for the beauty of the earth

Do I need or want a holiday?

Perhaps this thought stems from Facebook, where social media advertises destinations either indirectly through friend's vacation photos, or paid ads. This emotion could arise from looking at pictures of friends and family on vacation, and sparking a teeny bit of envy at not being on a tropical paradise or alpine resort.

Mine in particular, pinged in absolute resonance on a New Zealand camper trip photo-blog
http://magazine.tripzilla.com/new-zealand-campervan-trip/31313

I am overworked, under rested and needing a change in scenery. Is this my own doing, for being greedy and taking all the extra overtime I can get. Am I that bored with being a homebody (in American colloquial, this means someone who likes to stay at home), or do I like something to do, even if it means spending an extra 2-3 days a week (an extra 24-36 hours) of overtime on top of my scheduled shift.

I've heard that if I let work become my life, and work my life away, my work won't thank me 1-2 years down the road. However, if I spend time with family, (and friends, to a lesser degree), my family would be grateful for the time and energy. So to have a sustainable lifestyle, work-life balance is critical. For critical success, or critical failure (i.e. for better or for worse, the effect is more pronounced).

In part, I feel myself succumbing to chasing the money. My financial greed drives me, and at the same time, trains me to get used to the expandable income. On the other hand, I have neglected friends once close, keeping up only through social media instead of hanging out playing board games, meeting up for meals or working out at the gym.

That said, Working for 4 years now in a production facility has opened my understanding of the typical American lifestyle. In the interest of time and brevity (but mostly because of my ignorance), I will limit myself to three subtopics or risk sounding pedantic.

Working 12 hour rotating day/night swing shifts, creates either 36 hours or 48 hour scheduled weeks for 4 crews.

This creates a disruptive sleep pattern.

(a quick google search brings up the following articles, though not scholarly, lend some journalistic credence. also, they are an easier read =)

http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2007/04/22/rotating-shifts-shorten-lives/

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/21/how-shift-work-can-hurt-us

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/01/night-work.aspx

What this article fails to note is that health and life span risk-cost varies widely in different swing shift industries. For example, the oil refinery nearby has a higher incident rate when compared to the fiberglass insulation plant (and this is hearsay, that at the plant of 2700 ppl they had about 1500-2000 yearly injury recordables (slang word in the company, but apparently it's not english) compared to our annual 14-25 or so recordables.

Even within the same industry, management policies and personnel work ethic could wildly vary incident occurrence rates

I wont' get any further into this, but it is worth noting the variety of health risks vs. physical risks even within just fiberglass manufacture, and that our focus on lung irritation might distract from the overall risk of cuts and bruises.

https://www.osha.gov/dep/greenjobs/weather_spf.html

I think I've spent more time and space than I intended to circle around this sleep issue impacting the middle class American (and just about everyone else in the developed world).

The other two I wanted to cover with equal measure was diet and exercise. But oh well, time is tight.

Even on days which are physically demanding, it simply isn't enough exercise, The right kind of muscle resistance training/cardio workout has been shown to extend lifespan, prevent injury and reduce obesity.

Physical inactivity may contribute to anxiety and depression.
http://www.lifespanfitness.com/workplace/resources/articles/health-risks-of-a-sedentary-lifestyle

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252464.php

NIH study finds leisure-time physical activity extends life expectancy as much as 4.5 years

http://www.cancer.gov/news-events/press-releases/2012/PhysicalActivityLifeExpectancy

and here's an exercise calorie counter

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/Physical-activity-improves-quality-of-life_UCM_307977_Article.jsp#.VquOLLIrKUk

Diet; it is hard to stick with. Many new fad diets with few people being able to follow through.

What makes a diet successful 

1. quick results (thanks to the demands of our instant results generation)
2. popularity, especially celebrity endorsements
3. lasting results (or people will slam it in the forums for gaining back all the weight they lost
4. flavor AND satisfaction from the 'crunch in each bite
5. being able to stick with it. some diets are not easy to follow

Perhaps more about the American lifestyle, i.e. recreation preferences, dietary habits and sleep patterns needs to be studied and expounded upon. Lots of good will, but too much clutter out there about how to improve each lifestyle aspect.

Need more clear direction from health authorities for a low carb? high fiber? high protein? diet.

Because if the majority of American people improve their quality of life, maybe the obesity epidemic would decrease.

And the beauty of the earth would be better enjoyed.

hmmm,.. also, why do we like to create?

and by create, I mean blog, shoot videos, dance,... things that spark the creative ability.

Are human beings emulating a greater power, when we desire to set our creative spirit free?