Mindconnection eNL, 2004-08-08

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Please forward this eNL to a friend!  Free bonus:$125 shopping spree. (Some folks might really like it).In this issue:

1. Product Highlights
2. Brainpower tip
3. Time tip
4. Finance tip

5. Security tips
6. Health tip/Fitness tip
7. Thought for the day

This entire article was based on false economics, false assumptions, and gross stupidity.

First of all, you never save money on soft drinks no matter what the price. I can't understand how anyone can think they are getting a bargain on "osteoporosis in a can." This is like looking for a bargain for someone to break your arm or take a sledgehammer to your hip. Incidentally, that kind of bone breakage is what you are likely to encounter in your later years if you drink this stuff.

Now, let's look at the larger issues rather than the specific example of "saving money" on a toxic "beverage" such as Pepsi or Coke--both of which would be inordinately expensive even if you were paid thousands of dollars a year to drink them.

Here's what I want you to do, if you are clipping coupons or considering doing so in the future:

1. Bring a stack of coupons with you to the grocery store.
2. Find each item you have a coupon for, going one at a time.
3. Read the ingredients panel on the item.
4. Notice, with shock and horror, what those ingredients are.

Now, you may find coupons that are good for something that is a good purchase. Examples include:

• Trashbags
• Sandwich bags
• Gentle toothpaste (most popular brands contain harsh abrasives--can you say, "dentures?")
• Non-abrasive laundry soap (abrasive soap causes excessive wear and tear on everything--needlessly)
• Formaldehyde-free coffee or tea (if it's decaffeinated, it's got formaldehyde in it and it is toxic)

It is unlikely you will find coupons that are good for basic food items, which are the only ones you should be buying if your health matters at all to you. These kinds of items almost never come in a package. Exceptions include beans, frozen veggies, and frozen fruit. And, of course, your free range eggs come in a carton unless you picking them up are getting them directly from the farm.

The point here is nearly anything that has a coupon is overpriced and/or not fit for human consumption. There's a reason why this stuff needs coupons to move it off the shelves--it's bad stuff!

Yes, there are some reasons to clip coupons and you will find some good items that coupons save you money on. But, you aren't going to cut your grocery bill appreciably with coupons. What cuts your grocery bill is buying real food to begin with. This costs far less at the register than the processed poisons, and it can shave a few hundred thousand a year off your medical costs--for example, if you end up needing a kidney transplant due to eating the processed grains or if you need surgery and a colostomy bag to save you from the cancer you got eating hydrogenated oil.

For most of us, the annual medical savings will be less dramatic--take a look at your own medical costs to see where you've spent money on medicines for colds and other things. But, even without the cost-savings, you have the advantage of a better quality of life with less pain and suffering. That, to me, is where the real bargain is.

Don't think you might be a target? Think again. The GAO has discovered a huge number of scams where IRS employees sell tax return information to known criminals (and they know who these folks are, because they have their tax returns). So, your name, phone number, and place of employment could easily wind up in the database of Joe Burglar.

Ol' J.B. can sort by area code and nail several homes in an afternoon--relieving them of various items over time. And he can keep coming back for small items here and there, amassing a wealth due to the scale of the operation (stealing a little bit from a lot of people). This can go on for months before the homeowner is aware there's a problem. "Honey, have you seen my....?"

But, you throw them off when your phone rolls over to your mobile or your answering machine refuses to confirm you're not there.

Leave a simple message. You don't need to say where you are or what you are doing. Nobody cares. Simply ask the caller to leave a message.

Security extends to your work phone, as well. Nobody needs to know that you are away on business for the next two weeks or whatever.

Here's one phone message that says, "I am an idiot." If you have such a message, I'm not calling you an idiot--I'm just saying your message says that about you. Here's the message, "I'm away from my desk or on the other line." 

According to this message:

• Nothing you do requires any concentration. You can break for a phone call at any time.
• You are rude. If someone is in your office, you will treat that person as though s/he isn't there. Rather than treating your guest as someone who matters, you prefer to end the conversation in favor of an unknown third person.

Again, just leave a simple message. That's the best policy for security, efficiency, and relationships.

What? Is that heresy? We've heard for years about the value of stretching. Well, as someone who used to start each day doing the splits, I am not saying don't stretch. I am saying don't do it before working out.

When you stretch, you (temporarily) weaken the muscle. You weaken the attachment points. You increase instability in your joints and connective tissues. Submitting your joints to the stress of a workout under those conditions increases the likelihood of injury. In fact, you will pretty well be guaranteed microtears in the muscle. These will heal into scar tissue, and you will--over time--reduce your potential for flexibility.

You reduce something else, as well. Because you reduce the strength of the muscle, you reduce the intensity of the workout. To maximize the benefits of your workout, don't stretch beforehand.

When you work out, you compress your muscles. This is true, regardless of what kind of workout you do. So, all the stretching you did before the workout must now be reversed. When you're done, it's as though you never stretched at all. Except for the injuries.

What about warming up? There's a huge difference between stretching and warming up. The way professional boxers, weightlifters, and other serious athletes warm up is by doing a light version of the movements they are going to do. For example, a boxer may do some light bagwork prior to a match. A weightlifter might use a very light weight to pump some blood through those muscles. A runner might walk the length of the track. And so on. Some experts are saying that a modified stretch--one where you don't go to the limits of your flexibility and you don't really feel like you are stretching--is also helpful, with none of the side effects.

When you do stretch, take the movement slow and easy. Never force a stretch--when you do this, you gain movement by simply tearing away at healthy tissue. What you want to do, instead, is gently move into position and hold it for about 60 seconds. Then, relax in an unstretched position for another 60.

Another reader wrote to ask if you can stretch too much. The answer is yes. There's a trade-off between joint stability and flexibility. The more you have of the latter, the less you will have of the former. The right balance depends on what you want to do.

Don't fear stretching. There's nothing wrong with it. Just don't overdo it, don't force it, and don't do it before working out.