• Disney cast members tend to develop favorites when it comes to park rides.
• Business Insider reached out to 12 former cast members and asked them to pick out a favorite park attraction.
• Some went with old classics like the Haunted Mansion, while others praised brand-new offerings like Avatar Flight of Passage.

Disney cast members aren't impartial when it comes to park attractions.

Most of them have a favorite ride or area of either Disney park in the US: Walt Disney World or Disneyland.

Business Insider recently reached out to 12 former cast members who worked at Walt Disney World or Disneyland and asked them to share their favorite park attractions.

Some went with old classics like "It's a Small World After All" and "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," while others highlighted popular coasters like "Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain."

Here's what the cast members had to say about their favorite park attractions:

SEE ALSO: Many Disney employees say they bring their own lunch to work — but there are 7 park treats they just can't resist

DON'T MISS: 15 insider facts about working at Walt Disney World only cast members know

SEE ALSO: Disneyland is home to a squad of feral cats who have free rein in the park — and you can adopt one if you work there

'It's a Small World After All' is a park icon featuring 'cute' dolls

A former Walt Disney World cast member who worked on rides like "Peter Pan's Flight," "Space Mountain," and "The Carousel of Progress" told Business Insider that their favorite ride was "It's a Small World After All."

"I love the dancing dolls," the ex-cast member said. "I love the way all those dolls dance."

The former Disney employee also got to work on "It's a Small World After All" at certain points, and got a glimpse behind-the-scenes at the attraction.

"We could see how it all worked," the former cast member said.

They added that the large elephant seen during the ride conceals an employees-only staircase, and that the ride also featured a closet filled with waders, just in case employees had to get in the water for whatever reason.

The 'Matterhorn Bobsleds' are a snow-capped 'historic' peak

A former Disneyland cast member who worked at the park for six years singled out the "Matterhorn Bobsleds" for praise.

When asked why, the cast member told Business Insider that they were impressed by the attraction's "history."

According to animated film scholar Michael Barrier's blog, Walt Disney himself was inspired to construct the Matterhorn while visiting Switzerland to shoot the 1959 live-action film "Third Man on the Mountain."

'The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror' is 'beautifully done'

A former cast member who worked at the Walt Disney Company for nearly eight years, including a stint at Hollywood Studios, told Business Insider that their favorite ride is "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror."

"The theme is beautifully done, from the moment you get in line," the ex-cast member said.

Chantelle Judd, a former cast member who worked in Frontierland, agreed.

"I'm a big fan of thrill rides, so I would have to say 'Tower of Terror' would be my favorite," Judd told Business Insider. "I like the thrill of it all."

• LeBron James and his wife Savannah met in high school and have been together ever since.
• They became engaged at a star-studded New Year's Eve bash in 2011, and tied the knot in 2013.
• The couple has three children, and James is the one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

In 2013, LeBron James married his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson. Their lavish wedding included a performance of "Crazy in Love" from Beyonce and Jay-Z, according to Deadspin. The three days of festivities also featured plenty of celebrity cameos, from family friend and fellow NBA star Dwayne Wade to singer Neyo, wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

The couple started off as high school sweethearts, who grabbed dinner at Outback Steakhouse on their first date and stuck together through James' meteoric rise through the NBA.

Today, they have three children and two sprawling mansions: a $21 million mansion in Los Angeles, and a $9.2 million one in Akron, Ohio. The three-time NBA champion is worth $275 million as of 2016 and is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, according to Forbes.

Here's a look inside their 16-year-relationship:

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk has finally spoken out about his personal life — here's his complicated history of marriages, divorces, and dating

DON'T MISS: LEBRON JAMES: How the king of the NBA spends his millions

James and Savannah both grew up in Akron, Ohio and attended rival high schools. He was a sports prodigy, excelling at basketball and football. She was a cheerleader and softball player.

Source: Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Sports Illustrated

They met at a football game. She told Harper's Bazaar she wasn't aware of his athletic prowess when she accepted his invitation to a basketball game: "I had no idea who he was."

Source: Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Sports Illustrated

Later, Savannah joked to Vogue, "He met me! I didn't meet him!"

Source: Vogue

The past impacts our present every day, whether it's in how we approach certain situations, or how we emotionally react to what people say. 

In romantic relationships, people can sometimes repeat behaviours to make up for the falls of their previous ones. In psychology this is called repetition compulsion, and it essentially means you're trying to fix the past by pursuing similar situations or people who once hurt you. 

There are several signs that you haven't let go of the past, and these can manifest in how you behave with your current partner. Often, these patterns can start incredibly early with the relationships you had with your parents growing up. 

"Our childhood experiences with our parents and our teachers and our friends really do have a pretty big impact on how we operate both personally and professionally in early adulthood," Jennifer B. Rhodes, a psychologist, dating coach, and founder of Rapport Relationships, told Business Insider.

"There's a pretty big population of people who enter early adulthood who have insecurity around creating and managing relationships. So I think what happens is when you're not fully aware of the patterns you experienced at a younger age, you actually reenact those as an adult — and sometimes it doesn't look pretty in your personal or your professional life."

We spoke to several relationship experts to find out how to tell if you're still hanging on to your past, and how this affects your current relationship.

Here are the 11 signs they came up with:

SEE ALSO: Experts say codependent relationships are damaging — here are 8 warning signs you're in one

1. You always attract the same type of people.

According to Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist and author of "The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People," if one of your parents was a narcissist, or an alcoholic, you may find you keep being attracted to these types of people until you can work through what hurt you in that initial relationship and begin to heal.

"Empaths do this a lot, because they're such fixers and they want to get in there and heal things," she told Business Insider. "And they think if they fix the person, somehow that's going to heal their original relationship. But it never works.

"So it's important that people are aware, if they've had alcoholic parents and they keep attracting alcoholic boyfriends, that there may be a connection there, and that it's important to look into whatever wounds you had growing up with an alcoholic parent so you don't keep creating that in your life."

2. You have 'tainted joys.'

Perpetua Neo, a doctor of psychology and founder of Detox Your Heart, told Business Insider a bad relationship can give you "tainted pleasures." These are things or experiences that were once important to you, or that you used to enjoy, but because they are connected to your previous partner you can't stand them anymore.

"Or you feel guilty for enjoying it, or revisiting the same thing re-traumatises you," she said. "Re-trauma can be something normal, but having it persist for a long time is not normal. There's a big distinction. There's always this period of healing where you get this dip and after that you get a rise. But if you feel like you're always going to be in this dip forever, then that's not healthy."

Tainted pleasures can be something as simple as a musician or a place. It could even be an item of clothing.

"I can't wear this dress, not because he bought it for me, but because he said something nice about it or I wore it to something," Neo said. "So sometimes there's this guilt that you're betraying your ex-partner, and sometimes you just feel like it's been tainted."

3. You have hangups around physical intimacy.

Sometimes the signs might not be apparent until you're in the bedroom. Neo said people can have sexual hangups around their previous relationships for various reasons.

"For instance, when people feel they cannot be sexually intimate because of their ex-partner," she said. "We're not just talking about general sex, but also certain positions, or certain ways in which a person touches them, or how they see themselves sensually… Really importantly, a big sign is if you say to yourself 'I'm not going to think about it.' But if it still owns you emotionally, in the middle of the night, or if you're triggered or stressed, then it still affects you."

• It's easy to spend more on your wedding than you'd planned.
• It's important to know your financial limits and to stick to them.
• Financial planner Adele Martin has tips to help you stick to a budget.

Planning a wedding is a tricky task, and it's easy to end up spending more than you'd originally planned to.

Whether it's a low-key ceremony and reception with family and friends or large and lavish affair, it's important to know your financial limits and to stick to them — but as I've found out, that's harder than it seems.

Here's what certified financial planner and money mentor at Firefly Wealth, Adele Martin, had to advise on how to get creative to stop blowing out the wedding budget:

Create a realistic budget

Martin says in order to do this, first think about the future, post-celebration.

"Are you willing to delay starting your family for another year in order to have a full-blown traditional wedding with all the trimmings?" Martin says.

"Or would you prefer not to completely drain your savings, so your post-wedding life isn't spent worrying about how you'll afford your next trip, house or child?"

Plan the must-haves

"When planning your nuptials, it's important to list what you and your partner consider must-haves," Martin says.

There are many elements to a wedding to consider, including reception venue, ceremony venue, celebrant, flowers, food and beverage — the list goes on.

The key is to figure out which is most important to you, and how the spend will spread over the other elements.

Here are some things you may want to consider:

Choose a venue wisely

"Consider venues that can host both the ceremony and reception in one place," Martin says.

Also consider a destination wedding. The overall cost per person may actually work out less than a wedding at home, depending on where you go.

One thing to be wary of with destination weddings is that it may be difficult to alter options within the packages they offer without the cost blowing out, so check carefully if the package offers everything you want.

As for decoration and decor, the venue may be able to supply them, or you could be crafty and make some yourself.

Ask someone strong to carry the flowers from the ceremony to the reception. There's no need to buy completely new flowers for each.

Consider ways to cut down on food and beverage prices

"If you both don't particularly love alcohol, you may choose to stick to serving only beer and premium wine over top-shelf wines, spirits and cocktails," says Martin.

Likewise, if you're not a foodie, and would prefer to mingle with guests, a cocktail reception is a much cheaper option than a traditional sit-down 3-course dinner.

Jump on the latest food truck trend, and save money by providing your guests with one type of food.

Also consider whether you really need to provide wedding favours.

Are you, or someone you know a great baker who could whip up a wedding cake instead?

Wedding cake alternatives like cupcakes or donuts are a cheaper way of providing dessert, especially if you don't mention to the supplier that it's for a wedding.

Find the perfect dress on sale

"Think about buying a second-hand wedding dress, or look for sales," Martin says.

If you have a lot of bridesmaids, you could get in touch with the store for a discount if you're buying the same type of dress.

You can even rent wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses, which would also save on dry-cleaning costs.

Think about alternative entertainment

A live band, string quartet or DJ is a nice option, but can get expensive.

Think about plugging in an iPod with a killer Spotify playlist.

You can even ask guests to add their favourite songs to a specially-created wedding playlist ahead of time.

Get your guests to post photos on social media

Everyone with a smartphone can be an amateur photographer, so if you prefer to live in the moment, you might be able to create a hashtag and encourage guests to post to social media with it.

You could also pass around a Polaroid camera to take candid happy snaps. A photobooth is also another money-saving option.

Go with e-invites instead of paper invitations

It's easier and cheaper to invite guests via Facebook, email or by asking them face-to-face, rather than printing out expensive save-the-date cards and wedding invitations.

If there are guests who aren't on social media, print invites for them only.

Consider the cheaper off-season time of year

If the time of the year you get married isn't really that important to you, "consider having an off-season or mid-week wedding," says Martin.

Many venues put on winter specials.

Skip the stag and hen parties

Ask yourself if you really need to throw an engagement party, bridal shower, a hen party, and a stag party. It could be enough just to throw one party that covers all of these, or forego some that aren't important to you.

A modern option could be a combined hen and stag party.

Honeymoon where you have your wedding

A destination wedding could combine a honeymoon with the wedding.

Make sure you tell your accommodation that it's a honeymoon, as they usually provide an upgrade or send complimentary treats.

Be upfront with suppliers

"When gathering quotes for your expenses, don't be afraid to be upfront with the supplier," Martin says.

"For instance, if you're trialling bakers for your wedding cake, let them know exactly how much you're willing to spend and what you'd like for the price.

"Be open to compromise, but don't let vendors talk you into blowing your budget. You can do this with various vendors until you receive an offer you're happy with."

Get help from the family

"If your parents are able to help fund your wedding, lucky you! Find out how much they're willing to contribute in the early days of planning, so you can figure out how much you need to save to make up the difference," Martin says.

Have a safety net

Finally, have a contingency plan if something goes wrong and you need to spend a little more than what you first planned.

"Having anywhere from $1,000-$5,000 in your contingency will allow you to cover last-minute or hidden costs without blowing out your budget," Martin says.

SEE ALSO: 15 things I wish I'd known before I started planning my wedding

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: THE KRISTIN LEMKAU INTERVIEW: JPMorgan Chase's CMO explains how she deals with disruption on two fronts at once, why she's moving some ad dollars back to TV, and why it matters what your credit card feels like

So, Prince Harry is officially off the market — but don't despair. There are still plenty of eligible young princes out there to steal your hearts.

One such bachelor is Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece and Denmark or 'Tino' to his friends. Alexios is 19-years-old and currently enrolled in Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

Since the Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973, Alexios' role is titular only. He does, however, know how to live like a royal.

On Instagram, he's garnered almost 100,000 followers who keep up with his lavish lifestyle — featuring luxury holidays, impressive artwork and hunting exploits.

Despite being born in New York, Alexios was raised in England when his family relocated and attended Wellington College in Berkshire.

Scroll down for a look into the life of one of the world's most eligible bachelors.

SEE ALSO: The incredible life of Jordan's Instagram-famous Queen, an ex-Apple employee, human rights activist, and global style icon

Meet 19-year-old Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece, born in New York City, 29 October 1998.

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Alexios' family are close to the British royals. Here the newborn prince is with his godfather Prince William.

16-year-old Prince William attended the christening of his new godson at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia in London in 1999.

Prince Alexios' grandfather, King Constantine, is a close friend and second cousin of Prince Charles — he is also Prince William's godfather.

Despite being born in New York, Alexios was raised in England and attended Wellington College in Berkshire. Here he is graduating with his friends...

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• A new study suggests people find others who reciprocate their romantic interest more sexually attractive. 
• This sounds obvious, but it goes against the age-old idea that you should "play it cool."
• In reality, there is no evidence to suggest playing hard to get is a superior dating method.
• In fact, you could end up attracting people who are totally inappropriate for you.
• Also, it simply makes you look like you're not interested, and you might lose someone you really like as a result.

When you first start dating someone, at least one of your friends will tell you to "play it cool." It's a piece of advice that's almost as old as dating itself, and it's based on the idea that if you act like you're not really eager for the relationship, you suddenly become irresistible.

According to a new study, published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, you can try your best with that method, but it probably won't work.

The team, led by IDC Herzliya psychology professor Gurit Birnbaum, conducted a series of six studies — some experiments and some looking at diary entries — to see whether uncertainty about a partner's romantic intentions affected how sexually attractive they were perceived to be.

In the first study, 51 women and 50 men, aged 19 to 31 and all single, were told they were chatting to another participant online who was in another room. Then they were told their photo would be shown to the other person and they could see a photo of who they were talking to in return. In reality, the other person in the chat was one of the researchers, and every participant was shown the same photo of someone of the opposite sex.

At the end of the chat, participants could send one final message. Some were told their chat partner was waiting for them, while others were told they weren't. The idea was to create certainty or uncertainty about the online partner's interest. Then, participants rated their partner's sexual desirability and how much they wanted to talk to them again.

Those who knew the partner was eager to hear from them perceived them as more sexually attractive than those who were uncertain. The rest of the studies showed a similar pattern — that sexual desire seems to thrive on reduced uncertainty. And this was true for men and women in committed relationships too.

So where did the idea come from that playing hard to get is a turn on? According to the study authors, it could all come down to self-preservation.

"People may protect themselves from the possibility of a painful rejection by distancing themselves from potentially rejecting partners," said Harry Reis, a professor of psychology and Dean's Professor in Arts, Sciences & Engineering at Rochester, and co-author of the study.

Birnbaum added that the findings suggest sexual desire may "serve as a gut-feeling indicator of mate suitability that motivates people to pursue romantic relationships with a reliable and valuable partner," and "inhibiting desire may serve as a mechanism aimed at protecting the self from investing in a relationship in which the future is uncertain."

In other words, we all fear rejection and playing it cool makes us appear less vulnerable. But in reality, by pretending you're not interested, that's exactly how you come across — literally not interested.

So if playing it cool is your dating method of choice, good luck with that. It might work if you're attracting a player or someone with an avoidant attachment style. But if you're looking for long-term happiness with someone who's right for you, it seems honesty really might be the best policy.

SEE ALSO: Playing hard to get might be a terrible idea if you actually like someone — here's why

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why so many fast food logos are red

Prince Philip turned 97 on Sunday — and it's been over a year since he announced his official retirement from public service.

According to The Telegraph, the Duke of Edinburgh has carried out 22,219 solo engagements and 637 solo visits overseas since he left active military service in 1952. 

In retirement, the Duke is reportedly enjoying more leisure time at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk — he is an avid carriage driver and enjoys oil painting.

His Royal Highness' career will be remembered equally for his sharp wit as he will be for his gaffes, which have often left the nation laughing or reeling. 

The Prince's prolonged service has won him support from both sides of Parliament — Jeremy Corbyn applauded his "clear sense of public duty" and Theresa May praised his "steadfast support" to the Queen. 

Philip's lengthy career, marked by hundreds of visits to far-flung corners of the British Empire, has unsurprisingly produced some remarkable royal photography.

As he turns 97, here are the best images from each of his years as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh:

SEE ALSO: The 23 best candid photos from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding

1947: Prince Philip began his journey as a British Royal when he married into the country's royal family after a five-month engagement to his distant cousin, Elizabeth. He was 26.

1948: The couple had their first child, Prince Charles, in 1948. In this picture, he sleeps in the arms of his mother, then Princess Elizabeth, after his Christening at Buckingham Palace.

1949: Philip spent many of his younger years in the Royal Navy meaning family time was precious. He spent much of 1949 stationed in Malta as the first lieutenant of the destroyer HMS Checkers, the lead ship of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean Fleet.

• New York is the most influential city in the world today, according to a new report from global business-consulting firm AT Kearney.
• That might change. AT Kearney predicted that San Francisco, has the most potential to become the most important city of the future.
• San Francisco is inching ahead in importance thanks to its hub of innovation and entrepreneurship.

New Yorkers have a reputation for thinking their city is at the center of the world.

They might be right — but not for long.

AT Kearney, a global business-consulting firm, has released this year's Global Cities Report, and gave New York City the top spot on the Global Cities Index ranking. The firm ranks 135 cities based on current global standing and influence on the world.

But the report includes a second ranking, called the Global Cities Outlook, which measures how a city's potential for importance in the future stacks up against other cities. In this ranking, San Francisco overtook New York to claim the number one spot for most influential city of the future. 

The rankings suggest that while New York is the most influential city of today, San Francisco has the most potential relative to other cities to become the most important city of the future.

San Francisco is the best city in the world for innovation

Despite its out-of-control housing prices and cost of living, San Francisco continues to attract the best companies, the top talent, and the most investment dollars. There are reasons for it.

According to AT Kearney, San Francisco is the world's premiere hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. The Bay Area is home to a number of high-growth companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google, Uber, and Salesforce, and the region filed more patents per person (34,324 international patents between 2011 and 2015, with Google accounting for 6.5% of all applications) than any other city ranked by AT Kearney.

Venture capital is the lifeblood of business in San Francisco. Between 35% and 40% of all venture funding in the US flows into the Bay Area every year, according to a 2012 study by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and Booz & Company. As a result, entrepreneurs build companies there, bringing highly-educated professionals to the area in droves.

But this concentration of wealth and power has worsened an already-dire housing market, and not everyone can afford to stay. A shortage of housing coupled with high demand, especially from tech workers who can afford to bid up home prices, has made it impossible for some to buy a home in the Bay Area on a middle-class paycheck.

The median price of a home in San Francisco is $1.5 million, and a person needs an annual income of at least $303,000 to afford the 20% down payment on a home that expensive.

New York slips to No. 2 in the future

Nicole Dessibourg-Freer, an analyst at AT Kearney, tells Business Insider that it's unfair to say New York is "faring worse" for the future. New York sits second on the Global Cities Outlook ranking and remains "very much a leader" in finance, media, fashion, and food, she said.

Instead, Dessibourg-Freer explains that New York has less potential relative to other cities like San Francisco to become the world's dominant city in the coming years.

According to AT Kearney, New York has some weaknesses. The Global Cities Outlook ranking looks at four main criteria: innovation, economics, personal wellbeing, and governance. New York typically underperforms in the personal wellbeing category, which measures factors relating to safety, healthcare, inequality, and the environment, Dessibourg-Freer said.

A 2017 study by personal finance website WalletHub declared San Francisco the greenest city in America, based on 21 indicators including greenhouse gas emissions per capita, number of smart-energy policies and initiatives, percent of commuters who drive, and amount of green space. New York placed sixteenth on the ranking.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco is still the best city in the world for innovation — here are the 6 cities that threaten to usurp its position of power

DON'T MISS: 6 reasons why you should start your company in New York instead of Silicon Valley

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why west-bound flights always take significantly longer

• We all start to lose bone and muscle mass sometime after age 30, but strength training can delay and even reverse that process for decades.
• Strength training is not necessarily about getting bulky — it's about developing the functional strength that helps you do day-to-day activities.
• Here are an exercise scientist's recommendations for getting started and developing a routine.

On a fundamental level, getting stronger can transform your life.

Exercise in general is the closest thing to a miracle drug that exists. Most of us are familiar with various forms of cardio exercise, like going for a run, and the benefits that can be gained from those efforts. But other forms of exercise like strength training can be more intimidating.

Ignoring strength training is a mistake, according to Shawn Arent, director of the Center for Health and Human Performance at Rutgers University and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Strength training is also known as weight lifting or resistance training, and it offers a host of benefits that you won't get from a cardio workout.

"The reality is when it comes to lifting weights, there is a huge functional component to it," Arent said. At some point after age 30, we begin to lose muscle mass and bone density. Most of us won't notice those changes immediately, but eventually, certain daily activities can get more difficult. Things like walking up stairs, getting out of a chair, lifting up your kids or grandkids, and even walking with stability — "those are all strength and power," Arent said.

'You're reversing aging'

Strength-training workouts are not just about bulking up. Most people actually can't build huge muscles without extreme effort. 

"That's a heck of a lot harder to do than people think it is," Arent said.

Instead, he suggested that people think of working to get stronger as a really practical endeavor. By building up strength, you can delay and even reverse the loss of bone density and muscle mass that come with getting older.

"You're reversing aging," Arent said.

A recent major review of studies backs up the idea that strength training has life-prolonging effects similar to those people get from cardio exercise. Recent research also shows that lifting weights can help fight depression and has benefits for mental health, just like cardio and other forms of exercise.

For those and other good reasons, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends every person incorporate strength or resistance training into their routines two to three times a week. 

Getting started with strength

Bodyweight exercises like push-ups and burpees can be an important component of any routine, but eventually, you'll need additional resistance to actually get stronger, according to Arent. That means using weights or some other means of applying resistance, such as a suspension training system like TRX.

It can feel overwhelming to walk into a gym, see piles of weights and rows of machines, and not know where to begin. If you aren't at all comfortable with weights, Arent said hiring a trainer to at least show you some proper techniques and work to develop a personalized program can help you avoid injury. 

"[Hiring a trainer] does help remove some of that intimidation factor," he said. "If you remove some of that unknown from it, people will be amazed by how quickly they can take to weight training."

But it's important to make sure that whoever is coaching you is qualified. In general, people who are certified strength and conditioning specialists, are members of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, or belong to the American College of Sports Medicine tend to be knowledgeable.

"Don't just go to the gym and look for the best looking trainer or the most fit trainer," Arent said.

There are plenty of recommended books and coaches that can be found online as well, and the same certification criteria should apply to those so you can can distinguish the good from the bad. 

Building a routine

Everyone's routine will be slightly different depending on what they want to accomplish and which limitations they have when they start. For that reason, Arent said he doesn't have one go-to routine he'd recommend for anyone.

But in terms of basic guidelines, he said a healthy person could develop a good routine by focusing on basic multi-joint movements that target major muscle groups in the body.

These sorts of exercises include squats, bench presses, shoulder presses, deadlifts, rows, and potentially leg presses, according to Arent.

In general, a person wouldn't do all of these exercises every time they worked out. There are many ways to break up a routine, but Arent said he's a fan of focusing on the upper body one day, then lower body the next, and then repeating that alternation. 

A solid general goal might be to do two to four sets of each strengthening exercise during your workout, with eight to 12 repetitions of each per set (all in good form, of course).

There's something really fulfilling about developing strength through a routine like this, according to Arent.

"Let's say you start off using 10-pound weights and now you're using 20, you know you've doubled the amount you can lift," he said.

But make sure to keep focusing on form while measuring your progress.

"Check your ego at the door. It's not about how much weight you can get up, but about how much you can get up in good form," Arent said.

SEE ALSO: You can still get in shape if only have 20 minutes — here's how to get started

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Doctors have finally found a more accurate way than BMI to determine whether your weight is healthy

• When you think of technology that came from NASA, maybe you think of orange flavored Tang or freeze-dried food or space blankets.
• But how about an endlessly hot shower with a full, high-pressure waterfall?
• Orbital Systems, a startup from former NASA industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoub, has created a shower system that does exactly that, while using 90% less water than a typical shower.

When Mehrdad Mahdjoub was in college, he landed an internship at NASA's Johnson Space Center working in the Mars program. Those in the space industry are deadset on sending humans to colonize Mars, and the notion has taken on an epic, even romanticized aura.

But what people don't realize is that life on Mars, especially for those early colonists, cannot possibly equal the lifestyle humans have on Earth, given the lack of infrastructure. 

"The whole notion about going to space is attractive," Mahdjoub told Business Insider. "But if they tell you'd have to wear a diaper and you could never take a shower again, you would think twice."

Therefore, NASA works with industrial designers like Mahdjoub in a variety of ways to help create human-friendlier environments that take into account the total lack of resources in space, or on Mars. 

They don't take showers on the space station, exactly — astronauts sort of wipe themselves off with a soap-like substance. One problem that engineers were able to solve is how to recycle every drop of water. Americans go all-in, too. Not only do they recycle so-called grey water used on washing up, they even turn their urine into drinkable water.

To do this, the designers for NASA created a special high powered filter. It removes any stray particles, as well as bacteria or other dangerous things, and returns just potable water.

When Mahdjoub left NASA and moved back to his home country in Sweden, his time at NASA inspired him to create his own version of that filter, and build it into a shower for earthlings. His design uses far less water than a typical shower, while maintaining its heat and water pressure.

He has since launched a company called Orbital Systems to manufacture the shower and sell it worldwide.

Instead of a stream of water going down the drain, this shower constantly and instantly recirculates a fixed amount of water, typically a mere 5-10 liters, filtering it as it goes. It saves up to 90% of the water of a typical shower, Mahdjoub says, and it tracks such statistics for homeowners with an app.

The shower, which is more than a shower head but is a whole kit-and-caboodle shower, currently costs $2,500 and is usually installed during new construction or a bathroom remodel.

But as Mahdjoub grows the company worldwide, he hopes to bring costs down to $700- $1,000 per unt, he says. and to make it affordable to enough to sell in some of the water-starved developing nations. 

"We get a lot of basic reactions, like 'eww, is the water clean? What if you pee in the water?'" he laughs (to which I pointed out that this is a question that, as an adult woman, never occurred to me to ask). The answer is the same, regardless. "We sterilize water." 

Orbital Systems has won an armload of awards for its design and has been certified by the Space Foundation as being a business built on space technology.

Plus, as a hot startup in Sweden,Mahdjoub attracted the backing of two of the country's most famous tech moguls-turned-investors: First Skype founder Niklas Zennström, who became a seed investor and mentor. Zennström sold Skype twice, first to eBay in 2005 $2.6 billion. He and others bought it back from eBay and sold it again to Microsoft for $8.5 billion, and now runs VC firm Atomico. The other big early investor is Peter Carlsson, a former Tesla exec.

Orbital has raised raised $35 million so far.

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• Early retirement isn't always feasible for some people.
• Instead of an early retirement or end-of-career retirement, they opt for a mini-retirement, a series of meaningful respites away from their job.
• Five people who have taken mini-retirements share why they did it, how they did it, and how they're spending their time.
• Ultimately, they were able to save money by sticking to a budget, living a minimalist lifestyle, and picking up side hustles.

For some people, early retirement just isn't feasible. But neither is the rat race.

That's where a mini-retirement comes in.

Coined by Tim Ferris in his book, "The 4-Hour Workweek," a mini-retirement is a series of meaningful respites throughout your life in which you take a break from your career, rather than taking one final retirement at the end. It's a time to step away from your typical routine and create a blank slate.

Most mini-retirements involve travel — not a holiday, but a relocation for at least one to six months before heading back to home base. But really, a mini-retirement can be whatever you need it to be.

The only challenge can be saving enough money to get there.

Take a cue from these mini-retirees below, who share why they took hiatus from work, how they saved money for it, and how they're spending their time.

SEE ALSO: If you want to retire early, follow these 6 savings life hacks from people who actually did

DON'T MISS: What a dream retirement plan looks like for 12 of the richest CEOs in America

Mark and Amanda Tew spent six years paying off debt, living frugally, and saving $30,000 to live in Nicaragua for a year — and they didn't miss out on anything at home while they were away.

Over the course of six years, Mark Tew of Tew & Fro and his wife Amanda lived fairly frugal lives, worked a few small side hustles, made detailed financial goals, and reviewed their budget frequently. This helped them pay off graduate school debt, build an emergency fund, and save $30,000 for their first mini-retirement, which they spent in Latin America.

"Waiting until I'm 65 when I'm likely less able or healthy enough to do the things I've always wanted to do doesn't make a lot of sense to me," Tew told Business Insider. "Since I'm not retiring early any time soon, a mini-retirement seemed like a great way to spend quality time and have a great new experience as a family."

They did everything from renting a house in Nicaragua, buying a car, and sending the kids to school to traveling around the country, visiting lakes, volcanoes, beaches, and historical sites.

"We wanted to immerse ourselves in a new culture and just live our lives," he said. "We also wanted our kids to learn Spanish."

After a year of living abroad, they returned home to America where they realized they didn't miss out on anything. After acquiring the travel bug and learning how to be a bit more flexible, Mark is considering building a virtual full-time business to give the family flexibility to live wherever they want.

"One thing I knew was that if I didn't just take the plunge and go have this experience with my family, I would regret it for the rest of my life," he said. "Given that I could be hit by a car tomorrow or die of cancer when I'm 42, a mini-retirement is an absolute no brainer. You just have to have a plan and be smart about it."

Dinah Chutz spent seven months hustling hard at work, saving $14,000 to travel around New Zealand and Asia. She feels even more productive than if she were working a full-time corporate job.

"As we grow up, we are always thinking about what's next and we end up rushing through life without stopping to really enjoy it," Dinah Chutz, who is taking a mini-retirement at age 24, told Business Insider.

"My mini-retirement is about slowing down, experiencing the world, getting to know myself and finding what I love while I'm still young," she said.

Chutz moved from San Diego to New Zealand, where she worked overtime at her full-time job, picked up a few freelance gigs, and saved every penny she could for seven months. Once she had $14,000 saved, she felt comfortable enough to buy a small van that doubles as a home, so she could travel without an income for 12 to 18 months. 

"My days are spent discovering hidden beaches, browsing local farmers markets, diving for abalone, making jewelry, playing way too much chess and photographing the sunset," she said. "I plan on taking my retirement back through Asia and onto India towards the end of the year."

Since she's been traveling, Chutz has taken on a remote freelance role with the same company she worked for back in the US and runs a blog, The Mini Retirement. She said there are many opportunities to work while abroad, from hostels looking to exchange work for accommodation to local families in need of nannies, which she did for several weeks.

Once her mini-retirement comes to an end, Chutz plans on returning to San Diego and putting all of her creative energy back into her work. Overall, she said taking the time to relax and clear her mind after rushing through college while working several jobs has been extremely rewarding and even more productive. 

"Taking this time off now has only better situated me for my future," said Chutz, who is already envisioning another mini-retirement. "I had a taste of the corporate lifestyle, enjoyed those challenges and then found a way to pursue another dream of mine before feeling ready to set down roots. I'm not sure when my next mini-retirement will be, but I am itching to see South America."

Jillian Johnsrud is on her fifth mini-retirement, traveling through national parks with her family. She's been able to afford so many in part due to passive income from buying and renovating homes with her husband.

So far, Jillian Johnsrud has five mini-retirements under her belt, ranging from a month to two-and-a-half years away from work. She and her husband, Adam, opted for mini-retirements because they didn't want to miss out on things if they waited until their sixties.

"Mini-retirements are perfect for capturing those experiences that might otherwise pass you by," Johnsrud told Business Insider. "They are also a great solution for people who want to investigate what to do as a second career or scale up a business they have started on the side but need more time and attention to grow into a full income."

She took her first mini-retirement, a month-long $2,000 road trip with her best friend when she was 24, after she and Adam paid off $55,000 in debt and saved their first $100,000.

The couple left their jobs two-and-a-half years ago and are currently traveling for 10 weeks to 10 national parks with their five children.

Previously, they've used mini-retirements to travel or buy and renovate homes, the latter of which has helped them generate a passive income that enables them to take mini-retirements more often. Johnsrud also runs her blog, Montana Money Adventures, for about three hours a day, eight months out of the year.

And after this latest mini-retirement, she plans to do full-time work while the kids are in school, but doubts that she and Adam will go back to a normal 9 to 5 job.

"After this one, the goal is to design a life we would never want to retire from because it's such a great fit for our lifestyle," she said. "Having a few months off a year and a modest work schedule seems about perfect for us in this season of life."

• "Ocean's 8" wins the weekend box office, taking in an estimated $41.5 million.
• That's the best opening ever for the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise.

This weekend Warner Bros./Village Roadshow dusted off the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise — which worked so well for them in the early 2000s with the help of stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon — and set a new high for the movies thanks to an all-female cast.

Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, and Rihanna, "Ocean's 8" took in an estimated $41.5 million to win the weekend domestic box office.

That's a record high for the franchise, passing 2004's $39.1 million opening. That movie went on to earn $362.7 million worldwide. If the studio can take in that kind of coin for "Ocean's 8" it will be very pleased. A lot has changed since 2004, specifically the kinds of movies studios will get behind.

In the current superhero binge by the studios, the majors are ignoring most genres, making the "Ocean's 8" opening a refreshing sight.

The last major opening by an all-female reboot of a franchise was Sony's "Ghostbusters" in 2016. Completely banished by the core fans of the franchise who didn't see a reason for the beloved movies from the 1980s starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis to be given the all-female cast relaunch, the movie only took in $229.1 million worldwide for its lifetime box office. It was a disappointing return for a movie that had a production budget of $144 million.

So what did "Ocean's 8" do right? Well, the movie's extremely modest $70 million budget is one thing. The pressure to be a major hit wasn't on its shoulders like it was for "Ghostbusters." And it wasn't trying to relaunch a franchise that has such a traditionalist fan base.

It will be interesting to see how "Ocean's" performs going forward with titles like "Incredibles 2" and "Jurassic Wold: Fallen Kingdom" coming to theaters in the coming weeks.

SEE ALSO: Inside Bonnaroo: How the music festival doubled down on its roots to rebound from record-low attendance in 2016

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• The 2018 Chevy Colorado ZR2 is a highly capable off-roader, with a robust 4WD system.
• But the Chevy Colorado pickup can still do everyday duty.
• For the price, you're getting a lot of truck for the money.

I've always been a big fan of the Chevy Colorado, the compact (really, mid-sized) pickup truck that Chevy rolled out a few years ago to invigorate the small-pickup segment.

The Chevy Colorado has been a big hit, compelling Ford to revive its own Ranger pickup in the US. So in addition to a pickup-truck war among the big guys — the Ford F-150 full-size, along with the forthcoming all-new Chevy Silverado and the Ram 1500 — we have a skirmish shaping up in the smaller-pickup segment, between Chevy and Ford.

Adding to the fun is the bevy of high-performance variants we now have in the market. We just put the Chevy Silverado Z71 up against the might Ford Raptor, and recently I got to check out the 2018 Chevy Colorado ZR2, the oomphier sibling of the regular truck.

Our $43,475 tester was well-equipped and ready for off-road action, but sadly I spent most of my time driving around suburban New Jersey. That's a shame, as fans of the ZR2 know that it's a capable rock-buster and really made to haul dirt bikes out the desert for dusty thrills.

Anyway, here's what I thought:

SEE ALSO: We drove a $63,000 Ford Raptor and a $58,000 Chevy Silverado Z71 to see which pickup truck we liked better — here's the verdict

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"Cajun Red Tintcoat!" What a great color! I want all my cars to look like this in the future.

Our test truck was $43,475 — the Colorado ZR2 is already a lot pricier then the $20,000 basic Colorado, but out tester came well-optioned out of the box before a few extras added about $700

Our ZR2 came with a crew cab and a "short box" bed. Some folks don't much like short boxes, but I think for the uses that most owners would put the Colorado to, the short box is ideal.

Home Depot runs, gardening, maybe some light brush-clearing and log-hauling duty — none would over stress the short box. I figure you could get two mountain bikes in there. Our tester also came with an installed roof rack for skis.

The Colorado ZR2 kind of blends aggression with sporty sleekness. Personally, I don't think the various fascia elements — grille, badge, headlights — are in good balance.

People are getting more and more fed up with San Francisco's crazy-high housing prices.

The city's always tight housing market has only gotten even more competitive as people migrate across the globe to land jobs in the growing and high-paying tech industry.

A recent survey conducted by public-relations firm Edelman revealed that about half of residents in the Bay Area found the cost of living so insane, they have considered leaving.

And when they do leave, one top place they go is sunny Southern California, or SoCal, where cities like Los Angeles are seeing more Bay Area transplants.

So, how do the two cities compare?

We've rounded up 10 comparisons made by people on forum site Quora who have lived in both cities.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco is losing more residents than any other city in the US, creating a shortage of U-Hauls that puts a rental at $2,000 just to move to Las Vegas

1. San Francisco has less of a "show off" culture.

There's less of an obsession with self image and more freedom for people to be themselves in San Francisco. 

Women in particular feel less pressure to wear tight clothing and lots of makeup to be attractive.

"There’s a saying that 'in LA, the poor pretend to be rich; and in SF, the rich pretend to be poor' and it’s completely spot-on," said Quora user Li Xuo.

2. People in San Francisco seems to be smarter, or at least more intellectual.

Not that people in LA really aren't as smart, said Quora user Irene Avet: The city still attracts top entrepreneurial and business talent.

But the Bay Area's tech presence has grown exponentially, meaning that there's a concentration of people who identify as "geeks" in the area, with all the stereotypes of high IQ associated with that.

And it is true that some of the brightest minds in the tech world live in the Bay Area's Peninsula. 

3. More people in San Francisco are introverted.

Because of that concentration of brilliant-but-geeky-types, Bay Area residents have a reputation for being more introverted than those in LA.

Meanwhile thanks to the higher concentration of people in the performing arts in LA, people there have a reputation for being warmer and friendlier, or at least more outgoing.

"If I had a make a specific comparison, LA and Dallas are quite similar culturally, while San Francisco and Boston are similar in many ways," said Li Xuo.

Some Silicon Valley legacies can back this up: Larry Page, cofounder of Google, and Apple's Steve Wozniak are both introverts.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

San Francisco's crazy housing market just reached a new level.

A 6,350-square-foot home listed at $7.99 million sold for $9.6 million after spending a short nine days on the market. At 20 percent over asking price, it's the city's "highest overbid" so far this year, according to a spokesperson for the real estate firm that sold it.

But the transaction will likely be eclipsed by larger ones in the near future. With the amount of affordable housing increasingly dwindling, home listings selling over the asking price, as well as other anomalies like condemned homes selling for $1 million a pop, is the norm around here now.

This particular listing is for a single-family house at 2219 Scott St., 15 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco's ritzy Pacific Heights neighborhood with the area's inviting Alta Plaza Park just yards away from the front steps.  

Take a look inside.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco's housing market is so out of control that this 385-square-foot studio home is selling for $500,000

The beige three-story Grand Victorian home was built sometime in the late 1800s, before the cataclysmic San Francisco earthquake.

The abode sports five bedrooms and five and a half baths, as well as a wine cellar, two laundry rooms, two family rooms and space to park three cars.

Its ceilings are carved into coffers and large windows throughout the main level afford views of the greenery that surrounds the property.

• The historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set to take place in Singapore on Tuesday.
• Public approval in South Korea toward Trump and Kim is higher than it has ever been, but a majority of Koreans doubt North Korea's intentions, according to a recent poll.
• Business Insider spoke to many South Koreans in Seoul this weekend, who said they are hopeful the summit will help the peace process, but many doubt Trump and Kim's intentions.

As the world gears up for historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Koreans are looking on with a mixture of hope and skepticism.

The summit, due to take place Tuesday at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, could mark a historic turning point for both US-North Korea relations and inter-Korea relations.

While the US will push for comprehensive denuclearization of North Korea, South Korea will hope to build on the Panmunjom Declaration that President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un signed in April, which called for the Koreas to pursue a "permanent and solid peace regime."

Of course, after nearly 70 years of war, it is perhaps unsurprising that South Koreans are cautious. According to a Gallup Korea poll from early June, 49% of South Koreans believe North Korea will work toward peace on the Korean peninsula or denuclearize, a decrease from 58% in early May.

Business Insider spoke to numerous South Koreans at a peace rally on Saturday organized by Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) and on the streets of Seoul near City Hall on Sunday.

The South Koreans we spoke to expressed a mixture of skepticism toward the summit, hopefulness toward the prospect of lasting peace, and wariness of Trump's intentions, who many thought was simply after a "grand event to boost his image."

Here's what they said:

SEE ALSO: North Koreans understand their government lies, but there's one thing they don't know, according to a defector

DON'T MISS: A North Korean defector says Trump understands Kim Jong Un better than South Korea does, but the summit won't solve anything

"People might think Trump’s approach is unorthodox, abnormal, and amateurish, but I think this could all happen because of his approach," said Park Tae-hoon, a 27-year-old political science graduate student from Seoul.

"I think that Trump, Kim, and Moon is the perfect combination — this meeting would not have happened with Hilary Clinton, or Park Geun-hye.

Moon Jae-in acted as a successful facilitator in making this summit happen, while Trump wants to make a deal.

As for Kim Jong Un, he was raised in Switzerland and has experienced Western culture. He wants to make progress with the US, and open up his economy making North Korea a "prosperous nation." I don't think this will be a one-time summit: There will no doubt be more negotiations and summits, but this is a great starting point.

I don't think anything significant will happen after the summit. It's a stepping stone to bridge the gap. They will no doubt try to reach an agreement to denuclearize and provide economic support, but this will take time.

Yes, people might think Trump's approach is unorthodox, abnormal, and amateurish, but I think this could all happen because of his approach. No other politician in the US could have had a summit because no one has ever recognized North Korea as a proper nation. But this could happen because it's Trump.

Ultimately his approach might actually have a positive impact."

—Park Tae-hoon, a 27-year-old political science graduate student from Seoul

"This summit will be an opportunity to liberate ourselves from" the "constant uncertainty" of war, said Lee Tae-ok, a 51-year-old Won Buddhist from Gyeonggi, the province that surrounds Seoul.

"I want peace to come to the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible. Of course the summit is a good thing. We've been in a state of war for 70 years. While there might not be actual fighting, the fact is we are still in a state of constant uncertainty. This summit will be an opportunity to liberate ourselves from this.

Kim Jong Un and Trump are unpredictable, but this is the start of the conversation — the first time they speak. I think something good will happen. I just hope that Trump won't miss this opportunity."

—Lee Tae-ok, a 51-year-old Won Buddhist from Gyeonggi

"No matter what [Trump's] real intentions are, there can still be a positive result," said Park Jin-gyun, Secretary General of the Justice and Peace Committee of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, from Uijeongbu, a city north of Seoul.

"I wish to the see the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the signing of a peace treaty. I hope it goes well, but it’s very difficult to predict what will happen.

It was through the power of the people that we were able to bring political change to this country [with impeachment of Park Geun-hye, South Korea's previous president who is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence for corruption] and I believe if we the people put our efforts into bringing peace, it will happen.

Regarding Trump, it's not a matter of how or what he is doing. No matter what his real intentions are, there can still be a positive result."

—Park Jin-gyun, Secretary General of the Justice and Peace Committee of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu

• Schedule time for friends, family, and coworkers, and you'll feel happier and less busy.
• That's according to time-management expert Laura Vanderkam, author of "Off the Clock."
• Vanderkam advises readers to set "relationship priorities," the same way they'd set goals at work.

There are two ways to go about feeling less busy.

One is to literally remove things from your calendar: meetings, workouts, trips to the grocery store. It's a little impractical, but technically you'd have fewer obligations.

The other way is to start adding things to your calendar. Actually, add just one thing: socializing with friends, family, and coworkers.

In her new book, "Off the Clock," time-management expert Laura Vanderkam explains why this second way is generally the more effective strategy for feeling less busy. As Vanderkam puts it, "people expand time."

She realized this after reviewing her own research on more than 900 people who kept time logs and answered questions about how they felt about their schedules. Results showed that respondents who had made time the day before for the important people in their lives were 15% more likely than average to say they generally had time for the things they wanted to do.

You could argue that having more time on your hands is what leads you to spend more time with other people, but Vanderkam thinks the relationship works the opposite way. A night spent browsing social media probably won't be especially memorable or joyful, but a night spent visiting a friend — or chatting with that friend on the phone — probably will be.

Vanderkam's assertion that spending time with friends lead to a more fulfilling life isn't novel — the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which followed two groups of white men for 75 years, found that good relationships keep us happier and healthier.

Setting 'relationship priorities' is key

To maximize the benefit we get from socializing, Vanderkam encourages readers to set "relationship priorities," the same way they'd set priorities at work. She writes: "Few people would show up at work at 8 a.m. with no idea about what they'd do until 1 p.m., and yet people will come home at 6 p.m. having given no thought to what they'll do until 11 p.m."

In other words, it's all about intentionality. She goes on: "This is how people will claim to have no time for their hobbies, even though they're clearly awake for two hours or more after their kids go to bed."

While Vanderkam advises people to foster friendships new and old, she also tells them to "be choosy" about the people they spend their days with. Over time, she writes, you'll realize who you're friends with because "they truly deepen your spirit" vs. who you were friends with simply because it was convenient.

Interestingly, the Harvard study found that the quality of your relationships — as opposed to quantity — starts to matter more when you hit your 30s.

As for Vanderkam herself? She writes of her relationships with her kids and other people important to her: "I have a more profound sense of time's value, and memories that are both more ridiculous and more poignant than I ever would have had otherwise."

SEE ALSO: A time-management expert has a ridiculously simple strategy to feel less busy

DON'T MISS: A Harvard psychiatrist says 3 things are the secret to real happiness

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NOW WATCH: Tips for meeting new people — even if you're an introvert

• Documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus looks at how The New York Times covered President Trump in his first year in office in "The Fourth Estate."
• The four-part docuseries examines the inner workings of the paper's newsroom and the reporters getting the stories.
• Garbus told Business Insider a big reason for doing the project was to show the importance of journalism in the "fake news" era.

Like many in the country, documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”) was shocked when Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States. But what really fascinated her was how the media would be able to cover one of the most hostile presidents toward the press in modern times.

And when Trump went on a tirade on Twitter in November of 2016 about if he was going enter the building of the “failing” New York Times for an interview, the wheels began turning in Garbus' head.

“I thought, ‘What if I could be a fly on the wall at that meeting,’” she told Business Insider.

In that moment, Garbus had the idea for her next project: a look at how The New York Times, one of the most esteemed news outlets, would cover a president in the era of “fake news.”

In the four-part Showtime documentary series, “The Fourth Estate” (episode one aired Sunday), Garbus is given unprecedented access by the paper to chronicle its coverage of Trump during his first year in office. The filmmaker is there to capture some of the biggest stories about the Trump White House — from Michael Flynn’s resignation as national security adviser to James Comey’s firing as FBI director by Trump. And we are right there when breaking news happens or a reporter gets something extraordinary, like Trump calling the Times’ White House correspondent Maggie Haberman to comment on the collapse of the health care legislation in the Senate.

The docuseries is an interesting look at the reporters and editors who have been on a non-stop Trump news cycle the past year, and gives us a glimpse at how they use sources and gumshoe reporting to get the news out to the world, while still having some semblance of a personal life.

“I walked in there trying to understand the ecosystem, how it goes from a reporter having lunch with somebody to becoming a story that you then go back to the government for comment,” Garbus said. “That whole process was opaque to me and it was something that I learned along with our viewers.” 

How she got in the newsroom

Though Garbus got the "okay" from the heads of The New York Times to make the docuseries, she still had to get the permission of every single reporter and editor she wanted to film. Needless to say, not everyone was instantly receptive. But there were some that Garbus felt were pivotal to have.

“Maggie Haberman, she’s one of their star White House reporters and she’s also a really compelling character,” Garbus said. “She’s a working mom who lives in New York and is traveling down to DC and has incredible sources. She was important.”

Some of the most compelling moments throughout the series are when the camera is following Haberman. Having covered Trump since back in her days reporting at The New York Daily News, she’s in many ways the Trump decoder for the paper. She is the one they turn to in order to better understand the president and his behavior. But then Garbus also shows Haberman's personal life as a mother who is never home and has to continue on the Trump grind — even though she thought Trump would lose the election and promised her family once that happened she would be home more.

And then there’s the Times’ Washington correspondent, Michael S. Schmidt, who at first declined Garbus’ invitation to be in her project. Over time, he had second thoughts.

“You might tell he’s not in episode one, but then you see more of him in the episodes going forward,” Garbus said. “He was someone who was very wary and skeptical but then decided to play ball. I’m so happy he did because he was really one of the reporters that was getting so many scoops and advancing our knowledge of Trump and the investigations this past year.”

And Schmidt’s personal life is very different than Haberman's. He’s single and basically lives and breathes his beat. At one point in an episode, he says half jokingly that he doesn’t even have food in his refrigerator because he’s never there.

Garbus pinballs back and forth from the newsroom in New York City to the Washington, DC bureau — the latter being where a lot of the exciting breaking news takes place in “The Fourth Estate.”

She admitted the entire filming was not a comfortable experience. Often reporters would brush away her camera or run into a conference room if they were speaking to a source, but when news broke things got easier as the newsroom went into action and Garbus and her two crew members (some episodes are also directed by Jenny Carchman) would just react to what they were seeing.

It was when nothing was going on that the filmmakers stuck out like a sore thumb.

“You would be pointing your camera at someone refreshing their Twitter feed and that’s annoying,” Garbus said.

Disdain toward the press isn’t going to stop any time soon

Hanging over all the episodes in the docuseries is how the media is portrayed as a bunch of liars and fabricators by Trump.

Garbus shows this in a few different ways, from reporters interacting with Trump supporters to the eerie score throughout the series which is done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who have done scores for “The Social Network” and “Gone Girl”).

One of the big motivations for Garbus to do the project was to show just how much goes into a story actually making it to print.

“Every time the Times has a scoop related to, say, the FBI, they call the FBI for comment, you give them the opportunity [to comment],” Garbus said. “The sausage making in some way is very unglamorous but that’s what I really wanted to expose and demystify. I think there have been so many attacks on journalism, but the way these reporters make sure someone is on the level with them and the amount that they don’t put into the newspaper that they hear is pretty incredible.”

In one of the most chilling moments of the docuseries, Garbus’ team follows a Times reporter to one of the rallies Trump did after he became president. At one moment, Trump bashes the media in the room and Garbus’ team, inside the press section, shows the crowd around them becoming more and more volatile toward the press. It’s an instance that Garbus believes isn’t going to go away anytime soon.

“You can’t built up the emotions of people and call out the press to people without inciting violence,” Garbus said. “I think there will be more instances like that and that’s really alarming. But these journalists are not afraid.”

And Garbus wants to continue looking at the press and Trump. Though “The Fourth Estate” has been wrapped for a while, she doesn’t rule out some kind of sequel either at the Times or another outlet.

“I think looking at the press right now is important,” she said. “We don’t know where this roller coaster ride we’re on will end, but many of us agree the press is an important partner to have on that ride.”

"The Fourth Estate" airs Sundays on Showtime, or stream the entire docuseries here.

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• SeekingArrangement is a dating website for sugar babies and sugar daddies.
• Sometimes, sugar babies on the site find that they can receive business or career help from their sugar daddies.
• Venture capitalists say this is probably a bad idea, but can be understandable in certain circumstances.

I showed up at the Sugar Baby Summit with only a vague idea of what sugar dating really entailed.

The summit took place in New York City on an unusually warm day in April, and was hosted by SeekingArrangement, a website for those interested in sugar dating.

Generally speaking, I knew that the term "sugar dating" typically refers to a relationship in which a younger woman pairs up with an older man who can help support her financially, while she provides romantic companionship. I also knew, based on a story my colleague Tanza Loudenback had published on sugar daddies who help sugar babies with their college tuition, that the lifestyle wasn't all about multi-thousand-dollar Chanel bags and trips to Tahiti.

But I was surprised, to say the least, during one of the panels at the summit, when I heard a former sugar baby casually mention that one of her sugar daddies had become an angel investor in a business she was starting with a friend. Another sugar baby mentioned that he'd received mentorship and career guidance from his sugar daddies.

It simply hadn't occurred to me that the relationships between sugar daddies and babies could turn into business partnerships — or that sugar babies would be willing to speak publicly about how they'd blurred the lines between the personal and the professional.

I knew I had to learn more.

Sugar dating can mean mentorship — without romance or sex

John Aron, 21 years old, is a dancer, a self-proclaimed social media influencer, and an entrepreneur, splitting his time between South Carolina and California. Through SeekingArrangement, he's met both sugar daddies and sugar mamas who have helped him with his career.

Aron said his relationships with sugar daddies always start with a conversation over coffee, in a public space. When the sugar daddies ask what he needs help with, he tells them he wants to change the world.

Aron said he's not just looking for financial support to help him reach that goal, but can also benefit from the sugar daddy's knowledge, mentorship, and network of contacts. Sometimes that means paying for him to attend a conference for entrepreneurs, or to take dance classes. Some sugar daddies have helped him buy equipment for making YouTube videos.

Some, but not all, of Aron's relationships with sugar daddies have turned romantic, he told me. He characterized his interactions with sugar daddies as like a "step ladder," in that they start with a friendship and a mentorship and evolve into a more intimate connection if the chemistry is there ("Oh my gosh, I'm attracted to you").

And while he has received mentorship from some sugar mamas, Aron said he generally seeks out sugar daddies, since he's primarily attracted to men.

As for sugar daddies, some are open to business relationships from the beginning. 

A 47-year-old sugar daddy named Scott (Scott is his profile name on SeekingArrangement; he didn't want his real name published), told me in an email that he is "specifically attracted to motivated women," such as those who are looking to launch their own business.

Scott is an attorney-turned-tech entrepreneur, and he met his current girlfriend, a woman who manages an e-commerce business, through SeekingArrangement. Since then, he's been "helping her learn the ins and outs of running a business."

Another woman he previously met on SeekingArrangement and dated landed an internship through his help. While they no longer have a romantic relationship, Scott said he continues to mentor her.

Scott said he knows a motivated woman "is going to be able to have a conversation and is going to care about something other than what the Kardashians are up to. I need more than a pretty face in order to hold my interest. I need someone who has substance."

Sometimes romantic relationships can evolve into something more professional

It's not uncommon for sugar babies to have entrepreneurial ambitions that they seek sugar daddies' help with.

Valentina Casamento is currently in a romantic relationship with a man she met on SeekingArrangement, who is helping her fulfill her dream of opening a gym in New Jersey. Casamento, 26, currently works as a wardrobe stylist, but she's always been passionate about fitness.

Casamento's sugar daddy runs his own business, and has encouraged her to pursue her ambitions: "He will totally help me in all the ways that I need, whether it's financially, emotional support, business advice — all of that." To start, Casamento's sugar daddy is paying for her to get her personal-training certification, which costs just over $500.

The romantic aspect of the relationship came first, Casamento told me, followed by the business aspect. "I feel like if it had been the reverse for me, I don't know if it would have worked out," she said.

Sara-Kate (she didn't want her last name published), 29 and a former sugar baby, has been working on building an app for the past several years.

At one point, she went back to one of her former sugar daddies, a man who has experience in the startup world, to show him what she was working on. (They'd previously been in a romantic relationship.) He subsequently became an investor, though she told me he's no longer involved in the business. She still considers him a mentor.

"This kind of took it to the next level," she said. "We were really talking as adults, two adults taking about business. So it was kind of a whole new realm of respect, I felt. And it was cool to feel like I was really being taken seriously."

Receiving business help from a sugar daddy isn't necessarily right or wrong

I talked with several friends and coworkers about this story, and the typical reaction was horror. Few could believe that people would be willing to merge their personal and professional lives by sleeping with an investor, or to meet a career mentor on a dating site.

So I asked two people who have more experience investing in businesses: Laurel Touby, managing director of the venture-capital firm Supernode Ventures, and Brad Svrluga, a cofounder and general partner at the venture-capital firm Primary Venture Partners.

Although Touby isn't involved in the sugar dating world, she shared a nuanced take.

"One side of me wants to say, ‘Go, girl. Use whatever it takes, whatever tools in your toolbox that you have to get capital raised,'" she said. She added that because of certain gender stereotypes, "women have had to create opportunities for themselves in unorthodox ways for centuries."

Touby went on: "Another part of me is thinking, this is really a recipe for disaster. Because as easily as a rich guy can give you money, he can possibly take it away. And are you really going to be able to afford an expensive, fancy lawyer to negotiate the terms?"

Svrluga had never heard of sugar dating at all. But he said he'd be disinclined to invest in a business where a founder and another investor, or two cofounders, had been in a sugar-dating-type relationship.

"It's not automatically a bad thing, and in many ways it can be a great thing if it leads to that much more of a level of trust," Svrluga said of romantic relationships between business partners in general. "But if the relationship goes south ... will that take down the cofounder relationship as well? And if that's the case, then that's obviously a negative."

Svrluga added that, as a venture capitalist, he's in the business of understanding risk — specifically, how much risk he's taking on when he invests in a company. A sugar-dating relationship might be less durable than a traditional romantic relationship, he said. If "one of the underlying assumptions is that this is a critical relationship to the business, that seems like perhaps excessive risk."

If you are a sugar daddy or sugar baby and would like to share your story, please email yourmoney@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: I went to a 'sugar baby summit' and learned 'sugar daddies' give tuition, gifts, investments, or cash — but they say it's about much more than the money

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• Consumer Reports released its annual Top Picks list.
• Ten cars all from different segments of the market were selected based on its performance in road testing, predicted reliability, safety, and owner satisfaction.
• Toyota led the way with four cars on the list while Chevrolet followed with two entries. 
• Ford, Subaru, Audi, and BMW are all represented on the list.

Consumer Reports recently released its annual list of the top cars on sale in the US. The venerable consumer publication picked out 10 cars — all representing different segments of the auto market — for its Top Picks list. 

The segments covered include best compact car, best compact green car, best luxury compact car, best mid-size car, best large car, best compact SUV, best luxury compact SUV, best mid-size SUV, best minivan, and the best full-size pickup truck. 

In order to become a Consumer Reports Top Pick, a vehicle must prove to be outstanding all-around performers — living up to the publication's stringent road testing regime, exhibit stellar predicted reliability, safety, and consumer satisfaction. 

Toyota led the way with four vehicles on the list while GM's Chevrolet had two vehicles in the top 10. Three models, the Chevrolet Impala, Subaru Forester, and Toyota Highlander were holdovers from last year's list. 

The Impala's return appearance can be attributed to its refined ride and premium feel. While the Forester earned praise for its practicality, efficiency, and smart packaging. The Toyota Highlander earned plaudits from the publication for its performance, fuel economy, and reliability.  

The only EV to make the list is the Chevrolet Bolt. The staff at Consumer Reports were impressed by its 250 miles of range and 60 kWh battery pack.

The test cars on the list ranged in price from $20,000 for the compact Toyota Corolla to nearly $54,000 for the BMW X3. 

Here's a closer look at Consumer Reports' Top Picks for 2018:

SEE ALSO: The 12 coolest features inside the Tesla Model 3

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1. Compact car: Toyota Corolla

Price as tested: $20,650

Why it's here: "This practical, fuel-efficient sedan has all the virtues that small-car shoppers seek, backed by its strong reliability track record," the publication said in a statement. Consumer Reports praised the Corolla for its roomy interior, secure handling, superior ride, and solid 32 mpg fuel economy. 

2. Compact green car: Chevrolet Bolt

Price as tested: $38,424

Why it's here: "We put the Bolt through our battery of rigorous tests and drove it thousands of miles, both at our test track and on public roads," Consumer Reports’ director of automotive testing, Jake Fisher said in a statement. "With the ability to go up to 250 miles on a charge, the Bolt is a good option for someone who might never have considered an EV before."

3. Luxury compact car: Audi A4

Price as tested: $48,890

Why it's here: "The A4 shines by being sporty, luxurious, and polished in a competitive category," Consumer Reports wrote. "It’s very satisfying to drive, with nimble, secure handling helped by its minimal body roll and responsive steering."