Living Long Life cont.--#23, #24, #25, How It Feels Question?

And the list continues to grow concerning how to live to be 100 years of age. In my previous posts I started with the 20 lifestyle points that could enable a person to live to be 100, and then at the suggestion of my readers the list grew to 22. Today I will be adding 3 more that just seemed to have popped into my mind. Here goes: #23--Personal hygiene is a very important aspect to living healthy and staying healthy, so it has to be an important part of living to be a healthy 100. While some around my household have said I have an obsession with washing my hands I would rather say I just like to have clean hands. This has been on my list of to do's since I was a kid so maybe it was or is an obsession. Then I read about this practice and find that it is always recommended that you wash your hands with warm water and soap three times a day. If I am handling my pets I will wash them each time I touch them, not an obsession just a practice that could result in good health, or I am doing some kind of physical labor I always wash my hands as soon as possible when finishing. Of course it is always recommended after using the rest room and I shudder every time I go to a public rest room and see the people leave the rest room area without washing their hands. I read where Donald Trump has a very strong obsession about clean hands and he does not like to shake hands because of the germs he may get while shaking. It is very concerning to me when I am at a restaurant with a group and I have to shake hands before eating, way too many germs. Ooops, now this is sounding like an obsession so I must move on. Part two of good hygiene is the daily bath, which in some cultures is not daily. But regardless of the culture a daily bath is a very good thing. I read an article about the woes of the homeless and how they have to fight disease on a daily basis simply because they are not able to keep themselves clean. Bottom line, stay clean and you have a better chance of staying healthy for a long time. Let's move on with #24--in the first 20 we mentioned having a positive attitude was a great attribute to have for living longer. How about eliminating negative thoughts as another point towards longevity? There is nothing more damaging to your day than to listen to negative conversation or engage in it yourself. So, eliminate negative thoughts and have positive thoughts for a longer healthy life. The last point for today will grow the list to #25--which is simply the will to live. I can't figure out why it wasn't on the first 20 but I must say that this commitment must happen before a long life will happen. How many stories do we read about people overcoming tragedy, illness, life threatening accidents, etc., and the will to live is always mentioned. Well I think that regardless of how many challenging things are offered to us in life we must have the will to live a long healthy life. It is amazing how this list continues to grow and that is a good thing since we can continue to add to it for as long as we wish, maybe even until we are 100!!!

Since turning 70 on December 16th I am now getting the question of "how does it feel to be 70?" I can honestly say that it really feels no different than being 60 or maybe 68, but a hellava lot different than 30. The key to answering the question is that I can say I feel great and enjoy life very much. On 12.16.38 I reset my goals for the next 20 years with the intent to accomplish more than I have accomplished in the first 70, and the goofy thing about it is I am convinced I can do that. The secret to doing this is to stay healthy and active, plus use my life experiences to help me achieve my new goals. The starting line was established on my birthday and commenced at 6:38 a.m. in the morning of the 16th. I have written this down and will add to it as I see new things I want to accomplish, it is a never ending to do list that will grow daily.

Also, if any of my readers want to contact me by my e-mail, please go to mikeg82617@aol.com. Some have told me that they have problems contacting me through this blog site, so feel free to go directly if you wish. I want your comments since they help me grow personally and assist me in writing this blog.

For today,

Mike Greer

Living Long Life Point #22, More Inspiration

In my previous post I mentioned the 20 lifestyle points that are recommended to insure a long and healthy life. At the end I added my own extending the count to 21 points. Now one of our faithful readers, Ironman Greg Hogan, has sent number 22 and thought it should be included. I agreed with him completely and even wondered why it wasn't on the original thoughts list. So, point #22 will be faith as one of the ingredients to a long and prosperous life. As I talk and visit with people much older than myself I find that faith is one of the main topics they relate to their longevity, plus a trust in God. While Webster talks about faith as an unquestioned belief in a religion, I would like to expand on that a tad bit and say that faith with strong spirituality is a must in a long healthy life. I have found that religions, since they are founded by man and administered by man, have a tendency to overlook spirituality as the perfect sidekick to faith and therefore let man's actions create stress to its' members and defeat their purpose. Bottom line here is faith/spirituality are perfect partners for a long life. After all, as the song says, "everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die to get there," exemplifies the need for a strong faith in our lives.

Prior to the White Rock marathon in Dallas I came across a very inspirational article about a woman who, after years of obesity lost 178 lbs. and became a marathon runner. At 43 Ms. Pat Metcalf is half the woman she once was. Since 2003 she has lost 178 pounds and completed a marathon(26.2 miles). She is also healthier than she's ever been. This past weekend she volunteered to be a pacer for a group that was running their first half-marathon(13.1 miles) in Dallas. The pacer for this group was to keep this inexperienced running group on a pace to finish in 2 hours and 30 minutes. She did a great job of doing this and she has related her story of obesity and weight loss as she pursues her goals of doing more races across the country. Metcalf says that she doesn't remember not being overweight, even as a child. As we see obesity running wild within our young people no one would be surprised at this statement either. Five years ago and the advice of her doctor it was recommended that she have gastric bypass surgery. After this successful surgery she started to lose weight, so she now wanted a way to keep herself in shape so she decided to take up running. At first she didn't like it but then got into a routine, made new friends, and it became part of her lifestyle. Typically she decided to do a half marathon and completed two within three years after her training started. She actually got to a point of enjoying running so much that she experienced that ever loving runners high. Along the way she enjoyed the running community and even found she could eat a chocolate or two and not gain weight, as long as she trained. She also has enjoyed helping others get started in a running routine, plus she is much more active and energetic. She says that she sleeps better, no longer has high blood pressure, high cholesterol or hypertension. The other things that she can do now are reach down and paint her toenails and she doesn't have to squeeze into a theatre seat. She continually reminds herself of the past 342 pound person that she no long resembles, by looking at a past photo taken at her brothers wedding. She really enjoys her current lifestyle and looks forward to each new day. Here is what we can learn from Ms. Metcalf: she recognized her problem, set her realistic goal to do something about it, achieved her goal, and now lives every day with a great attitude, lots of energy, and is a great role model for taking charge of your body for good healths' sake. Congrats Ms. Metcalf, you are an inspiration to all of us.

Mike Greer

20 Lifestyle Habits To Practice for a Long Healthy Life, Plus One

Recently I read an interesting article about living a long life, fact is the article actually was titled "20 Ways to Live to Be 100." While this subject did get my attention I decided to take the original points and add some of my own ideas to them, since I felt that as they were written they were a little shy of being a complete explanation. These points will be listed 1-20 but are not considered in order of importance, since they are considered a synergism of good things that would insure a long and healthy life. While I do agree with all of them I felt that there needed to be a little further explanation of the points. So, my take on these points will be added for your viewing pleasure:

1. Get married(My take--and stay married if at all possible)--statistically it has been proven that people who are married actually live longer. My take--statistics are just a bunch of numbers and I think that the real key for marriage to extend your life is if you are a happier person while being married and if you can grow together as marriage partners. The statement, get married is just not enough for me.

2. Laugh out loud--laughing seems to release some bent up stress that if held in tends to make you not feel very good, so laugh out loud a lot and you will release this tension. My take--no problem on this point and I need to laugh more myself, but not a horse laugh.

3. Buy a pet--pets offer companionship you don't get from any other source, since they always welcome you home, are very forgiving and love you unconditionally. My take--pets tend to give a person another sense of responsibility to something else other than themselves. So, caring for a pet and having them for companionship is an important part of life.

4. Quit smoking--enough said. My take--after smoking for 5 years of my life I gave them up for good, it has now been 46 years since I quit and I know it has helped keep me healthy.

5. Exercise--enough said. My take--moderate exercise 3-4 times per week is what I recommend; however, if you are going to run a marathon I have other ideas.

6. Give your brain a workout--any type of workout for the brain is good, i.e. chess, card games, writing blogs, cross word puzzles, staying active in work activities, etc. My take--the people that I have been close to that have stopped using their brain, as they aged, died much sooner than they should have or became very unhealthy.

7. Limit sun exposure--enough said. My take--the only way you can get the proper amount of Vitamin D is through sun exposure, so lay out some and use sun screen. It is healthy if you do it in moderation.

8. Visit your doctor regularly--My take--only visit your doctor if he is interested in preventive health, so you will have to shop for that kind of doctor, since medical schools are famous for not teaching with this philosophy. Take the responsibility for your good health into your own hands, just like you do when you have your automobile serviced. Also, find a doctor that will take the time to talk to you.

9. Eat fish twice a week(15-20 oz.)--Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to good health. My take--not just any fish, but salmon happens to be the best source of Omega 3. Catfish won't get you there!

10. Eat lots of fruit(two or three helpings per meal)--they supply plenty of anti-oxidants. My take--also take some supplements, i.e. Juice + is a good one.

11. Share a hug--enough said. My take--I am not much of a hugger but when I do I enjoy it, especially with women who like to share the hug. Men are a little stiff and uncaring!

12. Limit alcohol--enough said. My take--statistics also show that a person who has as many as 4 drinks(12 oz. each) per day will live longer than one who abstains. I do not encourage anyone who does not partake to run out and start drinking just based on this statistic. Who knows if it might trigger alcoholism in the abstainer? But if a person does drink they are better off with the 4 drink recommendation per day, but don't get up tight if you miss a day.

13. Sleep--a minimum of 6 hours is recommended. My take--there is a difference between sleep and restful sleep, so what I am recommending is that we get restful sleep for 6 hours. Otherwise you drag through the next day. You know if you have restful sleep if you get up feeling fresh and rested, enough said.

14. Stay positive--couldn't agree more since this reflects on everything we do. I am also a firm believer in always having a Plan B and moving into it very quickly. We will always stay more positive if we are moving upward and forward and realizing that Plan B can become Plan A.

15. Low fat diet--along with exercise these two suggestions go hand in hand. I also recommend a little exercise I use to satisfy my fat foods desire, sometimes called a sweet tooth or the desire for something your know is not of good food value. I play a game called "Fantasy Food" eating. It goes this way: I pick out a type of food that I know tastes real good, but is not the best for me, and I decided that I will eat one serving of it each quarter of the year, i.e. a chicken fried steak dinner will be eaten once each quarter, and if I don't eat the dish in a quarter I cannot carry it over. So, that way I can only eat four a year at the most. This enables me to think that I will eat it without guilt and enjoy it, but if I don't I am just that much better off. What I have found is that I can fantasize all I want to about chicken fried steak and almost feel it in my mouth and then the desire for it leaves. For the year 2008 I have had chicken fried steak one time prior to this fourth quarter. So, if I want I can have it one more time in 2008, but probably won't. What I have found is that if you play games with yourself many times you will guard yourself from foods that can harm you.

16. Go to a good dentist--this is a real biggy with me, since I have had a "bad" dentist episode and it really caused me some pain and troubles. Flossing, brushing and water picks should be a daily ritual.

17. Manage stress--this one can't be discussed in just two words, but I recommend that a method be adopted in your daily lives that reduced bad stress. Positive stress can be a good motivator but bad stress can be a killer.

18. Go back to school--this also comes under the using the brain heading: however, if you are moving out of your comfort zone and growing with schooling you will continue to have a purpose in life.

19. Take vitamins--on your annual physical exam your doctor can determine what vitamins you may need to take. Then take them on a daily basis.

20. Drink tea--green tea is very good for you, and is a good replacement for coffee(which really does nothing for you except give you a temporary high).

Bonus point not given in this article:

21. Active sex life--My take--while this may come under the "give a hug" point it was really not mentioned. But I do believe that an active, good sex life is essential to a long and healthy life. Frequency is not as important as quality, when ever the frequency happens..

Thought for the day,

Mike Greer

End of Year Stuff, Same Old Story

With the end of the year coming very soon it is a good time to think about the new year and what we can do for our health. While I always center my thoughts on the fitness side of our health let's not forget that everything we do has some kind of affect on our health. Also, since we are aging daily I like to think about what Dr. Andrew Weil preaches in his "Healthy Aging" philosophies. Recently I took a look through my library of nearly 500 books, on many diverse subjects, and I found some older books relative to aging. What I found is that some of the so-called new ideas on aging that we are reading about now were mentioned and written about nearly 20 years ago. For example Dr. Kenneth Cooper wrote the book on aerobic exercise in the latter 60's and it still stands true and is practiced daily when aerobic exercise comes to mind. He also wrote the book, "Antioxidant Revolution" way back in 1994. Now just about all we see is subjects on antioxidant supplements and super foods. All of this is not really new but is being presented in a new way, that makes it sound a little more trendy or believable. Dr. Cooper talks about establishing a "your antioxidant game plan" through lower intensity exercise and a specially mixed antioxidant cocktail. The lower intensity exercise program centers around the 20-30 minute, 3-4 times per week aerobic exercise plan, at 75-80% of your maximum heart rate(ever heard this before?), while the cocktail centers around the three major antioxidant vitamins--vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene(amounts determined by your age and how active you are). Again, this is not a new concept but is being presented as a new thing by the alternative doctors of the day. Dr. Cooper was way ahead of his time, generally because he thought way of the box as a medical doctor. In the case of Dr. Weil he also thinks outside of the box as a medical doctor and even includes the spiritual well-being as part of healthy aging. I recommend that these two books be on your shelf for daily reference.

Here are some checks that you need to have your doctor to consider as part of healthy aging. Now I know some doctors do not like to have their patients tell them what to do and when this happens I suggest you change doctors. After all it is your body and mind that he is treating and we know our bodies more than anyone I know. My doctor is a very experienced medical doctor who is very open to communication with his patients, he even encourages us to research our symptoms on the Internet if we want. So, don't be shy with your doctor on asking questions about anything that has to do with your health or aging. Health Schedule Checks: Test-fat & muscle, heart(twice a year), Sex steroids(men and women) twice a year.

Just noticed an article labeled, "Boomers are Looking Good"--better eating, exercising and lifestyles all have helped. It talks about the moderate exercise that I have just mentioned plus the antioxidant-packed foods, like broccoli(I just ate some raw broccoli, cucumber, carrots, and yellow squash while writing this) and blueberries. It mentions that these are super foods and should be eaten daily. Foods rich in Vitamin C and E can help prevent skin damage and provide anti aging protection. Also, I just noticed another article about stimulating the production of growth hormone by taking ghrelin mimetic and it did increase HGH and muscle mass. While I have tried similar recommendations in the past, to boost my HGH, I found that it could induce mood swings and was not the best thing for me to take. So, I would be very guarded on this type of recommendation. Again, check with your opened minded doctor and see what he has to say. As we age we do lose muscle mass, but more importantly we lose our strength. A light weight work out is always recommended to go along with the aerobics.

Okay enough of this talking, let's get out there and do some huffin and puffin, and eat that green, yellow, red, brown, vegetable and stay away from the white stuff. Let's get ready for December 16, 2008 since that will be my 70th birthday, and I have big plans for the next 20 years. Fact is I am setting goals for the next 20 years to accomplish more than I have the in the last 70!! It can be done and will be!!

Mike Greer