Again, the Tennessee Department of Health has not produced numbers. Really, with as low as numbers have been proportional to the population of our state, it may be time to stop putting much energy into the numbers.
With the vaccine rollout, we've seen various rare side-effects getting a lot of media attention. What we haven't seen is the media taking the time to put the statistics into perspective.
The latest unusual event associated with vaccine administration is myocarditis occurring mostly in males under age 50. I tried to find a reference showing how many Pfizer and Moderna doses have been administered to date, with no success. However, over 300,000,000 doses of vaccine have been given.
So far, 226 people have been identified as having myocarditis, an inflammation of the muscle of the heart, after receiving an mRNA vaccine dose. I think the math shows that this is not something that happens very often.
Out of the 226 people, all but 41 have fully recovered.
So, while I certainly don't want anyone getting a case of myocarditis or any side effect, this is, predictably, being overblown in the media.
I hope your gardens are thriving at this point. We're trying to keep our chickens out of ours.
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: