• Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are both 36 years old. Queen Elizabeth II was 36 in 1963.
• Queen Elizabeth's life then looked a lot different than Middleton's and Markle's lives look today.
• For example, Markle and fiancé Prince Harry don't yet have kids — Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were already married for 15 years and expecting their fourth child.

Being a member of the British royal family today is a drastically different job than it was half a century ago.

Across the globe, people look at Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, both 36 years old, as the picture of elegance. People saw Queen Elizabeth II the same way in 1963, when she was 36 — but her lifestyle was rather more traditional. She'd been married for years, sported white gloves and pearls ... and definitely didn't use Instagram.

Below, we highlighted the starkest contrasts between Middleton's and Markle's lives today and Queen Elizabeth's when she was their age.

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle's whirlwind romance is the opposite of Kate Middleton's 10-year courtship — and it shows how different their marriages will be

At age 36, Queen Elizabeth had already been queen for 11 years. She was born into royalty: Her father was King George VI and her mother was Queen Elizabeth.

Source: INSIDER, Associated Press

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, on the other hand, didn't come from royal blood. Middleton is still called the "Duchess of Cambridge," and Markle will likely be known as the "Duchess of Sussex" when she marries Prince Harry.

Source: Business Insider

At 36, Queen Elizabeth had been married to Prince Philip for 15 years.

Source: INSIDER

Everyone's ditching cable.

An increasing number of tech companies are trying to attract the millions of "cord-cutters" who have ditched traditional cable TV for internet-based replacements.

Relative newcomers like Hulu and Google's YouTube are breaking in, while old-school heavies like Sony, Dish Network, and AT&T have been fighting it out for months now.

So, which is right for you?

Since this is the TV industry in America, figuring out what's what is complex. To help you see which — if any — make sense for you, we've broken down the biggest live-TV streaming services you can choose from today: PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, and Hulu with Live TV, as well as a smaller offering called Fubo TV that's focused on sports.

Let's dig into the fine print:

Jeff Dunn contributed to an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: I tried cutting the cord with Sling TV for a month — here's why I returned to cable

1. Sling TV

1. How much does it cost?

It's $20 a month for the base Sling Orange package, or $25 a month for a Sling Blue package with more channels.

For $40 a month, you can buy the Orange and Blue packages together, but the two do not totally overlap in terms of channel selection. (Hold that thought.)

From there, you can tack on a bunch of smaller specialized bundles of channels for between $5 and $15 a month per bundle. There are way too many to list here, so you should have a look at Sling's service page.

2. How many channels does it have?

Sling Orange has about 30 channels. Sling Blue has about 45 channels depending on where you live, but its lineup doesn't include everything in Sling Orange.

The add-on bundles can incorporate a few dozen more channels, but those vary wildly in terms of popularity. The likes of MTV, Starz, and Showtime are very popular; other networks, like the Outdoor Channel, are more niche.

3. Which major channels are not included?

CBS is absent. ABC is there, but only for some markets, and only with a Sling Orange subscription. It also costs an extra $5 a month. For the kids, the main Nickelodeon channel isn't available either.

Also, while Sling does carry some Fox and NBC channels, they're included only in the Sling Blue package — and you're still missing the main NBC and Fox channels. There's a good chance those local channels won't even be available if you don't live in one of a few major markets. Check your coverage before you buy.

Sling TV (continued)

4. Does it include ESPN?

Yes, but like every other Disney-owned channel, it's only in Sling Orange. There, you get ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN 3 by default. This is the main thing that keeps the Orange and Blue packages from overlapping.

5. What about local sports and non-ESPN sports networks?

This is a little convoluted.

Sling Blue doesn't have ESPN, but it does include Fox and Comcast/NBC regional sports channels. Again, those vary by region — you can use the tool on Dish's FAQ page to check what's covered in your area.

As for other national sports channels, only Sling Blue includes Fox Sports 1, NFL Network, and NBC Sports Network. With Sling Blue, you can add a Sports Extra package that includes the NFL's RedZone channel, NBA TV, NHL Network, and others for $10 a month.

If you have Sling Orange, though, that Sports Extra package costs $5 a month, doesn't include NFL RedZone, and throws in a few more deep-in-the-weeds sports channels. Again, that's in addition to the main ESPN networks, which Sling Blue does not have.

You can probably see why these services aren't quite revolutionary now.

6. What about HBO?

HBO is available as an add-on to one of the core bundles. It costs $15 a month, the same as the standalone HBO Now streaming service.

Sling TV (continued)

7. Which devices does it support?

You can check Sling's support page for the full list, but the only notable no-show is Sony's PlayStation 4.

Otherwise, Roku, Apple TV (fourth gen), Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, iOS, Android, Android TV, Windows, macOS, Xbox One, Google Chrome, and others are all supported.

8. Does it have DVR so I can record shows I missed?

Yes, but it doesn't come included with a basic subscription. Instead, you have to pay an extra $5 a month for up to 50 hours of DVR storage.

Beyond that, a decent chunk of channels — namely Disney's and ESPN's networks — cannot be recorded for the time being. (Here's a full list.) And while Fox networks can be recorded, you'll automatically be reverted to the on-demand version of those shows if they're available. That means you'll have to watch ads.

Sling has done well to roll out DVR support to more devices over the past few months, but Apple's macOS is still out of luck. There's no limit on how long you can keep a recording, though, and Sling now lets you "protect" specific recordings in case you run out of space.

9. Can I pause and rewind live TV?

Technically, yes. But several channels — including ESPN, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, and AMC — do not support the feature and can only be watched live.

These channels typically lack support for Sling's replay feature, in which certain recently aired programs are available to stream for a limited time after they first air.

10. How many people can use it at once?

With Sling Orange, you can only have one active stream going at a time. With Sling Blue, that's bumped up to three concurrent streams. With the $40-a-month Orange-plus-Blue combo package, it becomes four.

• Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore divorced in 2013.
• After the divorce, Kutcher went alone into the mountains and fasted for a week.
• That might not be the best strategy to get over a breakup because it gives you lots of time to brood, and not many distractions.

Right after his divorce from Demi Moore in 2013, Ashton Kutcher took off for the mountains.

All he had with him were water, tea, a pen, and a notepad.

"I started hallucinating on like day two, which was fantastic," Kutcher told Dax Shepard on an episode of Shepard's podcast, "Armchair Expert." "I was doing tai chi with my own energy."

The post-divorce fast wasn't the first time Kutcher had experimented with alternative diets. While preparing to play Steve Jobs in the movie "Jobs," Kutcher copied Jobs' fruitarian diet for one month, meaning he ate fruit almost exclusively. Kutcher wound up in the hospital.

This time, hallucinations aside, Kutcher appeared to steer clear of the emergency ward. But it's unclear whether a solo retreat into the mountains — or the potentially more realistic week-living-on-your-couch — is the best way to recover after the end of a relationship.

We can't speculate beyond what Kutcher's said about his trek into the mountains, and everyone heals differently. But it's possible that isolating yourself completely the way Kutcher did would give you too much time and space to brood, and too few distractions.

Psychologist Melanie Greenberg writes in a blog post for Psychology Today that people getting over a breakup should "interrupt cycles of obsessive thinking and rumination. You may want to imagine a big red STOP sign when you start doing it, but don’t sit around moping about your ex."

And writer Katie Bogen, who experimented with multiple strategies to get over her own breakup, writes in Vox that reconnecting with friends was the single most effective way to feel better after her breakup — with investing all her energy in her work and career tended to be helpful, too.

Indeed, research suggests that brooding, in the form of simply journaling about your emotions surrounding the breakup, can make you feel worse— unless you're specifically writing about finding a silver lining in the experience.

Sometimes just trying to make yourself feel better after a breakup works

All that said, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that, if you think a specific technique will help you feel better after a rough breakup, it probably will.

In that particular study, participants who used nasal spray and were told it would reduce their emotional pain indeed showed changes in their brain and reported feeling better. (In reality, the spray was a simple saline solution.)

Kutcher also used the solo time in the mountains to reflect on other relationships besides his marriage to Moore. He told Shepard that he wrote letters to every single person he'd been in a relationship with "where I felt like there was some grudge, some regret, some anything."

On the last day of the trip, he typed up the letters and sent them all. "It was like an AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] exercise," Kutcher said.

Listen to the full episode on Armchair Expert »

SEE ALSO: 5 common mistakes people make after a rough breakup

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A relationship expert reveals the best ways to get over someone

• South Korea is well-known in the beauty industry for its natural and hydrating skincare products, like sheet masks and essences, according to the "Today" show.
• While at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, many Americans have discovered for themselves how great Korean beauty products are.
• Lots of them are stocking up before they have to head home.

Americans at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang can't seem to get enough of Korean skincare products.

The South Korean beauty industry has been growing rapidly for years, according to the BBC. In 2015, the country exported more than $2.64 billion worth of beauty products. Korean skincare is all about having hydrated and glowing skin, according to beauty expert Charlotte Cho, who was featured in a recent segment about the craze on the "Today" show. 

On the website for Soko Glam, the Korean beauty marketplace that Cho cofounded, she writes: "Koreans have a skin-first philosophy — they believe that skin care should be enjoyable and that it's an investment in their overall well-being."

The trend has now reportedly caught on with visitors — both athletes and the people there to cover the events — at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The weather conditions there are cold and dry, so it makes sense that visitors would want to take full advantage of the area's skincare shops.

Here are some of the popular products that people likely have their eye on:

SEE ALSO: Meghan Markle's and Kate Middleton's fashion choices can lead to huge spikes in sales — here are some of the brands they love

Skin Food Hydro Fitting Snail Mask

Korean skincare emphasises hydrated skin. The $13 Skin Food Hydro Fitting Snail Mask is made with snail mucin, which replenishes moisture and is great to help with dry skin.

Atoclassic Real Tonic Lifting Treatment Mask

Another sheet mask used to nourish skin is the Atoclassic Real Tonic Lifting Treatment Mask, which is made with antioxidant-rich ingredients and claims to help skin look younger after each use.

Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

Beauty expert Charlotte Cho recommended this product on "Today," saying that no Korean skincare routine is complete without using a hydrating essence. 

• A treasure estimated to be worth $2 million may be hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
• Millionaire Forrest Fenn said he hid a chest filled with gold and valuables somewhere in the mountains in 2010.
• He's since provided a number of clues to the treasure's location in a poem.
• At least four people have died searching for the treasure.

The ongoing search for hidden riches in the Rockies has reportedly claimed another life.

Montana station KULR TV reported 53-year-old Jeff Murphy fell to his death while hunting for Forrest Fenn's hidden treasure in Yellowstone over the summer.

Fenn, a millionaire, art dealer, and former fighter pilot, said he hid an assortment of gold and valuables in a bronze chest somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in 2010. The treasure has been estimated to be worth about $2 million.

Fenn said he's given nine clues to the treasure's location, in the form of a poem advising the reader to "begin it where warm waters halt." He's also published two books, "The Thrill of the Chase" and "Too Far to Walk," which include a map featuring New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

Thousands have trekked into the wilderness of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana to seek it out.

Murphy was one such searcher. The husband and father of two was described in his obituary as a world traveler, hiker, and photographer. His wife reported him missing on June 8, 2017. His body was found the next day. Murphy apparently lost his footing while hiking up Turkey Pen Peak and fell 500 feet. His death was ruled an accident.

But Murphy's death isn't the only one that's been linked to the quest for treasure.

Grandfather and Colorado resident Randy Bilyeu vanished in January 2016, while scouring the wilderness of northern New Mexico for Fenn's treasure. His skeletal remains were found along the Rio Grande in July 2016. The Denver Post reported that his cause of death couldn't be determined.

Colorado pastor Paris Wallace's family told authorities he journeyed to New Mexico in order to seek out the secret cache, The Denver Post reported. According to the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, the 52-year-old's body was found not far from his car on June 18, 2017.

Eric Ashby moved to Colorado in April 2016 to find the treasure, according to NBC. He was rafting along the Arkansas River with a group on June 28, 2017 when the vessel overturned. Ashby never resurfaced, and the three people with him did not call the authorities. They were summoned by a third party witness. The Canon City Daily Record reported that the 31-year-old's body was found July 28, 2017, and identified through DNA.

In response to the deaths, authorities have called on Fenn to put a halt to the search. He has declined to, but urged searchers to take safety precautions. He's also noted that people shouldn't look anywhere that an 80-year-old man couldn't feasibly hide a heavy bronze chest.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that Murphy's wife Erica said she didn't blame Fenn for her husband's death, and that he "wouldn't have wanted to hinder anyone" from searching for the hidden treasure.

SEE ALSO: There's a fortune hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and this millionaire is the only one who knows where it is

DON'T MISS: A millionaire who hid a fortune in the Rockies explains how he views money and happiness after 86 years

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Divers just discovered rare Roman treasure that’s been hiding for the last 1,600 years

• Actress Katherine Heigl credits a program called BBG with helping her get back into shape after having a baby.
• The program, designed by personal trainer Kayla Itsines, is based around a science-backed workout regimen called high-intensity interval training, or HIIT.
• I tried one such program recently and was blown away by its effectiveness.

Do you have seven minutes? You could spend them getting into shape.

It may sound like hype, but working your body fast and hard for just a few minutes — interspersed with short periods of rest — is an effective means of toning your muscles and improving your heart health.

This type of exercise goes by a handful of names, including high-intensity interval training, HIIT, and tabata, but the gist is the same. The science-backed program boils down the strength and heart benefits of a sweaty bike ride or a trip to the gym into a concentrated aerobic workout that you can do at home.

This interval approach has recently spawned a handful of apps and routines, one of which is personal trainer Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guide, or BBG. Actress Katherine Heigl credits the regimen— which can be followed via Itsines' app, Sweat With Kayla — with helping her reincorporate exercise into her life after giving birth in December 2016.

"I won't lie, the workouts are real a-- kickers," Heigl wrote in an Instagram post this week, "but the progress I've made in only five short weeks has kept me motivated and inspired to keep going."

Interval training will make you sweat

When I heard about interval training, I was hesitant to believe that the health benefits of a two-hour bike ride could be condensed into a few minutes of squats and lunges. But I decided to give the Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout— designed by exercise physiologist Chris Jordan — a try after speaking with him in 2016.

"High-intensity interval training can provide similar or greater benefits in less time than traditional longer, moderate-intensity workouts," Jordan, the director of exercise physiology at the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, told Business Insider.

Jordan's workout is available in a free app and gives users 72 exercises to follow, like jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups. Ten require nothing but your body, and for the others you just need a chair that can support your weight. The latest version of the app lets you do each exercise along with Jordan.

Kayla Itsines' workouts are based on the same idea. She also runs a blog and corresponding app— people can sign up for her 12-week program, which includes three 28-minute workouts per week, plus health and nutrition advice, for $20 a month.

Itsines breaks each fitness routine into a region or muscle group — sometimes she focuses on arms and abs, other times she targets legs. Like any interval-training plan, it involves a variety of moves such as planks, push-ups, jumping jacks, and squats. During these short bursts, you push yourself at your maximum capacity.

Then, after each sweaty interval, you rest to catch your breath before quickly moving on to the next exercise. At the end of the workout (which could be as short as seven minutes or as long as 28), your whole body should feel it.

If you're not into gyms or fitness classes, interval training might be a good fit for you

Some studies suggest that interval training may be as good or better than regular endurance exercise for building muscle and protecting the heart.

For one thing, the program may be easier to embrace since it involves no equipment or pricey gym fees, and even people who aren't used to working out can give it a shot. A 2011 study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise looked at the effect of interval training on previously sedentary adults. They found that the regimen significantly improved the participants' muscle health, suggesting it was a practical fitness intervention for people who don't typically exercise.

Interval training's combination of cardio and strength training also appears to provide a handful of benefits for the body that are on par with those you'd get from a traditional workout. A review of studies published in the International Journal of Cardiology in 2013 looked at nearly 500 people with chronic heart failure, and found that interval training was linked with better results than plain old endurance exercise when comes to a key measure of heart health.

Whichever workout you decide to try, the most important thing is that you enjoy it enough to stick with it. While Itsines' program lasts 12 weeks, that's likely meant only as a jumping-off point. To get lasting benefits for your brain and body, experts recommend maintaining a regular fitness regimen for life.

"To achieve results, consistency is key," Jordan said.

SEE ALSO: How often you need to exercise to see results, according to the scientist behind the viral 7-minute workout

DON'T MISS: I tried the science-backed 7-minute routine that was one of 2017's hottest workouts, and it actually works

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Snoring was ruining my relationship — here’s how a sleep doctor fixed my sleep apnea

• A Target store in San Francisco has started keeping tents behind locked cases.
• San Francisco has a dire homelessness crisis, with an estimated 7,499 people living without permanent shelter in 2017.
• A Target spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that tents are a "high-theft item" at this store location.

San Francisco has a serious homelessness crisis.

It's gotten so bad that a Target store downtown has started keeping camping tents behind locked cases to prevent people from stealing them, according to a company spokesperson.

The company did not say if the policy is meant to deter homeless people in particular.

Earlier this week, Jane Natoli, a financial crimes analyst at payments startup Stripe, stopped into the Target Metreon store in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood and was surprised to find tents in locked cases that are typically used for safeguarding alcohol and medicine in stores.

She posted a photo in a tweet that has since gone viral.

"Target in San Francisco has to lock up its tents. Just sit with that thought for a minute," Natoli said.

In San Francisco, an estimated 7,499 people were homeless in 2017, according to a point-in-time count. The city has long run out of shelter beds to keep them. Tent cities are forming in alarming numbers, spreading from parks and underpasses to tourist-magnet neighborhoods.

The Target Metreon store is located in a neighborhood that's close to the Civic Center and the Tenderloin —  where needles, garbage, and feces are found in concentrations comparable to some of the world's poorest slums, according to a report from NBC Bay Area.

People on Twitter quickly came to the conclusion that the tents at Target were being locked up because homeless people might be stealing them as a last resort for shelter.

A spokesperson from Target's headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, told Business Insider in an email, "Due to a large number of thefts, we took additional steps to protect the merchandise at our Target Metreon store, including putting high-theft items in locked cases."

The representative did not say how many tents have been stolen from the Target Metreon store, but the move is not standard practice across Target locations.

In December, the San Francisco SPCA, an animal welfare group, put a security robot to work outside its facilities in order to prevent homeless people from setting up camps along the sidewalks. The group said the number of camps dwindled and there were fewer car break-ins.

But the move drew sharp criticism from people who said the SF SPCA showed a shocking lack of compassion for its homeless neighbors. The group quickly pulled the robot from the streets.

People responded to the tweet about the Target store with more disappointment in the city's response to the homelessness crisis than anger at the company.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco's housing market is so dire, people need to make over $300,000 a year to afford the typical home

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside the exclusive multimillion-dollar San Francisco street that a couple bought for $90,000

Business Insider is looking breaking news editorial intern to join our news team in NYC. This intern will be primarily working with our weekend editor, so the schedule for this 40 hour a week internship is Thursday through Monday.

This intern will help the news and politics teams with research and social media promotion, and will have ample opportunities to both write and syndicate news stories. 

We need someone who is enthusiastic about social media, curious about politics and tech, and broadly interested in general business and world news. There will be a mixture of original writing and reporting, as well as setting up wires and posts from contributors. 

We're looking for the following:

• Excellent writing skills.
• Someone who is psyched to work with text, photos, video, graphics, and audio — often all in the same story.
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• Someone with good time-management skills who thrives in the fast-paced environment of a newsroom.

As an intern at Business Insider, there's no getting coffee, filing, or making copies. Our interns are an integral part of our team. Many of our current writers and editors started as interns.

BI interns spend their time doing meaningful work: researching, writing, producing, and promoting features and stories — even breaking news if the timing's right.

APPLY HERE with your resume, a cover letter, and links to several clips. 

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NOW WATCH: 7 smart questions to ask at the end of every job interview

• Billionaire Bill Gates sat down with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for the first time this week.
• Gates is the second-richest person in the world, with a net worth over $91 billion.
• Gates said since becoming a billionaire his two biggest purchases have been a Porsche and a private plane.

Bill Gates sat down with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for the first time this week.

Gates is the founder of Microsoft and cofounder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is the world's second-richest person with an estimated fortune of $91.8 billion, according to Bloomberg's index.

Gates officially became a billionaire when he was 31 — the youngest billionaire in history, at the time. But the boost to his bank account didn't send him on a spending spree, Gates said during his interview with DeGeneres.

"I don't have that many things that are extravagant taste, so it didn't change too much," Gates said, adding that his primary concern at the time was being able to pay his employees, many of whom had families to care for.

"So you didn't say 'Oh I'm going to buy a Porsche?'" DeGeneres pressed.

"I did — that I did," Gates said. "That was an indulgence, and then eventually for my travel I got a plane, which is a huge indulgence, so those are my two."

"So you have a Porsche and a plane and that's it?" she asked.

"In terms of crazy things, yes," he said. Gates has previously referred to his private jet as a "guilty pleasure" and "big splurge." It has been widely reported that he owns a Bombardier BD-700 Global Express with seating for up to 19 people — and a $40 million price tag.

Gates also told DeGeneres he has a trampoline room in his home, a $125 million mansion in Medina, Washington, which is less than one mile from fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.

"We have a trampoline room in our house. The kids like that. An indoor trampoline — I recommend it," he said.

It may not come as a surprise that Gates isn't one for opulence. He and his wife Melinda are incredibly focused on philanthropy, having donated more than $2 billion in 2016 to causes related to global health and development and US education. 

Watch Bill Gates on Ellen below:

SEE ALSO: Melinda Gates says she and Bill share one quality — and it holds an important lesson about successful relationships

DON'T MISS: Inside the daily routine of billionaire Bill Gates, who loves cheeseburgers, tours missile silos, and washes the dishes every night

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Bill Gates makes and spends his billions

• Once reserved for bodybuilders, performance-enhancing supplements are gaining traction among "normal" people.
• Branch Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs, are fiercely popular in the fitness industry.
• A personal trainer told Business Insider you're better off spending your time and money on improving your diet with whole and unprocessed foods.

As hardcore workouts like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and bootcamp classes have gained cult followings, sports performance supplements have become more popular among ordinary people, creating a booming multi-million pound industry.

Most people are familiar with protein shakes, but another fiercely popular so-called performance enhancer is Branch Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs as they are known.

Whereas protein shakes are often consumed post-workout, BCAAs mixed with water are most often sipped before and during a workout.

Here's what the drink typically looks like:

BCAAs are a group of three essential amino acids — Isoleucine, Leucine, and Valine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are nine essential amino acids in total — essential meaning they cannot be made by the body and need to be sourced from food.

As the "strong not skinny" movement continues to gain traction, gym bunnies are increasingly looking to supplements to help them sculpt the lean and muscular physiques they see on Instagram.

However, the photo sharing platorm also happens to be where many fitness influencers are earning money from sponsorship deals with nutritional supplement brands.

So is it all a marketing ploy?

We asked personal trainer and former competitive sprinter Max Lowery — who previously told us he would never touch a protein shake— for his verdict on BCAAs.

"Branch Chain Amino Acids have gained attention because they allegedly increase muscle protein synthesis," Lowery told Business Insider. "MPS is the rebuilding of muscle tissue, which occurs as a result of stresses on the body, such as injury or exercise.

"A BCAA powder can contain Isoleucine, Leucine and/or Valine," he said. However, he added that the powders also frequently contain artificial sweeteners, flavourings, and colourings, and that they're often highly synthetic in appearance.

Lowery said that while there are many fitness influencers promoting BCAAs all over social media, when he experimented with them while sprinting, he saw no effect on performance or recovery.

According to Lowery, the idea that BCAA supplements alone produce an anabolic or muscle-building response driven by MPS — from which, he points out, a multi-million pound industry has grown — is untrue. And he said there are studies to prove it.

"Current research suggests that you need complete forms of protein — that include BCAAs — in order to create muscle growth and repair," he said, adding: "In other words – eat real food!"

By this he said he means filling your diet with whole, unprocessed foods, and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. 

However, BCAAs are still popular with other high profile trainers, particularly for use while training on a fasted stomach.

Sandy Macaskill, the founder of Barry's Bootcamp London, told Business Insider if he's training fasted in the morning he'll always drink some BCAAs mixed with water before and during his workout.

But Lowery argues that taking BCAAs before a workout means you're not technically training fasted.

"A lot of people think that you can use them during fasted training because they don’t take you out of the fasted state. This is untrue. BCAAs create an insulin response which, by definition, takes you out of the fasted state."

Overall, Lowery said that in his opinion BCAAs are probably a waste of time.

"Rather than spend the time, effort, and money buying and consuming components of nutrients isolated into a highly profitable and marketable product thinking it’s going to be the difference in their body composition or performance, people should focus on improving their diet and training regime," he said.

"That's going to make the difference, not some magic powder."

SEE ALSO: The personal trainer who only eats 2 meals a day reveals why he's never touched a protein shake in his life

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what might happen if North Korea launched a nuclear weapon

• With dozens of flights a day operated by several major airlines, the New York-London route is a high-traffic, competitive route.
• American Airlines and British Airways, which operate a transatlantic joint venture, offer the most flights a day and are considered one of the most prolific operators of the route.
• I flew in American Airlines' economy-class cabin from New York to London this month to see what it was like.

American Airlines and British Airways, partners in a transatlantic joint venture, offer about 15 flights between New York and London on an average weekday — more than any of their competitors on the route.

Though United, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Norwegian Air Shuttle, a low-cost carrier, offer numerous daily flights, the partners are among the most prolific carriers on the route.

When you search flights on one of the airlines' websites, results from both airlines appear, virtually indistinguishable from one another. That's how, after booking steeply discounted tickets through a British Airways flash sale, I found myself with a round trip between New York and London featuring both airlines.

My outbound flight on American Airlines was originally a red-eye, but I had to change to one departing at 10:20 a.m.

I usually fly between New York and the UK once a year or so, but I hadn't flown a long-haul American Airlines flight in economy class for a very long time. (I did have a red-eye in business class on a frequent-flyer award ticket last year.)

I also hadn't flown this route during the day before, usually opting for the red-eye — and the fitful sleep that comes with it in coach, making this a fairly new flying experience for me.

Here's what the flight was like and what I'd recommend to any traveler.

SEE ALSO: The world's best airline has an amazing new business class — here's what it's like

After dropping off our checked luggage and making a quick trip through security — thanks to TSA PreCheck being valid on international flights with participating carriers — we headed to the American Airlines' lounge. Even if you're flying coach, you can access Admirals Club lounges by holding frequent-flyer elite status or being a cardholder or authorized user on some American Airlines credit cards.

We went to the gate a few minutes before the scheduled boarding time. Our plane was there ...

... but hardly any other passengers.

• Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates failed miserably at guessing the price of common grocery items in a quiz game on "Ellen" Wednesday.
• He thought a $20 container of Tide Pods cost $4 and gave a wildly exorbitant guess at the cost of a bag of Totino's Pizza Rolls.
• He nailed the price of dental floss.

It may come as no surprise that Bill Gates, the second richest person in the world, has no clue what groceries cost. 

The billionaire Microsoft cofounder appeared on "Ellen" Wednesday and had a tough time guessing the prices of common consumer items in a quiz game.

"We're going to test your knowledge of some everyday items that you get at the supermarket," Ellen DeGeneres said to Gates. "When was the last time that you've been at a supermarket?"

"A long time ago," Gates replied. 

In the game, Gates guessed that $1 Rice-a-Roni cost $5. He thought a large container of Tide Pods cost $4, but it costs $19.97. He also gave a wildly exorbitant guess at the cost of a bag of Totino's Pizza Rolls ($22).

"This is my best chance, at this one," Gates said, as the game turned to guessing the price of a dental floss container.

After professing that he "absolutely" flosses, Gates nailed the price of floss at $4. 

Watch the segment:

SEE ALSO: Bill and Melinda Gates say it’s unfair they are so rich

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• A large study published this week suggested that neither a low-fat diet nor a low-carb diet is superior for weight loss; both plans work.
• Neither diet was strict when it came to fat or carbohydrates.
• More important, participants in both the low-carb group and the low-fat group were instructed to eat lots of vegetables and protein while limiting their intake of added sugar and refined carbs.

A robust study published this week pitted two popular diets against each other and came away with a surprising finding: Neither a low-fat diet nor a low-carb diet is superior for weight loss.

People assigned randomly to either plan lost weight at about the same pace and kept it off for roughly the same amount of time.

At first glance, that finding seems to fly in the face of recent scientific wisdom on diet and health, which has begun to recommend welcoming fatty foods like butter and eggs back into our diets and curbing our intake of sugar and carbohydrates such as rice and bread.

But not so fast. In reality, the study did not compare a truly low-carb diet against a low-fat one. The people in the low-carb group were actually eating a relatively high number of carbs. They were nowhere near the next-to-nothing carb counts that people on regimens like the keto diet achieve.

More important, all the participants in the yearlong study — regardless of which group they were in — were put on a healthy eating plan that diverges dramatically from what most Americans eat.

All the participants were told to ramp up their intake of vegetables and slash their consumption of added sugars and refined grains — two nuggets of nutritional wisdom that the vast majority of Americans have yet to incorporate into their daily lives.

People on both diets lost the same amount of weight, but neither was truly 'low-fat' or 'low-carb'

The recent study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers randomly assigned 609 nondiabetic overweight adults age 18 to 50 to the low-fat or low-carb diet.

At the end of the study, people in both groups were found to have lost about the same amount of weight: 13 pounds, on average.

But precise rules regulating the quantities off carbs or fat the participants ate were put in place for only the first two weeks of the study, making it hard to measure actual quantities of carbs or fat consumed.

Plus, the participants were given other guidance on what to eat that could have played a large role in the outcomes the researchers observed.

Avoiding refined carbs and sugar may be key for overall health

All the participants were given two additional instructions on how to eat. First, they were told to "maximize vegetable intake" by eating lots more foods like bell peppers, kale, and collard greens, all of which have been linked to positive outcomes like weight loss and a reduced risk of disease.

Second, they were instructed to curb their intake of added sugars and refined flours, ingredients that studies have increasingly tied to a variety of negative health outcomes, including weight gain and diabetes. These ingredients make up the vast majority of carbs in American diets. Beyond obvious carb-heavy items like bagels and rice, sugar and carbs lurk in an array of seemingly healthy foods like salad dressings, yogurt, sauces, and supposedly "light" ice creams.

A growing body of evidence suggests that eating fewer refined carbs and more vegetables is helpful not just for losing weight and keeping it off but also for reducing your risk of several major diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.

"Added sugars and refined grains are consistently singled out by health professionals from across all sectors, and by proponents of every diet type I can think of as being the lowest quality contributors to the human diet, and the first place to go when eliminating calories from daily intake," Christopher Gardner, a professor of Medicine at Stanford University and the lead author on the latest paper, told Business Insider.

Participants in both studies ended up eating roughly the same amount of protein each day. That's unsurprising, given that protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, avocados, and beans fill us up and keep us full, making us less likely to over-indulge on such items.

The bigger takeaway from the study, then, seems to be that any eating program that curbs your intake of refined carbs and added sugars while prioritizing vegetables, proteins, and whole grains can help you lose weight.

SEE ALSO: A little-known technology that Fitbit and Apple are exploring could be the answer to healthy eating and peak performance

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NOW WATCH: 5 'healthy' breakfast foods that have more sugar than a glazed donut

• Certain US cities are the worst places to live when you retire, according to a recent ranking. 
• Choosing the best place to retire in the US means weighing affordability, quality of life, activities, and health care.
• More than 20 of the 50 worst cities for retirement are in California.

Your golden years may be better spent in some places than others.

That's according to a report from WalletHub, which ranked the 150 largest US cities for their suitability for retirement.

Unlike working years, retirement is often filled with trips to the doctor's office and leisure time. In the twilight of life, reliable health care and low-cost happiness are important benchmarks when determining where to live.

Taking that into account, Wallethub scored each city on its list based on affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care. The four categories were weighted equally, and each city was given a total score and then ranked, with the lowest overall score designating the worst city. Wallethub used data for the city only, not the surrounding metro area.

Having a high score in one or two categories isn't enough to stay off the list of worst places to live in retirement. Instead, having a balanced approach between the four measurements is important.

San Jose, for example, ranks in the top 10 for quality of life and the top 15 for health care, but still manages to be one of the 50 worst cities for retirement because of its relative lack of activities and affordability. California cities account for 22 of the 50 worst places to retire, likely due to the high cost of living in the Golden State. 

Keep reading to see the worst places to retire in the US, according to Wallethub. We've included the total score for each city, out of a possible 100, as well as its individual ranking for each of the four categories. 

SEE ALSO: All 50 states ranked for retirement from worst to best

SEE ALSO: The 10 best places to retire in America

50. Buffalo, New York

Total score: 45.26

Affordability: 85

Activities: 61

Quality of life: 84

Health care: 123

49. Arlington, Texas

Total score: 45.16

Affordability: 46

Activities: 118

Quality of life: 68

Health care: 82

48. Glendale, California

Total score: 45.10

Affordability: 135

Activities: 99

Quality of life: 4

Health care: 37

• Deciem, the skincare brand behind The Ordinary, came into the spotlight after its founder took over the company's Instagram page and posted a series of erratic comments and photos. 
• Negative Glassdoor reviews detail a problematic work environment at the company. 
• On Thursday, Racked reported that the company's co-CEO, who had been with the company almost since its inception, was asked to leave. Deciem's spokesperson would not confirm to Racked whether this was true. 

The company behind the internet's favorite beauty brand is in turmoil.

The Ordinary is a skincare brand that's known for its affordable prices and high quality and is beloved by beauty editors, Instagram influencers, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian West.

Brandon Truaxe, founder of The Ordinary's parent company, Deciem, came into the spotlight this month when he took over the company's Instagram page and began posting a series of erratic updates. Deciem also owns Noid, Hylamide, and The Chemistry Brand, and is partly owned by Estée Lauder, which bought a stake in the company in June 2017.

On Instagram, Truaxe attacked the Drunken Elephant beauty brand for its prices, claiming "you'd have to be drunk" to fork out as much as the brand was charging for its products. He later posted an unusual apology on Instagram, saying he would donate $25,000 to an elephant charity that the brand supported.

Truaxe was then accused of making racist remarks to one shopper, though these accusations were later dismissed as "confusion" by a company spokesperson. Truaxe also posted a disturbing image of garbage and a dead animal, under which he vowed to end the use of plastic packaging at the company. 

In the wake of Truaxe's posts, several people began sharing links to the company's negative Glassdoor reviews on platforms like Reddit.

"He spent his day discriminating people of color, female employees and anyone he basically decides he does not like. He screams and belittle's [sic] employees on a daily basis," one employee wrote on Glassdoor in March 2017.

This month, several former employees confirmed to Racked that they had heard management, including Truaxe, yelling at employees in the past. These allegations were denied by Truaxe's co-CEO, Nicola Kilner, who had been with the company almost since its inception before reportedly leaving the company on Thursday. 

"The thing is, he's so passionate. He yells when he's happy. He's never ever yelled at me, ever," she told Racked in an article published February 9. 

Kilner reportedly departed the company on Thursday, and CFO Stephen Kaplan is rumored to be resigning, according to Racked.

"I'm too heartbroken to talk about it at the moment," Kilner said.

Deciem and Kilner did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Deciem representatives would not confirm to Racked whether Kilner had been let go. 

But, in response to Racked's request for comment, Truaxe said: "I have terminated employment of several people at Deciem who do not subscribe to my peaceful values. I have also cc'd Estée Lauder's management on here. I hope you're well and smiling."

SEE ALSO: People think the founder of a popular skincare brand suggested that a black woman should lighten her skin — here's the full story

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• MoviePass is a $10-per-month subscription service for going to the movie theater. It comes with plenty of positives, but it also raises some dilemmas.
• One of those is how to navigate a relationship when your significant other doesn't use the service.
• There's even a comment thread on Reddit dedicated to "MoviePass dating tips."

MoviePass, the $10-a-month movie theater subscription service, has emerged as a cost-saving mechanism for millions of moviegoers — but it has some drawbacks.

Users have complained about delayed cards and subpar customer service, and that their accounts have been suspended without warning. But even when everything goes smoothly technically, there's one social issue I've faced that you may have experienced as well: Dating someone who doesn't have MoviePass.

For $10 a month, MoviePass allows you to see up to one movie per day in theaters. You simply check into the movie on the app, within 100 yards of the theater, and use the MoviePass MasterCard to purchase the ticket. The company pays the movie theater full price for the ticket.

For film buffs like me, it's a no-brainer, and even for casual moviegoers it can save money, which has helped the company snag over two million subscribers.

But here's a problem: My significant other doesn't use MoviePass.

It raises a bevy of moral dilemmas: Is it appropriate to use it right in front of her? Should I be discreet, even if we agreed to pay for ourselves? Granted, these may be bigger questions for newer couples, but if you have MoviePass and have entered the theater with someone who doesn't, I'm sure you've thought about it.

Many of these questions stem from the simple fact that when you have MoviePass, there is no marginal cost to seeing one more movie. In one sense, you aren't paying for a movie, and your date is. That could even come up when you are suggesting that you go to the movies for the date. Are you choosing a movie night because it's "free" for you? Should you pay for half their ticket?

In my case, I go to the movies a lot, and many of those times it's alone. My girlfriend doesn't live with me or even in the same city, and it's just super convenient to go to the movies whenever I want. That means I don't see a lot of movies with her.

But for the ones I do, MoviePass has actually provided an unexpected benefit. With MoviePass, I feel even more comfortable seeing movies a second time in theaters. In fact, I saw Oscar frontrunner "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" a second time with my girlfriend. I don't even like the movie all that much, but that's okay because with MoviePass, I saw it for "free."

As to her paying full price for her ticket, most of the time when we go together, I'm not "inviting" her; she wants to see the movie as well, and we've been in a relationship long enough where we can pay for ourselves.

But not everyone's boyfriend or girlfriend loves the high ticket prices in theaters. My colleague Carrie Wittmer shared a different experience with me.

"I've been trying to get my boyfriend to get MoviePass, too," she told me. "He doesn't go as often as me, and complains about how expensive it is. But even if he saw one movie a month, he would probably save over ten bucks. He hasn't gotten it yet, but complains about how expensive tickets are every time we go. I tell him to get MoviePass, he doesn't, and the cycle continues."

There's even a Reddit thread named "Dating with moviepass tips," in which Redditors suggest ways to make a date at the theater go smoothly if your date does not have MoviePass. Some of the responses are ... not exactly productive.

"No time for dates," one commenter wrote. "Only have time for movies."

But one commenter posed a somewhat compelling argument: "Make them pay for themselves, but tell them they could have saved a lot of money if only they had Moviepass. Then get them to sign up using your referral link."

Problem solved.

SEE ALSO: Everything you ever wanted to know about MoviePass, the $10-a-month service that lets you see one movie per day in theaters

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• Mike and Karen Pence have been married for 32 years.

• They met in 1983, and ultimately became evangelical Christians together.

• They exercise and pray together — and the vice president forgoes eating alone with women other than his wife.

There's a quiet but powerful force at work in the White House.

Her name is Karen Pence.

The Second Lady's influence often goes unnoticed amidst the noisy exits and vicious power struggles that characterize the Trump White House.

But she is in fact the closest adviser to her husband, US Vice President Mike Pence — President Donald Trump's second-in-command.

At the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference, Karen Pence even took to the stage to introduce her husband, revealing that he enjoys winding down on Friday nights with a "supreme thin crust" pizza and a bottle of O'Doul's alcohol-free beer, the Washington Examiner reported. She also told the crowd that her husband is a talented cartoonist and an avid reader.

Karen Pence has even been a focus in some recent controversies, like the couple's expensive decision to walk out of a NFL game over flag protests. The Washington Post reports she has often asserted that she never attempts to sway policy. However, her 32 year marriage to the former Indiana governor has been a major influence on him throughout his political career. Karen — who Mike Pence refers to as "Mother," according to the Rolling Stone's extensive profile— is a major player behind the scenes.

Here's a look inside the marriage of Mike and Karen Pence:

SEE ALSO: A look inside the daily life of US Vice President Mike Pence, who loves popcorn, bikes miles at a time, and has a cat called Pickle

Before she met Mike, the future Second Lady was married to her high school sweetheart, Dr. John Steven Whitaker. The Washington Post reported Karen's first marriage ended in divorce, partly due to the couple's youth and Whitaker's intense medical school schedule.

Source: The Washington Post

Mike and Karen first met in 1983, in the parking lot outside of Indianapolis' St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Karen played the guitar there during Mass, according to the Republic.

Source: The Republic, Indianapolis Monthly

At the time, Karen was teaching shop at a local school, while Mike was studying law at Indiana University, along with one of Karen's sisters. According to the IndyStar, after their first meet-up at church, Mike begged the school's registrar for Karen's sister's number.

Source: IndyStar

• Ashley Madison is a popular website for married people seeking extramarital affairs.
• An Ashley Madison survey found many people said they cheat to fulfill emotional needs, and not just sexual ones.
• Some people surveyed said an affair makes them feel more alive, something relationship experts have also observed.

Ashley Madison — a popular website for married people seeking affairs — recently released data on why people cheat.

Of the more than 2,000 Ashley Madison members surveyed, 76% said they like having affairs to meet their sexual needs. And 61% said they're on the site looking for sex. Shocker, I know.

The more surprising finding here is that 37% of respondents said they liked having affairs to meet their emotional needs, and 44% said they were on the site looking for affection.

To be sure, it's hard to generalize these findings to the overall population. For one thing, more men than women have Ashley Madison accounts. And these are presumably people who are actively looking for affairs — not people who casually fall into them.

That said, these statistics do challenge the notion that affairs are all about sex — especially for men. And they jibe with some earlier research, such as a small 2012 study published in the International Journal of Sexual Health.

That particular study found that a lack of emotional satisfaction in your primary relationship and wanting emotional connection or validation from someone else were key reasons why people entered into affairs.

Interestingly, that study also found that men and women responded similarly to questions about their experiences with infidelity (though significantly more women than men participated in the study.)

Another common reason why Ashley Madison members said they liked having affairs? More than half said it made them feel more alive. That reminded me of observations from Esther Perel, a couples therapist and the author of "The State of Affairs."

When Perel visited Business Insider in October, she said affairs are often a "crisis of identity," and have little or nothing to do with the primary relationship.

Alluding to that feeling of "aliveness" that may come from an affair, Perel said many people are "longing to reconnect with lost parts of themselves, longing to transcend a sense of deadness that they are feeling inside, longing to experience a sense of autonomy over their life."

Bottom line: Infidelity is complicated, and even the person who cheats may not be able to identify one simple reason why they're straying. Though sometimes it may be just about sex, often an affair fulfills other, less obvious personal needs.

SEE ALSO: The surprising reason why people in perfectly happy relationships end up cheating

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NOW WATCH: Here’s how people in happy relationships can wind up cheating

• Michael Dell was reportedly the buyer behind the most expensive home ever purchased in New York City — a penthouse that sold for over $100 million.
• The technology billionaire bought the Manhattan apartment in 2014, but the buyer's identity was unknown at the time.
• The glamorous penthouse represents New York's luxury real estate market as well as Dell's great fortune.

Michael Dell — founder and CEO of Dell Technologies — owns the most expensive apartment ever sold in New York City, and it was a well-kept secret until now.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the tech billionaire was the buyer of the $100.5 million penthouse in One57, according to two people with knowledge of the 2014 sale. Dell's purchase in the 1,004-foot-tall tower is the first — and so far, only — New York apartment to surpass $100 million.

The 73-floor super-tall skyscraper in midtown Manhattan was crowned the most expensive building in New York City in 2015, according to a report by CityRealty. Dell's penthouse near Central Park has 10,923 square feet and includes six bedrooms and six bathrooms.

The glitzy One57 is proof of New York's soaring luxury real-estate market. The building's average price per square foot for 2015 was $6,010, while 2014's most expensive, 15 Central Park West, came in at only $5,726. Dell paid close to $9,000 per square foot for the penthouse.

One57's average price increased 18.5% in the year after Dell made his purchase, while 15 CPW's average decreased 10%.

Forbes puts Michael Dell's current net worth at $23.2 billion. Rumors have been swirling recently that Dell may take his massive company, Dell Technologies, public.

Dell grew up in Texas, where he raised his four children in a 33,000 square foot home known as The Castle. Last year, Dell purchased another penthouse in a Boston luxury building where apartments were selling for $40 million.

At One57, Dell and the other residents have access to the amenities in the Park Hyatt hotel, which takes up the first 39 floors of the building. But if they don't want to mix with hotel guests, One57 owners can also use their own 20,000-square-foot amenities floor, complete with a pool, gym, library, and theater.

Megan Willett wrote an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: The fabulous life of Alexa Dell, the 24-year-old billionaire heiress who grew up in 'The Castle,' dated Tinder's CEO, and got engaged with a million-dollar ring

DON'T MISS: Michael Dell is raising $100 million to rebuild Houston, donating up to $36 million himself

One57 was designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc to look like a cascading waterfall. It rises 1,004 feet and 90 stories above 57th Street.

Of the units sold, only some of the buyers are known. They include billionaires Michael Dell, Lawrence S. Stroll, and Silas K. F. Chou, as well as the head of BDO Unicon Group, Andrey Dubinsky.

The Park Hyatt hotel occupies the first 39 floors of the building, and the 95 condos of One57 fill the rest of the space.

Nowhere in San Francisco is wealth disparity more prevalent than the Tenderloin.

In one of the grittiest downtown neighborhoods, homeless people sleep outside the offices of Uber, Microsoft, Twitter, Square, and other high-powered tech companies. Needles, garbage, and feces are found in concentrations comparable to some of the world's poorest slums. Drug dealers conduct business on the same blocks where tech workers buy venture-backed coffee.

It's clear that not everyone has benefitted from the economic gains of the tech boom.

In 2015, a formerly homeless man launched Code Tenderloin, a non-profit that provides job readiness training and basic coding skills to the city's homeless, formerly incarcerated, and disenfranchised populations — with the goal of putting them to work in the tech industry.

About half of the 300 people that Code Tenderloin has accepted into the program reported finding employment after graduation. An elite few have landed six-figure salaries as software engineers and customer service technicians at companies including Microsoft and LinkedIn.

I recently shadowed a cohort of Code Tenderloin participants. Here's what I learned.

SEE ALSO: A formerly homeless man gave us a tour of the gritty San Francisco neighborhood that's been overrun by tech companies

Every morning, tech workers carrying laptop bags, slugging meal-replacement shakes, and riding electric scooters glide down the streets of San Francisco's Tenderoin neighborhood.

For some, the way to work passes through an enclave for the city's chronically homeless.

The tech industry has added some 10,000 jobs to the Tenderloin and the surrounding area over the last decade. But those jobs typically don't go to people who live on the streets.