Live To Be 100!--Enhancing Longevity in "Perfect" Health
Centenarians are the most rapidly increasing demographic group--people who live to be 100, or more. Most increases in life span are due to better nutrition, modern public health measures and advances in Medicine.
It is now known that we can affect our aging, within genetic limits, by consistent, small changes in our daily lives, that produce major effects on our health. Our goal should be to enhance our longevity, to approach our genetic maximum, to live to be 100 or more, in good health, with full faculties and without disease, infirmities or disablity.
A plan to do that should include a foundation for good health, with a diet that promotes fat loss, low insulin levels and maintains muscle. Exercise is a literal "Fountain of Youth," with many beneficial effects, including an increased BMR (basal metabolic rate), lower insulin levels, and an enhanced immune system. Most of this you already know, but you have to DO it.
Our diet should be low refined carbohydrate (low glycemic index), with plenty of fresh vegetables and some fruits, high in lean protein (preferably grass-fed), with low to moderate fat, incraesed fiber and plenty of water, or seltzer and NO sodas, diet or regular.
Exercise is a true "Fountain of Youth," with many beneficial effects on serum lipid balance, lower insulin levels, reduced weight, lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, increased lung capacity, improved mood and cognition, enhanced health and an optimized immune system. A little exercise every day is recommended, beginning with walking and later adding resistance exercise (body weight, free weights, or machines) and for optimal benefits, interval training, like hill sprints, which cause rapid fat loss, lower blood pressure and blood lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) and increased cardiac and pulmonary reserve.
Sleep is important for optimal health, mood and cognition and should be about 8 hours a night. Beware of sleep apnea, which can lead to erosion of mental powers, pulmonary hypertension and strokes. Periods of rest and stress reduction are also important, as are yearly physical examination by a physician, appropriate screening for cancers and lab tests. Early detection can enhance survival, in the event of a serious disease.
In addition to this sensible foundation for a healthy life, awareness of the most frequent causes of death, identification of their associated causes and conscious behavior to avoid those factors may help you reduce your risk, or, should you be affected by one of them, to survive.
These include (in ascending order) Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes Type 2, Accidental Death (chiefly motor vehicle accidents), Lower Respiratory Diseases, Strokes, Cancer and Heart Disease (coronary artery disease), the number one cause of death. Many of these can be avoided and their risks reduced by adherence to the fundamental plan of sensible diet, adequate exercise, sufficient rest and supplementation with vitamins, antioxidants and pharmaceutical grade fish oil.
By using these common sense measures consistently, it is possible to enhance your health and extend your lifespan, to the maximum your genetics will allow.
