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Editor's note: Today, we're continuing an annual DailyWealth tradition: Every year, our colleague Dr. David Eifrig gathers simple ideas for improving your health. And every year, it's one of the most popular things we publish. We gave you a handful of Doc's tips on Friday. Read on for his top strategies for a healthy new year...
The Most Important List You'll Read All Year, Part IIBy
Monday, January 6, 2014
As I mentioned on Friday, I spend all year thinking about simple ways to live a healthier, happier life.
It's not as drastic – and it doesn't take as much work – as you might think. I'm not suggesting you start running marathons or drinking kale smoothies. Though even if you start doing just one of these things this year, I'm confident it will improve your life.
On Friday, I shared six of my top 13 health tips. Today, we'll cover the rest of the list...
7. Don't share utensils and glasses – Eating and drinking from other people's utensils and glasses is one of the quickest ways to get a cold. And not just colds... it can result in cold sores. Known as the "herpes simplex virus type 1," cold sores are the painful blisters you get around your mouth and nose. They last for about a week and can lead to cold or flu-like symptoms.
That's why I tell people every year to stop sharing utensils. I'll admit, years ago, I was a regular offender of this rule. Sharing a meal with friends or family would always lead to food sampling... whether we passed plates around or just took food from one another. I'd also share glasses of wine with friends, to let them sample whatever wine I happened to be enjoying. During the winters I shared utensils, I'd suffer multiple colds.
Once I stopped, I had only a handful of colds during the winter. Now when I feel the need to let someone try food or drink, I use clean utensils and glasses.
6. Eating green vegetables – A new addition to this year's list. While the health importance of eating plenty of leafy green vegetables is well-documented, many people still don't eat enough. Americans eat less than two servings of vegetables per day. In several states, including North Dakota and Mississippi, the average person eats less than 1.5 servings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends eating at least two and a half cups of vegetables per day (or about three servings).
As far as health benefits go, leafy green vegetables – the scientific term is "cruciferous" – are king. Vegetables like spinach and kale contain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin B-12, folate, and iron. Dark leafy vegetables are also a good source of the antioxidant lutein. Lutein helps protect your eyes from sunlight damage, maintaining your vision. A new study from Harvard found lutein reduces the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
In addition to eating other vegetables, I like to eat at least one serving of cruciferous vegetables per day (about two cups). I try to eat a salad during the day – either at lunch with some soup or as a side with dinner. My assistant Laura adds two cups of spinach to her breakfast smoothie. She tells me she can't taste the spinach when she combines it with strong-tasting fruits, like pineapple.
5. Massage – It's an ancient way to reduce stress and relieve pain. Several studies have proved massage relieves depression and anxiety, improving mental health. One study published in the journal Applied Nursing Research found back massages help chemotherapy patients combat anxiety and fatigue.
There are several different types of massage, each with their own benefits. A Swedish massage is great for relaxation and reenergizing yourself. This is when a masseuse uses long flowing strokes to improve blood and lymph flow. (The lymph system is the thick infection-fighting fluids that travel in their own "tubes" alongside the blood vessels.) I get several Swedish massages a year.
I've also done regular Thai yoga massage. During a Thai yoga massage, the masseuse will move you into several different yoga positions to help stretch you while you receive massage strokes. This is a great massage if your muscles are sore or tight. It's also a great stress reliever.
If you can afford it, I recommend getting a professional massage as often as once per month. A masseuse can suggest the right massage for what ails you. If you can't afford a massage, even something as simple as trading hand or foot rubs with your partner has similar benefits.
4. Sunlight – You can stave off the "winter blues" by spending time in the sun. The reason people feel depressed in the winter – known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – is mostly due to a lack of sunlight. Many of us leave for work in the morning when it's dark and come home in the evening after sundown. This wreaks havoc on mental health.
Sunlight benefits our health by triggering our bodies to produce vitamin D isomers (different versions of the basic chemical). Studies show having adequate amounts of vitamin D reduces the risk of Alzheimer's, lessens symptoms of mild depression, and helps our bodies regulate calcium absorption, which keeps our bones strong.
Simply exposing your skin to sunlight for 20 minutes or so a day can be enough to fight winter depression. I try to take a walk or two during the day when I'm at my office in Baltimore... even if it's just to go get lunch. I also keep the shutters on my windows open to let in as much light as possible while I sit at my desk.
3. Meditation – What I paradoxically consider the "No. 1 exercise in the world." For thousands of years, various cultures have used meditation as a way of focusing the mind and healing the body. Scientific research continues to prove the health benefits of regular meditation. Like exercise, meditation reduces stress, improves brain function, and lowers the risk of depression.
A new study from a group of researchers in the U.S., Spain, and France found meditation suppresses genes that trigger inflammation. (Inflammation is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.) The type of meditation used in the study – called "mindfulness meditation" – involves focusing on something in the present while you meditate.
Meditating is simple and it only takes 10-12 minutes a day. You can sit in a chair or lie in bed, relaxing your body while you concentrate on taking deep breaths. That's it. You can let your mind wander as it chooses, as long as you keep breathing steadily and deeply. I make sure to meditate when I'm feeling stressed or tired.
2. Sleep – It was No. 1 on my list for years. More than a third of Americans are chronically sleep deprived. Chronic sleep deprivation impairs memory, alertness, and concentration, and it leads to serious injury – driving while tired causes more than 100,000 accidents a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Getting around eight hours of sleep a night helps reduce stress, makes you three times less likely to catch a cold, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and reduces your risk of diseases like cancer and diabetes.
The key is setting yourself up for a good night's sleep. Keep your room dark, quiet, and cool. Get rid of electronics by your head and bed. And make sleep a routine. Go to bed at the same time each night. This helps your body know when to wind itself down. And when possible, avoid using an alarm clock to wake you up. Our bodies naturally wake us up when we've had enough sleep. This will leave you feeling better rested and more awake throughout the day. Try it this weekend.
1. Movement – This gets the top spot this year. Movement offers dozens of benefits, more than just keeping you at a healthy weight. Regular exercise reduces stress, releases endorphins, improves brain function, and improves cardiovascular health. A new study published in Frontiers in Human Nature shows exercise even boosts creativity.
And here's the GREAT news... you don't have to engage in strenuous exercise... Light exercise (walking is my favorite) for about 20 to 30 minutes a day gives you nearly all the benefits, while avoiding injuries like muscle strains and joint pain. And it's never too late to get started. Even people who start exercising later in life lower the rate of senior dangers, such as falling and osteoporosis.
So don't make excuses about exercising this year. One of the most popular excuses is being too tired. If you're tired, go for a walk. You'll see an improvement in your energy. And you'll do this better...
These tips are the best ways to get started living a healthier life. As I said before, please start using these tips immediately. But just try one (or two) at a time. After a few months, you'll have built them into your life as regular habits.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig
Further Reading:
Doc just published a "field manual" that prepares you and your family for any disaster. This excerpt, How to Survive a Plane Crash, was one of our most popular DailyWealth essays. "Most people are conditioned to think plane crashes kill everyone onboard," Doc writes. But "the facts say otherwise..."
Readers also rave about Doc's advice for guarding against government or criminal intrusion. In this essay, learn how to protect yourself from a big privacy risk that could cost you your job.
Market NotesNEW HIGHS OF NOTE LAST WEEK
iShares Germany Fund (EWG)... German stocks
iShares France Fund (EWQ)… French stocks
iShares Spain Fund (EWP)... Spanish stocks
Aflac (AFL)… insurance
Google (GOOG)… search engine
Blackstone Group (BX)... private equity
E*Trade (ETFC)… brokerage firm
Charles Schwab (SCHW)… brokerage firm
Bank of America (BAC)… bank
JPMorgan Chase (JPM)... investment bank
Goldman Sachs (GS)… investment bank
American Express (AXP)… credit cards
Discover Financial Services (DFS)… credit cards
Visa (V)… credit cards
Wynn Resorts (WYNN)... casinos
MGM Resorts (MGM)… casinos
Wyndham Worldwide (WYN)… hotels
General Electric (GE)... conglomerate
Home Depot (HD)… home improvement
FedEx (FDX)… shipping
United Parcel Service (UPS)… shipping
Union Pacific (UNP)... railroads
BP (BP)… Big Oil
Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI)... natural gas infrastructure
Steel Dynamics (STLD)... steel company
U.S. Steel (X)… steel company
Alcoa (AA)… aluminum miner
NEW LOWS OF NOTE LAST WEEK
CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY)... Japanese yen
Hatteras Financial (HTS)… mortgage REIT
Paramount Gold & Silver (PZG)... gold stock
Kinross Gold (KGC)… gold stock
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