I accumulate ideas.
Write them down on slips of
paper. My bulletin board runneth over
onto the adjacent walls.
For one reason or many, these things provide a framework for
how I try and live my life. You already
knew that this was going to be about what it takes to be healthy. So here you go--Joe's tips for a better
lifestyle:
Exercise daily. You probably knew that one was coming. You don't have to run a daily marathon but do
something every day. If it is just walking in the neighborhood,
well that's better than doing nothing.
There isn't a day off.
I've said it before, many times--find something you enjoy doing. If it takes competition to motivate you, so
be it. Build it in.
Use reusable grocery
bags. Yeah, I know...it's hard to
remember to take them when you go to the grocery store. An estimated 8 billion pounds of grocery bags
goes into our landfills every year. 8
billion pounds! That's unreal. If tied together, enough to circle the globe
300 times. Each and every year.
Take the stairs. Do you really need to take the elevator to go
up one level? I've even embarrassed
people by writing about them here, using vague references so that others
wouldn't be able to identify them. But
you know who you are.
Recycle. It's easy.
Every person in America generates almost 5 pounds of waste a day. Over 75% of that could be recycled. We've got curb-side recycling, recycling
centers, and recycling services that will come to your home and pick up all
your recyclables for a really reasonable fee. It's really easy. And smart.
Don't always look for
the closest parking space. If you
are physically able to walk across a parking lot, don't drive around waiting
for the closest parking spot. Use it as
an excuse to get a few extra steps in.
And if you deserve that handicapped sticker, by all means you have a
right to it. But if you don't and use it
anyway...well, there is a special place for you.
Turn off your engine
in a drive-thru. Whether it be the
bank or the fast food joint, turn it off!
American vehicles burn up over 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline each year
just sitting in the drive-thru lane and letting their engine run.
Yes, I've heard the
statistics about restarting the engine but if you are going to be there more
than 30 seconds, it pays to kill your engine.
And remember that the average fast food drive-thru time is 135 seconds. For goodness sake, you don't need fast food
much anyway.
Brown bag lunch. It's
healthier, it's cheaper, and it gives you time to run errands and still get
home on time (or early) in the evening.
Get a mammogram. It makes sense.
Over 50? Get a colonoscopy. If you have a family history of colon cancer,
start at 40. Colon cancer is almost 100%
preventable with colonoscopies.
Over 50? See a dermatologist. A lot of cancers that end up elsewhere, start
as skin cancer. So always use sunscreen
when you're out in the sun so that the dermatologist doesn't have to work so
hard.
Stop smoking. You've heard it from me time and time
again. Smoking is about the dumbest
habit you could develop. Think of it
this way: If you smoke, your kids will
likely smoke. Is that what you really
want?
Cut back on fried
food. Not eliminate (this is the
South, after all), just cut back. It
will make a difference in the incidence of heart disease.
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