Improve Your Health With Toothbrush Philosophy

Brushing your teeth is probably not something you give much thought to. For most of us, no day starts or finishes without it—it’s just something you do.

It wasn’t very long ago that this wasn’t the case. Regular teeth brushing only started in earnest after the Second World War. Years later, we now know that regular brushing can decrease heart disease, respiratory illnesses like COPD and pneumonia, help you lose weight, think more clearly and make you more fertile as well. That’s a lot of benefit for something we take for granted.

Bring Toothbrush Philosophy to Your Life

The magic of brushing your teeth is how habitual and necessary it’s become. Not only do we do it almost without thinking as part of our daily routine, but if we forget, we feel uncomfortable.

Imagine if you could bring that to the rest of your life?

Exercise, for example, is something that I used to have to think about. I’d have to plan it into my day, think about when it would happen. Then, one year I committed to doing at least 30 minutes per day of exercise for an entire year. After a year of doing it everyday for one year, the practice just became part of my routine. It’s not a challenge to fit it into my day, I just do. Just like brushing my teeth, it happens without fail or things just don’t feel right.

Four Ways to Improve Your Health Using Toothbrush Philosophy

  • Start Small. Part of the magic of brushing your teeth is that it only takes a minute or two. Why not just exercise for a minute or two? Really–a minute a day is better than none. Once you develop the habit, you can slowly increase it.
  • Tie it to Another Habit. You brush your teeth after meals. Or before you leave the house for work. Before bed. When you wake up. Brushing your teeth is always tied to another habit. Can you tie exercise to another habit? Like lunchtime at work, or sending the kids to school?
  • Get Uncomfortable About Missing. It’s easy to feel uneasy about not brushing your teeth. Can you bring that to healthy lifestyle habits? You can try the “Seinfeld method” of not breaking the chain and apply it to not missing a day of preparing your own lunch. Or you can read the ever-growing body of evidence that being sedentary is killing you.
  • Keep it cheap. Toothbrushes are cheap. It costs a few pennies to brush your teeth. You don’t need to spend a fortune to cook, or to exercise. You don’t need a new kitchen or an expensive gym membership.

If you can brush, you can take 30 seconds to choose a healthy food. If you can brush, you can walk for 5 minutes. And before you know it, it’ll be a habit you’re afraid to miss.