Lifestyle changes - Page 31 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #**451** 09-28-2018, 06:52 AM

I've been using the recliner off and on for a while now to combat reflux problems. I'm gonna have to get a better one.

vwnate1 · #**452** 09-28-2018, 08:24 AM

It took me some time to find a good recliner I could actually sleep in ~ I'm sure the sales people at the many furniture stores I went to all thought me crazy, my best sleep comes when lying on my side slightly curled and both arms positioned just so, I'd walk into the store and spend five minutes or so settling in and relaxing in each recliner, sleep and pain reduction is very important .

In time I discovered a COSTCO recliner was the best fit and significantly less $ than anywhere else, I learned to not look at the recliners for beauty, just how they felt .

I find the back rest needs to be very tall in order to sleep well and I got a leather covered seating surface one and drape a queen sized sheet over it, very comfy indeed, easy to keep clean and so on .

Take your time and test well sans sales person chattering at you before plunking down your $ .

Sorry t hear about the reflux, I had that too and discovered it was my nerves / stress, changed my mindset and it stopped after thirty years .

t walgamuth · #**453** 09-28-2018, 10:10 AM

That is encouraging on the reflux. How did you do it?

Also How tall are you (fit thoughts on the recliner)?

vwnate1 · #**454** 09-28-2018, 09:00 PM

I had a peptic ulcer since I was 12 or so and it got worse and worse so I just say my sorry @$$ed self down and though '? what's more important, my health or other people ?' .

And decided not to allow others to control my life by any means anymore .

Simple sounding but tricky to actually get your mind to accept it .

I'm 6' tall and have 32" inseam so the backrest was the real nut buster .

I also have three fused vertibrae in my neck and a shattered L1 vertibrae and other problems so I just decided to take the time to find a good recliner .

I have two "gravity chairs" I bought at Big Lots (previously Pic 'N Svae), they look like fold up beach chairs but when you lie all the way back they raise your feet and knees about 1" above your hips ~ this not only reduced the load but eases your heart a great deal .

Cheap for what it does @ $49 .

I keep one @ SWMBO's house .

My Sister came to visit and tried it, went home and bought one too for her lower back pain .

I put in a marathon day cleaning my 300TD for the three auto events I have to drive it to to - morrow, not too much pain .

Gotta learn how to work _smarter_ not harder .

t walgamuth · #**455** 09-28-2018, 11:02 PM

I'm 5' 8 and 206 nekkid. I'll have to try to find some gravity chairs at Big lots. The mrs loves that place but I've not been in years.

Listening to your broken parts makes me feel very lucky!

vwnate1 · #**456** 09-29-2018, 11:52 PM

I don't belabor the endless list of broken and torn up bits inside me, they're the natural by product of a life well lived .

I know many who are far worse off than I ~ they're missing limbs and let's not forget my buddies who never came home from Asia......

Everyone keeps talking about my mangled body but not the many worse people out there ~ I'm ever so grateful to simply be alive at this point .

Anyway, go to Big Lots and spend some time in the various gravity chairs ~ they had about 6 ~ 7 different ones the last time I looked, some were made to be used in the sun and had shade things you could set up over your head, some had side pockets for drinks, so on and so forth .

If you take the time to rest at least 10 minutes in each one you should be able to find a really good one that suits and eases the pain as well as your blood pressure, naturally no less ~ always a good thing .

No regrets .

Botnst · #**457** 09-30-2018, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

That is encouraging on the reflux. How did you do it?

Also How tall are you (fit thoughts on the recliner)?

Concur with Nate on stress being a major contributor to acid reflux. And of course, BP and weight. Stress eating....

All of these bad symptoms abated after I retired. I still have them all but they are all in decline. I feel as spritely as a fifty year-old!

My recliner looks ready for the dumpster but it sure is comfortable. It is an embarrassment to Mrs B. When our new house is completed this recliner won’t make the move.

Thanks for the buying advice, Nate.

Bot

vwnate1 · #**458** 09-30-2018, 11:04 AM

You're most welcome ~ I've gotten more help from these forums than I can ever repay .

I went through quite a few recliners before finally getting one I could really get pain relief in ~ even a brandy new one some guy bought and then died before he could use it, no one wanted to remove the plastic shipping cover until I came along, that one wasn't much good either ~ I'd give each one a few months before discarding and replacing .

It turns out unwanted recliners are -everywhere- you just need to get the word out ~ they're bulky and strenuous to move so most folks just dump them or abandon in the garage, basement, wherever .

After a few years of uncomfortable recliners (many are O.K. when sitting upright but trying to relax when reclined becomes uncomfortable after a few minutes) I began taking the time to sit in them any time I saw one, the first really good one oddly enough was from SEARS ~ $350 (ouch) and I was off to the snoozing races ~ three or four hours at a stretch, I was mostly pleased with it but it fell apart after several years and the search was one again, resulting in the COSTCO one .

Meanwhilst the rock hard bed I have sufficed mostly and the Gravity Chair helped a lot but it's as good as a good recliner .

You can have your current one recovered you know .

t walgamuth · #**459** 09-30-2018, 08:37 PM

My current one has never been very good. I have to use at least three pillows to be comfy, back, bottom and calves.

cmac2012 · #**460** 10-01-2018, 01:49 AM

Not for the same purpose as you guys, about 6 years ago I broke 5 ribs and holy crap that hurts. After 3 days in the hospital I was back home, sleeping by sitting in a reclining way on the couch. Was really hard to get up, really hard. After a few days we rented a recliner with a little motor that will rise and tip it forward to stand you up. OMG that was a Godsend. I could sleep in it and could get stood up easily.

On the reflux, I used to have bad acid problems when I had a dumbass Haagen Dazs habit, would eat it not long before bed often enough. Not sure I had actual reflux but it was close no doubt, nor do I know how much reflux is the result of diet. Is bad for your teeth I discovered. Trivia note: I learned recently that anti heartburn drugs like Prilosec should be avoided like the plague. Possible liver damage.

https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2017-10-10-common-acid-reflux-medications-promote-chronic-liver-disease.aspx

Quote:

Approximately 10 percent of the general population take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug to block stomach acid secretions and relieve symptoms of frequent heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease. That percentage can be as much as seven times higher for people with chronic liver disease. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered evidence in mice and humans that stomach (gastric) acid suppression alters specific gut bacteria in a way that promotes liver injury and progression of three types of chronic liver disease.

A few months ago I suddenly had a revelation that I've had before but actually drifted away from, and that was that I needed to get my act together. I need all the high cards I can get in my hand. I have discovered why 65 was chosen as an approx retirement age (yikes). Trying to go back to the wise stuff I've learned over the years. No sugar, definitely no ice cream, I even quit coffee and beer. Not paleo. And the beer (only one with dinner) would slow me down in the evening. I quit coffee in part so I can do a small fruit smoothie for breakfast and leave the house with a lunch in tow. Wait for the fruit to thoroughly digest before I eat again. I used to eat breakfast about an hour after the fruit so I could have my coffee before I left.

I was also tired of the fact that I couldn't go without the stuff, coffee, for one day w/o getting gnarly headaches. Not a symptom of withdrawal one nutritionist wrote, but a sympton of the toxicity of the stuff. The stimulant action masks the toxic effect which lasts longer.

The pleasure I look for now is a light feeling in my tummy. Indigestion away. And I want a flat tummy. I want washboard abs god dammit. It can be done. Will take work. I was 195 for years (6'0"). Now at 180. I got down to 174 a couple of years ago and still had some pot gut going on. So I'm thinking it might be 165 to flat tummy territory. Less weight on the joints. They say that belly fat interferes with testosterone production.

This guy Thomas DeLauer is a bit intense but methinks he's onto something. Lost 100 pounds himself a few years back. Supposedly the most subscribed personal trainer on the web.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8BmZC_O_44

cmac2012 · #**461** 10-01-2018, 02:36 AM

Also (some of this info in my thread about prostate issues):

In high school I was a runner - cross country and mile. I looked for books by respected coaches and came across Percy Wells Cerutty of Melbourne. Two of his athletes were big - John Landy, the second 4 minute miler and Herb Elliot - 1960 Olympic 1500 meter champ - broke his own 1500 world record there, almost unheard of to set a world record at the Olympics in that race, earlier broke the mile record by almost 3 seconds, that hadn't been done, that large of an improvement over the previous record, for 60 years.

One of Cerutty's lines has stuck with me and I would have done well to heed it much better than I often have: 'eat only when summoned by the angel of hunger.' Too often it's: time for lunch, better eat now or I'll be hungry later. Just a lot of eating by schedule, not by what my body is saying.

He also spoke of the people wanting the feel of a full tummy, saying it was dangerous as we got older. I'm trying to enjoy the feeling of being stomach-growling hungry. It means my next carefully laid out meal - good combinations - will digest with great ease and comfort.

Here's my man Percy at about age 67 training with Elliott at Portsea, near Melbourne:

vwnate1 · #**462** 10-01-2018, 08:58 AM

I wish I could still run or even ride a bicycle, I broke both knees and that was that .

I too am 6', I was 6' - 1" until one of my vehicular collisions, lost that 1", it's never coming back .

I'd love to be 180# but am slowly loosing weight since I retired, I don't drink a lot of coffee but when I want it, i want it . a few times a month .

Eating is the big thing, I like veggies and fruits but also the occasional hamburger or liver...... spuds along side of course too .

cmac2012 · #**463** 10-01-2018, 04:11 PM

I can't run either, except in a pinch and it's not good. Hurts my knees. Damn, you don't realize how fun running is when you're in your prime.

Swimming and rowing machine are my two go two cardiovascular things now. I'm slowly working my lap numbers up. Can feel the good ache in my arms and chest.

I think I'll allow myself occasional decadence with food. I had coffee yesterday, first time in over a month, will treat it as a rare recreational drug. Too much strictness might lead to binging as compensation down the road. There's a locally made brownie - the call it the 'caramel, sea salt fudge brownie.' Not sure where the caramel is but I can taste the light salt dusting. Damn they're decadent. Going to shoot for once a month max.

Botnst · #**464** 10-01-2018, 05:32 PM

I drink 3-4 mugs of coffee in the morning as I have since I was a teen. Then a couple of eggs, no toast. An apple. Lunch is usually last night’s leftovers. We eat lots of our farm veggies and eggs. Chicken. Red meat 2-3 times a week. Rarely starchy. No ice cream no candy. A glass of wine or whisky at night. Rarely snacks.

5’11” and weight decreased from 225 to 195. Headed to 170. Slowly. I get liver enzymes checked yearly because I still take proton pump now and then. Down from twice daily. A BP with much reduced dosage, doc says lowest he prescribes. Cardiologist says I’m normal parameters. Got arthritis and shyte in my spine, like most old guys. I stay active and sleep well.

cmac2012 · #**465** 10-01-2018, 06:04 PM

That doesn't sound bad. I think it possible to go overboard on dietary strictness. The main thing that I notice as a problem is over complication. Years ago, in my late 20s, I read Herbert Shelton's book on food combining and tried to practice it. Indigestion went way down, health went up. When I'd go home for Thanksgiving dinner, hard to say no to Mom and the family, I would eat a bunch of stuff topped by pie and ice cream. That night I would notice hellacious stink in my arm pits. Supposedly the by products of food putrifying inwardly from bad combinations hampering digestion will be expelled, in part through the lymph system.

One thing I'm looking at more and more is the Omega 3 vs Omega 6 thing. One nutritionist, Mark Hyman, got me off peanut butter. Claims it's not a good staple item. Has a really high 6 to 3 ratio. Almond butter much better, if more spendy, Most foods are higher in 6, supposedly one should try to keep the ratio fairly low. Sardines are really good for that. Also the seaweed snack thingies (Korean style) are becoming more and more popular, also high in 3s.