MY TOP 10 PERSONAL HEALTH HACKS

A Letter From Robin Shapiro

Here’s to Navigating Health Better

Hello and welcome to the Well Said Health newsletter. I am launching this newsletter on my birthday to share what I have learned in my 60 years on Earth.

I am also so excited to be launching the Well Said Health podcast at the beginning of September. The purpose of the podcast is to help people navigate health better and more effectively by sharing personal stories of real people who have tackled health care situations that all of us should know about … but might not have the tools or information to effectively do so.

By signing up for my newsletter, you will be the first to know when episodes drop, and you have the opportunity to both submit and read about listener questions and feedback.

As a bonus to each episode of the Well Said Health podcast, I ask my guests what their personal health hacks are. I am endlessly fascinated by what other people do to stay healthy.

So, in advance of the podcast, and in honor of my birthday, I am offering MY top 10 personal health hacks.

The Main Feature

Robin’s Personal Health Hacks

Make Hydration Visible

I try to drink 64-72 oz of water every day. I am a goal-oriented person and always am helped by visual cues, I love this particular water jug, affectionately named by my husband as, “the Tankard,” which gives me goals per hour of the day for how much I should have drank.

Protect Your Teeth

Every morning I brush my teeth using a wooden toothbrush with natural bristles. I use Sensodyne toothpaste. I previously tried tooth tablets that didn’t come in a plastic tube, as I really try to not consumer plastics, however, what I learned is that my teeth really needed Sensodyne to prevent erosion, re-mineralize teeth.

Keep Your Retainer Fresh

I also have a retainer that I wear every night that is yucky in the morning, so I started cleaning it using Zima Dental Pod and tablets daily. Now my retainer always tastes fresh.

Never Skip Daily Sunscreen

After I brush my teeth every morning and take my supplements (hormones, Leucine and HMS), I put sunscreen on my face. Even on cloudy days, I never forget. I use Biore Watery Essence 50 (from Japan) which I like and use as a moisturizer too. It is unscented, non-greasy, no white cast and keeps my skin mostly freckle-free. I also use it on my hands and neck.

I swear by these daily vitamins, Pure Encapsulations, which are seven capsules I swallow at once. One of the things I most like is that they come in a pack, so I can travel easily with them. When I don’t take them daily, I tend to get sick, so know they are working and I generally don’t miss a day.

I put 5 mg of Creatine and 10 mg of Vital Proteins in my coffee. I used to have coffee only every other day so I wasn’t addicted – on my off days I would have green tea. But, I love coffee so much that for my birthday month I am having coffee every day.

I usually add ground flaxseed to my breakfast in the morning. It has contributed to my lower cholesterol readings and my regularity.

Most days I walk 3-5+ miles outside – I find it really grounds me.

On Thursday mornings at 8 a.m. PT, I do a 40-minute meditation guided by Dr. Brad Lichtenstein through this Substack or his website TheBreathspace.com. He has been doing this since March 2020 and as long as I am not on an airplane I rarely miss a time to tune in online.

My weekly workouts look something like: strength training (lifting heavy) three times a week, short-intensity-intervals (30 seconds as fast as I can go – like 10 mph on the treadmill followed by 2 minutes of rest) – five rounds with a good warm up or cool down. During the summer, every Tuesday at 9 a.m., I also participate in our neighbor yoga class on the grass near the beach. The gentle stretching outside with friends feeds the soul.

Question of the Month

What health habit do you swear by?

Reply to this email and tell me about it. Your answer may be featured in an upcoming issue of Well Said Health.

Coming September 1

Meet Anne Llewellyn

A critical care nurse and pioneering patient advocate who spent decades helping others find their voice — until she suddenly needed an advocate of her own.

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