Healthy life in an apartment

You remember when you went to visit your older brother’s college apartment in California because the smells and images have stayed with you forever. The carpet was as hard as concrete as it had been cured and set by hundreds of spilled beers. The kitchen was encrusted with grease and the refrigerator had been repainted with blue latex paint.

The bathrooms hadn’t been properly cleaned for at least a year, and you fondly recalled the rusted grill that was precariously perched on a rickety roof over the front door awning. To your brother, healthy was something older people worried about, and he felt that if he made it home in one piece after a semester ended that he was in good shape. Times have certainly changed, however, and here are six ways you can partner with your apartment living quarters to promote your general health.

Fitness

If you have any spare space at all, put a treadmill and some weights in that spare room. Even though gyms are ubiquitous, there may be some days you just don’t have time for a full and formal work out so use your extra space to fill in the blanks. If you don’t have time to bench press, you know that doing 50 push-ups will at least keep you from getting one the next time you do your full workout.

Organic Food

We all have that friend who thinks that soda with pure sugar is much healthier than carbonated drinks with high fructose corn syrup. Sugar is sugar as your body knows, however, and we recommend a careful education at your grocery store’s organic food sections. A steady diet of Lunchables and Cheetos may not be in your body’s best interest.

Green Roof

We’re all for growing your own, and while we may prefer edibles to smoke, when we’re talking about gardens we stress herbs vegetables and fruit. As Billy Bob Thornton said, “Flowers are purdy,” but parsley, onions, tomatoes and zucchini can be easily grown and they all taste great straight from your garden.

Water Filters

Guess what? If your city’s tap water tastes like bleach, there’s probably a load of chlorine in it. If you don’t want to have to lug gallons of water to your apartment from the grocery store, start shopping for a simple water filter that you can put on the kitchen faucet. You’ll notice a world of water flavor difference when you get it installed.

Air Filters

Even if you live in a big apartment complex, your apartment usually has an air handler that requires a filter change. No matter if you live in cold Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a large 3-bedroom unit or humid Coral Gables, FL, it behooves you to change that filter monthly. Airborne mold, dust, pet dander and just plain dirt molecules can cause you a lot of needless suffering that you can avoid by cleaning HVAC filters regularly.

Steps

Finally, if at all possible, ditch the elevator and take the steps. Any activity that allows you to burn more calories during the normal course of the day is a good one.

It’s 2019 and not 1987 anymore. Pay attention to your surroundings and use them to help you live a healthier lifestyle.