Process of Elimination
Yes, I went with the cheapest pun I possibly could. Now that I have your attention: have you looked at your poop lately?
Like your blood pressure and resting heart rate, the state of your poop can reveal a lot about your health. The frequency, texture, and volume of your bowel movements are worth noting, as are any changes to your elimination schedule.
Health and nutrition coaches love to talk about what you put into your body, but we mustn’t overlook what comes out. Chances are that you may already be familiar with the Bristol Stool Scale. Curious as to why all this crap matters? Click the link below for more on the subject:
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/poop-health
Wanna talk sh*t? Click the blue button!
Benefits of Boredom
In our US “hustle culture”, idleness is frowned upon. If we find ourselves with time on our hands, we immediately (and often subconsciously) try to fill it with something: busywork, streaming entertainment services, or just reaching for our phones to find distractions we can scroll through. We seem to have a low tolerance for boredom, and in American culture it’s almost a dirty word: the cry “I’m bored!” is one of despair and anguish. What on earth could be worse than an idle brain?
In other cultures, however, boredom has far less negative connotation. In fact, the state of being idle is considered its own activity, and its own reward. Scientists claim that allowing ourselves to be bored can awaken creativity.
Have you noticed you’re more “bored” now than you were pre-pandemic? Or is it the opposite? Let’s hear about it!
Tech Neck, Shoulder Slump, and Back Pain
(and a possible remedy)
One thing we all know for sure: we’ve been spending a lot more time on our devices in the past year. “Tech Neck” has been around long before lockdown, but as we’ve struggled to work from home, keep up with school, shop online and simply stay connected, all this screen time has taken a toll on our posture.
“Tech neck” is the name given to the forward head position that is caused by looking down at our phones, tablets and keyboards. It’s been known to cause headaches and neck pain. An even older term, “dowager’s hump”, has been used to describe the rounded upper spine that gives the appearance of poor upper back posture (known as “thoracic hyperkyphosis”) as well as contributing to back pain.
So what can you do?
Chiropractor Jasper Hulscher in Cambridge, England, demonstrates some easy exercises that can help alleviate discomfort and improve posture. I’ve been doing the YWTL routine for at least a week and a half, and it helps! Check it out!
YWTL exercises for rounded upper back:
Know someone who might benefit from this information? Feel free to share it!
That’s it for this week. Until we meet again in the digital realms, Be Well!