Welcome to Straight Talk on Health. I’m your host Dr. Chet Zelasko. Straight Talk on Health is a joint production with WGVU in Grand Rapids MI. I examine the practical application of health information. Nutrition. Exercise. Diet. Supplementation. I look at the science behind them, and let you know whether it’s something to consider or not. You can check out other things that I do on my website Drchet.com and sign up for my free emails.
If you've ever heard actors talk about doing scenes, whether in a play, a television program, or a movie, they always seem to ask “What's my motivation for this scene?” or in interviews after the fact saying “This was my motivation for doing the performance this specific way.” So it got me to thinking. What's my motivation for trying to attain good health? More than that, what’s your motivation for trying to be as healthy as you can?
For me, every time that I hear my grandson talk, especially when he doesn't know that I'm listening like when I was writing this script, I know there's a lot I still have to teach him—and some days it seems like I couldn’t live long enough to get it done. But that's part of my motivation for taking care of my health. Spending time with my wife Paula and being able to do the things we want to do together. Watch the Bills finally win a Super Bowl. Well, maybe not the last one but for sure, to make sure I can teach as many people as I can how to be healthy—and be an example they can follow.
I would imagine, if you have children, that occurs to you every time you look at them. I could go on and on about the things that may motivate you for better health. Your spouse. Disease prevention. Maybe just to look good. Whatever it is, it makes the effort we put into it worthwhile. But there is more and that’s where I’m going with this.
I'm going to give you some things to think about when it comes to taking care of your health. They are things that I don't think most of you think about but they are absolutely relevant. Let me start this way.
In my lifetime to date, I have been privileged to help care for a couple of men in their 90s. The first was my father-in-law who lived until 94 and the second is a friend who is a member of my Toastmasters Club. He's currently 96 years old.
In the first case, I was directly taking care of my father-in-law and his medical and financial matters. Before she passed, he and my mother in law lived in our home we built just so they could be closer as they aged. That’s where Riley and his mom live now. Dad and I also spent a lot of time together visiting in assisted living and in the memory care unit, driving him to doctor's appointments, and just sitting around having a cup of coffee. And that coffee had to be hot.
My father-in-law was a very social person. But he was very hard of hearing due to his job in World War II as well as 40 years as a truck mechanic. My father-in-law was a top turret gunner in a B-24 Liberator in World War II. 2-50 caliber machine guns above each ear can do wonders for your hearing loss. He also developed macular degeneration which took away most of his vision. You can be a very social person but if you can't hear, you can't see, and you have slight dementia and memory gaps, his life at 94 turned into just missing his wife. I think he was glad to go.
In the second case, I pick my friend up and take him to TM meetings now that his wife has passed and he's moved back in to the Grand Rapids area. In the case of my friend, he has the same macular degeneration and hearing loss but it’s not quite as bad. He was a machine gunner in the army. When he saw action in the Korean War, he was also exposed to the 50 caliber machine gun up close and personal. The difference is that he has the same mental acuity that he's always had. He gave a 4 minute speech the other day that was humorous, dramatic, and completely entertaining without missing a beat. And that made me think about what we are willing to give up by not taking as good care of our health as we should be. Let me break it down for you this way.
What senses are you willing to give up? Let's start with conditions that impacted both of my 90 year olds. Are you willing to give up hearing? What are you doing now to make sure that you preserve your hearing in this day and age where we now have earbuds that we essentially plug into our brain. If I can hear you listening to this episode 10 feet away, you've got the sound set way too loud. That doesn't account for the concerts you've been to, how loud you play the music in your car or at home, and what your job may entail. How well are you taking care of your hearing today because you will pay a price for that someday.
How about your vision? There are many genetic conditions that can impact your vision. I know first-hand because I have glaucoma. I was fortunate to catch it when I needed new glasses. I have the type that has been well controlled with a couple eye drops a day. But how many of you don't get your eyes checked regularly? Do you have macular degeneration in your family history? You may be able to reduce the risk a little by making sure your diet and dietary supplement intake addresses those genetics. We still don't do the simplest things like wear visors to protect our eyes from the damage to the lens and we don't wear sunglasses to reduce the glare from the sun in and out of the car that can result in cataracts. If you like to watch a sunset or a Little League baseball game, what would your life be like without vision.
How about your sense of smell? I watch way too many home reno shows. What always surprises me is how contractors and workers never seem to wear masks when they do home demo or paint or sand plaster. All of those dust particles end up in your nasal cavity and in your lungs. That’s not even considering the potential mold and other microbes we can be exposed to.
I’m not sure that anything really slows down the rate of decline of our taste buds but there is another sense that we don’t often think about: balance. It may because of our inner ear deteriorating but it may also be because of a lack of stretching and strengthening. My friend walks on his heels as many people in his demographic do. I noticed that my balance has suffered a little. My feet, Achilles, and shins are super tight and I know it impacts movement.
Because of the 9 year old in my life, I’ve decided to work on improving my balance. Riley runs like the wind and he can dribble a soccer ball as he flies. He’s just not aggressive enough. So I’ve decided to work on stretching and Plyometrics as I work to get to my normal body weight. What are plyometrics? Quick movements that really on challenging a muscle with a quick stretch followed by an explosive contraction to rebound. The simplest example I can think of is to stand on a curb or the last step in a set of stairs. Jump back off the step and as soon as your feel your feet hit the floor or road, jump up as fast as you can. That’s plyometrics and it helps stimulate the fast-twitch muscle fibers. My goal is to show him how to play the game, both soccer and basketball. I’m going to need to be quicker to do that. That’s my plan and that’s my motivation—and I’ll take any other benefits I get as I get older.
My challenge to you is to examine your life in relation to where you want your health to be, not just in the next 6 months as you try to lose weight for a wedding or other event, but for what you want to do with your life further in the future. Every sense you lose means you lose a little bit of independence. Is that what you want? What you can see, what you can hear, what you can taste, what you can smell, the way you can move—even your ability to think clearly—are all part of way you need to take care of your body starting today. Even your ability to chew your food can impact your health so when was your last dental appointment? You have to develop a lifestyle that supports retaining as many senses at full capacity as you can. The nice thing is that you don’t have to go crazy doing it. Consistent and persistent effort, a little every day, is what you’re after.
So I’m going to leave you only one question: what sense are you willing to give up? Doing nothing is not a solution. The price will come due someday. Answer the call today. That’s it for this episode. Until next time, this is Dr. Chet Zelasko saying health is a choice. Choose wisely today and every day.
