29/01/2020
A study came out recently in the British Medical Journal (which is a very trustworthy medical journal) that reivewed how you live your life and how long you might live as a result of how you live your life. The researchers defined a good lifestyle as the following:
- Smoking: Never
- Alcohol: A small glass of wine a day for women and a pint of beer for men
- Diet: More vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, with less meat, fat, salt, and sugars
- Exercise: 30 minutes every day at 3 to 6 METs
- Weight: BMI (Body Mass Index) between 18.5 and 25
I don't smoke (only because I was scared of having the same skin as my cigarette smoking, non-sunscreen wearing caucasian mother). The not smoking habit thankfully stuck. The alcohol thing I may not adhere to as well as I should😕. I try to live by the 80:20 rule (80% whole foods and 20% processed foods), but unfortunately that usually ends up being around 60:40. I work out 4 days a week on a good week and 3 days a week on a bad week. Most weeks are bad weeks (okay all weeks are bad weeks). My BMI has hangs around 22-23. So I look at this study and think "yes. I have like 40 more years to figure it out and see my girls grow up." But then I remember, I have a grandfather and a father that were afflicted with early onset Alzheimer's disease (we're talking age 50...). So I sometimes I think what is the point of adhering to a healthy lifestyle, especially if genetics are working against me. On top of it, there was the tragic reminder recently that you can be in the prime of your life after making millions of dollars with the eyes of your child looking upon you, and then die in a helicopter crash. You have to take a moment and look at your life. Life sucks and life is hard. I am still tired and I am not sure if what I am working for is worth it. I have given up a big salary and the expected career path. I sleep more. I exercise more. I spend more time with my husband and my kids. I feel good doing what I am currently doing. So, maybe it doesn't matter what genetics or fate has in store for us. If we feel good, energized, satisfied, hopeful, and present in our daily routine, then genetics or fate can come for us any time. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to make these things happen, but in the end I believe its worth it. So sleep, eat better, exercise, listen to those people right in front of you, and I guess drink a little less, and you will feel better.
Regardless of what your current health status is, what may happen tomorrow, or what you think your genetics have destined you to succumb to, what you do now can give you more time. Your actions can yield more quality time with the important people in your life while you feel good.
These are some of the findings:
'50-year-old woman who adopted none of these good lifestyle factors would live 23 years disease-free. So, she would get sick when she was aged 73 years. On the other hand, a woman who adopted four or five of the good lifestyle factors would live 34 disease-free years; so, she would become ill when aged around 84 years—that is 11 years longer of disease-free living.
A 50-year-old man who did not adopt any good lifestyle factors would be on a trajectory comparable to that of women, with about 23 disease-free years. If he adopted four to five good lifestyle factors, he would live disease-free for 31 years, extending his disease-free status to 81 years.' Peter Lin MD, CCFP
The authors didn't study the impact of less stress and more sleep and how these could both lengthen your life, but I guarantee less of the former and more of the later will add years to your life. This prediction I would bet on (I just want 10% of your profits from Vegas).
