Lifestyle Choices

Life, the biological chain that holds our parts together, is only as strong as its weakest vital link..

You are as young or as old as your smallest vital links—the cells. The aging begins when your normal process of cell regeneration and rebuilding slows down. This slowdown is caused mainly by the accumulation of waste products in the tissues, which interferes with the nourishment of the cells. Each living cell is a complete living entity with its own metabolism. It needs a constant supply of oxygen and sufficient nourishment. (more…)

Why do you want to reduce? Probably for two reasons. You are not happy over what you see when you look into the mirror, and you don’t like what your friends are saying. But do not be in too much of a hurry to get those pounds off. This is where you might have failed before. It is usually better to reduce more slowly. It is not a temporary low calorie diet that you need, but rather an entirely new pattern of living.

Most likely you will not need to make any drastic changes in your diet. Just be sure it is well balanced. Begin by taking smaller amounts of foods you usually eat. Don’t cut out any single item except, perhaps, those rich desserts that you don’t really need. But remember, some foods high in calories may also be necessary to maintain good health.

Potatoes and whole-grain cereals are excellent foods. They should remain in your diet. Just be careful about the amount of food that you take. Omit those that are especially high in fats and carbohydrates. It is so easy to take more than you actually want. Watch this carefully. (more…)

Rain and snow are the original sources of all our drinking water. Raindrops are formed from the heavy vapor that arises from the sea. As the clouds pass over the land, they condense into drops of rain or flakes of snow. We are all familiar with the fact that a rainstorm clears the air, washing it clean and free from dust and smoke.

Raindrops are usually free from germs, although they may contain a little dust and perhaps a few harmless microbes. Trouble starts when the raindrops strike the surface of the earth. The rain that collects on cultivated fields, farmyards, and city streets may contain many different kinds of germs, some of which are harmful to man. Many of these germs found on the ground have come from the digestive organs of animals and human beings. These are the bacteria that often cause serious intestinal diseases.

But the trouble is not always with water that falls onto the ground. People who use tanks and cisterns must also be careful. Roof water may be almost as badly contaminated with germs that have found their way there by dust blowing up from the street. There is also the problem of germs from the droppings of birds. Tank or cistern water should always be boiled or sterilized. (more…)

It is equally important that every home be provided with adequate facilities for the proper disposal of wastes. Those who live in large cities usually have this provided for them unless some emergency intervenes. But people who live in more isolated areas may have to provide their own facilities. How they handle this problem may determine in a large measure the kind of health they and their families will enjoy.

Proper sanitary disposal of body wastes is one of the first laws of health. Wherever human beings live, there are flies. And flies flourish on waste materials. They often carry dangerous germs and bring misery into many homes because of the diseases they continually spread around.

In large modern cities there are usually adequate facilities to meet these needs. In villages and smaller towns, whatever system is available may be woefully inadequate. People living on farms and those who own mountain cabins and beach cottages are often in need of advice as to how to meet these particular needs. The same is true on campgrounds and other places where people may stay for a few days or weeks at a time. Usually, the more isolated the area, the greater the need. (more…)

Living in a large city is not always safe. Wherever large numbers of people are gathered together, there is always some risk of infection. During an epidemic it is easy for disease to spread quickly from one person to another. The more dense the population, the greater the danger.

Out in the country the risk of infection may be somewhat less. The protective forces of nature often help to prevent disease. Many germs are destroyed by the heat of the sun and by the drying effects of the wind. The cold days of winter may also help to eliminate some harmful bacteria. But a few germs may still be there after the snow has melted. This is more apt to be true where the winters are short and relatively mild. (more…)

Lack of stimulation in life, with day following day in endless repetition, eventually leads towards apathy, a feeling of pointlessness and, ultimately, a desire to give up. A boring job or a boring home environment often lead to a feeling of hopelessness. On top of this, loneliness may create despair. Although it can be tempting to stick to the security of a well-known path, endlessly retreading that path creates a rut; the rut can sometimes become so deep you can no longer see over the edges or believe you can get out of it.

Loneliness

For those who live with others but with little real contact, life can also become very meaningless. You may not be aware of being lonely and yet somehow you do not feel emotionally fed by those around you, so that you feel a sense of dissatisfaction and emptiness which may be with you most of the time. Others seem distant, or else they do not seem to really understand, or perhaps you feel they do not like you. The causes of this problem can lie either with you or with them. You may be a person who has difficulty making warm human contact, in which case you feel somewhat alone in any situation. Perhaps the person or people you live with are different from you and, through no fault of their own, relate to you on a level that simply does not satisfy you. (more…)

The most debilitating effect of unemployment and retirementcan be the feeling of uselessness. Such a feeling may prevent you getting another job and render you of less use than you need to be. If you feel like this, consider the following:

Do something useful. It does not matter how small it is. Choose a small, though useful task, such as putting the children to bed, cleaning something or repairing something in the house or garden. Any completed task will give you a better feeling about yourself (see Reasons for living, overleaf).

If you are unemployed, remember that an attitude of despondency will stop you getting another job. If you feel despondent when you go to a job interview, act. Muster all the enthusiasm you can, practise it on friends and act eager and interested at the interview. It quite often happens that the initial pretence breaks through a barrier to your genuine enthusiasm. Do as much research as possible on the job you are applying for and gather every bit of available information on potential jobs. Consider doing jobs that you would not normally consider, just to get yourself started and to regain some self-respect. (more…)

Loneliness is probably the biggest single cause of depression. It is usually possible to prevent it. If you live alone and are lonely, you may be too depressedeven to consider living with somebody else. Perhaps it ishelpful to remember that there are many other lonely peoplein the world, longing for company. Maybe there is someoneyou know who might be interested in sharing with you, evenif, in your depressed state, you cannot imagine that anybodycould be. To ask requires the risk of rejection. If there isnobody you know, you can advertise. There are many peoplewho have changed their lives by contacting a dating agency orby simply advertising to share a flat or a house. Everydaycontact with another human being is nearly always worth anyloss of pride it might cause you to ask or advertise, and is alsoworth some loss of privacy. How much privacy you lose is tosome extent up to you — you might, for instance, prefer not toshare a living room or prefer to live in adjacent flats. (more…)