Live long and prosper!
To all of you who want to live until you’re 100 (and those who just want to be standing upright and feeling pretty good as you get older.)
There has been a lot of talk lately about what we should be doing to live longer, healthier lives. Drink wine, don’t drink wine, exercise intensely everyday, but don’t over do it, eat this, not that - the information can be confusing.
Here are a few simple things you can do to be healthier now and just might help you slow certain signs of aging that aren’t as desirable as laugh lines, retirement and grand kids.
Five Tips to Longevity
1. Breathe Better! Think about it, humans can go for weeks without food, days without water, but less than minutes with out oxygen! We need air to keep our cells alive. Every part of us, heart, muscles and minds need oxygen to survive. Air provides our bodies the energy to think and to move. So, the better you breathe, the more oxygen you intake, the more energy you’ll have. Like a battery the more energy you have the longer you’ll live. It doesn’t matter exactly how you breathe as long as you do it well. Right now take the biggest breath you’ve taken all day. What does that feel like? Most of us tend to ignore our breathing and it gets shallow and wimpy. Pay attention to your breath. Try out a yoga class to sample other ways of inhalation and exhalation. Check out my blog post on different breathing techniques provided by my general practitioner Dr. Monica Myklebust. http://remywright.blogspot.com/2010/02/inhale-exhale-let-it-out.html
2. Move to Improve – Circulation, that is! A famous dancer once said, “Movement is life.” This is very true. Our bodies were made to move. Although we aren’t all as graceful as ballerinas we can practice being more fluid in our daily lives. Keep things moving. You’ve heard me say this a thousand times – just keep moving! Get up from the couch and take a walk around the block, stretch. This sort of silly video I saw while attending a seminar on movement science does a great job of explaining the importance of moving and stretching to maintain good circulation and comfortable movement with out bodies. Check out the Fuzz Speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug
3. Eat well. Ok, this almost goes with out saying – but it’s SO important. Think nature made not man made and you’ll be on the right track. Eat as many fruits and veggies as possible. These days it’s best to go for organically grown choices and wash those foods well before eating. Better still; enjoy local, seasonal foods while supporting our family farms and cutting down on transportation costs when you do. You’ll be doing your body and the world a lot of good. Start your day of with a healthy breakfast and make conscious decisions about food choices throughout the day. You are in control of your health and happiness. What you eat plays a huge role in how you look, feel and how long you’ll live. For more information about healthy nutrition reread Thursday Thoughts for June 30th on Super Foods or review Nutrition 101 here http://remywright.blogspot.com/2011/05/nutrition-101.html
4. De-stress. Bet you knew this was coming – Chill out! Stress is a killer. So, less stress means less dead. Stress can come in many forms. Sometimes it’s very obvious like a screaming child or missed flight. Other times its sneaky like nagging negative thoughts or lack of solid sleep. Even if it’s only for a few minutes take time to deregulate, take the amplitude of your life down one notch. Whether it’s in the morning, at your noontime break, the commute home after work or before bed take a few moments to be quiet (breath deeply) and relax your mind and body. Brain specialist Dr. Amen suggests “if you had a hard day turn it into good data.” Don’t let stress get the best of you – instead make the most of it. Break out a pen and paper and jot down your worries. Turn the TV. computer and phone off well before bed time to be sure your brain gets the signal it’s time to rest. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep.
5. Open your mind. One huge tip to living longer is to keep learning. School helped us grow up and now it can keep us young. Improving our mental intelligence as we age and not just turning off our big brains helps keep dementia and other age related illnesses a bay. Lifelong learning is life fitness for the brain. As school starts back this fall think about attending yourself. Check out the local parks and recs and community colleges offerings for continued adult education. You’ll find classes on every thing from pottery, collaging, fiction writing and investing. Try something you’ve always wanted to do or something you’ve never dreamed of!
Share story
I like your new background, Remy.
ReplyDelete