Who would not want to live as long as possible? Imagine hanging around to see your great grandchildren get married and have children of their own. Some futurists believe this will be possible in the next twenty to thirty years. Don’t hold your breath for this one – we are still waiting for a viable electric car for heaven’s sake! All the hyperbole in the world will not cure cancer or make heart disease a distant memory. As nice as it sounds, living well into your second century has to come with some guarantees.
Why would someone want to remain living into the twilight years if they do not have an adequate quality of life? People can live for an awful long time now provided there is enough money to pay for feeding and breathing tubes along with the required personal care. No, living a long life must come with living a life of some physical and mental value. Being able to enjoy a long life rather than just exist in it is the key to longevity that is worthwhile.
Today, the average U.S. citizen lives to a ripe old age of approximately seventy eight years old. There has been a marked increase in the number of centenarians outlasting their peers into triple digit numbers. As of right now, there are over one hundred thirty thousand people alive over the century mark in the United States alone. Sure, some of these folks made it as long as they have by sheer luck and force of will, just imagine what many of them have lived through. However, these elders also share some characteristics that facilitate the opportunity to live well past the average human expiry date.
These elder members of society have similar eating patterns, exercise practices, ways to deal with their stressors and they share a general lifestyle. It helps to have parents who also outlived their social circles, which clearly displays the role that genetics play in the longevity equation. When they interview these folks as human interest topics they will inevitably say things like, they lived a clean life, only drank a glass of whiskey a day and never smoked etc. [brings to mind the saying – I would rather burn out than rust out], nice to see that lived a little at least.
There are a couple of elements that are key factors, which accelerate the aging process. According to experts, one needs to quit smoking any and all tobacco. The body also needs to maintain a suitable level of mobility. Since obesity is an ever increasing problem in North America, we must also be conscious of gaining useless weight. If a person were to follow these simple guidelines, they would improve their chances of living longer.
A person’s longevity consists of three quarters lifestyle and one quarter genetics. This being the case, if we can learn to manage how we live our lives, we can that better manage how we age. The number one thing we need to do is start having a greater interest in what we are ingesting, watching what we eat and what gets into our body. The average person in the U.S. is not eating enough essential fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. People need to increase the amount of fruits and veggies they eat by two or three times as much. The younger they start doing this the better off they will be.
Of equal importance to this is eating more fiber in the form of whole grains. Starting with a breakfast that is high in fiber. Doing this will aid older people in sustaining a healthy blood sugar count during the day. Obeying this rule will aid in cutting the risk of developing diabetes. Of course it should go without saying that smoking, drinking alcohol and overdoing it on sweet treats must be passed up for a healthy future, not to mention present. We also need to supplement our diets with vitamins and minerals to stay fit mentally and keep our essential vitamins like C, D and E, selenium, and beta-carotene, so say the health experts.
Eating healthy is vital but other daily habits and behaviors that also have a crucial role in living longer and healthier. Increasing our exercise levels from retrieving the newspaper to some form of daily aerobic exercise, even walking for twenty minutes will improve your mental outlook and keenness, improve your balance, strengthen muscularity and bone mass. It is suggested strongly that people need to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day but twenty would be a minimum to see much health improvement.
In lieu of an exercise regimen of any consequence, you could do little things like parking your car a distance from work and walk further to get there. When you arrive, take the stairs instead of the elevator, mow the lawn instead of paying the neighbors kid, and walk to the store instead of driving. Dancing lessons can be a fun way to get exercise rather than sweating it out in a gym. Proper dental health is also important so floss daily. Flossing reduces bacteria levels, which can get into the blood stream from diseased gums and lead to heart disease among other illnesses.
Try to live a life free from stress. Improving one’s happiness factor is critical to living to a ripe old age according to centenarians. People who are jolly and only see the good in everyone and everything reduced the risk of bad health and early mortality by half when matched against people who live in a negative bubble with pessimistic attitudes. Learn to handle your stress and begin to say no more often to lighten your load of expectations. Mange your time better and keep priorities in perspective, always make time for yourself. Yoga is becoming popular as a stress valve along with meditation time. A healthy sexual life can play a big role in managing your stress and outlook. Be sure to occupy your mind with those things that stimulate rather than frustrate.
Fri, Oct 2, 2009
Anti Aging, Longevity