Welcome to Healthy Ish. Thanks for joining us today on the Body and Soul podcast. I'm your host of Felicity Halley. Now, however you feel about the outcome of the US election? Oh? Yes, we are talking about can there ever really be sex without politics? I know, juicy topic right, Also two other topics that hit our attention this week. I am joined, of course by our title editor Holly Beckerman to discuss all of the above.
Holley, Welcome to Healthy Ish. Hi FLEs, how are you.
Oh, I'm leaving the Ish today. I've had a cold, but not enough to flatten me.
Yeah, You've been flattened a few times this year though I have.
Maybe there's a there's a message in there for me.
Vitamin C pump out. That's my expert advice for you. I know, yes, hell you, I'm really well. I've been on a massive home improvement kick at the moment. I bought a new furniture, I've cleaned things up. I'm feeling really good about it. Before lighter I do, I've chucked out so much crap. It's so much better in there, and it looks great. I just feel so much more at ease in my mind.
It's quite amazing the effect that doing a clear out like that can have on you.
Marie Kondo was onto something, guys, the reason she's the best seller.
Actually, I'm in the stage where I need to do a clean out, and I actually feel like it is adding to that mental clutter when I see, yes, things that need to be thrown out, but perhaps my kids don't play with any more old sneakers of mine that are worn out, and it just gets that stage where you have to commit.
Yes, I agree, and I think I really hold on to things for sentimental value. And I was just like Holy in the bin gone and it has made me feel so much lighter. This is your signed to buy a seventy five dollars k much elf, it might change your life.
Well off with the well not the seventy five dollars shelf, but the first story of the week.
Maybe you not feel lighter, which the story is, can there ever really be sex without politics? Do you see? Do you see? So? Obviously we're in the midst of the US election, which is a stressful time for many, and I loved this piece that Sarah Bozza, who's a dating coach, wrote for us. What do you think fliss do you think there can be sex without politics. Well, yes, if you don't talk about it. Yeah, but then how open is your relationship if you don't talk about it. Well, that's true.
It depends how long you are you are along in the relationship.
I agree, Sorry, a spectrum, you are probably tru true. True. I know couples who vote very differently who just have a rule that they don't talk about it, and they've been together for like ten million years.
I have a rule that I don't talk about it to my parents.
Yeah. I think that's a safe for all for a lot of people. Anyway. Sarah thinks the short answer is no, but that doesn't mean that you can't have sex despite politics. So she references this new research out of the US which shows that political line alignment is now a non negotiable for many singles, and twenty eight percent of Gen Z and millennials have ended relationships due to differing political beliefs, and nearly half of people on both sides of this
political spectrum are reluctant to date across party line. I can't get this totally.
Like in the last particularly well five ten years, with politics being so much more polarizing. Yeah, you know in the middle there's not much in the middle ground that I you know, if I was dating again, if I was in the gen Z category, i'd probably date someone who agree with me too exactly.
And I think that maybe people have much stronger political beliefs than they used to because we have those echo chambers on social media way just what you think just gets circulated around over and over again, so you don't get exposed to different things quite as much. So knowing that, what do you do if you find yourself across the table from someone who is on the opposite end of this to throw my training in their face? You're attracted to them? Right? Well? I think so, I think you are.
Sarah's advice she says to start with check your own biases. Are you putting someone in a box before you get to know them? Probably? So instead ask like genuine questions and try and be curious rather than judgmental. Hard good
advice though. The second she says is acknowledge, don't agree, So you don't actually have to agree with everything you say, but you should acknowledge their perspective and show that you've heard them, just to make the conversation more amiable and less combative that, Yeah, you do need to listen, I think.
And then the third one she says is check to see if the person feels heard at the end of the conversation, because if you do that for them, then hopefully that trains them to reciprocate when it's your turn to share as well. Is wisdom for all of us. I think so too. Not necessarily dating. It's with friends, with your parents, with new people.
Listen, just listen to people's perspectives without jumping down their throats.
Yeah, listen, guys, I like that.
Well, I've got something that's completely on a different tangent here, but in fact hit me in it. No more politics. This is all about light and how light exposure can alter your life span by up to five years, according to a new study out of Flinders University. I don't know about you, but I'm interested in the circadian rhythms
and how it works and how it evolves. So this study basically, wearable light sensors were worn by eighty eight thousand adults over the age of forty for one week and then researchers followed up on their outcomes more than eight years later.
And what date's going on in that pick it up.
But yes, and what their findings were were basically, bright light at night and dim light during the day increased the risk of premature death by thirty percent.
Homate your death. That's high stakes, exactly exactly.
So basically, I mean it just points back to ever and how we were set up. You know, well, how we evolved as humans, and that we have evolved in a twenty four hour light dark cycle, and you know that's almost baked into our DNA, and that light sets our circadian rhythms time where we're at and can either enhance or disrupt that depending on the time of exposure.
So really you have to avoid the bright lights at night and seek as much daylight as possible in the daytime hours to promote optimal health and longevity.
Wow, I guess because the knock on effects really are it's concentration, it's sleep, it's mental health, like of course that's going to contribute, and also quality.
Of I read a yeah, a expert talk about the fact that it's so back to our DNA that are actual organ systems also feed into our circadian rhythms and work, and so that's why at nighttime it's better to eat earlier, so your body digests, your digestive systems working and it's firing. Whereas you know, deep into the night when you're supposed to be sleeping and you're still firing digestion.
Yeah, that's not great for sleep. It really reminds you that we are animals, we are creatures of the earth.
The other thing I will add that is that it's actually really easy to change these patterns. So your body, basically your body clocks can respond quickly, and so tonight, dim the lights down after dinner and start bringing your body into almost sleep mode and then when you wake up. We've heard all heard this before, no doubt it's been I think Doc and Michael Mosley said it many years ago. But just get out in daylight as soon as you wake up.
Yeah, and turn off the big light, put those small pendent lights on. Yeah.
Anyway, just quickly before we go, give us a rundown of the most clicked story of the week.
The top clicker woes. The one thing people with allergies or asthma should never do. Can you guess what it is? No, it's actually lighting incense. Huh. Yeah, I'm hoping that candles aren't included. In that because I'm a big candle. But a new study examined the rapid health decline of a woman with asthma and was linked to burning incense regularly, which it says that that can lead to various health
issues such as headaches, respiratory dysfunction, and skin sensitivity. And as explained in the research, incense fumes contain a whole host of chemicals that I can't pronounce, but are carcinogenic. So what a bummer. I'm good to know.
Interesting, I wonder if it doesn't relate to candles as well.
I'll dig deeper and report back on that one next week.
But interesting, that was the most clique that this time of year because I am a high ferver sufferer and I have got allergies bad right now?
Yeah? Are you eyes? Weeping, nose running.
An itchy knows?
It's so reallyable, isn't it so frustrating? Anyway?
Luckily I don't burn incense.
Yeah, I stay safe.
People sat in the sunlight and see you next week. But Sully, well, folks, how do you feel about that? Sex and politics?
Anyway?
I hope you do have a great week that follows. Thanks for listening. If you do well have any topics for us to dissect on a Friday. You can DM me at Felicity Harley anything else, head to body and sooul dot com dot you make sure you are following us on social media. Grab our print edition, which is out in your local Sunday paper, and until tomorrow, stay healthy,