Today's Nightingale-Conant quote of the day -
"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
Mahatma Gandhi
And this comes from Men's Health -
"Be as Healthy as the Wealthy"
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Costco Effect
I've often wondered, as I think many people do, whether or not one actually saves money by shopping at a place like Costco.
From Wall Street Journal Personal Finance -
"People are often price-sensitive about an initial purchase. But after the money has been spent, there's a tendency to view the stash -- be it a pile of bagels or imported stout -- as manna from heaven."
This was a great point (and something about which to be cautious)-
"Costco, in particular, specializes in stocking unexpected gourmet food and luxury items that spur impulse buys. It isn't hard to drop $300 or $400. Even if you're getting a deal, that's a lot of money."
From Wall Street Journal Personal Finance -
"People are often price-sensitive about an initial purchase. But after the money has been spent, there's a tendency to view the stash -- be it a pile of bagels or imported stout -- as manna from heaven."
This was a great point (and something about which to be cautious)-
"Costco, in particular, specializes in stocking unexpected gourmet food and luxury items that spur impulse buys. It isn't hard to drop $300 or $400. Even if you're getting a deal, that's a lot of money."
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Lucky, I Guess
Today's WSJ has an article called Secrets of the "Wellderly" (thanks Dad) in which the author profiles a bunch of centenarians and describes the unhealthy lifestyle choices many of them have made during their unusually long lives.
It turns out there are some lucky people out there who can do whatever they want and get away with it. There is a Brazilian woman who is 106 and has been smoking for 91 years. Many of them had periods of obesity and none was a vegetarian.
[Of course, I don't think vegetarianism is healthy, as I tell many people. As an exercise, think of the people you know who are vegetarians. Are they robust, healthy people? Are they fit? Conversely, think of the really healthy, strong people you know. Do they eat meat?]
So, some people just have better genes than others and researchers are looking for ways to alter genes to increase longevity in humans. It's probably really easy to do.
The article does point out, however, that even if you're unlikely to make it to 100, whether you have healthy habits or not, you do stand to significantly lengthen your life expectancy by doing certain things -
"Earlier this year, researchers at the U.K.'s University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council reported that people who exercise regularly, don't smoke, limit their alcohol intake and eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day live, on average, 14 years longer than people who didn't."
It turns out there are some lucky people out there who can do whatever they want and get away with it. There is a Brazilian woman who is 106 and has been smoking for 91 years. Many of them had periods of obesity and none was a vegetarian.
[Of course, I don't think vegetarianism is healthy, as I tell many people. As an exercise, think of the people you know who are vegetarians. Are they robust, healthy people? Are they fit? Conversely, think of the really healthy, strong people you know. Do they eat meat?]
So, some people just have better genes than others and researchers are looking for ways to alter genes to increase longevity in humans. It's probably really easy to do.
The article does point out, however, that even if you're unlikely to make it to 100, whether you have healthy habits or not, you do stand to significantly lengthen your life expectancy by doing certain things -
"Earlier this year, researchers at the U.K.'s University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council reported that people who exercise regularly, don't smoke, limit their alcohol intake and eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day live, on average, 14 years longer than people who didn't."
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Man you keep eating those - you’re going to turn into a chicken...
There's an article in the last SparkPeople newsletter about the healthy choices you can make when dining at a fast food restaurant.
As I opened the email, I thought to myself "it's just going to be the grilled chicken menu items".
Uh, that's all it was. A list of grilled chicken sandwiches (hold the mayo!) and salads. If you don't get it from what you just read, feel free to spend more time learning this here.
As I opened the email, I thought to myself "it's just going to be the grilled chicken menu items".
Uh, that's all it was. A list of grilled chicken sandwiches (hold the mayo!) and salads. If you don't get it from what you just read, feel free to spend more time learning this here.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Everything in Moderation
Doctors are reticent when it comes to recommending that their patients consume alcohol regularly, worrying that it could lead to substance abuse. However, study after study shows that men should be drinking 2 alcoholic drinks per day and women should be drinking 1.
From those wicked smaht guys in Cambridge, Mass. -
"A study by Harvard University researchers suggests that... even among men who are models of health, moderate drinking was associated with a lower risk of heart attack. Those who had one-half to two drinks a day had the lowest heart attack risk -- 40 percent to 60 percent lower than healthy men who didn't drink. And that was true no matter whether they were drinking beer, wine or liquor."
"'These results tend to refute the oft-quoted hypothesis that lower coronary heart disease seen among moderate drinkers is due to their associated healthy lifestyle habits, and not to their alcohol consumption,' wrote Dr. R. Curtis Ellison, director of the Institute on Lifestyle and Health at Boston University School of Medicine, and co-author of a critique of the study." Read the article on MSN Health & Fitness.
From those wicked smaht guys in Cambridge, Mass. -
"A study by Harvard University researchers suggests that... even among men who are models of health, moderate drinking was associated with a lower risk of heart attack. Those who had one-half to two drinks a day had the lowest heart attack risk -- 40 percent to 60 percent lower than healthy men who didn't drink. And that was true no matter whether they were drinking beer, wine or liquor."
"'These results tend to refute the oft-quoted hypothesis that lower coronary heart disease seen among moderate drinkers is due to their associated healthy lifestyle habits, and not to their alcohol consumption,' wrote Dr. R. Curtis Ellison, director of the Institute on Lifestyle and Health at Boston University School of Medicine, and co-author of a critique of the study." Read the article on MSN Health & Fitness.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Money Can Buy Happiness (sort of)
"10 Secrets That Millionaires Keep"
"Concomitantly, rates of depression are lower among the wealthy, according to the Wharton study, and the rich tend to have better health than the rest of the population, says James Smith, senior labor economist at the Rand Corporation. In fact, health and happiness are as closely correlated as wealth and happiness, Smith says."
"Concomitantly, rates of depression are lower among the wealthy, according to the Wharton study, and the rich tend to have better health than the rest of the population, says James Smith, senior labor economist at the Rand Corporation. In fact, health and happiness are as closely correlated as wealth and happiness, Smith says."
"The wealthy even seem to smile and laugh more often, according to the Wharton study, to say nothing of getting treated with more respect and eating better food."
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