Health

Popular Grunts

/ debbyproulx / Leave a comment

Ever since I realized the general population of my family considered me chubby, I have endeavored to shrink the chub. As a youngster, my dad eagerly supplied me with a plan tailored to my specific talents as a country bumpkin: I cleaned the crap out of barns, coops, and pigpens and also fed the animals by carrying buckets of grain and bales of hay, plus an untold number of pails of water. During the grueling marathon of daily chores, I would grunt and groan in the self-taught language of the pigs. Sometimes I would snort if a forkful of manure turned out to be heavier than assumed. Before long, I realized this wasn’t an enjoyable physical activity at all—I had been put on nature’s vicious treadmill. I fed the animals, they crapped, I cleaned, I fed the animals, they crapped, and on and on… it would never end. I was a slave to the farm animals existence. Stress took hold, and my brownie and cookie intake went way, way up. My dad’s exercise plan failed.

These days, I use a rebounder and hand weights to exercise. However, I don’t engage in both activities together. I’m not exactly graceful. I constantly worry about taking a violent bounce and ending up in the middle of the TV screen or going headfirst into the coffee table; never mind doing it with weights in my hands. Someone is bound to gain a black eye or a broken earlobe. I do, however, accept the risk of simple bouncing; the benefits of using the rebounder are tremendous. It’s great for your lymph nodes, and it strengthens the vagus nerve, which is especially beneficial for mine because it was previously strained from being a slave to animals. Did you know that tight vagus nerve can cause neck pain? I always assumed it was my husband’s fault. Anyway, I digress; I truly enjoy rebounding and if you have any interest in trying too, I would suggest you purchase a quality rebounder. My rebounder cheap and now, after only two months the tags stitched into the bounce pad are beginning to loosen. Oh boy, I just had a demoralizing thought, what if it’s due to excess chub? Well, I suppose I better ask the general population of my family what they think.

Happy exercising, walking, hiking or pedal biking, just do whatever floats your boat.

Daily writing prompt
What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?
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Offering You a Smile

/ debbyproulx / Leave a comment

A smile is a gift. It is a welcoming recognition of another person’s spirit and serves to connect with others in a meaningful way. On, April 12, 2019, a team of psychologists from the University of Tennessee found that smiling can make people feel happier. They combined data from 138 studies testing more than 11,000 participants and found that facial expressions have an impact on our feelings. This rings true for me. I certainly feel happier and more synergistically inclined when anyone, be it a stranger, or a friend, flashes me an honest smile.

Smiles are impossible to find these days, in the streets or in the stores, and while we may feel a temporary jump of joy at buying such things as; soap in the shape of a big toe, or a pair of it’s okay to fart socks, or a Maserati sports car, eventually the glee of owning something new fades away leaving only emptiness in your heart. Truthfully, the only substance in our lives is created by maintaining and forming new connections with other human beings. Joy is better times two. We are without a doubt happier, healthier and stronger with regular human interaction.

Harvard Health Publishing, printed an article; The Health Benefits of Strong Relationships, declaring that, ‘Good connections and social support can improve health and increase longevity.‘ And it went on to state: ‘For many of us, the holidays mean family gatherings, getting together with friends, and participating in special religious, community, and workplace activities. Such occasions are an opportunity to check in with each other, exchange ideas, and perhaps lend some social support to each other.

Social connections like these not only give us pleasure, they also influence our long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a good diet, and not smoking. Dozens of studies have shown that people who have social support from family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer.

Conversely, a relative lack of social ties is associated with depression and later-life cognitive decline, as well as with increased mortality. One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% — an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than obesity and physical inactivity.’

We all know at our very core just how important human touch is for our health and welfare. It is the weakest among us who need people around them the most. The miraculous healing benefits of a loving touch has been seen time and time again in hospitals and care centres, and was clearly demonstrated in the CNN story on YouTube called, The hug that helped change medicine. Doesn’t everyone deserve a hug from someone who loves them? It is time to reevaluate the data on asymptomatic spread. There is more and more information coming out which proves people without symptoms pose no threat. We must use our good sense instead of our fears. There is always a tipping point when good intentions fail. Have we gone over?

“Sometimes I feel so— I don’t know—lonely. The kind of helpless feeling when everything you’re used to has been ripped away. Like there’s no more gravity, and I’m left to drift in outer space with no idea where I’m going.”

-Haruki Murakami