Live Longer, Healthier, Happier
Living a longer, healthier and happier life is possible. The study of populations whose elders often live into their 90’s and over 100 have shown that longevity is not solely determined by genetic factors. What goes into your body, how much and how you move your body, what you do to alleviate stress and how well you are supported in your community can help you lengthen your “ healthspan” or the number of disease-free.
How long you live and the quality of those years is influenced by many things. I have organized it into 4 categories:
1. What goes into our bodies
Food, water, medications, peptides, supplements, hair and skin products, and harmful substances like alcohol and nicotine, pollution, pesticides and herbicides all have been shown to affect all systems of your body and how rapidly you age.
Numerous studies have shown that diets full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and unprocessed foods help people live longer and with less disease. Plant based diets and diets with some wild caught seafood and pastured or wild animal products are far healthier than the typical North American diet which is full of processed foods, seed oils, refined sugar and alcohol. This healthy diet is often referred to as a "Mediterranean diet”. Two of the well studied “Bluezones” (areas of the world that have many centenarians living in them) are in the Mediterranean and one of my favorite sources of free recipes is the Blue Zone website.
2. How we move our bodies
An active life, full of walking, gardening, biking, working with our hands and bodies to keep strong and fit, is more important for longevity than going to the gym and doing formal exercise.
Regular physical activity is strongly linked to increased longevity. Research indicates that even moderate increases in activity levels can significantly extend lifespan. For example, one study found that for every hour of walking, individuals could gain several hours of life expectancy, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
3. Having a strong sense of purpose and belonging to a supportive community
I put these two things together as they are the mind /body/ spirit “connectors” that have a huge effect on health and a sense of well-being. How else can you explain what happens when an older person dies quickly when their beloved spouse has just died? Or why married people live longer or people with pets have a higher quality of life. The mind and spirit are incredibly powerful. Humans have evolved to live together and help one another. I love Martha Beck’s work on how to “ live your best life“. Listen to this podcast where she talks about the power of positive thinking and exercises you can do to manifest positive things.
