Brushing up

Tim:

Many of the day-to-day routines we have go unexamined for years. Until I started thinking about better ways to maintain my body, my house and my life, I sleep-walked through some parts of life. Now I spend time looking at simple ways to help me live well.

Cleaning teeth isn't the sexiest of subjects. Frankly I had always made the assumption that my daily routine was good enough. I don't eat sugary candy, nor drink sweetened sodas. And yet there is evidence now that prevention of gum disease might well contribute to keeping your blood vessels and heart healthy. Makes brushing and flossing seem more important suddenly doesn't it?

The American Heart Association recommends that to prevent bacteria migrating from the mouth to the circulatory system, brushing and flossing is essential. Critical to preventing chronic gum disease is using a toothpaste that contains ingredients with antimicrobial properties. Sadly, most popular brands emphazise their enamel whitening ability.

Fortunately better products exist, containing natural bacteria killers. Now I think of brushing and flossing as whole-body maintenance too.

A little while after posting, I saw this article referring to this topic.

Technorati:

Teeth, Toothpaste, Heart Disease, Flossing

Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.

Overmunching

Tim:

I sometimes eat when upset or angry, in a behavior called Emotional Eating. If I'm stressed because of work or a relationship problem, eating seems to make me feel better.

Confronting bad habits like this, I look for ways to avoid the "put something in my mouth" response to everyday difficulties. Here are some ways to help remove the temptation:

• remove trigger foods from the house
• go for a walk, a jog, or jump on the treadmill
• keep a goal reminder handy, perhaps on the door of the fridge
  
• talk to, or call a friend or mentor
• write in a journal
• sourround yourself with positive re-enforcers, such as pictures and people

These ideas are from this website, which is a terrific reference for folks looking to modify their eating and exercise habits.

Habits reward us in some way, so rather than eliminating them, try switching your response to something that is positive. Whenever I feel like one of those delicious high-fat muffins at Starbucks, I walk for an hour. It's amazing how quickly the craving disappears.

Give yourself forty days and look back at your progress.

Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.

Retirement planning

Tim:

I like working, thereforeI have no plans to retire. That idea might change in the years to come, so I'm planning right now so that I can retire from day-to-day work as soon as I feel I want to. Options give us power.

There are many confusing ideas surrounding the business of retirement savings. Like everything in my life, I try to simplify. My research has led me to define one Power Goal in this area, and it comes from Ben Stein. Ben has written excellent books and articles about personal finance, and I have taken this rule of thumb as my own:

"You should accumulate an amount equal to roughly fifteen to twenty times what you need anually what you need to live on." That amount is represented by cash and investments over and above the value of your house, your car and any pensions or social security to which you might be entitled.

If you need $50,000 per year to live when you retire, at say age 65, you will need between $750,000 and $1,000,000 worth of investable money to lead a fun retirement.

How is your planning going?

There is another alternative, called residual income. Residual income is money that accrues to me, no matter whether I work or not. Either way, we all need to think seriously, plan, and take charge of our needs for the later years.


Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.

Fish, fowl or nuts?

Tim:

Like so much information about nutrition, there is lots of jargon. Much of it is intimidating to a layman like me. Omega-3 Fatty Acids is one such term. Here's what Wikipedia says about them. It's quite complex, but the important part is that:

They are essential in the human diet since they cannot be synthesized by the body; and

The essential fatty acids are very important for our immune system and to help us regulate our blood pressure, since they are used to make compounds such as prostaglandins.

Modern diets are high in one type of fatty acid - Omega-6 - and low in Omega-3s. This imbalance has potential consequences, for both cardiovascular health, and mental health. New research shows in increased risk of depression with such an imbalance. Omega-6s are found in abundance in red meat, poultry, refined grains, and certain fats such as corn oil and margarine. Balance your intake of these foods with your intake of Omega-3s found in fatty fish, canola oil, flaxseeds, soybeans, and nuts.

Remember: the body cannot produce these critical substances; we must obtain them from food, or supplements, and try to keep them in balance.

Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.

Cleaning up

Tim:

Household cleaners are boring. Keeping our houses clean is a necessary part of everyday life, but it's a dull business. For years I mindlessly bought what I thought were the right surface sprays, detergents and cleaners to get the job done. When I started researching how these things might be affecting my health, a rude shock awaited me.

Have you ever read what is in your favorite kitchen spray? Do you wonder how your laundry detergent really works? I'm no chemical engineer, but some of that stuff sounds scary. It's not only frightening, but much of it is downright dangerous.

Many dishwashing detergents, for instance, use chlorine bleach as their active ingredient. When this is combined with hot water, chlorine gas can be released into the air, and therefore into your lungs. Symptoms of inhalation include headache, fatigue and burning eyes. If combined with acid-containing or ammonia-containing cleaners, the resulting gas can be very dangerous. My source is the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.

After reading that, I don't use dishwasher detergents with chlorine bleach any more!




Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.

A little help goes a long way

Tim:

Until one year ago the only "vitamin pill" I had ever taken was a vitamin C tablet. Somewhere I had read or heard that ascorbic acid (Vitamin C's chemical name) would help me live a longer and healthier life. Or something like that. In any case, it was good for me - I knew that much - and so the bottle ended up in my bathroom cabinet.

It was still there six months later, three-quarters full.

We now have a new fancy name for taking vitamins, and it is "Dietary Supplementation". I like the term, because it accurately describes the process.

Every day we are bombarded with information about how and what to eat. The fad diets come and go. If my mind is any guage, we are all pretty confused about what to eat for maximum health. I've narrowed all the ideas I've read about to a few simple rules of thumb:

1. If we eat more calories that we expend, we shall add weight. (I call this Energy in/Energy out.)

2. To maximize our health, we need to ingest our body's mineral and vitamin requirements daily.

3. It is not practical (nor possible, in my opinion) to eat all the food to fulfil Rule 2 without eating massive amounts.

4. Therefore "Dietary Supplementation" in the form of vitamins, minerals, herbs and proprietary products is essential. Every day.

5. A significant factor in supplementation is the uptake of the nutrients from each serving.

So of course I have started to take my supplements, with the aim of better health and longevity. The battle is keeping myself to the promise of doing it every day. Old (bad) habits die hard.

Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.

Starting with one step

Tim:

One of the best plans for starting a life-long exercise regime is the 10,000 steps program. After wearing a pedometer myself for a month or so, the distance this represents is around five miles, just as the 10k folks say. I'm 5'7'', and I not a particularly fast walker, so this takes me about one hour and ten minutes. If I step it up, and swing my arms (like I should) that comes down to an hour flat.

The metaphor of starting with a few steps is appropriate for the first post on this blog. Amy and I plan to write about the ways in which we try to live active, healthy and environmentally smart lives. We plan to share our discoveries about how to prevent long term illness, and how to live well by planning for our older years, today.

Each journey commences somewhere, and this is ours.

Copyright © 2005 Thriveworks– All rights reserved.