Health
Health, happiness and helping others are vital parts of free and responsible society, Founding Fathers taught
It’s well known that Ben Franklin was a morning person. In his “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” he famously said, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
But what did Ben Franklin do when he got up early? What was his morning ritual?
That is less well known. In his autobiography, Ben Franklin wrote that the first thing he did when he woke up each day was to ask himself the following question: “What good shall I do this day?” (See the video at the top of this article.)
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I love Ben Franklin’s ritual.
For most of my adult life, my default morning thoughts included questions such as, “What annoying tasks do I have to do this day?” and “What terrible things have happened in the world that I’ll read about when I open my laptop?”
A.J. Jacobs, a New York City-based bestselling author (shown at right), spent a year “living” the Constitution — which included getting closer to the lives of America’s Founding Fathers. Shown at left Ben Franklin. (iStock; A.J. Jacobs)
Nowadays, I try instead to do what Ben Franklin advises: I ask myself, “What good can I do today?”
Written on a piece of paper, it now hangs over my desk as a reminder.
This new habit is the result of the year I spent recently trying to live like the Founding Fathers. I wrote about the wisdom I learned in my new book, “The Year of Living Constitutionally.”
“The Founders’ idea of virtue meant public-mindedness. A virtuous person puts the interests of others before their own interests.”
As Franklin’s morning ritual implies, the Founders were obsessed with the idea of virtue.
Nowadays, the word “virtue” has a bit of a cringey and fusty ring to it.
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I hear the word most often used in the phrase “virtue signaling,” which is not a compliment.
“Virtue signaling” refers to someone who is ostentatiously trying to show off how righteous they are by, for instance, loudly asking a waiter about the living conditions of the bees that produced the honey for their oatmeal.
“The Founders’ idea of virtue meant public-mindedness,” said Jacobs. “A virtuous person puts the interests of others before their own interests. A virtuous person focuses on those two key words in the Constitution’s preamble: ‘General Welfare.’” (A.J. Jacobs; iStock)
In the Founders’ era, the word virtue had no such mixed connotations.
Virtue was a cherished ideal. In his book “First Principles,” Thomas E. Ricks writes that the Founders used the word virtue about 6,000 times in the collected writings from the Revolutionary era.
That’s more often than the word “freedom.”
“I almost wish the Constitution had a Bill of Responsibilities.”
The Founders’ idea of virtue meant public-mindedness. A virtuous person puts the interests of others before their own interests. A virtuous person focuses on those two key words in the Constitution’s preamble: “General Welfare.”
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I think we’re due for a resurgence of virtue. I know I could use more of it.
As a rule, I’m too focused on my individual rights. Rights are wonderful, and I’m grateful that I live in a country that puts an emphasis on individual rights. But rights come with responsibilities.
I almost wish the Constitution had a Bill of Responsibilities.
A.J. Jacobs, pictured at left with members of his family, “lived” the Constitution for a year — which included sharpening his own quill pen, at right, and growing closer to the meaning and intent of the Founding Fathers. (A.J. Jacobs)
The idea of public responsibility, I believe, was more ingrained in the 18th century and didn’t need to be spelled out. You were expected to sacrifice for your community.
If there was a fire, you were expected to be part of the bucket brigade, helping to save your neighbor’s house. If you were a man, you were expected to be a part of your local militia.
“If I’m depressed, I find the best thing to do is to help others. It gets me out of my head.”
When my wife and kids and I wrote a Constitution for our family — an exercise I fully recommend — we included a Bill of Rights, but also a Bill of Responsibilities.
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It’s not about being saintly.
Service actually wasn’t opposed to happiness. It was integral to it.
Jacobs is shown with an “Election Cake” offering as part of his “Year of Living Constitutionally,” the title of his most recent book. He writes that service to others “wasn’t opposed to happiness. It was integral to it.” (A.J. Jacobs)
As Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center, has said, “Happiness wasn’t about feeling good. It was about doing good.”
I find this observation to be true in my own life. If I’m depressed, I find the best thing to do is to help others. It gets me out of my head.
Jacobs, pictured here with his wife, spent a year living “constitutionally” — and wrote about it in his new book. (A.J. Jacobs)
That piece of paper over my desk serves as a moral North Star and helps tamp down my Larry David side.
When I start to get angry about something silly — such as my Instagram post didn’t get enough likes — I can look at the phrase and get a reality check.
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It reminds me of the big picture.
“The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning” by A.J. Jacobs (2024) is published by Crown.
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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