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!
A remarkable report, currently in preprint, entitled "Brain imaging before and after COVID-19 In UK Biobank," describes extensive gray matter changes after infection with Covid-19. They found a repeating pattern of loss in specific areas of the brain, starting with the areas connected with taste and smell, and extending to other parts of the brain. While it is limited in its usefulness, the report does support the idea that SARS-CoV2 infection can impact the brains of its victims in ways that can be quantifiably measured on imaging.
For more details:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.11.21258690v1
Buzzfeed posted an article a couple of days ago suggesting that the "delta" variant, responsible for so much illness and death in India, could surge dangerously in areas of the US where vaccination rates are low, such as the Deep South and rural areas.
Read it here:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/delta-variant-vaccination-covid-surges
While I agree that this could be the case, I hope that their pessimism is misguided.
And, at the same time, I continue to strongly support vaccination for adults, and especially for people at highest risk of severe Covid-19 disease.
As a reminder, most severe Covid-19 is contracted from family members or others living in the same home. This is probably because of a much higher viral exposure in homes, with long periods of time spent in close proximity and often with poor ventilation. And this is also where healthy people are more at risk for getting severe disease, for all of those reasons.
So do your own risk-benefit analysis if you have not already gotten SARS-CoV2 infection or vaccine. If you find that you are likely to get this sort of exposure, even if you're healthy, I think getting the vaccine is wise.
Our self-improvement group is continuing to grow. I'll copy a little of tonight's post below. To become part of my supporter community, become a supporter here on Locals.
"When we start to make changes in our lives, it will strain social contracts.
It is when you take ownership of your life, including your past and your future, and become intentional about becoming the person you wish to be that you get to see who is worth keeping around.
Let's say you have a pattern of meeting the guys at the club for drinks on a regular basis. Then you decide that your life would be better without alcohol. What do the guys think about that?
The ones that are going nowhere will likely either not take you seriously or try to get you to not make your intended change.
Others may see your courage and be inspired to do likewise.
I think it's self-evident which ones deserve a place in your life."
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 ...
