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