A BERRY GOOD IDEA

Fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. We just can't get enough of these super fruits that are super good for you. They're loaded not with just antioxidants, but a special type of antioxidant called polyphenols that respected medical groups including the American Cancer Society say can have major health benefits. 

Here at The O Report, we love berries so much that we go a little crazy and buy too many at a time. When we have an abundance of berries that need to be eaten quickly or they'll go bad, we have a delicious solution that also doubles as breakfast or a dessert. 

Take whichever type of berry you have on hand that are nearing their expiration date, throw them in a bowl, then take a fork and mash them all together. Take your favorite sliced bread (we love Bays English Muffins) with or without butter, spread the berry mixture on top, and heat for 5 to 10 minutes. We think it's better than any jam or jelly you can buy, and it will give you loads of energy while also making you feel as if you've just eaten a decadent treat. 

If you're trying to cut back on your bread intake, the mashed berries are also delicious with plain or frozen yogurt. 

YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

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A survey in the March issue of Redbook magazine polled 1,000 women on how they feel about getting older. The answers to the survey's questions surprised the editors, but not us.

60% said they've come to appreciate a "flaw" they used to obsess over, such as being really tall.

35% said they would spend more than $200 on an anti-aging product, but only if it was guaranteed to work.

68% agreed that the older you get, the less you care about what people think of you.

77% have become more happy as they've aged.

41% say they're in favor of dyeing their grays away forever.

The things that make them feel young are: Getting in a solid workout (26%), laughing or smiling (24%), getting a full night's sleep (23%), and having a romantic interlude with their partner (20%).

MODERN GYM CLOTHES

Need some motivation to get to the gym before spring gets here? American designer Derek Lam's collaboration with the athleisure brand Athleta will help you feel sporty and stylish. The Derek Lam 10C + Athleta collection is fit to wear inside or outside the gym. Some pieces are great to layer over gym clothes, others you can work out in. All of them have Lam's modern approach that will make you want to run errands after class just to show off. Here are a few of our favorites:

Top row, from left: Derek Lam 717 sneaker by New Balance, $80. Sleek leather jacket (in black or dove), $498. Crosswalk sweater in dove, $158. Stripe fluid dress in black and estate blue, $148.

Bottom row, from left: Crosswalk cardigan sweater, $168. Parallel zip tight in estate blue and blazing yellow (also, gray and white, and black and white), $98.

PEP TALK

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If you've watched one of the TED Talks online, you know how interesting the short (less than 18 minutes) videos can be. Thousands of topics presented by experts from around the globe are covered in the videos. 

In the March issue of Dr. Oz The Good Life, a magazine devoted to healthy living, there's a list of six TED Talks videos the magazine deems especially inspiring for those who yearn to be more joyful, kind, resilient and both passionate and compassionate. Click on the speaker's name below to view their talk. 

1. Kelly McGonigal, a Stanford University psychologist, explains a study that illustrates the upside of tense times. 

2. David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, shares his secret to living joyfully.

3. Shawn Achor, a researcher in positive psychology, talks about the business advantage of being happy.

4. Joseph Kim, a refugee from North Korea, discusses how even a small act of kindness can change someone's life.

5. Esther Perel, a relationship therapist, shares how happy couples keep the passion flowing in a long-term relationship.

6. Susan Cain, a negotiation expert, talks about the importance of alone time.

THE BEST GREEN BEANS

If you read Consumer Reports magazine, you may go organic. At least when it comes to string beans. The magazine compared 28 fresh vegetables and found that conventionally grown string beans had the highest pesticide risk, by far. The article stated that a serving of green string beans grown in the U.S. was 200 times riskier to eat than a serving of U.S. grown broccoli. To reduce your exposure to pesticides, the magazine recommends buying only organic string beans.

THE ART OF BOOSTING YOUR BRAIN POWER

Can playing or listening to classical music make you smarter? Yes, according to a recent study from the University of Helsinki published in the journal Scientific Reports. It details experiments by researchers who used brain scans to reveal playing or listening to classical music can give the brain a boost at any age. The conclusion was that music stimulates the genes involved with learning and memory, plus it causes the body to release the happy brain chemical dopamine.

Not to burst the champagne bubbles of the scientists who surely celebrated the study’s publication, but Opera Carolina Maestro James Meena thinks they’re a little late to the party. “It’s poppycock,” he said. “Artists have known this for centuries.”

On the eve of Opera Carolina’s production of Romeo & Juliet (Jan. 24, 28 and 30 at Belk Theater; www.operacarolina.org), Meena elaborated on his thoughts with the passion, intelligence and musical knowledge he’ll bring to the podium when he conducts the performances.

His words stimulated our brains so much, we decided to divide them into two Acts, plus an Intermission. And don’t miss the finale.

ACT I
“Scientists have been attempting to quantify the effect of classical music on the brain for decades, which I find comical,” he said. “Before science became our deity, we understood the natural world through empirical evidence, essentially what worked and what did not work.  We knew empirically that learning in music was part of a complete individual. That it, like learning math and science, was part of a complete education, not separate from but an equal partner in developing well-educated people. So, science is now quantifying what human societies have known for centuries, which I find amusingly pathetic.”

INTERMISSION

ACT II
“This is to me a matter of faith, not in a religion but faith in human instinct,” Meena continued. “We now believe that if we cannot measure, compare and quantify something it has no value. Just as one can observe a sunset and be moved by its magnificence without “quantifying” the refraction of sunlight, so too we can judge that one who is trained in the discipline of music is well-equipped to use that training in other disciplines.”

FINALE
Here are Meena’s top three picks for arias everyone should know:

1. Nessun Dorma by Puccini from Turandot. “Not sung by Michael Bolton or Andrea Bocelli but by a (trained opera) singer like Franco Corelli or Luciano Pavarotti,” he said. For video of Pavarotti performing the aria in 1994, go here.
2. Casta Diva by Vincenzo Bellini as sung by Maria Callas. (To see a video of Callas performing the aria in Paris in 1958, go here.
3. Wintersturme from Die Walküre by Richard Wagner as sung by Lauritz Melchior. For an audio recording of Melchior performing the aria, go here.

Bravo, Maestro!