Green Dean’s Blog

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It’s spring cleaning time. Well, it’s actually summer (in the southern hemisphere anyway), but it’s still a good time do some much needed spring cleaning if you missed it – the days are warm, there’s fresh air and natural aromas wafting through open windows on gentle breezes.

Recently, I’ve been spring cleaning my own house (and life) and it makes such a big difference to how everyone feels at home, including my 3 cats and 2 dogs who live inside with us, who think it’s great inspecting and playing in all the stuff we’re planning to clean, sell, store, move or give away. The bonus of having kerbside pickup recently also helps to remove a lot of clutter, knowing that most of the materials put out will be recycled by the appropriate businesses.

Here are my top 25 spring cleaning tips (that you can do anytime of year):

  1. In most homes, the lounge-room (living room) is the heart of the family, so it’s good to start there. Get out the vacuum and give all the carpets and rugs a good clean. If possible, steam clean your carpets.
  2. Wooden furniture will glow after some gentle polishing.
  3. Clear out the clutter! Get a box and load it up with all the old newspapers and magazines, then either throw or give them away.
  4. Remember to freshen the curtains and lounges. Clean or wipe or polish or dust or wash them.
  5. Wipe down blinds with a soft cloth and warm, soapy water.
  6. Dust those hard-to-reach corners and windowsills.
  7. In your bedroom, bring in some new energy by dividing your clothes into two piles or sections – those you wear often and those you don’t wear often. (This make a big difference).
  8. Make a list or pile of things in your house that need mending – and do it!
  9. Put all your doonas, blankets and pillows outside (on a fine day) for some good fresh air.
  10.  Tidy up your bedroom (and other rooms) if you need to. Store things properly and neatly.
  11.  In the bathroom, get rid of any used or empty shampoo containers, etc.
  12.  Remember to disinfect your floors, sinks, bathtubs, showers and toilets.
  13.  Give your bathroom sink and other basins in your house a good scrub to get rid of any mould, water and soap marks and other deposits.
  14.  Remember to give your shower a regular good scrub out. You’ll feel so much better and cleaner as you shower if your shower is sparkling clean.
  15.  In the kitchen, keep everything neat and clean. Store everything in its proper place.
  16.  Clean out your fridge and wipe it out well. A small container of bicarb soda in the fridge is great for absorbing odours in the fridge.
  17.  Defrost your freezer. This will also help you save energy, and therefore money.
  18.  Give your oven and grill a good clean and de-grease.
  19.  Get rid of all food in your fridge and cupboards that’s old, off or out of date.
  20.  Let more fresh air into your home. Clean your windows and open them more often.
  21.  Give your walls, doorknobs, windowsills, ornaments, photos frames, phones and everything else a good wipe and clean.
  22.  Give all your electrical appliances a good clean also – washing machine and dryer, microwave, toaster, blender, juicer, TV, air conditioner, etc.
  23.  Clean outside your home also. Clean all outside furniture. Mow lawns. Trims overgrown gardens. Get rid of rubbish. Sweep paths and decks. And if you have one, clean your pool.
  24.  Clear out all your gutters too. Help water run away from your house, or into your tank.
  25.  When you’re finished all this spring cleaning, sit back with a cold drink and enjoy the new look and feel of your home (or you could have done this to your business also.) Well done!

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The people of Okinawa live longer and healthier lives than people anywhere else in the world. Large numbers of Okinawans have remained strong and active into their 70s, 80s, 90s and even beyond 100. They have amazingly low occurrences of heart disease, cancer and strokes. The phenomenon has been studied for the past 25 years in the Okinawan Centenarian Study, and this year the results were summarised and published in English for the first time. The study’s findings give an insight into why the Okinawans live so long and possible reasons why they seem to suffer so much less than other peoples from the common diseases of aging.

The now famous book, The Okinawa Program, explains the research and also provides advice on how it is possible to increase your own longevity by taking some pointers from these super-fit grandparents and great-grandparents. The Okinawa Program is already a best-seller in the US and people all over the world are now looking to Okinawa to show them the elixir of everlasting health.

It is possible that the Okinawan people have a natural genetic predisposition to be more resistant to certain diseases, but the study shows that more important than the genetics of a person is the environment in which they live. It’s not the genes that you’ve got that matter; it’s what you do with them. Unfortunately, the key to the long healthy life of Okinawans cannot be found from just one magic vitamin that can be supplemented in pill form. However, there are several lifestyle factors that improve a person’s overall health and chance of longevity that include diet, exercise and a stress-reducing psycho-spiritual outlook on life.

The traditional diet in Okinawa has a large amount of soy and vegetables, and is low in meat and accompanying saturated fats. This means that you are more likely to see a centenarian eating goya (a bitter tasting gourd vegetable) and tofu than a cheeseburger and fries. Large amounts of vegetables and whole grains bulk out the diet and provide essential nutrients and good fats (poly and monounsaturated) while lower amounts of the wrong kinds of fats (saturated and trans) mean that their arteries are not getting clogged up.

This may, therefore, be one of the main reasons that, on average, Okinawans have 80% less heart attacks than Westerners. While many Western pensioners don’t do anything more physical than switch channels or fill in crosswords, Okinawans remain active. Walking, gardening, dance and martial arts all help maintain their cardiovascular systems while also keeping up muscle and bone strength.

The slower pace of life in Okinawa, prayer, meditation and spiritual beliefs (particularly among older women) provide greater peace of mind. There is a strong link between spiritual wellbeing and physical health. If a person is happy and content, then their immune system will be stronger and they are less likely to become sick. Conversely, a person who is depressed is more likely to become sick and less able to recover.

Okinawa is described by many as the ‘real’ Shangri La, to differentiate it from other so-called geriatric utopias, such as Abkhasia, Hunza and Vilcabamba, where claims of extreme longevity have turned out to be groundless. But all is not well in paradise. Okinawan lifestyles are changing and the statistics for mortality and morbidity are following. A more Western diet high in saturated fat combined with less physical activity, and more smoking and drinking means that heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and other lifestyle related diseases are on the rise and can be seen at increasingly younger ages. This, coupled with an increasing suicide rate in young and middle-aged males, means that Okinawa’s number one ranking in the longevity charts is slipping.

The Okinawa Program book aims to change unhealthy lifestyle practices in both Okinawa and Western societies by providing several self-help chapters that give advice from diet to meditation and even becoming and staying optimistic.