Should we keep wearing masks after the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic is over?

After almost two years of wearing masks in public, are we ready to ditch the mask? There are some compelling reasons not to.

The COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic struck North America like a freight train in March 2020. We saw it coming, yet we were embarrassingly unprepared. In May 2020, despite the obvious benefits of wearing a mask during a respiratory pandemic, I was frustrated that the authorities were still poo-pooing masks.

Close everything down and send the economy plummeting? Sure, why not?

Wear masks that are only a minor inconvenience? Not a chance. [Read more…]

House or apartment – which is best for fitness?

If you live in a house, it’s much easier to keep fit. Here are 11 reasons why?

File this under “Things the COVID-19 pandemic taught me.”

One of the defining attributes of the pandemic has been weight gain. In fact, 61% of US adults experienced undesired weight change in the first year of the pandemic. Most of that was weight gain.

Some of the loss might be because so many people got sick. Some might have been due to stress. [Read more…]

Three reasons why wearing a mask protects you from coronavirus

Experts will tell you that a mask doesn’t protect the person who wears it from coronavirus and COVID-19. But the experts are wrong. Here are three reasons why.

If you’ve been paying any attention around you over the past few months, you will have heard the experts switch their advice on wearing masks several times. Maybe wear masks. Don’t wear masks. Wear masks.

The one message that has been (relatively) consistent is that wearing a mask will protect people around you, but not you.

That statement is half right. And half wrong. [Read more…]

Canada’s food guide 2019 – finally science-based healthy eating guidelines!

The new Canada’s food guide is the first that puts the science of healthy eating squarely before politics. Here’s what’s new in the Canadian food guide.

The new Canada’s food guide has generated a lot of buzz. Much of the buzz has focused on reducing the four food groups to three, replacing the “Milk and Alternatives” and “Meat and Alternatives” food groups with “protein foods”. [Read more…]

The non-dairy Canada’s food guide 2019 – it’s about time

Yes, the new Canada’s food guide does away with the “dairy” category. Here’s why that’s a good thing.

I’m a huge dairy fan.

I drink two glasses of milk per day.

Our household consumes more mozzarella than the average pizza parlor. [Read more…]

What makes a great fitness logo?

A new fitness business has a story to tell. That story starts with the right logo.

If you are thinking of entering the fitness business, one of the first things you’ll need to come up with is a logo. A logo is the visual representation of your business. It is not your brand. Your brand is what people think of you and how they feel about you. But your logo is a visual representation of your brand. [Read more…]

Unintended consequences of technology

Ooh, we love our technology. But sometimes there are unintended consequences, and here are some of them.

Every new technology has a purpose. Nobody invents things for no reason. But many technologies have unintended consequences. They change society in some way that nobody foresaw, not even the inventors.

The example I often use is air conditioning. What an amazing invention, saving people from withering in summer’s heat. The reason to invent air conditioning was to make us more comfortable. But what else did it end up doing? [Read more…]

Top job safety tips

Some jobs are more dangerous than others, but every life is precious. Here are the top job safety tips.

Life is dangerous, and so is work.

In the past six months, 255 people have died on the job in the United States.

In 2015, the last year with complete numbers, there were 2.9 million on-the-job injuries. That includes work-related illnesses, such as:

  • poisoning
  • hearing loss
  • skin diseases

[Read more…]

Get fit, not broke

Fitness doesn’t have to cost a lot.  Here are some tips to get fit from free to not-very-expensive.

If you are ready to get your body into shape, but your resources are slim, you’re not alone. Many people think it takes money to get into shape and enjoy living. Not so. While there are ways to spend money getting fit, you can do it yourself on much less money than you might think. [Read more…]