Maintenance

     Sometimes my father would talk about his military service during World War II.  Once I asked where they showered when they were tramping around the forest and sleeping in fox holes.  The answer was, "We didn't."  Of course the next question was, "How long was it until you could get a shower?"  The answer, weeks, made me turn up my nose.  Despite what your mother told you when you were growing up, humans don't need a daily bath or shower.  We also don't need deodorant.  No, I'm not going to confess that I gave up my Lady Speed Stick in 1999.  I bathe every day and use deodorant (and baby powder and a yummy after bath spray I got at Bath and Body Works).  However, my dermatologist would, no doubt, advise less bathing since my skin gets really dry in the winter.  The best hygiene advice is to wash your hands lots, and keep them away from your face.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/fashion/31Unwashed.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&ref=fashion

     There are a lot of other health rules out there that can be ignored.  People don't necessarily need eight glasses of water per day.  Said water does not have to be filtered or come from a pure underground spring.  Plain, old tap water is fine - actually, it's preferred.
     I recently read an article that tells us we can break other health rules.  Here goes:

1. Extended wear contact lenses, the ones you sleep in, can last 4-5 weeks, instead of two weeks, if you take them out at night.

2. You don't have to visit the dentist twice per year.  Once is enough if you are not having a problem.

3. You can eat any time of day or night.  The total caloric intake is what is important, not the time of day the calories are consumed.  So, have a bedtime snack.

4. You don't need to throw milk out when it reaches it's expiration date.  Take a sniff.  If it smells okay, then drink it.  If it tastes bad, no problem.  The main ingredient in cheese and yogurt is spoiled milk.  My sister once asked if she should throw out a container of yogurt that had reached it's expiration date.  My brother-in-law's answer, "What's it going to do, go fresh?"  If yogurt isn't fuzzy, it's good to eat.  If cheese is fuzzy, trim it off.  What lies beneath is fit to lay on a cracker.

5. You don't have to brush and floss twice per day.  Once, at bedtime, is enough.  I'll ignore this one and continue with the twice daily routine.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/menshealth/9-healthy-habits-do-you-no-good

Here's my rule:  Relax.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  It's good to know that if you do sweat, a shower and deodorant is not mandatory.