Many of us have seen great health benefits to losing weight (my BP went from 140/90 to 125/65 <my systolic will always be on the high side>, I have more energy etc). There are other healthy habits that will help us achieve optimum health as well.

One area I am still working on is making sure I slap on sunscreen everytime I go outside (still not as good as I should be). I also learned yesterday after volunteering at a golf tournament and being outside for 7 hours that you have to make sure it's on every inch on exposed skin (I missed a few places and now I have cleavage burn ) and some uneven places on my hands and arms.

I am also a speed demon on the road and I am trying to slow down a bit.

I did try and cut down on caffiene earlier this year and that didn't work

I am also trying to floss everyday to keep my great teeth and gums healthy.

So my question of the day, weekend, millenium or whatever is, what other healthy habits have you incorporated into your lifestyle in recent years asides from healthy eating and exercising?

Cheers!

Ali

I've decided to get out of construction/real estate so I don't have to breathe in all those chemicals. God knows I've probably got plenty of asbestos in my lungs, lead, chromium, cadmium, various nasty hydrocarbons, etc. I made a pile, but it's a nasty way to do it.

Getting out of construction reduced my stress levels by 200%. Bossing some of those knuckleheads around is more than a full time job. "Herding cats" isn't even in it.

I've also moved to a relatively unpolluted area, away from the city. And the air is much cleaner in Oregon than in the San Francisco Bay Area, anyway.

I quit smoking years ago. No-brainer on that.

Fewer migraines. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, maybe diet, less stress, or some combination. But I'll take it.

Now if I could just get myself to the dentist to get this gum disease thing worked on. I just hate sitting in that chair and being attacked by small whizzing machines. It triggers the "flight or fight" response bigtime. It's all I can do to keep from decking the poor dentist there and then. Snarl.

cleavage burn??? who knew this could be possible??

aS for me.. one healthy thing i've been workiing on is my feet. exfoliating, moisturizing. regular pedicures. because i've managed to lose all lymphatic function in the left calf [a very nasty infection] i have to wear compression stockings all the time, some of you ladies may remember these 'joyous' things from pregnancy days.

if i don't take care of my feet, i get infections. and i can't clear them without antibiotics. and sometimes even a hospital stay!!!!! yuck. soooo out comes the scrubbies and moisturizers and everything!!

Jack: Pretty much yes, I guess I am asking the whole caboodle on a healthy lifestyle.. Sure eating right and exercise are huge parts of it, but there are other things too that can help extend our lives... Not smoking, not drinking much, not driving too fast, wearing sunscreen, sleeping 7-8 hours (another one I need to work on) etc.... Wow, you walk you pooch on top of all that exercise? I am pretty sure you must get your 10000steps in daily good for you (and your dog must love it). I am trying to convince the spouse that we should get a dog, he wants to wait though.

Jiffy: yup, it's something I take forgranted, I know I should take better care of my feet... I love a pedicure once in a while, but I should be looking after them better. I struggle with chronic eczema on my hands (I hate it!!!), my hands look much older than their 26 years due to it. Everytime it goes (through cortisone) it comes back with a vengence, but I do have to be careful since the open sores that sometimes happen could lead to really nasty infections. About the cleavage burn, the worst part is I barely have any cleavage, I am an a-cup, but anyway.....

Seek: I have good teeth, but my gums aren't at their greatest so I have to be diligent and everything.

Cheers!

Ali

Without a doubt, sleep is the biggest healthy habit I still need to work on. Everything I read says that lack of sleep will keep you from burning fat and I try to tell myself that when I wake up too early (my problem).

This is a great topic, Ali, because I think that we start wanting to take care of all aspects of our bodies when we lose weight. I — maybe others? — just kind of inhabited my body but didn’t really feel attached to it and didn’t think it was worthy of much care when I was heavy. Now I like doing all the “girlie stuff” (was that you, Jiff, who came up with that phrase? ) and I want to do all the things to keep it healthy and functional. My goal is to be doing squats and pushups when I’m 95, so I better keep the old body in the best shape possible.

One thing that I’m really diligent now is checking my TSH levels every six months to make sure my thyroid medication is the right dose since too much or too little is really going to impact maintenance (I’m hypothyroid).

Seek — you should talk to Karen about dentists! She’s got the same phobia that you do and she deals with it with a combination of Valium and listening to music through headphones.

Jiff — I wear compression pantyhose almost all the time, especially when working out, along with my spandex garment from the PS (oops, now Jack knows all my secrets ). Lovely stuff, eh? but it does the trick (I had bad varicose veins and still have circulatory problems).

Count me in on the “I love pedicures” club! What about you, Jack?

Meg: either that or I tie the dentist to his chair, and shove the drill up HIS bicuspid for a change! Let's see how YOU like it, Mr. Minty-Fresh-Did-We-Floss-Today!!!

Hmmm...I spend a lot of time at the computer and the gym

Seriously, I am much more aware of my overall health, and much more my own advocate rather than just showing up for an annual gyno visit. I wish my sleep habits were better, but that's a function of my fibromyalgia. I no longer just blindly believe my doctors, because I've discovered I know as much and am willing to do more research than they are, about my condition.

I also am much more aware of my family's health, much to my children's dismay. If chocolate cake is bad for me, it's bad for them too, except on special occaisions.

I always fall asleep at the dentist, Seek. It's kind of sad that going to the dentist is the most relaxing thing that I do. Of course, I've never had major work done. That might change my atttitude big-time.

Mel

Why do I have the song "Son, Be A Dentist" going through my head now? Remember Little Shop of Horrors? With Bill Murray as the patient (he wants a "long, slow root canal" ) and Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist?

I have to say I fall somewhere between Mel and Seek in my reaction to the dentist.

Do I want to ask what "Hockey Toes" are?

When my dentist was cleaning my teeth last month the song 'First cut is the deepest' was on the radio and my dentist was SINGING along to it.... not the most comforting song for that situation

Guessing from the smell that emanates from dh's hockey equipment, hockey toes generally don't smell to good either. We have a locked room where the hockey equipment ferments between games

Mel

Jack -- What a great man you are to do the dishes and laundry for your wife!! My hubby does the same and I love him for it!! But I feel guilt when he does it, I guess it's because we wimin folk think it's our job!!?? But keep doin' it, we'll get over it in time, It shouldn't take too long...:hehehe:.......

It's funny, I realized I have resorted back to an old habit I managed to kick about 5 years ago and that's watching TV! My spouse watches a lot and slowly but slowly but surely now so do I, so I am going to try to find something else to do every night asides from watching the tube. No wonder why my energy feels so gone (I also keep forgetting to take my iron which definitely make things worse).

Jack: that's awesome.... I like my sink clean too... luckily my spouse is doing more than he was before... I have a huge mountain of laundry to fold though.

Illene: Don't feel guilt! Enjoy

Cheers!

Ali