I had my biometric screening recently for 2021. This is when the company “incentivizes” me to come in and get weighed, and swabbed and stuck, and measured. Like anything, you can look at it as punishment or reward. Just doing the screening gets me $10 per payday, testing tobacco-free gets me some more, and more for a low enough blood pressure and BMI. I still do have a blood pressure issue in addition to my high BMI. Regular exercise helps lower blood pressure, so I’m starting to do some of that, need to do more. And reducing stress also.
My diet could be considered high sodium, which continues to show up as something that could be increasing my bp. I remember the dietician at the VA telling me I didn’t need to worry about salt, but it probably does have some relevance here. I definitely have not cut my salt at all.
My caffeine intake has also gone up since I recorded episode 25. I generally drink regular coffee all morning, and of course, I have been drinking 2 12-packs of regular soda on my so-called cheat days each week. Cutting those out would also dramatically reduce my caloric intake.
I find that at work these days I will sit for sometimes a couple of hours without even standing up. And I wind up groaning like an old man when I finally do get up. Last week I wore my fitness watch and that really helps, because it reminds me every hour to get up and move around.
UPDATE 10/23 – I went to a dentist this week for the first time in several years, and it was far from routine, and quite interesting. I say “a” dentist because it’s a new dentist. My old one retired, then covid hit, and I’m just finally getting around to going back. I think there are some technological changes. This was a comprehensive exam. It was going to be a cleaning as well, but I’ll explain why that didn’t happen. So first my hygenist Cindy took 18 x-rays. She did it with a small handheld device she called her “Marvin the Martian” after the diminutive cartoon character who always carries a ray gun almost as big as he is. The images are sent wirelessly to the computer and displayed not only on the desktop but on a monitor mounted above my chair so I could see them as well. Later Cindy and an assistant documented all of my previous dental work and measured my gums. All this went into my record in the computer. I left with a printout that was detailed and color-coded.
Later I was told about some things that could affect my dental health besides just brushing and flossing. For example, sipping coffee all day keeps my mouth acidic all day increasing decay. I should just drink it, then stop. It takes 30 minutes for my mouth to return to balance from this acidity. I apparently suffer from dry mouth which can also cause cavities. And an electric toothbrush with a rotating head is actually better than a regular toothbrush and less damaging to gums. They even gave me a book titled “Why Me?” which explains factors that can negatively affect the dental health of even the most diligent brushers and flossers.
I need quite a bit of work, and it will all start with a deep cleaning, which is much more invasive than a regular cleaning. Most people get a topical anesthetic for this procedure. Then I will have a lot of work throughout 2022 including crowns and fillings and other stuff.
In other news, my weight is still about the same as when I started keeping track of it. My diet is still fine except when it’s not. I am getting pretty good sleep, and I exercise most days as well. Trudgery.
This will probably be the last episode I publish in 2021. I’m looking forward to a new year, hoping for health for everyone, hoping for as close to a virus-free world as we can get, and a year in which I finally shatter the yo-yo. 2021 seems to me like a lost year in some ways, but a year of realizing the need to be adaptable, flexible. Don’t always expect things to return to the way they were before something happened to disrupt them. Enjoy your new year’s celebrations, and I’ll talk to you next year!
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