1. Frightening stat I learned this week…
There had been a study in 2017 showing that the sperm count in men had been dropping a little over 1% each year over the past 50 years. Well… they just updated the data… and it AIN’T GOOD! Turns out that the sperm counts in men WORLDWIDE is dropping 2.64% EVERY YEAR.
If interested in learning more, click here and watch at least the first 11 minutes of this YouTube video.
2. Wellness tip/reminder…
I have come to believe walking and hiking to be among the absolute best exercises humans can do. The health benefits are incredibly numerous. A recent study, published in JAMA Neurology last September, linked increased walking to a lower risk of dementia. Those who walked an average of 3,800 daily steps had a 25% lower risk for dementia than those who took fewer steps. More daily steps showed increase benefit, but peaked at 9,800 steps (no measurable gains above that number). Those who walked with increased intensity (averaging 40 or more steps per minute and about 112 steps during the most active 30 minutes of the day) had an even lower risk of dementia. I would argue that we don’t need another study to show how valuable it is, but there it is… increased exercise equals better health! Oh… and walking obviously has a positive impact on MUCH, MUCH more than just reduced risk for dementia. So, GO OUT AND WALK!
3. New materials I’m excited about…
Advances in technology have allowed clothing materials to become more breathable, more durable, and what I love most… more flexible. I recently bought a pair of jeans from Eddie Bauer (Voyager Flex 2.0) that have a ton of flex in the material, allowing them to stretch, making them super comfortable. What’s even cooler is that each pair has seven recycled plastic bottles in the fabric. Patagonia is using recycled fishing nets in some of their clothing (called NetPlus), the shoe company Veja uses three recycled plastic bottles in each pair of sneakers, and other companies are following suit. I am questioning if the plastic in the material is good against my skin, but for now I do feel good about plastic bottles getting recycled this way.