Thread: Little things mean a lot healthwise.

Since my retirement I have expierenced some health problems and a friend of mine advised me to take a large spoon of honey daily. I took his advise and it has really helped me. Also a short nap in the afternoon works wonder. I was wondering if any folks out there had a particular thing they did for their heath along these lines, rather than joging or pumping iron that they could share. Thanks in advance.

One of the things that helps my health is spending time at the cottage. We live downtown Toronto, and after a while it gets pretty hectic. One of the things we do for relaxation is drive up to the cottage almost every long weekend. It has a calming effect that makes the city liveable.

I also think that a glass or two of wine each day helps out.

I drink some type of tea everyday(always fresh, never canned or bottled).

When I used to work as a paramedic, I picked up a guy that was 103 years old.
The 911 call was because he tripped on the rug and hit his head on the coffee table while moving furniture.

I asked him about his longevity - he said he drank whiskey every day and didn't sweat the small stuff.

I mill my own wheat. it's the staff of life you know, if it's fresh.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I mill my own wheat. it's the staff of life you know, if it's fresh.

I read a book a few yrs ago about a guy that did the same. Can't remember the exact title but his thing was to make the perfect Loaf of Bread. He lived somewhere on the east coast and his quest was quite interesting. ( you're not him??)

As I'm coming up on 47, I'm doing/increasing several things that I think may keep me from falling apart for a few more years:

-Working out (weights/cardio/stretching) 4 times a week at the YMCA with my teenage sons. The post-workout whirlpool/steam-room/hot shower may be the best mental health stress relief I have ever known (just as important as the physical IMO).
-Hiking/rock-hopping with a fly-rod on remote mountain streams every chance I get; again, it's my both my therapy couch and my 'spiritual time,' and does wonders for my outlook on the world.
-I've been making and drinking daily a sort of general tonic/recovery drink with green tea, local honey (beekeeper friend), a handful of mint, and maybe half a lime. Lots of antioxidants and vitamin C to keep older cells in good condition!
-I take a really good, men's specific multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.
-My wife and I have a combination fruit smoothie/protein shake most every morning for breakfast: lots of frozen fruits, plus whatever's in season locally.
-Lots of superfoods, dark fruits and berries, whole grains, and have upped the protein and cut back on carbs and fat considerably since I started doing all this. My goal is to see my "abs" (if I have any to see?) and add lean muscle everywhere else by my birthday on July 28th.

Oh, and I shave with a straight razor!

P.S.: I like pizza, barbecue, frosty mugs of beer, the sofa/tv/remote, and big greasy burgers as much as anybody. Believe me, I still do all that, but with much less guilt now. YMMV-Aaron

-Going off of what HNSB said and according to my Embryology professor who is quite old and in great health, drinking the right alcohol in the right amount everyday is very healthy, such as a shot of Jagger or a shot of Whiskey. Jagger contains 56 herbs and spices!

-I shun multi-vitamins because they really aren't that good for you. I recommend halving the pill and taking that everyday rather than the whole pill, especially if you have a healthy diet. Lots of those multi-vitamins have 120%+ of certain vitamins which is terrible and negates the effects of other vitamins.

-Increase your seafood intake (fish like tuna, salmon, etc. stay way from shellfish) but be very picky and wary of where you're getting your seafood. NO RED MEAT. Let me repeat that: no red meat UNLESS: its dear or buffalo. Any other red meat is really bad, even "organic" is difficult to trust in this country. The leanest meats are fish and dear/buffalo. Even chicken and turkey don't make it into a category with those.

-Lots of vegetables!!!!!! Preferably raw but if you have a giant helping of different colored vegetables in every meal, thats incredible.

-Little to no sugar!!!!! Fruit is great and if you're taking in a good amount of fruit everyday, ABSOLUTELY no sugar from anywhere because fruits have lots of sugar in them. Even though its "natural" its still sugar. Back to what OP ellington said about taking a spoon full of honey everyday; thats great but be careful. MOST honey out there contains barely any real honey. A study was done on the average honey brands out on the market to determine how much real honey was in them, and something like less than 2% of real pollen honey was found in them so be careful, most of that stuff is sugar. No soda either, you're better off reaching for a cookie.

-Exercise, exercise, exercise. I don't mean go lift like a bodybuilder, but you need to develop a regular gym regimen that thoroughly works out your entire body. Just going to the gym and doing shoulders and chest isn't going to cut it. Look to hit every muscle in the body for optimal weight loss/management and health. This is especially important for older people due to the ever increasing/prevalent osteoporosis. A study was done on old men who used to be professional bodybuilders when they were younger, yet kept up a good workout regimen into their older years and it was found that they had 3 times the bone mass of people in their age group who didn't work out. Also important is cardio, INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. If you can find a track that you can run on, that is best as treadmill's are bad for your knees but if you can't treadmills will suffice. Biking is EXTREMELY important. The circular motion of biking is a very health motion for you knees so much so that knee habilitation centers used lots of biking in their programs for injured patients so hit the bike! Either stationary at the gym or acutually biking will do, either works.

-Lots of water everyday, ideally 12 cups. Most people, young and old don't drink enough water and thats no good.

-Take the stairs instead of the elevator, don't look for the closest parking spot, floss your teeth

I'm 22, not sure if I have the experience to be chiming in amongst all of you, but I'm studying to be a doctor and I'm passionate about helping people live healthier lives so I really hope this helps someone. Just my two cents. I do everything I mentioned, and they're all little things that add up in the end.

Pick the right parents,health and a long life is purely genetic. barring gunshots,Car wrecks, tsunamis and other acts of god.
Start Jogging when young and you will need your knees and hips replaced by the time your 60.
Eat lots of seafood,the ocean is a cesspool of poisons,seafood lives in that crap.
Obsess over vitamins,fruits,exercise on and on, statistics prove you may live a couple months longer than those who do not.
JMO

I've definitely got the old man metabolism so I try to get at least 3 good runs a week. This also seems to keep my weight in check and blood pressure down without medicine (which I hate). Other than that, I drink at least one cup of coffee in the morning (usually more). I don't have cocktails every day but do enjoy beer and the occassional mixed drink in moderation. Never took to smoking cigarettes but do enjoy pipes and cigars regularly. I've come to the conclusion long ago that quality of life is much more important than quality. When people tell me I should quit smoking my response is always, "Why? So I can spend 5 more years in diapers with no idea where I am or who anyone around me is?" Everything in moderation, I'm occassionally prone to excesses but try to keep them to a minimum. I figure that when my time comes, nothing up to that point will matter anyway.