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!
Great Britain has abolished all mask mandates as of next Thursday, January 26, along with mandatory vaccine passports, and recommendations to work from home.
The UK is joining a growing number of nations transitioning into living "with the virus."
What does living with Covid look like here in the US?
For one thing, we have to build out surge capacity in our medical systems to accommodate spikes in cases.
We will also need those cheap at-home tests to be fully available, and Paxlovid will need to be affordable even after the "free" period that we're in now ends.
PPE should be American-made, so that we don't have another fiasco like we had in early 2020, where our foreign suppliers decided to keep their products for their own use.
Nursing needs to be overhauled to make it easier for the caring professions to care, and not simply create charts with breaks to pass out meds. (No, I do not actually believe that this is how it works, but I do know that it's how it feels to the nurses.)
(I have a few thoughts on making it less miserable to work as a physician, too, but that's not really central here.)
We will have to give up on the herd immunity model with this virus, as it's proven thoroughly that this isn't a thing, in my opinion. Herd immunity requires that we not be able to catch a virus multiple times.
Viruses will do what they do.
We can't take down our economy again because of one.
It's time to learn our lessons and move on.
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 ...
