Skin Off My Teeth

"Get up and move."  We've heard it our entire lives.  Yet acting on that simple directive periodically throughout the day can do more to energize us and to enhance the quality of our lives than any other prescription we receive.  And that includes the "ones that mother gives us," the kinds we get from our doctors, and even the advice-type on diet and lifestyle that spew at us pretty much 24-7 from all kinds of sources. Everyone knows we shouldn't sit so much.  But maybe we could use a little help figuring out how to change things.  For desk jockeys, people who drive for long stretches, and for the rest of us who stare at lighted screens for extended lengths of time, check out this video that I put together with my pal, Dixon Troyer, the VP of operations and head trainer at 3 Elements Lifestyle in SoCal.   It offers up a simple, new prescription to take every 45 minutes to restore that flagging mojo caused by all that sitting down. Anyone can do it and ev

If You’re Under 18, There’s No Uber for You! Kids Need to Ride Only with Account Holders Over age 18 When Uber and Lyft came on the scene a few years ago, parents of school age kids in many American cities and suburbs breathed a sigh of relief.   Suddenly, a solution for shuttling their children to and from school and activities was always available and affordable. Parents with custody arrangements could exchange their kids without having to interact with former spouses.    Kids could get to the malls, the movies and their friends’ houses.   And kids with access to a parent’s account could even get to and from parties that they weren’t supposed to attend – without having to ask a parent or an older sibling for a ride. In the last few years, Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services have become so ubiquitous (and inexpensive) that references to getting somewhere by using them are now by the commonly understood verbs “ubering” or “lyfting.”   As an occasional driver, I ha

Isn’t it great that UberX and Lyft rides cost you less than half what they did just a year ago? Here's a breakdown of the typical UberX/Lyft ride for a little insight on this deal: drivers receive no pay for a three to five mile drive taking an average of 10 to 12 minutes to get to rider’s pickup point.   Add no compensation for a five to ten minute wait for the rider, friends and sometimes, pets, to load into the car. (With Lyft, a nominal wait charge begins upon arrival to the pick up location.)   The mileage charges commence when the car starts moving.   Using a four-mile drive taking about 10 to 12 minutes as an example, the rider pays about a $4.00 fare for this ride.   The driver earns 75%, or   $3.00 for approximately 30 minutes on the clock, minus gas, insurance, depreciation, the cost of bottled water, car washes, interior shampoos, the purchase of extra phone chargers, and more.    Many riders are pretty cool people.  Very pleasant, and often interesting.  This ca