I just got done watching a show about these places around the world where the people live much longer than the average population and it got me thinking.

What is the point of being lean and sexy if you are not in good health and can’t show it off?

Also, what is the point of doing things to make yourself look good now that will take years off your life and life off your years later on?

This show said that there are 9 universal strategies that were “found” to help you live longer.  These findings were  from many different studies that followed thousands of people from across the globe.  In all the places studied people regularly lived well into their 90’s and they had up to a 10 times greater chance (then average) of living to 100 and beyond.   But not only did these people live much longer than average they did it with the vim and vigor of those many decades younger.  They also had a much lower chance of getting cancer, diabetes, heart disease and any other disease.

How did they do it?  I get to that in a minute.

First off, let me say this.  There are no treatments or magic pills that will stop aging.  And no, aging is not a disease.  It is a fact of life.

We humans are not programmed to live for long periods of time.  The average age capacity for humans is around 90 years (more for women, less for men). We humans are designed for one thing and one thing only: to produce offspring to carry on our genes.  At best you are supposed to live long enough to help your children stay alive to have more children (and then the process is repeated).  After that happens there is no biological reason for you to keep on existing.  Kind of sounds like the civilization in Logan’s Run was on to something.

The average human body has about 35 trillion cells.  That’s a lot.  These cells turn over every 8 years or so  and are replaced with newer cells.  The human machine is not 100% perfect and every time these cells turn over more and more damage is done to them.  So basically the older you get the faster you age.  Want to hear something scary.  Someone who is 65 years old is aging 120 times faster than someone who is twelve.

Not only do our cells eventually become damaged by design.  We humans are known for the many things that we do that help our bodies to age faster.  Do drugs – kill brain cells- age faster.  Play hard all the time – destroy cartilage – age faster.  Eat crap – clog your arteries – age faster.

If you can’t slow down aging, why bother reading this you say.  As I mentioned earlier the average age capacity for humans is 90 years but here in the US we only get to strive for 78. Doesn’t that just suck.

Can we get those 12 years back?  And if we can, how can we live them free of disease and debilitation?

To answer the first question; yes, you can live longer.  90% of how long you live is determined by lifestyle choices. Read that last line again.

Now that we know we can live longer, how do we do it in a healthy and happy way?  We do this by looking at the places where people regularly live longer and copy them.

Here are the 9 things that these people do to add years to their lives and life to their years.  And get their faces on a Smuckers jar.

1.)  They set up their lives to keep themselves active.  No I am not saying that you need to set up times to get in regular exercise (but that certainly helps).  I am saying that you need to stay in all aspects of your life.   Get rid of conveniences and gadgets that make your life easier.  If you can do it yourself, do it yourself.   If you can walk or ride a bike there make sure you leave the car at home.  Keep moving and don’t stop.  If you rest, you rust.

Follow her lead.  That will keep you active.

2.)  They take time to down-shift and relax. Stress kills.  Make sure you take time everyday to relax and unwind.  Turn off the cell phone, the TV, the radio, and the kids and veg.

Take time to “chill out”.

3.)  They have a reason for living.  One of the deadliest years in peoples lives is the year they retire. Know why you wake up in the morning.  Is it to help provide something for your family?  Teach a skill to others?  If you don’t have a reason there is no reason. Find a hobby, especially one that involves other people.

4.)  Drink wine. Just make sure that you keep it to a glass or two a day.  Drinking to much alcohol has been shown to decrease life expectancy.  Don’t like the taste of wine (I don’t), drink 100% grape juice or take resveratrol capsules (check out longevity).

Cheers to a long and happy life.

5.) They eat a plant based diet. No, I am not saying that you have to become a vegetarian. I am saying to make sure that you make your diet as colorful as possible.  And I am not talking Skittles or jelly beans here.  Eat as many legumes, nuts, seeds and fruits and vegetables as you can and keep the sweets to a minimum.

“Taste the rainbow”.

6.)  They don’t over eat. Buffets are the worst thing for a long and happy life.  Now that you are eating healthily make sure you don’t over do it.  Learn to tell when your body is satisfied and teach yourself to stop when you are about 80% full.  Eat off of smaller plates.  Another trick to avoid mindless eating is to put your food on your plate at the counter,  put the food away and then go to the table to eat.

7.)  They put there loved ones first. I am not saying you need to sacrifice yourself for them.  I am saying working 80 hours a week to make money for your family in not as important as the time, and the quality of which, you spend with them.  Not only will this help you live longer it also helps your children  (and everyone else you love) live longer.  And if being surrounded by those you love is not a reason to keep living, I don’t know what is.

She’s 102.

8.)  They belong. Isolation kills. And we Americans don’t seem to want to live long since the average adult only has 1.5 friends.  1.5.  If I had no one to talk to, I wouldn’t want to live 12 more years either.  Go out, make new friends and make lots of them.

BFF’s

9.)  They found the right “tribe“.  If you weren’t likely enough to be born into one, make sure you surround yourself  with the right tribe.  By tribe I mean the people that will influence you to make the right decisions.  If your friends drink heavy, do drugs and are obese, guess who else will drink heavy, do drugs and be obese.  Your friends and loved ones have the most influence in the long term adventure that is your life.  Choose wisely.

Pick your friends wisely. If their names are Bambi, Flower and Thumper, they might be strippers, so beware.

Remember, there is no short term fix for a longer, healthier and leaner life.  Follow the 9 rules above and as Spock says, “Live long and prosper.”

Your friend and trainer,

Paul F. Sweatt

The Wellesley Weight Loss Expert

Tags: active, belong, cancer, diabetes, drink wine, find your "tribe", fruits, healthy, heart disease, human age capacity, lean, life to your years, live longer, loved ones, over eating, plant based diet, reason for living, relax, sexy, veggies, years to your life

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 4:28 pm and is filed under Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss Strategies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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