Guy Wisdom

Make It Last

Make It Last
All good stuff must come to an end? Not if we have a say. Here's how to preserve 32 of your favorite things, with mummy-like results

By Bill Stump

YOUR HAIR
From rap groups to aging businessmen, more guys are dyeing and highlighting their hair. But this can lead to a shiny bald head, says Zoe Draelos, MD, a dermatologist at the Wake Forest University school of medicine in the US.

The key to dyeing your hair safely? "Stay away from products that lighten more than three shades." This weakens hair shafts. Most important, never dye and perm your hair on the same day, and always leave at least 10 days between these procedures, Dr.


In my fathers' day, stuff lasted forever. Back then, men had one job, one wife, one house—and the Yankees never lost.

Today, nothing lasts. We have to change jobs (and cities) to get ahead. Our buddies trade in wives like three-year-old sedans. And though the Yankees are still winning, they're talking about moving—to Jersey, God help them.

What we all need are a few things to count on. But if you want to make something last, you've got to act now. Fortunately, we're with you on this. We talked to dozens of experts and found the simplest ways to prolong the life of nearly everything you have. Not just practical possessions, like your gas grill, but irreplaceable items too, like your lungs, andyour surging libido. Here are the best ways to get the most out of...

A WATCH BATTERY
Pull out the setting knob on your watch when you're not wearing it for a few days. This will disengage the battery, easily tripling its life span.

A WALLET
Nearly all the abuse your wallet takes comes from serving as a one-sided seat cushion. Keep yours in your briefcase or an inside breast pocket of a jacket and you can double its life, especially if you wear jeans every day. Denim is to leather as rocks are to scissors.

YOUR COLOGNE
If you want it to last past lunch, do more than slap it on your mug. Apply it on your chest, forearms, and neck, too. (You can put it on your slacks and shirt, but test it first on a small patch of material to make sure it doesn't stain.) One other thing: Moisturize. Dry skin does a poor job of retaining fragrances.

MUSCLE
Men naturally lose muscle as they age. But, surprisingly, the key to hanging on to what you have is doing less, not more. Taking adequate time for recovery is more important as you reach 40 and beyond, experts say. Instead of taking one day off between gym sessions, you may need two. That will help your muscles repair themselves and stay strong. Too much work and you'll just continue to tear down muscle fibers.

A PAINT JOB
Use a primer coat. Your paint will go on easier, and it will be less likely to fade and chip, says Bill Sullivan, a professional painter in Alexandria, Virginia. Another pro tip: Ask the paint store to tint your primer the same shade you intend to use for the paint. That way you can see how "seafoam green" looks in the dining room without committing to using that color and spending future mealtimes fighting nausea.

SEX
If you tend to shoot first and ask questions later—like "Why does this always happen to me?" Jon L. Pryor, MD, director of the center for men's health and infertility at the University of Minnesota, has one answer. A recent study showed that 73 percent of men who suffered from premature ejaculation either were cured or improved after taking 20 milligrams of Prozac a day for a week and 40 mg thereafter. Ask your doctor about it.

YOUR TREADMILL
Buy a new pair of running shoes and use them exclusively for your treadmill workouts, says Adam Bean, former managing editor of Runner's World magazine. Having a dedicated indoor pair will keep you from tracking dirt and grime onto the belt, which then takes it right into the engine.

YOUR TEETH
Your best ally in making your teeth last may be your tongue. Of all people, an En­glishman is developing a toothbrush that attaches to the tip of the tongue by suction. It allows the user to get into hard-to-reach spaces that a brush can't. Good idea; your countrymen need you.

YOUR ARTERIES
Load up on grapefruit, carrots, apples, oranges, and other foods containing the fiber pectin. It's even better at lowering cholesterol and keeping your arteries free of fatty plaque than the roughage you get from breakfast cereal.

YOUR BACK
Make sure your shoes and orthotics have enough stability. Stand in them with your toes pointing forward. Now bend your knees 30 degrees and imagine a line from the center of each kneecap straight down to the floor. (If you have trouble eyeing it, make a plumb line by tying a bolt to a piece of string and dangling it.)

If your shoes offer the proper motion control, the line should land between your big toe and second toe on each foot. That means you'll be properly centered when your feet hit the ground, and your feet will be less likely to roll to the inside or outside, causing injury. If you don't pass the test, you'll need new shoes or orthotics, says Lewis Maharam, MD, a sports-medicine specialist in New York.

THAT NEW-CAR SMELL
Put fresh orange, lemon, or lime rinds on your car mats for a couple of days. They'll absorb foul smells while emitting a citrus scent that will enhance your new car's odor without overwhelming it. Then avoid introducing strong odors like smoke, anchovies, and stale beer into the machine.

YOUR SHOOTING TOUCH
You used to be a deadeye jump shooter, but now you lay more bricks than a construction worker. Next time you're out for a game, try warming up with a basketball that's an inch or two bigger than the standard ball. Using a bigger ball helps your confidence in catching and shooting, says Denver Nuggets coach George Karl.Your socks

Turn them inside out before each washing, says Tommye Allred, a product manager for the makers of Gold Toe socks. This will preserve their color and prevent pilling. Also: Wear each pair only once between washings. Repeated wearings will mat the fibers and cause them to break down faster.

A MORNING ERECTION
Because its purpose is to nourish your penis with oxygen-rich blood, a morning erection isn't there to help you have sex. So it tends to wilt once you get going.

To give your pal a fighting chance, engage in foreplay for at least 10 minutes before pressing it into action, says Laurence Levine, MD, director of male sexual function and fertility services at Rush-Presbyterian–St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP
We never understood that whole Mars-Venus thing, but here's some research even we can follow. A recent study has found that couples who build puzzles together, or otherwise engage in problem-solving activities, are less likely to separate than those who don't.

YOUR TRIM WAISTLINE
Shorten your rests between sets in the weight room to 60 seconds. Lifting faster stimulates the production of growth hormone, which, in addition to building muscle, siphons lard from your fat cells, says William J. Kraemer, PhD, director of the human performance laboratory at Ball State University. So you get a big chest and a slim waist from the same workout. (That's what your boss calls "synergy.")

YOUR CONCRETE PATIO
Damage from the elements is your patio's biggest threat. To protect it, use a top-quality coating that penetrates the concrete and lasts at least five years. Then lie in your chaise lounge and drink two beers. The stuff won't work any other way. Really. We're not joking.

A GOOD SHAVE
Unless you're Richard Nixon, you can avoid a 5 o'clock shadow with a little extra vigilance in the morning. After your shower, run a washcloth under warm water and place it over your beard for 30 seconds. Lather with a shaving brush, and scrape with the grain of your beard. Rinse with warm water, relather, and shave again, this time going against the grain. It's tougher on your skin, though, so moisturize and make sure your blade hasn't been used more than three times.

YOUR MEMORY
Eat blueberries, strawberries, and spinach. A recent animal study at Tufts University in Boston found that a diet rich in these foods improved short-term memory. Did we mention it helps your memory?

YOUR CAR
Excessive heat is your car engine's sworn enemy. Even a slight rise in the running temperature of your motor—generally caused by an improperly maintained cooling system—will increase engine wear, knocking years off its life. The problem? You won't know something's wrong until you're 50 kilometers from the next rest stop on the highway. To help your engine keep its cool, flush the radiator and change your antifreeze every other year.

YOUR HEARING
Your chronically sore back may be responsible for your poor hearing. There's evidence that taking too many anti-inflammatory drugs can cause hearing loss, especially for those with existing problems.

"Some of the drugs that can cause hearing loss or tinnitus are the most common headache medications, such as ibuprofen and aspirin," says Thomas J. Balkany, MD, director of the University of Miami Ear Institute and professor of otolaryngology. Take acetaminophen instead, but eat something with it so it won't bother your stomach.

YOUR PARENTS
Give their home a run-through, making sure it has proper lighting and is clutter-free, and that all rugs are secured to the floor. Why? Because one out of three people over the age of 65 suffers a serious fall every year. That's bad not only because it can cause a broken hip, but also because it can lead to a long hospital stay, during which Ma and Pa can be exposed to lots of nasty infections that can actually kill them. Be a good son—tack down the throw rugs.

YOUR LUNGS
Take up the harmonica. Therapists use it for people with lung disease and breathing problems. The gentle inhaling and exhaling required to make music works the chest muscles and may help keep air passageways clear of debris. Wear sunglasses and nod your head when playing.

APPLIANCES
Here's how to make these household workhorses last:

YOUR GAS GRILL
Twice a year, boil your lava rocks in a large container of water with a tablespoon of low-sudsing dishwashing detergent. This will remove the grease that can cause flames to leap too high, ruining your T-bone and your grill.

Let the rocks bubble for 25 minutes, rinse, then dry completely before using. To keep the grilling surface in good shape, scrape it with a stiff-bristled brush while it’s still warm after every use. No brush? Crumpled aluminum foil will work just as well.

Washer Toss clothes in only up to the top row of holes in the washer tub—any higher and it'll put too much strain on the machine. If you see a white buildup in the tub, install a water-softening system.

Dryer Inspect and clean the ductwork that leads from your dryer to the outside of your house each year by taking it apart in sections and vacuuming out lint and dust. Debris makes it harder for your dryer to circulate air.

Refrigerator This is counterintuitive, but your fridge has to work harder when all you have in it is a half-empty bottle of Gatorade and a package of ring bologna. To help it out, add a couple of jugs of water. Or more beer.

YOUR TIRES
Putting Armor All Protectant or another rubber conditioner on your tires after washing your car does more than make them look shiny and new; it makes them last longer. How? By limiting the damaging effects of ozone, which dries out and breaks down rubber. Since ozone is more prevalent where there are more cars—and exhaust—the bigger the city you live in, the more you need to apply a conditioner. Suggestion: Give your radials a good rubdown every time you wash your car.

YOUR SHOULDER
There's a reason you don't see many fastball pitchers or star quarterbacks over the age of 40. The rotator cuff, the small band of muscles in your shoulder that allows you to rotate your shoulder to throw, is easily injured. While a young, healthy cuff is highly resistant to tears and degeneration, age and disuse turn it brittle. Worse, if you tear just one muscle fiber there, it can act like a pulled thread in a sweater, leading to damage in the rest of the cuff. Our advice: Strengthen your rotator cuff so you can play catch with your grandkids. Here's a good exercise to do just that: Lie facedown on a bed. Put your left arm out at shoulder level with your elbow bent to 90 degrees and your lower arm dangling over the side of the bed. Keep your elbow bent and slowly raise your left hand to shoulder level. Lower the hand slowly. Repeat until your arm is tired. Then switch arms.

FRESH BREATH
Anchovies and garlic are notorious bad-breath villains, but there's a far more insidious condition responsible for your fetid breath: dry mouth. Saliva normally acts like a cleansing rain, washing away the food particles that bacteria feed upon—the source of much of the smell—while also dissolving odorous sulfur compounds. Snoring all night, talking too much, dehydration, dieting, drinking alcohol, and smoking all conspire to dry out your yap. Solution: Stay hydrated by drinking water. And chew sugarless gum to stimulate your salivary glands.

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