If you read my column from last month, you know that I retired from being the Executive Editor of Northern Connection magazine and have now moved over to writing a senior-friendly column. Our new Executive Editor is Emily King, and I couldn’t have custom-designed a better replacement for me if I had that ability.
My husband retired a little over two years ago, and we often joke that we needed to retire to maintain our bodies. Fortunately, we are both quite healthy, outside of my having celiac disease and arthritis in my knee from a previous meniscus tear and knee surgery. My husband had a blood clot several years ago, so he tries to take care of himself as well.
I am always on the lookout for ways to improve my condition and watch many YouTube videos from various physicians and podcasters. Laura, our publisher, and I often discuss “biohacks,” tips and methods to improve your health and wellbeing. I think many of the things I’ve tried actually work. I credit the supplements I take for keeping me from being malnourished. Often people who have celiac disease have nutritional deficiencies, anemia, osteoporosis, and suffer significant weight loss. Thankfully, all my levels were normal, and I’m heavier than I’d like to be—so take that celiac! I still managed to be overweight with you.
I do many other things besides going to the gym to lift weights, do cardio, and take yoga such as using red light therapy, a massage gun, foam rollers and stick rollers, and ice packs. Perhaps one of the most difficult biohacks I’ve tried is cold plunges. I don’t have a plunge tank so all I can manage is standing in the shower under the cold water for 30 seconds. They say it is good for the metabolism and mental focus. Yes, you certainly can’t focus on anything else besides THIS IS TORTURE!
Much easier is grounding. The theory is that grounding provides a connection to the Earth's electrical charge, which is reputed to have a positive impact on our bodies, health, and mood. The best way is to walk barefoot outside. But that isn’t always possible in snowy, cold Pittsburgh. However, I did buy grounding sheets to sleep on, and they seem to make me sleep better.
As my intestinal track is under attack, I’ve recently read the Super Gut book by Dr. William Davis who believes the key to good health is the microbiome and all the bacteria in our gut. So now I’m make my own “yogurt” to increase the beneficial bacterial in my intestines.
I also bought a water filter after I heard one doctor posit that if you are not filtering your water, your body is doing it for you. It’s absorbing all the toxins and nasty stuff that’s in our tap water.
My husband’s hematologist told him how he has been taking a shot of olive oil before going to bed, and he thinks it has been beneficial. So now before we hit the grounding sheets, we down some “liquid gold” as they describe olive oil. Sometimes in the morning, I drink a blend of apple cider vinegar and electrolyte powder. I’m like a living salad dressing.
It’s not that I’m a health fanatic or want to live forever, it’s just that while I’m here, I’d like to not be in pain and be able to do the things I like. I used to like to run and walk, but that is now difficult with arthritis. But sometimes it seems like I’m fighting a losing battle.
Most of those things that my husband and I do take place at home and don’t involve other people. However, my newest improvement may be pushing it. Have you heard of minimalist shoes? They are designed to strengthen and realign your feet and mimic natural walking movement. For my birthday, I got a pair of Peluvas. I’m still getting used to them. On Easter, I had the family over to celebrate, and I donned my pair of Peluvas.
Ever the jokester, my brother said I looked like a Hobbit and asked me, “How everything was in the Shire?”
In that vein, it was Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, who said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
It seems in retirement much of that time given to is us spent doing body work.
This article originally appeared in the June issue of Northern Connection magazine.
