The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - A Wednesday Endbits Special -- How to Save Your Relationship in One Minute

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

Is your relationship on rocky ground? One of today's endbits offers some HELPFUL suggestions that only take one minute. Wednesdays are usually encore episodes of the Bridge, but occasionally we save up our collected endbits and give you a special show. This is one of those days. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's a Wednesday end bits special. You got it. Lots of end bits today. Coming right up. And hello there. Those of you tune in on Wednesdays know that most Wednesdays you're going to get an encore,

because that's just the way it works. Wednesdays are, well, it's an encore day. But this year, this season started a month ago, six weeks ago, seven weeks ago. We're occasionally on Wednesdays doing an N-Bits special. Remember N-Bits? Those are those little stories that are used as filler on occasion on some of the programs. But we haven't used a lot of them in the last year or so, so what happens to N-Bits? Because they're good little stories.

They're interesting. You know, they're the kind of news you can use stuff. So we're doing the odd Wednesday end bit special. You know, so many Canadians are on a, still on a sugar high from that baseball game a couple nights ago. And they're looking forward to Friday when the World Series starts. And it starts in Toronto. And the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Last year's World Series champs are the National League champions again this year. They're coming into town. And listen, they're a great team. There's no question about that. Led by Shohei Otani. The Japanese baseball phenomenon. You know, that last game he played, he pitched. He pitched six innings.

And 10 strikeouts. But he also hits, and can he hit three home runs in that game? Yeah, it's like unheard of. The guy's a great pitcher and a great hitter. And you know what? He suckered the Blue Jays into thinking he was going to play for them. Remember that whole thing a couple of years ago? So I'm sure there'll be a real nice reaction when Shohay Otani comes to the plate

for the first time in Toronto on Friday 9. Don't poke the bear, though. We know what might happen. Of course, we got our own bears. We got Guerrero. We got the Springerdinger. We got them all. We got lots of great players who seem to be really enjoying playing with each other.

they they got a team spirit that is unlike well it's unlike a lot of things you see in professional sports anyway best of luck to the blue jays and i should tell you about tomorrow's is your final shot at getting your answer into the week's question which is a week after the peace deal in the Middle East. What are your thoughts? I mean, it's having the normal kind of ceasefire problems that are care, but they still hope that they will actually settle down. So what are your thoughts in terms?

Is this the basis of long-term peace in the Middle East? Yes or no? And reason why. 75 words or fewer. Send your answer to the Mansbridge Podcast at gmail.com. Have it in by 6 p.m. Eastern Time today. And remember to include your name and the location you're writing from. Those are all important.

And you have to tick all those boxes. or it doesn't get on. So it's the last call for answers on that question and look forward to seeing yours. Okay, end bits. Here's the first one. And, you know, there's something about this that makes me think back to

those COVID shows we did a few years ago. Doesn't that seem like a lot? lifetime ago in those opening months where we just you know we were scared we were all scared you know we were doing all kinds of things i can remember sitting on the front porch cynthia and i like washing groceries coming from the grocery store before we brought him into the house. Was that crazy?

Might have been crazy, but it summed up the kind of fears that a lot of us had at that time. Banging pots on the front porch to thank the, you know, first responders who were looking out for us, whether it was in hospitals or fire stations or what have you.

remember those days hard to forget I used to implore people write down what you're going through right down because future generations are going to want to know this should know this what happened in those days well this story this end bit I seem to recall having reading something about this

back then so let's try it's a story written for a number of different news organizations by Stephen Wade it's classified as a sports story the headline is this

walking is good for you and we all did that right we were all doing that I was walking around the backyard over and over again walking is good for you walking backward can add to the benefits so here's what uh stephen wade writes here's a simple way to switch up your walking routine according to experts try going backward

taking a brisk walk is an exercise rich in simplicity and it can have impressive mental and physical benefits, stronger bones and muscles, cardiovascular fitness, and stress relief, to name a few. But like any workout, hoofing it for your health may feel repetitive and even boring after a while. Backward walking, also known as retro walking or reverse walking, could add variety and value to an exercise routine when done safely. Turning around not only provides a change of view, but also puts different demands on your body. Janet Dufek, she's a biochemist and faculty member at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

Has researched the mechanics of both walking and landing from jumps to identify ways of preventing injuries and improving physical performance. And as a former college basketball player and a regular exercise, she's also done her fair share of backward walking. In humans, reverse locomotion can increase hamstring flexibility, strengthen underused muscles, and challenges the mind as the body adjust to a new movement and posture. Here's what she says. I see a lot of people in my neighborhood, and they walk, and that's good. But they're still stressing the same elements of their structure,

over and over again. Walking backward introduces an element of cross-training a subtly different activity. Now, you can do this outside, you can do it inside. You can do it on the treadmill. As Kevin Patterson, he's a personal trainer in Nashville, Tennessee, recommends the treadmill as the safest place to retro walk. You can adjust it to

Yeah, you've got to be careful here So this is certainly one element to consider About a treadmill You can adjust it to a slow speed However, Patterson likes to turn off the treadmill Turn the deadmill And have clients propel the belt on their own You know, the strength of your walk

pushes the tread It can take a while to get the treadmill going, but from there we have them be the horsepower for the treadmill, he said. Patterson said he uses backward training with all his clients as an accessory exercise, a weight training term for add-on movements designed to work a specific muscle group or during warm-ups. The activity typically makes up a small part of the workouts. The treadmill is great for older clients because you have the handles on the side, and you reduce that risk of falling. Falling, you know, falling is just these, you know, I don't know whether it's the single most explanation for, you know, injuries and death for older people.

But falling, you know, you hear about it, friends, relatives, neighbors, you hear about falling with older people all the time. Loss of balance. You know, I'm, as I've said before, I'm 77. Those balance issues enter in every once in a while. You feel, you know, you kind of catch yourself. and so for older people this walking backwards trick is something you really you really should do with somebody else

especially if you're doing it you know outside like if you're walking backwards you don't necessarily know where you're going right so you could have the way it can work is have one person walking backwards and the other person you know, following them frontwards. So they've got a clear vision of what's coming up. Anyway, it sounds tricky. I'm no expert on this, but the backward walking idea

is something that, you know, professional athletes, they actually do it naturally, right? Nothing unnatural about backward walking for them. It's a key skill for top of the athletes, as this article says, basketball players do it. So does soccer players, American football players, particularly the defensive backs, do it continually. I played basketball, and I probably spent 40% of my time

playing defense and running backwards. That's what our friend Janice says. so keep that in mind walking backwards good for you and speaking of uh something that relates to back in those covid days remember what during covid we had a couple of stories about how the life expectancy had lowered for the first time in decades as a result of COVID. Well, if you're looking for an update on that, it's pretty straightforward. Global Life Expectancy says this headline in CNN's Health Online section.

Global life expectancy is back to pre-pandemic levels. But included in those numbers is the deaths among teens and young adults are rising a lot of different reasons for that i'll mention them in a minute um but here's a stat that may surprise you you know people like me people my age were born in you know baby boomers in kind of late 40s and 50s well they started keeping these stats you know, in a detailed way, in 1950. And humans these days are living 20 years longer than they were in 1950. That's according to new research with all 204 countries and territories studied

reporting declines in their mortality rates since then. But vast inequities, remain, and there is an emerging crisis of rising death rates among adolescents and young adults. In 2023, after COVID had passed, well, it still hasn't really passed, but you know what I mean. In 2023, life expectancy was 76.3 years for women and 71.5 years for men. according to analysis published recently in the journal The Lancet by the University of Washington School of Medicine's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

and that shows that it's returned to pre-pandemic levels after falling during the height of COVID. So where's this stuff about young people? Because that's scary. it's basically as a result of a number of things that include not necessarily in this order, but include suicide, include drugs, include alcohol. And that's why some people are, you know, concerned about those kind of numbers. Overall, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity are among the 10 risk factors with the greatest effect.

Between 2010 and 2023, there was an 11% greater burden of disease due to high body mass index, measured by years of life loss due to disability or premature death, and a 6% increase due to high blood sugar. Environmental factors such as particulate matter pollution and lead exposures were also among the most significant risk factors, along with those related to newborn health, including low birth weight and short gestation. Additionally, mental health plays a significant role in global mortality, according to the new research with burden from anxiety and depression surging. And here's just what they say about young people. While the global population is growing and aging, death rates among children and young adults have increased in some parts of the world.

Among adolescents and young adults, the largest increase in deaths over the past decade or so was among those ages 20 to 39 in high-income North America, mainly due to suicide, drug overdose, and high quantities of alcohol. deaths among those ages 5 to 19 also increased in eastern Europe high income North America and the Caribbean and among adolescents and young adults in sub-Saharan Africa due to infectious diseases and unintentional injuries

all right you get the picture All right, here's an interesting one. It's interesting because we're spending a lot of time trying to determine how people relate to the United States and how, if at all, different, that is than the way they used to relate to the United States. Well, here's the headline in the Washington Post. The United States falls out of the top ten, list of the world's most powerful passports.

And the story goes on to say the U.S. passport has fallen out of the top 10 most powerful passports globally for the first time in 20 years. The U.S. ranking is on a steep downward trend with the U.S. now in 12th spot tied with Malaysia having already fallen from seventh place last year to 10th place in July a decade ago the US passport topped the index it was number one it's number 12 today if you're wondering Canada is number nine officials say the decline of the strength of the U.S. passport signals of fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind. The London-based firm that monitors this stuff and offers consulting on residents and citizenship by

investment has compiled the rankings for about two decades, relying on data from the International Air Transport Association. Singapore, with visa-free access to 193 of 227 destinations worldwide, currently tops the list followed by South Korea and Japan. So those are the top three. Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. All Asian countries. The U.S. passport downgrade comes, as you know,

as the Trump administration has overseen a drastic crackdown on immigration. Initially focused on illegal migration, but more recently expanding to include reviews of people who travel to the country for tourism, work, or on student visas. A number of countries have recently removed visa-free, travel for U.S. nationals, including Brazil in April, due to the lack of reciprocity for Brazilians

entering the U.S. Other countries such as China and Vietnam have left U.S. travelers out of an expanding list of nationalities. They allow to enter for tourism visa-free. I won't

read through the whole list. I gave you the top three there. After that, there, and once Again, it's based on the destinations that are visa-free from each of these countries. Or for each of these countries. You know, like number four is a collection of different countries, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland.

We're all alone in ninth place with 183 destinations. Remember, Singapore at the top of this is 193. but we're number nine number nine. Remember how in sports that used to be such a hot number Rocket Richard Gordie Howe Bobby Ho Okay enough on that We've got a good one coming up

in our in bits Wednesday special The headline How to improve your relationship in one minute. It's going to take me longer than a minute to read it. But one minute, a one

minute solution to your relationship. You got a rocky relationship? We'll tell you how to improve it in one minute. But first, we're going to take our break. We'll be back right after this. And welcome back. You're listening to the Wednesday NBit special this week. No encore. It's an NBit special. Aren't you lucky?

I hope you're enjoyed. I hope you're picking up some advice. I've got a really big one coming up here. How to Improve Your Relationship in one minute. You're listening to the Wednesday NBit special on the B. Bridge on Sirius Exam, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or on your favorite podcast platform. Okay. Let's get right to it here with the Mark Travers, who's a doctor, writes about social instincts.

He has this. the one-minute ritual that can change your relationship for the better. So let me read some of this. The solutions are a minute, but the article is much longer. I'm just going to read parts of it. When we think of what makes a relationship special, occasional big events might stand out to us. But in reality, what nourishes love,

most consistently are the small repeated rituals that reassure your partner, I see you. You matter to me. With just one minute of focused connection in the entire day, partners can strengthen emotional safety and build resilience against the stresses of daily life. All you have to do is take out 60 seconds each day where you pause and give your partner your full undivided presence. 60 seconds. No multitasking, no phone in hand, no rushing. Make a deliberate choice to turn toward each other

with openness and warmth. Want some ideas on how to do that? Here they are. For instance, you could engage in the following one-minute rituals. Here's one. A minute-long hug after a long day at work. Even a 20-second hug can lower cortisol and increase oxytocin, the bonding hormone. In fact, a 22 study found that women who embraced their partner before a stressful task

showed a reduced cortisol response compared to those who didn't. A full minute of holding one another, allows your nervous system to feel more regulated, offering a measurable buffer against stress. Here's another one. A moment of gratitude before bed, where each of you shares one thing you appreciated that day. It could be anything, big or small. What matters is consistency.

Here's another. A quick morning check-in. Taking out one minute to ask, what's one thing you're carrying today and how can I support you? Signals care and primes you to see each other as allies throughout the day. You want one more? Well, he came to the right place. Here's another one. A silent ritual.

For those who prefer nonverbal connection, this could be holding hands, sitting forehead to forehead, or even taking a quick breathwork break together. Sometimes words aren't necessary to feel each other's presence. So those one-minute rituals don't need to look the same for every couple. Some prefer silence and touch while others prefer words. What matters is the intention with which it's done. even if these moments feel nice but trivial at first this daily practice becomes a tether

it's a way of saying our connection is not accidental it's something we actively protect how can one minute rewire a relationship if you're skeptical it's natural to wonder if 60 seconds can really make a difference. However, psychologically and biologically, the answer is yes. Here's a couple of reasons why. It's a reliable deposit in your emotional bank account. It ensures bids for connection don't get missed. It is sustainable and it's powerful.

And finally, how to make it a lasting habit. Of course, knowing about the ritual and actually living it are two different things. Starting this habit is always enthusiastic until the struggle to keep it consistent settles in. The key is to treat it kind of like brushing your teeth. Nothing too out of the way because it's an ingrained daily habit that acts as basic hygiene for your relationship. Once again, that's from Dr. Mark Travers, as he writes a column called Social Instincts. So there you go. There's the answer to making your relationship even stronger than it already is, right?

I hate these headlines because I know I'm part of the percentage they're talking about. Nearly 70% of American adults is a U.S. study, but I imagine it's somewhat similar in Canada. Nearly 70% of U.S. adults meet the new definition of obesity. That's what this study finds. Let me get a bit of detail on this. The prevalence of obesity in the United States could rise sharply under a definition of obesity released earlier this year by the Lancet, Diabetes and Endocrinology Commission. This story is written by a writer called Mass General Brigham edited by Stephanie Baum and reviewed by Robert Egan

All of this explains upon the traditional use of body mass, BMI, right? You've got your BMI. Do you know your BMI? If you don't, ask your doctor or your trainer to measure your BMI. It measures, you know, body fat distribution, the prevalence of obesity, and it increased from about 40% to about 70% among over 300,000 people included in the study. the rise was even more pronounced among older adults. Yep. I know that. Additionally, the researchers found that those newly added individuals also had a higher risk of adverse health outcomes.

The results are published in a JAMA, J-A-M-A-Network Open study. We already thought we had. had an obesity epidemic, but this is astounding, said co-first author Lindsay Foreman, a doctor, an endocrinologist in the metabolism unit in the endocrinology division of the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine. Okay, so I guess Mass General Brigham wasn't the writer, it's the institute where this study comes from. With potentially 70% of the adult population now consider to have excess fat, we need to better understand what treatment approaches to prioritize.

Traditionally, obesity has been defined by BMI, which estimates body fat based on a person's weight and height. But other anthropometric, boy, they really like the big words in here. I can handle some big words, marmalade. I can always do that. But anthropometric measures, such as waist circumference, waist to height ratio, or waist to hip ratio, may further account for fat distribution and aid in differentiation between muscle and fat mass. We've got to get out of this article. One, it's depressing, and two, it's hard to read.

So there are new guidelines. Of course, doesn't include what they are, but 76 organizations have apparently endorsed the new guidelines. Maybe it's just in measuring. The study analyzed participants in the National Institutes of Health, All of Us, Research, Programs cohort of over 300,000 Americans. Obesity prevalence was 68.6% with the new definition versus 42.9% under the traditional BMI-based definition. This increase was entirely driven by the inclusion of individuals, with here we go with the big words again, anthropometric only obesity. Obesity rates varied by sex, race, and especially by age, affecting nearly 80% of adults over 70. Okay, let me just scan the rest of this here.

It keeps getting more and more depressing. You know, what's the guy, what's the advice? Eat smartly, you know, eat intelligently. You know, I cut out desserts, desserts recently. Well, yesterday. We'll see how long that lasts. But, you know, things like that. Eat wisely.

Yesterday, I had an apple and a banana. Bought some pears. Now, we'll see how long my new campaign lasts. All right. Let's end with something that's easier to digest, so to speak. Here's the headlines in the New York Times. Dear Pet Sitter, please lock up the knives and watch out for blimps. The subheadline is,

The feeding and care instructions we leave say as much about us as they do about our furry companions. Judith Newman wrote this in the New York Times. She's owned her share of dogs, gerbils, iguanas, boa constrictors, and tarantulas. She's hoping to get another golden retriever soon. So here's what she says. It's a great little article. When I left my golden retriever, Monty, with a pet sitter, I thought my four pages of single space instructions were perfectly reasonable.

He thinks his real name is, What do you have in your mouth? I wrote. So please check frequently, or you will end up spending the night with Monty in the ER. There's something about writing out pet care instructions that shows just how much these animals rule our lives. During his long life, Monty racked up thousands in medical bills

because of his passion for eating my underwear, which means I had to be very explicit in the directions I get. gave his caretakers. This, it turns out, is surprisingly common. When I was a kid, my parents would drop me off at the babysitter, and their instructions were like, make sure she stays alive, said Faye Faye Friedman, a graphic designer and dog sitter in Manhattan.

But dog owners today, their instructions are as complicated as a Tesla owner's manual. In Reddit communities and on TikTok accounts, pet sitters often swap stories of over-the-top care instructions for animals like dogs that need to hear Frank Sinatra to poop or kittens that attack if their food isn't microwaved. My boy will not get out of bed in the morning unless you say good morning, Mr. President, reads one post. He needs his green monkey to sleep, reads another. Don't be afraid if he keeps the tail down his throat for more than a minute. he knows what he's doing

do not say Jake Gillenhall or she will start freaking out where it's a third key cash a pet sitter in Orlando, Florida was once warned to keep the knives locked up

or her cat she was watching might pick one up in its mouth and try to stab her. I laughed, she said, Guess what happened? Ms. Cash assured me in the email that the cat dropped the knife before they were

any casualties. While these stories might seem outrageous, there are perfectly logical reasons owners explain and over-explain instructions for pet care, said Nancy G, the director of the Center for Human Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University.

For one thing, animals can't entourage, grasped the concept of time, which can make a simple trip to the store, feel like abandonment. You can explain to a young child that you're leaving coming back, said Jane Greer, a family therapist in New Jersey who runs an Instagram account for her coton de Tullier, Riley. But with a dog, they don't know. That may explain why guilt-written pet owners leave long lists of what Reddit pet sitters call enrichments to distract from the owner's absence. whether it's a t-shirt that smells like the owner

or favorite music and TV shows that must be played on repeat. Brenda, the accountant, has a screen addiction, Rennie Willer, a jewelry designer in Los Angeles, said, of her multapoo. She tells sitters her dog needs plenty of TV time, and to go to YouTube, search dog videos, and give her hours of squirrels. According to a 2023 Pew Research, Center study, 51% of pet owners say their pets are as much a part of the family as a human member.

When people are asked to name those who they trust most, pets will often be closer in their inner circle than family and friends. Dr. G. said. Many pet owners also feel a strong sense of emotional debt to their animals. Human relationships are very tough. Your pet may be the one non-judgmental being in your life. They'll love you even if you're not very good person. Maybe that's the reason that we indulge our pets' eccentricities and fears, no matter how absurd.

There's a little bit more here. I know you pet owners are enjoying this. Carol Mithers used to leave excruciatingly detailed instructions about her scrappy chow mix, Casey, including this warning. If you see or hear the Goodyear Blimp, grab the leash tightly and get home as fast as you can. Casey was terrified of blimps. Well, I've got to keep that in mind.

Once I had to literally lie on top of him to keep him from running into a busy street. Rational or not, elaborate pet instructions are clearly a projection of our love. We owe our pets and adore them, even when they're, are diabolical. That perhaps accounts for one ominous instruction left for a pet sitter later shared it on TikTok. Jasper cannot be trusted. Good luck. Aye, aye. Okay. Many of you asked for more NBits. You got them on this special Wednesday. Day and Bits program. Hope you enjoyed it.

Tomorrow it's your turn, your answers to the question of the week, plus the random ranter will be by. Thursday, of course, is good talk. Chantelli Bear and Bruce Anderson. They'll be here. Keep getting ready for your Friday night, Blue Jays, Dodgers,

first game of the World Series. Go, Toronto, go. You don't hear that often. You really don't hear that off from outside Toronto. But you're hearing it now of those who say Jays or Canada's team. Let's go for it. So there'll be a lot of Blue Jays fans from coast to coast to coast on Friday night, including this one. I'm Peter Mansbridge.

Thanks so much for listening. We'll talk to you again. in less than 24 hours.