Maintaining a healthy body

It’s so great to be back! You see, my biggest computer problem apparently wasn’t iTunes. I didn’t actually manage to get that working. In fact, I probably made things worse, by downloading a program that was supposed to help, but instead was a known virus. Thanks computer forums! It turns out, that wasn’t even the biggest issue as my savvy computer brother informed me. Apart from a variety of nasty worms and bugs, I had compressed my entire hard drive, my disk was badly fragmented and the virus buster not up to scratch. Basically it was slow, stuffed and at risk of intrusion by hackers. So after a stint at the doctors, I’m glad to say my computer is back and in good health.

Needless to say, being internet and computer free nearly drove me crazy, after all how can you resolve discussions if you can’t ask google and find out who is right? Yes, I know, it’s not about being ‘right’ but really it is, especially when the person you are debating with is making stuff up. I hate that. Annoyed as I was for this enforced separation between me and google, oops I mean the lap top, I figured it was after all my fault for not maintaining my computer properly. As with anything in life (like a virus buster) you get what you pay for (if it’s free, not much). So if I didn’t maintain my poor computer properly, how was I doing with other things in life? How well was I actually looking after my health? Am I preforming well on the surface, but full of wisdom teeth that should have been removed, I mean bugs underneath that only an expert would know about? I’ve grown more and more concerned about this, because I am terrible with maintenance. I don’t go to the doctor or dentists until I absolutely can not stand whatever is ailing me any more. I’ve spent the last week wondering what I should be doing to maintain my health to avoid needing the doctor in the first place. Thanks to google, here are the answers and as it turns out, today is also World Health Day.

I should point out, that my only qualification for giving out such advice is that I have a body, probably like you do, which would not make me a credible source. So, please don’t consider the following as advice. Any use of the information below is at your own risk. Sources of information may or may not be accurate, please do your own research for your own circumstances.

1. Wear earplugs

2. Get enough sleep

3. Wear good quality polarized sunnies that block UVA and UVB

4. Know your body composition

5. Know your family’s health history

6. Know your cancer risk

7. Know your cholesterol levels. Check every 5 years.

8. Know your resting heart rate

9. Keep your waist below 80cm

10. Eat loads of veggies

11. Eat everything in moderation

12. Spend time with friends and family

13. Laugh, lots

14. Take time out to relax

15. Have lots of sex

16. Avoid taking antibiotics

17. Don’t overeat

18. Avoid processed food

19. Limit alcohol intake and have alcohol free days

20. Brush floss and mouthwash daily

21. Slip, slop, slap

22. Exercise daily

23. Regularly do a self breast exam

24. Avoid watching tv or using the pc just before bed time

25. Relax before going to bed

26. Drink up to 3 cups of coffee a day (Organic, fair trade, shade grown)

27. Keep a personal medical record dairy

28. Keep emergency contact details in your wallet and phone as well as a list of allergies or drug sensitivities, or conditions you have

29. Improve your self esteem

30. Volunteer

31. Stop over analysing

32. Meditate

33. Avoid high heels

34. Wear a bike helmet and wear it properly

35. Stretch after every workout

36. Build up muscle

37. Check your vaccinations are up to date

38. Alway wear a seatbelt and don’t speed either, or talk on the mobile or drink & drive

39. Find out if your definition of healthy food is the same as your bodies

40. During child bearing years, get enough folate

41. Visit the dentist every 6 months

42. Screen for STD’s

43. Practise safe sex
    

44. Get your skin checked annually for melanoma’s

45. Check your moles regularly and notice any changes

46. Get an annual breast and pelvic exam and pap smear

47. Get your eyes tested annually

48. Get an annual mammogram after 40.

49. Every 2-3 years get a physical checking heartbeat, blood pressure, height and weight

50. Screen for diabetes after 45 every 2-3 years

51. Get a thyroid check after 35 every 5 years

52. Have a properly functioning smoke detector

53. Use your brain, regularly.

54. Get a pet or a plant (and don’t kill either of them)

55. Wear properly fitted bras

56. Stop smoking

57. Drink enough water, but not too much

58. Be positive

59. Sit and stand tall

60. Throw out the mascara after a month

61. Find a good trainer who teaches safe exercise

62. Find a good doctor/dentist/physio/shrink who listens

63. Wear properly fitted exercise shoes and replace them regularly

64. Swim between the flags and become a strong swimmer

65. Learn first aid – it might save someone’s life

66. Don’t kill snakes, that’s how most people get bitten

67. Don’t do stupid stuff like swimming under the influence

68. Be a smart traveller, know the dangers

Now over to you. What have I missed or got totally wrong?
*Edit - apart from the font....apparently not all is well :-(

To drink or not to drink

For years we have been hearing that drinking red wine in moderation - that is about a glass a night - is good for you. I embraced that research as I developed a taste for good wine. In fact, one of my favourite weekend activities is wine tasting and recently even went grape picking at a local wine farm.

Yesterday I heard about a new piece of research that more than 2 glasses of wine per week increased women’s chances of developing breast and other cancers. The research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute followed over 1 million UK women (a reasonable sample size) for 7 – 8 years. The findings showed that through moderate drinking approximately 15 additional cancers per 1000 women were developed.

The Guardian article suggests that the findings from the study are reliable factoring in certain lifestyle factors like smoking, exercise and the Pill as well as body weight. Naturally, this begs the question, what will I do?

We as adults living in the developed world are armed with such a huge amount of information on how best we can lead healthy lives that the choices are paralysing. With so many studies regularly contradicting each other, it makes it impossible to know what to do. With this latest research, my first thought is that there is already a new study on the way debunking this one. While that is probable and we will most likely never know for sure the impacts of alcohol on our bodies, we can make a choice on how to live.

Oh, apparently this isn’t new anyway, with another study showing the same thing in 2002. Interestingly, this one suggests that below 60, the greatest risk for women is breast cancer so alcohol should be avoided up until that age, when the likelihood of heart attack soars. At the point, the protective effect of alcohol against heart disease means moderate intake can be beneficial.

So what do we choose? I’m curious to know if this research will change your habits. Is it worth taking the risk for that glass of wine each evening? Is this likely to decrease your consumption down to 1-2 units (about 100mL) of alcohol per week? Or are you about to email Oxford Uni and tell them exactly where they can put their studies?