most of the counties with lower life expectancy located in the Southeast. The life expectancy gap is also growing year to year.

Unhealthy lifestyles

Health behaviors also contribute quite strongly to the development of chronic diseases. 

People living in many areas in the south are twice as likely to be smokers and be sedentary than people living in Utah. Every southern state except Florida has an adult obesity rate higher than 30 percent. This lack of fitness has led to the highest rates of injury in the Army basic training across the region. 

Poor lifestyle behaviors don’t explain everything, though. For example, West Virginia and Kentucky have very high rates of drug overdose deaths related to the opioid epidemic. However, rates in many southern states – including Mississippi, Georgia and Arkansas – are lower than the rest of the country.

What is causing these poor health outcomes? As a public health researcher, I look to the physical and social conditions in which people live, including education levels, access to health care, air and water quality, housing, culture and many other factors. These can be the root causes of health and illness.

All of these states are relatively poor, with Kentucky, Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas and Mississippi having the lowest household median incomes in the county. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Idaho, for example, is ranked 40th in household income and 14th in health. 

Education is often viewed as an important indicator of health – but Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri are all in the top 10 for high school graduation rates. 

Air pollution – which is linked to heart attacks, bronchitis and asthma – falls somewhere in the middle for most southern states. Violent crime tends to be higher, with the exception of Mississippi. 

Of the 26 states have comprehensive statewide indoor air smoking bans, none are in the South.

According to Walkscore, a site that calculates the walkability of cities, nine of the least walkable cities in the U.S. are in the South. Only one, Miami, is in the top 10.

Limited access to care

It can be hard to find a health care provider in the South. Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi all fall in the bottom 10 for the number of primary care physicians per capita. Mental health providers and dentists are also in short supply across the South.

In fact, Alabama only has 85 mental health care providers per 100,000 people. Compare that to 547 per 100,000 in Massachusetts. 

Lack of routine health care can lead to an increase in preventable hospitalizations. For instance, a diabetic who is routinely seen by a physician can avoid more serious complications that lead to hospitalizations. Infant mortality and low birth weight babies are prevalent across the region.

Funding for public health differs across the region, with West Virginia providing more per capita than any other state and Missouri spending a fifth of that. The uninsured population is also a mix, with Kentucky and West Virginia having low rates and Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma having some of the highest.

Cryptocurrency mining isn't for everyone, and it might seem daunting even if you are interested.

You might think you need an extreme know-how of computers to do any kind of crypto mining, that it couldn't possibly be done by the average person.

Turns out, it's absurdly easy. 

You just need computer parts that are powerful enough to make mining profitable, and a handy piece of software called Nicehash. You literally press a green button on Nicehash to start mining. 

I've been experimenting with crypto mining on Nicehash myself, and it's been a fun little project. I'm not raking in a huge amount of cash, as my mining rig is small enough that it's more like looking for change on a sidewalk. Bigger mining organizations have warehouses full of powerful computer parts that can generate a ton of cryptocurrencies.

And at the end of the day, I'd only really suggest it if you already have a gaming PC with an appropriately powerful graphics card – the key component for mining. And you need to make sure your electricity costs aren't too high, as mining can suck up a ton of energy.

Check out how to get started in mining:

SEE ALSO: I've started to mine cryptocurrency, and it's surprisingly easy — but I'm still 8 months away from breaking even

Before anything, you have to make sure you have the right gear.

Whether or not you know anything about mining, you need to have some powerful hardware.

You could mine with a basic computer that only has a processor, like an Intel or AMD processor. But graphics cards that PC gamers use to power their games are much better suited for the job. 

For the best results, you'll need desktop PC and Nvidia or AMD graphics cards. Laptops, even the gaming variety, may not be very well suited for mining.

For Nvidia cards, you're better off with the current GTX 1000 series of graphics cards, like the GTX 1060 (6GB model) or above. 

As for AMD cards, the best models include the RX470, RX480, RX570, RX 580 (8GB model), RX56, and RX64. But good luck finding an AMD card at any sort of reasonable price these days.

If you already have any of those parts, great! But you probably shouldn't buy more of them just for mining just yet.

It's best to start off with what you've got before splurging on several cards for mining. At this stage, even if you've experimented for a few days and you're still interested in mining, I'd still recommend waiting a while.

Nvidia is expected to announce new cards in March. Those new cards will likely be more efficient at mining than the current models. You don't want to spend money on cards when new models are on their way.

You do, however have some time before AMD releases a new card, as it's expected to release new cards in August. 

If you don't have any of those recommended cards, then it's worth waiting until the new models are released, at least if you want Nvidia cards.

Graphics cards are also being sold at greatly inflated prices these days – if you can even find them – due to shortages in supply, and it's almost entirely because miners are buying up all the cards!

So, you have the right gear, how do you start?

Now, you need to see if your gear is profitable for mining. Nicehash has a profitability calculator that takes into account your electricity costs. You can select your graphics card and type in how much your electricity company charges you for electricity to see how much bitcoin and profit you'll make before and after your electricity costs.

So, with the GTX 1080Ti graphics card, and a 0.23 kWh rate from my electricity company, I'd be making $2.25 per day in total profit. 

Just note that mining profitability is fluid. That means it's directly related to the price of bitcoin, which is noted at the very bottom in fine print. It might be profitable for you today, but if bitcoin goes down far enough in value tomorrow, mining might actually cost you more than just buying bitcoin.

• Freemasonry has attracted much speculation — and even a few conspiracy theories — since its inception.
• Numerous United States presidents have been drawn to the all-male secret society throughout history.
• Some presidents, like Harry Truman, were able to forge their leadership abilities through Masonry.
• Others, like Andrew Jackson, attracted criticism for belonging to what was viewed as a strange and elitist group.

Almost a third of the US presidents have been Freemasons.

It's a statistic that sounds straight out of a conspiracy theorist's fever dream (or "National Treasure," at the very least).

Masonic lodges essentially function as combination social clubs, secret societies, and charitable organizations. The fraternal organization has been around since at least the 1700s, likely arising from early modern organizations of stonemasons. Masons themselves trace their roots back to the construction of King Solomon's temple.

Today, there are several offshoots of Freemasonry, but the branch that most people would recognize requires that members be men and profess belief in the existence of a deity. Conversations about politics and religion are banned, and a Bible must be displayed in each lodge.

Candidates must get through three degrees of the craft in order to become Freemasons. First, they are "initiated" as apprentices, then "passed" to the level of fellowcraft, and, finally, "raised" as full Masons (if the people in the lodge vote them in).

Since the society is ostensibly mysterious and said to partake in ancient rituals, public perceptions about Masons tend to range from fascination to fear. In fact, the first ever third party in US political history ran on the platform of taking down Freemasonry.

So, what drew a grand total of 14 chief executives (15 if you count LBJ, who was initiated but never raised) to become Masons?

Let's take a look at some of their Masonic experiences to find out:

SEE ALSO: One of the worst US presidents in history wasn't just incompetent — it was his beliefs that led to failure

George Washington

That's right. The first president of the US also happened to be the nation's first Masonic president.

In Ron Chernow's "Washington: A Life," he notes that the future president may have been attracted to the Masonic Order's adherence to Enlightenment ideals.

Washington joined the Order of the Freemasons early in his life, entering Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 at the age of 20, according to Mount Vernon's official website. Washington had lost his older brother Lawrence to tuberculosis only a few months earlier, effectively becoming head of the household.

Washington stayed in touch with his Masonic brothers for the rest of his life.

Masonic influences came into play at Washington's first inauguration. During the ceremony, he swore his oath on a Bible from St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 1 in New York (the book, as Mental Floss reports, was randomly opened to Genesis 49:13: "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be to Zidon").

The first president's Masonic ties followed him his entire life — and beyond. There's even a George Washington Masonic National Memorial, which was dedicated in 1932 and finally completed in 1970.

James Monroe

Mason website The Masonic Trowel lists Monroe as entering the Williamsburg Lodge No. 6 in 1776. At that time he was a 17-year-old student at the College of William and Mary, and heavily involved in anti-Crown activities on campus.

He's recorded as paying dues to the lodge from 1776 to 1780, according to "A Comprehensive Catalog of the Correspondence and Papers of James Monroe: Volume I."

Over the course of those four years, the future fifth president would drop out of college to fight in the Revolution, nearly die after getting shot during the Battle of Trenton, and then return to William and Mary to study law.

Andrew Jackson

Jackson's status as a Mason actually became a major political issue during his presidency.

That's because the first ever third party in US politics formed as part of a backlash against the Freemasons.

As Slate reported, the seeds for the Anti-Masonic Party were first sown in 1826, when Masons were implicated in the (still unsolved) kidnapping of a New York man who threatened to reveal their secret rites. The political party opposed what it perceived as a sinister, elitist, and anti-democratic secret society.

The Anti-Masonic Party found a natural foe in Jackson, who was not only a Mason, but a high-ranked one. Jackson served as the grand master of the grand lodge of Tennessee from 1822 to 1824.

• When deciding the best place to retire, it's important to consider affordability, quality of life, and health care.
• Minnesota is the best for quality of life and healthcare, but has low affordability for retirees.
• Florida is the best state for retirees, not surprising considering it has the most senior citizens. 

On a global scale, the United States is 24th on the list of the best countries for retirement.

However, the US is very large and experiences can vary drastically within the country.

If you decide to stay in America when you are done working, you might want to know which state is best for retirement. WalletHub recently released their 2018 retirement rankings. Using 41 metrics in three broad categories, they were able to rank every state to find the best and worst places to retire.

The three main categories used were affordability, quality of life, and health care. WalletHub weighted the affordability section 40% and the other two areas were given equal weight of 30%.

Florida tends to be the first state that comes to mind when retirement communities are brought up, and for good reason. The Sunshine State has the highest percentage of residents 65 years and older, WalletHub says. Florida is also tops in the overall affordability category.

Where you decide to live during retirement depends on what you value. Residents of Hawaii have the highest life expectancy, while the lowest is found in Mississippi. On the other hand, the cost of living is totally flipped with Mississippi coming in first and Hawaii ranked last.

If you are looking to be entertained in retirement, New York might be a good option. Despite the state's lackluster overall rating for retirement, WalletHub's analysis found that the Empire State has the most museums and theaters per capita.

The same state — Minnesota — can claim to have the best quality of life and health care. However, a low score on the affordability measure kept Minnesota from being one of the best overall states for retirement.

Check out how your home state ranks overall, as well as for each of the three categories: affordability, quality of life, and health care. 

SEE ALSO: The 10 best places to retire in America

SEE ALSO: The best restaurant in every state

50. Kentucky

Affordability rank: 38

Quality of life rank: 47

Health care rank: 47

49. New Jersey

Affordability rank: 50

Quality of life rank: 28

Health care rank: 33

48. Rhode Island

Affordability rank: 48

Quality of life rank: 46

Health care rank: 22

Over the past several years, TED talks have brought insights from the most prominent academics, business leaders, and writers to the masses.

If you want to get some quick enlightenment, look no further than this list of some of the most thought-provoking and mind-expanding TED talks available.

From Elon Musk discussing his vision for the future, to neuroscientists talking about why reality is nothing but a hallucination, these talks will change the way you look at yourself, and the world around you.

There are worse ways to spend 15 or 20 minutes.

See below for 8 of the most mind-expanding talks: 

SEE ALSO: 11 mind-expanding TED Talks to watch if you only have 10 minutes

"Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality" by Anil Seth

It's not every day that a 15-minute talk can leave you questioning the very nature of your own existence. But Anil Seth, a neuroscientist at the University of Sussex, will do just that. 

Seth posits that our brains are "hallucinating" all the time — and when our hallucinations match up with others, we call that "reality." Prepare to re-think everything you've ever known.

Duration: 17:01

"The danger of a single story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian-born novelist, said in her talk.

Adichie's most recent work, "Americanah" explores the experiences of a Nigerian immigrant to the US, and the differences and the common threads that bind us all together. In her talk, Adichie highlights the power of storytelling, and how we must seek diverse stories and opinions to truly understand a place.

If we only hear a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding, Adichie said. 

Duration: 18:42

"My stroke of insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor experienced something very few neuroscientists have: A life-threatening stroke.

It gave her a unique opportunity to actually see and feel the things she dedicated her life to researching. As she watched her brain functions shut down, including her speech, motion, and finally self-awareness, she came away with profound insights into how our brains work, and what it means to be a human being.

Duration: 18:33

Although heavy selling has engulfed US stock markets over the past several weeks, that does not mean investors should exit the market completely, an AllianceBernstein quantitative research team led by Ann Larson wrote in a note sent out to clients earlier this week.

Both the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 tumbled into correction territory as selling on Thursday pushed their slides from all-time highs in excess of 10%. Additionally, the Cboe Volatility Index spiked as high as 37, signaling heightened fear in the market place.

But the "fundamentals remain strong," Larson's team wrote. "We recommend staying invested, but to the extent that investors can be opportunistic," she added, making particular note of the many companies that have a strong free cash flow yield. Larson's guide for navigating the volatile stock market centers on finding stocks that have both a strong free cash flow and aren't overcrowded. 

Here are 17 names on the list: 

Ebay

Ticker: EBAY

Industry: Internet & Software Services 

Market Cap: $46.3 billion 

Free Cash Flow: 13.2%

Year-to-date Performance: 12.27%

Source: AllianceBernstein

Express Scripts

Ticker: ESRX

Industry: Healthcare Providers and Services 

Market Cap: $43.3 billion 

Free Cash Flow: 10.7% 

Year-to-date Performance: -.19%

Source: AllianceBernstein 

Western Union Company

Ticker: WU

Industry: IT Services 

Market Cap: $9.1 billion 

Free Cash Flow: 11/9%

Year-to-date Performance: 2.79%

Source: AllianceBernstein 

• I tried Amazon Prime Now, the company's two-hour delivery service.
• I found it was full of surprising costs, and it took longer than two hours.
• Still, it's massively convenient for some specific needs.

Amazon Prime Now is getting all the attention these days.

The service, which promises two-hour delivery for a wide variety of items from grocery to electronics, has been expanding rapidly across the country.

Most recently, Amazon added Whole Foods to its list of Prime Now stores in four select cities, with plans to roll out to more cities throughout the year.

Prime Now is also one of the most important pillars in Amazon's quest to take a bigger bite of the grocery market by combining convenience with selection.

So, with Amazon funneling efforts into growing the service, I decided to check out how it really works: 

SEE ALSO: A couple keeps getting mysterious Amazon packages they didn't order — and they can't make it stop

Here's where it all starts: PrimeNow.com. This website is a separate portal from Amazon.com, and it's where all the Prime Now purchasing happens. You could also order items for delivery on the Amazon Prime Now app.

To shop on Prime Now, you have to first select which store you're ordering from. I decided on Amazon, as I thought it would be the fairest test, but I could have also ordered from two different Manhattan grocery stores or a liquor store.

I found some on-sale goodies that looked perfect for a test of the service.

In today's crowded TV landscape, there are more outlets for great shows than ever before.

TV networks and streaming services are always on the hunt for the next great series, and the competition among them has enhanced not only the breadth, but also the quality of their offerings.

To figure out which current shows are worth watching across all outlets, we turned to the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to select the most critically acclaimed scripted show that each network and service is currently producing.

We excluded children's shows, talk shows, and docuseries, and we only selected from networks with scripted shows that had enough reviews to receive a "Fresh" designation. We also used audience scores to break any ties within networks.

 Here is the best current TV show on each network, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: The worst TV show of every year since 2000, according to critics

ABC: "Speechless"

Critic score: 98%

Audience score: 75%

Summary:"The family of a special-needs teen is good at dealing with the challenges he faces - and excellent at creating new ones."

Adult Swim: "Rick and Morty"

Critic score:97%

Audience score: 96%

Summary:"An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson."

Amazon: "Catastrophe"

Critic score: 100%

Audience score: 92%

Summary:"American boy Rob gets Irish girl Sharon pregnant while they hook up for a week while on a business trip to London."