Lifestyle

Q: My wife and youngest son have tested positive for COVID using at-home tests. Our son is having only common cold symptoms and seems otherwise all right, but my wife is having an increasingly sore throat. She can barely talk, apparently due to swelling. Should I be concerned about this worsening, and what can I do to help her?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been here countless times before: It’s the end of December, you’ve been indulging way more than you typically do and neglecting your normal routines, you’re feeling not-so-great about yourself, and you’re counting down the days until Jan. 1, when you can start your totally new and revamped healthy lifestyle.

When talking about overall health and fitness, there are a few components that are nonnegotiable. Daily movement, exercise and rest are all essential for optimal fitness and longevity, but in differing quantities and for different reasons. Let’s talk about it.

Q: I am 65 years old and usually very healthy. Recently, I took my grand-daughter to get our nails done. I hadn’t noticed it, but when it was my turn and I held my hand out to the nail technician, she asked me why my hand was shaking.

Gossiping can seem like a relatively harmless guilty pleasure. You just like to know what’s going on with the people in your town, and you also like to share information that you hear. Seems harmless, right? Well, not at all, actually.

Q: My 3-year-old daughter has had a number of ear infections, mostly during winter months. After reading your article last winter ago about having her pop her ears, I taught her the technique. She picked it up quickly and had only one more infection the rest of the winter. Is there anything else I can do to help her avoid these infections entirely?