Down To Earth 🌎
Estimated read time: 6 minutes and 10 seconds
⭐ THE QUICK BITES ⭐
🙌 Wisdom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius
🍽️ Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken
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It’s Monday, and we’re off to the races!
Anyone have anything fun planned for the week?
For me, this is one of those rare weeks where I don’t have anything big on the calendar—and honestly, I’m pretty happy about that.
One thing I am going to try is tracking what I do on an hourly basis. I always say I don’t have enough time for stuff… but is that actually true? Where does it all go?
I remember trying this out a while ago, but I ended up bailing partway through the week. So this time, I’m starting small—just one day. I’ll test it out and see if I can build some consistency from there.
Let’s dive in!
- 🌞 Eat Your Sunscreen?
- 🧩 Glass Bottles’ Dirty Little Secret
- 🚿 The Body Part You’re Probably Cleaning Wrong
- 🎉 Why Hobbies Are Your Golden Ticket to Happy Aging!
🌞 Eat Your Sunscreen?
Eating your skincare—ancient wisdom meets modern science!
Back in the day, Egyptians sipped aloe vera juice for clear skin, and Chinese folks munched on goji berries, both packed with vitamins C & E and antioxidants that help your skin stay radiant. 🌿✨
Fast forward to now, folks on TikTok are buzzing about “eating your SPF” — eating certain foods to protect your skin from sun damage. But can your salad really replace sunscreen? 🤔🥗
Here’s the scoop from Dr. Monisha Bhanote, a real-life skin superhero (quintuple board-certified, no less!):
Yes, your diet helps, but no, it’s not a magic bullet.
Why?
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a powerful antioxidant that fights nasty free radicals—those troublemakers created when UV rays hit your skin and cause damage.
- Vitamin E (tocopherol) teams up with C to boost defense against oxidative damage (fancy talk for “stopping skin stress”).
- Carotenoids like beta-carotene and lycopene build up in your skin, creating a natural shield by absorbing UV light and neutralizing free radicals. Think of them as little bodyguards soaking up the sun’s punches! 🥊
Where to get these skin superheroes?
- Vitamin C: citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, kiwi
- Vitamin E: nuts, seeds, spinach, avocados
- Beta-carotene: carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, apricots
- Lycopene: tomatoes (yes—also in paste and sauce!), watermelon, pink grapefruit, red peppers
💥 Fun fact: A 2016 German study showed people who took lycopene had less skin damage from UV light. Lycopene and lutein both rang the damage alarm on sunburn!
🚨 BUT: Before you toss all your sunscreen for a tomato salad—hold up!
Diet is a sidekick, not the hero. Sunscreen gives immediate and direct protection against UVA and UVB rays—the main culprits behind sunburns and skin cancer.
Article Link
🧩 Glass Bottles’ Dirty Little Secret
It turns out that your glass-bottled lemonade, beer, and soda might be holding a secret party of tiny plastic particles.
A fresh study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis found that glass bottles actually contain 5 to 50 times MORE microplastics than plastic or metal bottle
🤯 I know… glass = clean, pure, fancy… but nope!
So, where are these sneaky plastics hiding?
Not inside the glass itself (thank goodness), but in the paint on the caps that seal these bottles. 🧢🎨
What’s going on here?
The researchers think the paint chips off because of tiny scratches formed when caps rub against each other during storage.
These invisible scrapes release plastic particles that sneak into your drink.
Here’s a quick science break on microplastics:
- Microplastics are teeny-tiny plastic fragments less than 5 mm in size (that’s smaller than a sesame seed 🍔).
- They’re everywhere and can enter our bodies through food, drinks, and even the air we breathe!
- Though research is ongoing, these particles have been linked to inflammation, hormone disruptions, and even DNA damage 📉😬.
Some twists in the tale:
- Wine bottles, even with caps, had very few microplastics. 🍷
- The amount in beer, lemonade, and sodas varied, and scientists aren’t quite sure why yet.
What can you do?
The French food safety team suggests a simple fix:
1. Blow off the caps before opening (puff-puff, no smokes! 💨)
2. Rinse them with water and alcohol (like a tiny cleaning spa for your bottle top).
Doing this can reduce microplastic contamination by a whopping 60%! 🎉
Article Link
🚿 The Body Part You’re Probably Cleaning Wrong
Ahhh, the shower. That magical place where after a long day—or an extra sweaty gym session—you strip off the grit and feel like a sparkling new human.
But guess what? Even with all that rinsing and scrubbing, there’s a body part most people clean totally wrong. (No judgment—science just happened.)
Drumroll please… it’s your ears! 🎉
Yeah, those little funnels on the side of your head aren’t supposed to be invaded by cotton swabs (a.k.a. Q-tips).
Why NOT?
Because when you shove that tiny stick in there, instead of scooping out wax, you’re actually pushing it deeper inside.
Think of earwax like a bouncer at a club—it’s there to trap dust, dirt, and other unwanted guests trying to sneak into your ear canal.
Pushing it in only jams the bouncer and causes:
• Blockages 😖
• Irritation 🥴
• Infections 🚑
• Temporary hearing loss 👂❌
• Even damage to your poor eardrum 😬
How to clean ears actually right?
Your ears are designed to clean themselves naturally (brilliant little self-cleaners!). Gel-like earwax slowly migrates outward, carrying debris with it.
Your mission: Ditch the Q-tip and grab a warm, damp cloth to gently wipe the outside of your ears only.
Inside-ear wax that’s hanging out? Unless it’s causing pain or muffled hearing, let it be!
Article Link
🎉 Why Hobbies Are Your Golden Ticket to Happy Aging!
Getting older isn’t just about gray hairs and wrinkles—it’s also about wisdom, more “me-time,” and (hopefully) lots of stories to tell.
But here’s the not-so-fun part: sometimes aging brings isolation, less movement, and even depression. 🥲
Enter: hobbies, the heroes of healthy aging!
A big, global study looked at over 90,000 people aged 65+ from 16 countries and found something pretty awesome.
👇 Here’s the scoop:
- What’s a hobby?
Anything fun you do in your free time just for pleasure.
Could be gardening, crossword puzzles, choir singing, or even just a spirited game of cards. 🎨🧩🎤
- The science magic:
People with hobbies reported:
🔹 Fewer depressive symptoms (translation: less of the “blue” feelings)
🔹 Higher happiness levels
🔹 Better self-reported health
🔹 More life satisfaction
- And guess what?
These benefits stayed true regardless of whether folks were married, wealthy, or working. So hobbies seem to be the great equalizer!
Why do hobbies help so much?
Dr. Karen Mak, who led the study, explains that hobbies can:
✨ Help us feel in control of our bodies and minds
✨ Give us a sense of purpose
✨ Make us feel competent at handling life’s daily puzzles
All these feelings are super important ingredients for a happy, healthy older life!
Article Link
📚 Ryan's Book Of The Week |
If stress were a sport, most of us would be Olympic-level by now. 🥇😅
This week’s book is a game-changer for understanding what stress actually does to your body and how to break the cycle before it breaks you.
💡 Why read it?
- Learn how your body holds onto stress (and how to let it go).
- Discover why “just relax” doesn’t work and what actually does.
- Get real, science-backed tools to help you recover, not just push through.
This isn’t about bubble baths or mantras. It’s about healing your nervous system so you can show up fully alive.
🚀 If you loved today’s tips… imagine how much your best friend, workout buddy, or health-conscious coworker would, too. Forward them this email and make their day!
Until next time,
Ryan Lehman
Your guide to a balanced, healthy life
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