Welcome. We are Horizon. Each edition of our newsletter will offer practical tips, inspiring stories, and valuable insights across three key areas: Design, Health and Growth. Join us as we begin this journey!

Design

^{“More Than a Recording Studio” — Miraval Studios}

^{“Fizzling Out” — The True Consequences of Drinking Soda}

This Is What Happens To Your Body If You Drink More Than Two Sodas A Day

It is not uncommon to find a person who drinks sugary sodas often. Everyone knows that “soda is bad” and that “drinking soda is unhealthy”, but I’m not so sure everyone knows just how bad it is, even in moderately small amounts. A report in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that those who consume at least two glasses of soda a day have an increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to those drinking less than one glass per month.

Obesity and Cancer Risks

In a study done in 2022, the American Cancer Society observed and reaffirmed that there is a definitive association of soda with cancers related to obesity. Drinking two or more sugar-sweetened beverages increases the risk of developing colorectal and kidney cancers. Such findings reaffirm the need to urge the limit the limit in consumption of soda to mitigate the risks of cancer.

High Sugar Content

Soda is a leading contributor to high sugar overload. The American Heart Association adds that children and adolescents can take almost 17 teaspoons of added sugars in their daily diets, way above the limit. Weight gain, insulin resistance, and inflammation are only some of the risks associated with high added sugar intake. A typical 12-ounce soda contains about 39 grams of sugar.

Diet Sodas: Not a Safe Alternative? 

Though diet sodas appear to be a healthier option because their calorie content is low, studies have conflicting results on whether it has any advantage over traditional sodas at all. Diet sodas often contain a chemical known as “Aspartame”, which is a chemical sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is associated with increased risk of cancer, and type 2 diabetes, and the IARC states it to be “possibly carcinogenic”.

Public Health Recommendations

So although an “iced-cold DC” (Diet Coke), may provide some instant pleasure and satisfaction, think first about the real and dangerous potential consequences. That being said, “Anything in moderation, especially moderation”.

^{Source: https://www.healthdigest.com/1624838/what-happens-to-your-body-drink-multiple-sodas-daily/}

Growth

^{“Marginal Gains” — Alex Honnold}

Alex Honnold

Known for scaling mountains, thousands of feet in the air with NO ROPES, Alex Honnold is perhaps the most committed spotlight we have done for our growth section.

Embrace Preparation and Focus

Alex has continuously professed to his audience the “secret” to his ability to focus, and that is excessive preparation and laser-sharp focus with no safety net (pun included). By rehearsing moves in his head and physically going through the routes on the mountain, Honnold reduces his risks by preparation.

Marginal Gains

Continually improving, or the philosophy of marginal gain can be applied to any field. Whether in techniques or processes, incremental changes can always lead to a big breakthrough. This is a reflection of what marginal gain is all about—continuous improvement and effectiveness.

Free soloing (the name of his style of climbing), is a lonely pursuit, and yet Honnold makes collaboration an essential part of it. From this, the importance of diverse viewpoints and being able to work in a team gives rise to solutions to highly complex problems, giving birth to innovations, and in this case potentially saving his life.

Life or Death

When Alex is climbing thousands of feet in the air with no ropes, the consequences of failure become fatal, not allowing any room for mistakes. This intense and extreme methodology is not recommended to the extreme in which he practices, but the idea of the consequences of failure being so great, that failing is not an option, is a sort of motivation that is unmatched to anything else. The lesson here is to pursue something so important, that failure is not an option. Thank you Alex for demonstrating this in the most powerful and obvious way.

Source: https://hbr.org/2021/05/lifes-work-an-interview-with-alex-honnold

Who We Are

Horizon is a platform founded on the belief that true prosperity is a life of balance. Horizon is created to elevate readers toward well-being, personal growth, and artistic expression.

Split between our focuses on “Growth”, “Design”, and “Health”, we follow a comprehensive approach to the pursuit of well-balanced achievement.