Let’s Start At The Very Beginning, A Very Good Place To Start.
Aaand we’re back! A healthy reset starts with one deep breath.
ALL ABOUT THAT BASE
So while we’re not in the habit of making resolutions around here, January is certainly a good time to try a reset, encourage new habits, start fresh, etc. But what is improvement without a baseline to begin from? Here's a comprehensive, if sobering test to determine your fitness level for your age, which might help you set some achievable goals for the near or distant future. ("Comprehensive" with an asterisk, as I cannot do a single full-plank push-up, which is hopefully not indicative of my overall health, but speaking of goals…let’s check back on that in spring).
WOW.
Speaking of sobering (it’s Dry January after all), this stunning piece by writer Tom Scocca on his nightmarish saga of a health journey is a must-read for anyone who has either witnessed or experienced firsthand a medical mystery that went unsolved, which I’d venture to guess is most of us. The fact that he writes for a living only enhances the already gripping and disturbing story. “The able and the disabled aren’t two different kinds of people but the same people at different times.” And the comments section is a study in empathy, community and quackery all at once. Please read, share and file under No Day But Today.
HERE’S A TIP, MAKE THE CHANGE
2023 was declared the year of breathing through our noses. Though (humble brag warning), 2020 was the year I had the privilege of interviewing James Nestor, who quite literally wrote the book on how to breathe. If you’re late or very late to the dance on the research that shows that mouth-breathing is associated with a host of health concerns ranging from sleep apnea to low blood oxygen to changing the shape of your face, then now’s the time to shut your piehole and start smelling the roses, which might actually be the healthiest resolution of all.
Be well, and also have fun,
xo
Erica
