| These Bad Habits Might Just Be Good | Toronto Star Body & Soul - 01/26/01 | |
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It's pretty pathetic I agree, pulling a muscle while blow-drying one's hair. Seems I can't even complete my coiffure calisthenics without injuring myself.
That pain between my shoulder blades led me to sit (gingerly) and reflect upon my aging body as well as the rest of my life. This being the advent of a new year, technically a new millennium, you'd think that after such reflection I'd seize the opportunity to whip my body, and life, into shape. Think again dear reader; my muscles go into spasm just contemplating such strenuous exercise. But lest you think me a totally lazy lout, let me point out that I do spend unfathomable amounts of energy being a wife, mother and writer. And when you concentrate all your energy on those things, something else has to give. Thus the derelict body and other life style choices of which some would not approve. But, this New Year, rather than succumb to the temptation of making a raft of silly, unfulfillable resolutions, I offer up instead reams of hard scientific data that defends my practices and habits, proving that they are not only correct, but actually good for my body and soul. DUST TO DUST: I am no slave to housework and rightly so, since it was reported in the esteemed medical journal The Lancet that too-clean an environment promotes allergies. Researchers went so far as to suggest exposure to house dust may actually protect children against developing allergies. If this is in fact true my kids will never sneeze again. Who knew that drawing pretty patterns on the dusty T.V. screen could actually be good for their health? IN HOT WATER: My long luxurious soaks in our warm bubbly hot tub were justified last year when a Japanese study reported warm-water bathing does a heart good. Seems hydrotherapy, as I like to call it, dilates blood vessels and thus allows more blood to get to the heart, relieves fatigue and reduces leg pain. I knew it; how could a thing that feels this good, be bad? Does this mean I can write off the expense under medical? ONE IS NOT A LONELY NUMBER: As a freelance writer I toil for hours in my office in bowels of the basement with no human contact whatsoever. Contrary to what some may think, this is not anti-social behaviour, rather a shrewd medical move. Apparently, being penned in together with countless co-workers in noisy, crowded office environment dampens motivation, and more importantly, increases one's level of a certain stress hormone, which is linked to the development of heart disease. So say the esteemed researchers at Cornell University. Technically though I am not home alone, for I have 65 pounds of energetic, tail-wagging Labrador retriever to keep me company. While the snoring hound at my feet may not seem like a prescription for mental health, pets apparently do possess the power to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as decrease stress. (Our cantankerous cockatiel on the other hand, does not count as a helpful, healthful companion. Anything that bites the hand that feeds him cannot be considered a stress-reducer.) May I point out too, that the contribution of both bird dander and continually shedding dog hair do aid in the aforementioned dust-equals-allergy-protection thing. ONE MEAN BEAN: Try as I might I could find no scientific evidence to support the theory that a diet consisting solely of junk food is a good thing. However, coffee, that high-octane life-sustaining elixir has recently been given the medical okay. From Harvard to Johns Hopkins, learned doctors have concluded that folks who, as I do, drink the Canadian average of 3 cups a day, have a 40% lower risk of gallstones, are less likely to commit suicide, and may see their risk of colorectal cancer drop by a whopping 24%. WRITING'S RIGHT: Being a wordsmith has it's medical advantages. Here too research backs me up. Scientific investigators discovered the simple act of writing down thoughts and feeling about particularly stressful events can help persons with chronic conditions improve their health. Since my body/attitude is considered by some to be "in chronic condition", it only makes sense that I, in the interest of my health, continue to write. That I get paid (granted sometimes paltry sums) for carrying out this life-affirming exercise is of course an added bonus. So there you have it,---hard scientific proof that I am justified in continuing along per usual. I am in command of my life and will continue to enjoy it, secure in the knowledge that all that I do is in the name of good health. And, as one recent psychological study reports, feeling in control of your life can actually prolong your life. |
