Epistle 26 – Milestones

Well, it’s done. I did it. Or was it done to me? I turned 65 today. A milestone . . . or is that millstone? All of my youth I was taught that if I worked hard and behaved myself, I would retire at 65 and get a gold watch. That was a lie. Or maybe it was the “behave myself” part. Anyway, where’s the watch?

Not only didn’t I get the watch, there is no retirement on the horizon either. That’s called The New Norm. What a crock. It’s a government conspiracy to make us old folks hang out at Wal-Mart and work cheap. Not that I have anything against Wal-Mart. I shop there myself and smile at the other New Normers when they welcome me. I do the same at Home Depot, but I draw the line at McDonald’s. The old folks’ shift is okay but I usually miss that and get the pimply teenagers that mumble at me in alien tongues.

I may sound angry but I’m really not. It’s true I’d like to strangle a New York banker and a politician once a day just to stay in shape, but I am thankful I can still work. I’ve always believed Social Security is neither social nor secure, and I’d be lucky if it bought me lunch once a month by the time I got it. In the meantime, I’m healthy enough to keep on working and watch our national leaders spend billions just arguing about how to take care of me when I get sick. Makes me sick just to watch them.

So here I am, celebrating my 65^th birthday in O’Hare airport, where I’ve spent most of my adult life, waiting for a cramped plane to jet me off on one more business trip. When I was a lad, I could look forward to a genteel flight with free steak dinners and wine (it’s true, I swear!), but, of course, that was back when airlines were regulated and actually made money. Now they’re losing their collective shirts and hiring old folks who work cheap. Curious, isn’t it?

Well, enough of the Boomer Blues. Today’s my birthday and cause for celebration, so I think I’ll end my day by counting my blessings. Like:

I’m not nearly as old as my brother.

My wife will soon be older than I am, thanks to Boomer’s Rules of Rounding.

I get a free coffee from Starbucks.

I still have one original equipment hip.

I am now old enough to be eccentric instead of just an ass.

Gold watches are too damn heavy anyway.

We Will Win

When people look at the nutritional content of foods, they tend to concentrate more on calories, protein, fats and vitamins. Most of the time, people forget to consider the dietary fiber content of foods. In recent studies, it was shown that in America alone, less than half of the population gets enough fiber in their diet.

Taking in enough fiber will greatly improve your natural health and well-being. Here are some facts that you have to know about dietary fiber

“What is it?”

Roughage or dietary fiber is the indigestible part of plants that travels through the digestive tract. In an overview, it helps the body absorb more water and improves elimination of wastes. It also helps in the absorption of nutrients and other chemicals.

There are 2 types of fiber. The soluble fiber is the one responsible for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Because of this, intake of enough soluble fiber will reduce your risk of developing heart diseases and stroke. Insoluble fiber increases bulk that your body needs to maintain the functions of your stomach and intestines. This type of fiber prevents you from experiencing constipation.

“What are the benefits of getting enough fiber in your diet?”

Bowel Movement and Integrity

Having enough fiber provides you with bulk. It helps you have well-formed and soft stool so wastes can pass easily. With this, you are sure not to have constipation. When you have diarrhea, adding fiber to your diet will help you absorb water and form bulky stools. It is also said that fiber can help relieve patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Having a high fiber diet also reduces your risk of developing hemorrhoids, diverticulosis and diverticulitis. Since fiber helps you pass stool easily. There is no need for straining during defecation. This is one of the ways fiber helps prevent these health conditions.

Regulates Blood Cholesterol Levels

Soluble fiber helps maintain an ideal cholesterol level by reducing the amount of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) in your body. LDL is also called as bad cholesterol. It has also been studied that fiber can also lower your blood pressure. Maintaining a good blood cholesterol level puts you at lesser risk of developing heart diseases.

Regulates Blood Sugar Levels

This is one of the reasons that most diabetic patients add fiber in their diet. Getting enough soluble fiber aids in the absorption of sugar in your body. It helps your body absorb sugar slowly so diabetics can avoid sudden peaks on their blood sugar level. Enough insoluble fiber in your body is also said to prevent development of type 2 diabetes.

Aids in Weight Loss

Eating foods with high-fiber content may require you to chew your food longer than you would any other type of food. Because of this, your body is given enough time to think that you are already full. This would lessen chances of over eating. A high- fiber meal will also lower down hunger cravings because fiber takes a longer time to be digested. You feel full longer when you eat food with high fiber content. Fibrous foods also have fewer amounts of calories in them. So no matter how much fiber you eat, you won’t have to worry about the number of calories you are taking in.

Fiber is also said to fight off carcinogenic agents, thus lowering your risk of getting certain types of cancer. If you want to improve your health the natural way, adding more fiber to your meals is a healthy idea.

With so many people taking interest in wheatgrass because of the many health benefits it gives, for most health-conscious individuals, wheatgrass juice is the way to go. If you are preparing on taking the natural path to a healthier you, then here are some things you may want to know to get you started in using wheatgrass juice.

What is wheatgrass?

Wheatgrass is the young grass of wheat plant that is dried or juiced. Because it has a high amount of Chlorophyll, it is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that wheatgrass has various curative and detoxifying functions.

Wheatgrass has continued to increase in popularity. You can easily purchase wheatgrass prepared in many various forms. Some bars and restaurants also included wheatgrass juice as part of their menu.

“What are the benefits of taking wheatgrass?”

Improves metabolism and cares for your heart

Wheatgrass is good for your heart as it  lowers down your blood pressure. It also makes your blood healthier by increasing the red blood cells in your blood. The properties of wheatgrass also reduce the acidity of your blood because wheatgrass is very rich in alkaline minerals. Taking wheatgrass will also help enhance your thyroid functions. It is also said that wheatgrass is effective in treating gastrointestinal diseases like constipation, diarrhea, peptic ulcers and ulcerative colitis.

detoxifying agent

Because of the presence of minerals and antioxidants, wheatgrass is a very effective detoxifying agent. It also fights off and gets rid of harmful chemicals and other substances that may develop into various types of cancers and other illnesses. Wheatgrass makes your blood healthy and cleanses the liver effectively. Using this to treat tumors and toxins helps patient recover from their illnesses without the harmful side effects of synthetic drugs.

Slows down the aging process

Aging is part of an individual’s normal growth and development but it doesn’t mean that your health should be affected by aging. Taking wheatgrass puts aging on a different level. It does not only slows down the process, but it makes you age healthily by cleansing your body off harmful toxins and keeping your cells healthy.

Aids individuals to lose weight

Wheatgrass has fat-burning properties. It also suppresses your appetite. Losing weight doesn’t have to mean taking those weight-loss pills or undergoing surgery. A regular dose of wheatgrass will do wonders to your body.

Preparations

The popularity of wheatgrass resulted to it being available in various forms. Now, you can take wheatgrass in powdered juice, tablets or through juice shots.

Some people also decide to grow wheatgrass in their homes so they can always have it easily available to them. Whatever preparations you prefer, the important thing is to be able to have your regular intake of wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass juice is prepared like any other type of juice. Add water and enjoy. You can also add some ice. Juice shots are also available in the market. A 5ml shot is equal to a tablet of wheatgrass. Wheatgrass tablets are taken twice daily.

Wheatgrass has many healthy benefits for you. Take a dose of wheatgrass everyday and start your journey to a healthier you.

Epistle 26 – Computers

Maybe they’re just a fad. Computers, I mean. That’s what I thought when I first met one in college. It was a big, hulking monster that you timidly fed punch cards in hopes of some grand pronouncement from the Beast, or at least a passing grade. It was like a carnival fortune-telling machine, only less reliable and without a raven-haired gypsy painted on the front.

I was in quest of a regression, correlation, rectal analysis, or something geeky like that, and had carefully filled in my stack of data cards with just the right information. That part took weeks and there was a foreboding sense the slightest blemish in the wrong place, like a beer stain, for instance, would strip the gears of the ravenous Beast and bring it grinding to a halt. At least I hoped so.

Alas, it was not to be. A week later I anxiously reported to the computer lab (an apt description for a room that compared favorably with Dr. Frankenstein’s lab) to learn that the Beast had gone tilt. The inference was that my stack of punch cards contained an evil message. Something erotic, I hope.

As it turned out, the Beast ate a lot of punch cards, producing only indigestion among the student body; the project was cancelled; and I concluded that if I ever needed a computer in my life, I would have to hire a geek. And then someone steeped in the occult invented the personal computer, and life as we knew it was forever altered, mostly for the worse. I now am the proud owner of four computers plus a cell phone that nags me with email messages anywhere on earth. Furthermore, none of them will play well together.

I’ve heard rumors that they sometimes cooperate on networks, but you couldn’t prove it by me. I’ve spent a small fortune trying to achieve some sense of teamwork, but they all treat me like a goof, running from one to another with a little stick of information that I plug in the side just so I can repeat everything I’ve done on all the others. Sometimes, even the little stick refuses to help and sends me an evil message, just like it’s ancestors, the punch cards.

I’m sure that I am somehow complicit in all this lunacy. Most of the human race says it’s because I use Macs (plus a blueberry or a gooseberry or whatever), which cost a lot more but are really cool. Well, maybe so, but I think it’s just one more major social trend with which I am woefully out of step, in typical Boomer fashion.

Hmm . . . maybe I can bring harmony to my private cyberspace if I cram this old-fashioned 3×5 card into this slot . . .

We Will Win

Have you ever heard someone say “You are what you eat.” Well what about what you drink?

With so many new energy drinks, wellness drinks, some new juice promising to be the fountain of youth. Do you really know what you’re putting in your body?

It’s so easy to be overwhelmed with all the different marketing ads peddling and pushing the latest drink products that sometimes, it’s just best to get back to the basics.

If you were to look at a world map or globe, you would be able to quickly identify that our world consists of mostly water. To be more precise, the worlds surface is consumed by more than 70%.

That’s for a reason. Water itself is the basis for all life on this world INCLUDING you body. Our bodies need to be able to replenish the water it uses on a daily basis. As Adam Sandler in the “Water Boy” would say, “We need some high quality H2O.”

Simply put it this way if you’re feeling a bit sluggish or suddenly feel a craving for something to drink, that may be your body telling you that its water supply is low. Grab yourself a tall glass of water, enjoy it and see how you feel.

Resist the urge to grab your favorite fountain drinks and carbonated drinks.

Here are some facts:

Your muscles are 75% water

Your lungs are 90% water

Your bones are 25% water.

Your blood that transport nutrients is 82% water

Your brain that is the nerve center of your body is 76% water

As Baby Boomers, our health is not only dependent on quality of food that we eat, but also on the quantity of the water we drink. Make drinking enough natural water a habit in your life and in a short period of time you will begin to notice the benefits of it. I don’t think that any of us need some big marketing companies’ ad to tell us the importance of drinking water since it should be natural for us to do.