Members get a daily Covid-19 topic focused on Covid in Tennessee.
Supporters are part of a self-improvement sub-group where value is dispensed daily on personal growth in all aspects of life, informed by many sources. New members welcome!
For whatever reason, the Tennessee Dept of Health website does not yet show today's numbers.
I was thinking tonight about the difference between now and Spring of 2020. New York City was having terrible problems with Covid, deaths at home, in the streets, and in the hospitals. We didn't have any tools that we could prove made a difference. Businesses were closed. Churches were closed. Schools were closed. All gatherings were canceled. Many of us in healthcare were concerned that we would end up being overwhelmed and having to decide who gets our care.
Fast forward to today. Fifty-five percent of Americans have been vaccinated. Monoclonal antibodies are widely available for people who are high risk. There's no longer a debate among thoughtful people about the value of masks.
Our hospitals are overrun. Our recovery rooms are converted to hospital beds. Our nurses are occasionally being expected to care for more patients at a time than their standard of care normally allows. The wave of severe illness and death has crashed over us like we had feared would happen in the first wave.
But this time, we have some tools and we have three different and very effective vaccines that can keep nearly all recipients out of our hospitals., and especially out of our ICUs and morgues. And we have monoclonal antibodies that can make a big difference in disease severity when used early.
And yet we have 45% of Americans who have chosen to take their chances.
I love the principle of Liberty. I love it so much that I named my oldest daughter after it.
But a free society only remains free as long as its citizens take their responsibility as seriously as they take their freedoms. Currently, those who make the loudest noises about freedom are often the same ones that will expect us to pull out all the stops to help them survive (including using unproven and minimally-effective therapies) after they've refused vaccination.
And we will.
Because our job should never be to decide who deserves care.
But for those who flaunt your freedoms irresponsibly, know that your path is unsustainable. I personally resent your undermining of the very principle of Liberty in our great nation with your reckless dedication to your freedom while taking no responsibility for your outcomes. You're empowering those who wish to sit in power and tell us all how we must live, and that won't end well.
Stay healthy!
I'm on a weekend night call schedule this weekend, which always leaves me feeling under-rested and generally icky.
But I wanted to remind you that outdoor exercise without screens is really good for your mental health.
Go outdoors, preferably into the woods.
Get in tune with those surroundings, the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the movement of air and the varying temperatures as you walk.
We were made to be outdoors.
We were definitely not made to work in cubicles.
One Degree!
What you want from your body will dictate what you need to set as goals, and the goals will determine what you'll end up having to change to attain them.
I've spoken many times about systems being better than goals, and my position has not changed.
But goals are easier to discuss and to understand, so for this week, we'll be very specific about goals.
Do you want more muscle mass?
Do you want to be stronger?
Do you want to run faster?
Do you want to gain weight?
Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to improve general fitness?
Do you want longevity?
Do you want strong bones?
Do you want to earn a Black Belt?
Understanding the benefits and costs of each particular goal may help you decide what you want.
For example, if you want to compete in body-building competitions, you'll not be doing the same thing as if you were focused on longevity. Same with strength competitions.
But general fitness and longevity go fairly well together.
Running is great but will increase the likelihood of needing knee or hip ...
I'll make this one short and to the point.
Spring time change is hard on all of us. Having to get up an hour early doesn't make going to bed an hour earlier much easier.
Yes, it's nice to have more productive time in the evening.
But it's at the cost of forcing us out of be an hour earlier, as we all know.
Our challenge is to adjust our circadian rhythm to match the world's expectations around us.
My main strategy is supplementing with a dose of melatonin about a half hour before I need to be asleep. It helps most people fall asleep more readily.
If you need a nap during your day, take it between mid-morning and early afternoon. Limit it to 20 minutes.
Taking a longer or later nap may make it even harder to get off to sleep in time.
All of the other normal advice applies even moreso:
- Take a 20-minute walk after supper.
- No screen time for the last hour before bed.
- Listen to calm music after supper.
- Don't eat for 2 hours before bed.
- Don't have conflict-laden conversations ...
