Chew Gum and Drive

Can you chew gum and drive? 

Here’s an item for your center console or glove box in your car – chewing gum. Every car should have some. According to data in the journal Brain and Cognition, chewing gum while driving can do wonders for your skill. That action for your jaw muscles stimulates specific areas of the brain that enhance reaction time, peripheral vision and sense of direction. 

Flavor can give the benefit a boost. Mint flavored gum was found to be the most effective. If you’re stuck in the back seat, chewing mint gum can also reduce symptoms of motion sickness.

Clean This Today

Your refrigerator is disgusting! 

Cleaning the refrigerator can be a huge chore. If you don’t have time to empty out the whole thing, there are a few spots you really need to clean more often. There’s probably stuff growing in the vegetable compartment and it isn’t produce. Wash that more often with mild detergent and warm water to reduce foodborne pathogens in there. The same goes for your meat compartment. 

If your fridge has a water dispenser, it won’t clean itself. Check your refrigerator manual for cleaning instructions. The water spout should be cleaned weekly and the water and ice dispensing systems once a year.

Source: https://www.nsf.org/consumer/newsroom/fact_germs_germiest_kitchen.asp

Iced Tea Time

Iced tea is good for you. Don’t waste your money on store-bought iced tea – brew your own. It’s simple, less expensive and better for you. Black and darker oolong teas are the best for brewing. They’re stronger and won’t get as watered down with the ice. Black tea also has a combination of compounds that reduces stress so you can really chill out. It’s best to use boiling water for black, herbal and dark teas that you’ll be icing.

If you prefer green tea or lighter oolong or herbal tea, they will taste less bitter if you use hot water instead of boiling. If you’ll be keeping a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge, toss some lemon in there. The vitamin C helps to preserve the healthy compounds and flavonoids. 

Major League Focus

Would you like the focus of a major-league baseball player? 

Dr. Jason Selk, director of mental training for the St. Louis Cardinals has a major-league approach that anyone can use. He says we should be doing this 100 second workout every day to keep ourselves in the lineup, mentally: 

• Step 1 takes 15 seconds: Center your breath. Inhale for 6 seconds, hold for 2, then slowly exhale for 7 seconds.

• Step 2 takes 5 seconds: Identity statement. Determine your goal and form a statement. For example, I am a skilled pitcher and I will throw a strike – or, I am an intelligent person and I will find my keys. 

• Step 3 takes 60 seconds: Hit play on your mental highlights reel. Visualize everything you’ve done well in the past 24 hours, then, visualize everything you WILL do well in the next 24 hours.

• Step 4 takes 5 seconds: Repeat step 2, that’s your identity statement.

• Step 5 takes 15 seconds: We’re back to step 1. Take a deep cleansing breath, hold and exhale slowly.

Now you are ready to go out there and succeed. The 100 second workout is most effective if you get in the routine of doing it every day, even if you’re on the bench. 

What's Up Doc?

Doctors are supposed to be sources of good medical advice. But it’s really amazing how some of them haven’t got a clue.:

Parents turn to their pediatrician for expert advice and accurate information about their child's health and development. However, findings from a new study suggest that thousands of pediatricians subscribe to various popular parenting myths that have proven to be untrue. For example:

● 15 percent of pediatricians surveyed said children should not swim until 30 minutes after eating

● 17 percent said vitamin C helps ward off colds

● 16 percent said eating carrots will improve a child's vision

● 8 percent said eating chocolate causes acne

● 11 percent said listening to Mozart will make a baby smarter 

● 7 percent said reading in the dark causes visual problems

● 7 percent said sitting too close to the TV will damage vision

● 9 percent said sleeping with a night light causes nearsightedness.

Again, all of these things have been proven to be untrue. And doctors should probably know better.