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By Tom Anselm

For a long time now I’ve been a big fan of deep breathing.  It comes in handy, you know, on a daily basis.  Just consider the deep cleansing breaths of the relief pitcher when coming into a bases-loaded jam with the fiercest hitter at the plate.  Or that of the groom, as he sees his lovely bride at the end of the aisle.  Or how you react just before you go in to see the dentist.

It is such a simple, involuntary function, but one we take for granted.  These days, it seems there are even machines to teach you how to breathe so that you can lower your blood pressure.

But really, the method is so elementary, I can teach it to you right here.  Just lie down, breathe slowly in and out no more than six times a minute for 15 to 20 minutes.  Do it once a day.  There.  That was easy, right?  I like it because, for one thing, it works and, for another, it’s free.

I practice this every morning after I take my aspirin and vitamins (the adult version of Gummie Bears, to which my son Joe said… “Oh, great, Dad… you start out with chewables, and you end up with chewables.  The circle of life.”)

I also found this plan of the World Wide Web (does anyone even call it this anymore?) called the DASH diet.  That acronym stands for Dietary Approach to Stopping Hypertension, and since doing it for about five years, I haven’t had to consider medications.  Which at my age, 62, is a thing to rejoice about.

The less meds the better, that’s my goal.  And not just because of cost.  How many times do you hear of folks having drug interactions from too many varieties?  But enough of that.  Here is yet another thing that can help you stay healthy and sharp.  Coffee.

What?  It’s good for something other than merely waking up?  Yep, a study recently stated that, in moderation, of course, a few cups of java may help reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, gout, prostate and liver cancer, has a laxative effect and even helps stop memory decline.

Speaking of this last item, another study chronicles how those with above -average intelligence are less prone to dementia.  It  said that antioxidants, alcohol, social activity and higher education have less to do with this, since smart people do this because they are smart, not because these things help slow memory loss.

Now I am a bit skeptical of this conclusion, since I think being smarter than the average bear has little to do with eating spinach, having a mug of your favorite adult beverage, and enrolling in a few classes.  Maybe we can’t all invent the I-Pad, but us less-than-the-brightest-bulbs-in-the-pack can still take the right path to a healthier life.

So I plan to toss some kale into my next salad, spike my Folgers with a wee bit ‘o Jamieson while I’m hanging out with my loved ones, and maybe read a good Shakespearean play.  Oh, and I’ll keep up my breathing plan. Yeah, yeah…  and the Gummie Bears.

If I can’t make myself smarter, at least I can do the smart thing.

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