Life in Your Years Blog: Health, Finance, & More

It’s that time of year: cold and flu season are fast approaching. And, with the quick and early drop in temperatures  (global what?), the season promises to be longer and nastier. There is no “cure” for the cold and flu. Even though drugs and other substances may help, your body must fight off the viruses through the immune system. This is why it’s vital to boost your immune system especially this time of year. Here are a few ways to accomplish that:

1.  Sleep- Getting enough sleep (7-9 hours for adults) is crucial to keep your immune system at top performance. How many Americans get enough sleep? My guess is not enough

2.  Exercise- Exercise can boost your immune system in important ways. However, you can’t over-exercise or your immune system takes a hit. Workouts that go too long cause stress on the body and immune system.

3.  Eat well- Low sugar, whole grain foods, limited meat, lots of fruit and vegetables, and other healthy choices boost a person’s overall health and immune power.

4.  Stress- Keeping the body in a constant fight or flight response wreaks havoc with the immune system. This is true even for low level daily stress, so you should avoid it if possible or deal with it through relaxation techniques, fun activities, friends, etc. A good, basic technique is an easy one to remember. In a high stress environment think of: STAR (Smile, Take a Deep Breath And Relax). This can really make a big difference.

I don’t specifically recommend supplements because that is a personal decision to be made with a doctor, but I use them and believe they have an important place in fighting colds and the flu. So, the following represents my personal experience and is not medical advice. I start with Vitamin C. I typically also take Oregano Oil, Olive Leaf, N-Acetyl Cysteine, and Bromelain. The first two may have anti-viral properties and the last two could help with congestion. I also fry up green beans or spinach in a lot of garlic. It’s bad for the breath, but probably beneficial in getting rid of foreign invaders in the body.

Image by Jonathan Bennett. To order prints or download high resolution images, click here.

If you are prone to weight gain, it’s important to live your life lower (but not too low) than higher. And, it’s amazing how weight gain can get away from you. You work hard, you love how you look and feel, and then bingo, you’re back on the roller coaster ride of weight gain. The key I guess is to keep it a small hill since it’s much easier to get down. I personally put on about 6 pounds over the last 3 weeks and I’m trying not to make it permanent and a prelude to more.

How did it happen? I took the vacation mentality too far. My mother in law was in town for a few weeks and she can cook. Very, very well, in fact. And, she cooks in a traditional Italian way: generally healthy (I don’t eat meat which helps), but also caloric and lots of added flavor. For example, I put about a cup of cheese on a whole pizza. She put almost a cup per slice (or so it seemed). As much as I loved it, the pounds started creeping on. And, since she was visiting, I didn’t make it to the gym as much. In short, my control slipped away.

My plan is to lose it over the next few weeks now that she is gone. I’m going to miss her for a variety of reasons including her cooking. I should’ve adjusted and actually used moderation and control. This is how I typically gained weight in the past: I “go off” and never really get back on until it’s too late. Not this time, though. I’m back in the low life again, which, as those who have been overweight and lost it know, the “low” life of healthy weight is actually the high life in terms of health and confidence.

Image by Jonathan Bennett. To order prints or download high resolution images, click here.

Sometimes when it comes to exercise you just have to do it. Kind of like the Nike slogan. Why? Exercise is going to be very hard at first. Even new activities for those already in pretty good shape can be tough. Once again, you have to just do the activity and not overthink it. Granted, you should think about issues of safety and etiquette and use the proper equipment (e.g. don’t think you want to play tackle football at age 60 and run out in the middle of a high school game and line up at fullback).

However, you have to work through the mental issues that tell you that you can’t do it. Issues like: you’ll look like a newbie, you may be sore, you are not good at it. The answer to all three of these, for example, is: duh, but who cares? Even Michael Phelps was new at swimming at some point, even if it probably was when he was diapers. But, unless you train with professionals, no one at your pool will be anywhere near Michael Phelps in terms of ability. If you think an activity or sport looks great and will provide good exercise, then jump in and just do it, even if you may look a little foolish for awhile.

The purpose of this blog is to not only have many years in your life, but also to help our readers have life in their (hopefully many) years on this earth. We often do this through health and fitness advice, but having a long and happy life is also dependent on doing activities that you enjoy. That was very true for me this week while visiting my family.

I live about four hours away from my mom and dad, so visiting them is always special. And, since they live so far away, it’s always necessary to find new things to do when visiting. This allows a nice change of pace.

For example, I enjoy target shooting a lot, but there aren’t any close places to shoot where I live. Although I live in the country, my land is flat and not ideal for target shooting. In addition, the nearest public ranges are at least 30 minutes away. But, my dad’s friend has over 100 acres of hilly land and lives 5 minutes from his house. So, my brother, dad, and I had a great time shooting. In addition to trying accuracy with our pistols, we also obliterated several pieces of wood with the shotgun.

Also, David and I are taking a health and wellness course and we wanted to do some studying together. So, we went to Tim Horton’s to have an evening coffee (no Tim Horton’s near Cleveland) and they had new blueberry flavoring. I love coffee and this seemed interesting. It was great and well, summery (if that’s a word).

It was also nice to do some pleasurable learning. Studies have shown that learning throughout life in beneficial to the brain’s health. Too often learning is not enjoyable, but a chore because it is required. In this case, I was very interested in learning about the topic (health and wellness), so it was a great experience. My brain got healthier and it also relaxed me.

Although I find comfort in routines and enjoy mine generally, a change of pace is nice too.

About 6 years ago, my brother, friend, and I, all in pretty good shape, decided that we’d add swimming to our workout routine. Before we went to the YMCA to swim, we discussed the details. My friend suggested that we’d swim 100 laps and my brother and I agreed. We eventually got in the water, swam a couple of laps and were totally exhausted. Swimming kicked our butt. Lately, I’ve gone back for more.

Our muscles can get into routines and this limits our ability to take our fitness to the next level. Just as we get complaisant, so do our muscles. I’ve been trying to mix up my workout considerably, adding running, biking, and other sports. After reading about the benefits of swimming in Men’s Health (not the exact article, but this one is good) I decided to give it another try. This time I went in with eyes open (with goggles of course), harboring no illusions about my lack of ability.

My YMCA only has 3 lanes for swimming and a limited amount of open swim time. So, I was working out in the gym section and would occasionally peer into the pool to see if there were openings. Finally, I found a free lane and rushed into the pool. I decided to do 12 minutes to start, using the crawl technique. It was hard, but not too bad. I was even able to do 15 minutes at a fairly vigorous pace, only stopping for a few seconds here and there for a break. When I was done, however, I was exhausted and finishing up my regular workout was difficult. I was also tired for the rest of the day. In short, it was a great workout and I’m going to keep it up.

I have some advice for people starting to swim. First, you need a place to swim. YMCAs generally have pools, but they can be of limited quality. Make sure to find out when open swim is because lessons, teams, programs, etc. take precedence over free swimming. Second, get the right equipment. Goggles are a must and get decent ones. You don’t want leakage or fogging up. Trust me, bad goggles are a huge distraction. Nose and earplugs may be helpful too. Finally, have fun and realize that swimming is tough; so start slowly.

Ask anyone, even those at a gym who look fit, what fitness is and you may get several answers. Most likely they’ll say being athletic, skinny, able to last at exercise, strong, or any number of answers. In fact, many people who think they are fit may actually not embrace the complete definition of fitness.

I’ve been taking a health and wellness course and my textbook defines fitness as the body’s ability to meet physical demands. And, it includes four components: flexibility, strength, muscle endurance, and cardiovascular endurance.

This definition challenged me in many ways, especially since I would consider myself “fit” yet do not achieve a four out of four. Let’s start from the back. I can run 9 miles, so cardiovascular endurance, check. I am able to do 20 pullups, 50 pushups, and over 100 crunches. Muscle endurance, check. I start at around 235 during my bench workouts and over 300 on leg press. Strength, check. That’s it, right??

Oh, wait, there’s also flexibility. That’s where I and a lot of others, especially guys, start to choke on the whole fitness thing. This is especially true for weight lifters, since we can often be very unflexible, or is that inflexible? Most guys couldn’t tell you, but it describes a good number of us. The RealAge doctors recommend stretching 5 minutes a day. It’s pathetically little, but we don’t often get it. I stretch about 10 minutes a week and that includes when I go to martial arts. I’ve resolved to get more active with stretching and will share what I’ve learned.

Here is a good link to get you started:

Basic Stretching Techniques

Now, I’ll share a good practice that I picked up from martial arts. You put your legs up against a wall while you’re upside down. Your torso is bent on the ground while your legs are on the wall in a splits position. Gravity brings your legs down like you’re doing the splits upside down. Over time it’s a great stretch and will help your flexibility in your legs. Try to do about 10 minutes. It’s easy to do while watching TV. Start slow and be careful, though.

We all know we should avoid bad foods, the stuff high in trans-fat, sugar, and empty calories. Basically, all of the stuff that tastes fantastic! I want to deal with this topic for a moment because my thoughts are a bit unconventional.

First, I don’t think we should avoid bad foods completely. Why? Because life is too short. And, desperately avoiding the bad stuff may just make you want it more. It’s the diet equivalent of a glacier: you cut out one cookie and eat three a few days later. It’s better just to enjoy the occasional treat, so long as it is occasional and a treat.

Second, I firmly believe we need to “earn” bad foods. It’s kind of like we did when (most of us) we were kids. If we wanted something a little pricey, we’d have to work for it, like helping out mom or dad at a special chore. I organized dad’s comic books to earn money for an Indiana Jones hat. Look at food the same way. If you’re going out and having dessert, then make sure to go to the gym and add a few minutes to your workout. If you’re dying for cheese curls, then do more curls at the gym.

This has its problems if you want to eat poorly everyday, but for once a week or so small splurges, it allows you to enjoy the food without the guilt and the gain.

Studies have shown that friends, specifically a social network, can be good for your health. While Facebook and other online sites may not provide the same level of companionship that a “real life” relationship does, they, I believe, still could have health benefits.

My personal experience with Facebook has been that it allows me to stay connected with people I normally would not have kept in contact with. While it may be true that meeting regularly for coffee could be better than referencing someone’s status update, if that person lives in California and you live in New York, I think responding to status updates is still better than nothing. I have re-connected with numerous people from my past thanks to Facebook.

I’ve also been able to more deeply explore my interests by networking with other like-minded people. Doing things you love more often and with others probably has health benefits as well.

If we’re talking about women’s clothes sizes, that is. In an effort to make their customers feel better about themselves, clothing companies have downsized their numbers. So, the old 14 may now be a 10. And, the ladies didn’t even have to lose any weight! The perfect diet.

The same article mentions how fewer people today are identifying as overweight than in years past, although the numbers are objectively way up.

I guess ignorance is bliss.

For people born before video games were hugely popular and energy sapping (I just beat that era), we have fond memories of playing sports as children. It could’ve been kickball, basketball, red rover, tag, or even just playing around that required calorie burning. Well, one way to get fit as adults could be to actually re-visit some of those childhood activities. Ok, adults playing red rover or tag may be a bit silly, but dodge ball and kickball games for adults are happening in some cities and I think it’s a great trend. We played them as kids for one simple reason (and it wasn’t exercise): they were fun! As adults we can capture some of that fun and a lost piece of our childhood. Oh, and get some exercise.

I reached a personal milestone yesterday, running for nine miles on the local bike path. I’m not sure the longest distance I’ve run in the past, but I think it was around 7 miles. I did the run with my brother and fellow contributor to this blog, David. And, I was only moderately sore the next day. Here’s how I was able to do it:

Teamwork- Being able to do it with someone else and to receive his encouragement and conversation was crucial.

Training- I had run similar distances before and have made a serious effort to build up my leg muscles through lifting

Environment- The beautiful scenery was so interesting that I felt invigorated

Hydration- I drank before and during the run

Supplements- Before the run, I took phosphatidylserine (PS) for mental alertness and drank coffee for another boost. During and after the run I took bromelain, Vitamin C, and aspirin to reduce inflammation.

It can be disheartening to dieters, but it appears that we cannot actually reduce the number of fat cells within our body. So, when we lose weight we are merely decreasing the size of the set number of fat cells. However, this still leaves the cells themselves intact, waiting to be filled. This is called “fat cell theory.”

Our number of fat cells seems to be determined throughout infancy and adolescence. And, some scientists believe that this can be controlled, so that skinnier kids create fewer fat cells. Thus, they have an advantage throughout life. This may explain why so few obese children become skinny as adults.

For more info, visit this article

I’ve known people for whom a diet can be a life changing extravaganza. They buy the right clothes, pack the ipod with upbeat tunes, get totally motivated, and start to envision their new hot selves. Next, they go to the gym and kill themselves. And, scared off by the soreness and stiffness, they don’t go back for a long, long time.

My basic advice is that you have to start slowly, especially if you are out of shape, overweight, or older. But, even young people who are starting a new fitness activity could use this advice. Now that I’m doing summer camp, I’ve discovered that being able to run, play racketball, lift weights, ride bikes, and cross country ski at a high fitness level didn’t translate to floor hockey. It probably helped, but I was still extremely sore.

You have to start slowly or you risk burning out. Nothing puts the breaks on a new fitness routine like not being able to move! But, you also risk hurting yourself. Waiting several weeks for an injury to heal also does little for your physique.

So, start slowly and work your way up to the harder stuff. It may seem wimpy to walk around the block at first, but you have to start somewhere. Walking around the block now could lead to a mega-marathon way down the line; but if you try to overdo it too soon, you may just feel like you’ve run one.

Connie: You would rather stuff yourself and roll around in your stupid electric cart than take me to the dance?

Bobby: Why, I guess I would.

This little conversation comes from the TV show King of the Hill when chubby Bobby Hill develops gout from eating too many deli type foods from a local restaurant and prefers to keep the food (and the gout) rather than go to the dance with his girlfriend.

This storyline is indicative of the decisions many people, especially in the USA, make on a daily basis. They choose food over many of life’s alternatives. Now, the choice may not be as clear cut as in King of the Hill, but it is real. Obesity can often lead to lack of mobility, shortness of breath, a lower quality of life, and an early death. So, in a sense, by choosing to eat too much, many people are rejecting such things like an active lifestyle, playing with their kids, general mobility, and spending a longer time on earth with their loved ones.

I love food and believe it should be enjoyed in life, but not at the expense of the other good things. The sad truth is that large numbers of people are choosing food over living life.

I am working my school’s summer camp this year for some extra money. It’s a job that pretty much involves getting paid to babysit and play games with the kids. It’s also a good way to get paid while exercising. We play floor hockey, basketball, kickball, and many other sports that get the kids and the counselors winded. And, since we’re encouraged to play with them, I often leave each day with a great workout. And, I’m incredibly sore. It’s amazing how playing different sports can use muscles that a balanced fitness routine doesn’t! Oh, and I’m often exhausted after I do my evening workout on top of camp.