You Can Live More Than a Hundred

April 30, 2009

More and more people are over 100 years of age. Trends predict that the number of centenarians would rise to an astonishing number.

Want to join this trend? Doctors, psychologists, and researches who study the subject have identified some simple strategies for living longer and better.

1. Eat healthfully.

A larger number of people weigh more than they should than ever before, while increasing scientific evidence links being overweight with a variety of health problems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urges people to plan meals following these guidelines 6 to 11 servings per day of bread, pasta, cereals, and rice; 3 to 5 servings of vegetables; and 2 to 4 servings of fruit. The USDA recommendations reverse eating habits which emphasize dairy and meat products.

2. Get physical.

In spite of the emphasis on activities such as jogging, bicycling, aerobics dancing and so forth, most people don’t get enough exercise. Yet researchers continue to demonstrate the close link between physical activity and good health. Even a modest exercise program such as walking procedures measurable benefits.

Here is a good advice from Laurence E. Morehouse, author of Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week:” Don’t lie down when you can sit, don’t sit when you can stand; don’t stand when you can move. In other words, combat those sedentary ways by taking activity to the next level whenever possible”

3. Know your family Medical History

The cancer that took comedienne Gilda Radner’s life wasn’t found until it was quite advanced. After the diagnosis, Radner discover that this same cancer had also afflicted three of her relative. Had she or her physician known that it ran in her family, it might have been discovered much earlier when treatment might have been more effective. So research the health patterns of your relatives, and share with a physician the presence of any major illnesses or chronic condition.

4. Think Positive

“Being cheerful help you healthy. It slow death to be gloomy all the time, ” observed the writer of Proverbs (17:22). Dr. Lydia Temoshok, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco agrees. She undertook a study to determine the impact of positive emotions on malignant melanoma, a form of cancer. Following 40 patients for 28 months, Temoshok discovered that those who died score twice as high on tests measuring tension, anxiety, depression, hostility, confusion, and distress as did survivors.

5. Lend a Helping Hand

The latest research indicates that a helping other brings the helper direct health benefits. According to Alan Luks, executive director of Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of New York and author of the Healing Power of Doing Good, studies that those who volunteer regularly suffer ten times less stress and have a fewer health problems that those who volunteer only occasionally.

6. Keep Learning New Skills

Life constantly places new demands on people. To meet these challenges effectively you must continually be learning new skills. Dr. Wayne E. Oates, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Louisville, recommends that people take advantage of the courses retreats, and counseling that services that churches and community agencies to provide.

7. Tap into Your Faith

Maryland Physician David B. Larson says people who are religious families have a lower risk of suicide, mental illness, drug abuse, alcoholisms, and depression. He notes that those who attend church have much lower blood pressure levels than those who don’t. And Harvard Medical School Cardiologist Herbert Benson cite studies which show that when patients pray, they lower their metabolic rate, slow their heartbeat, and reduce stress—thereby aiding the healing process.

In addition, you need to be faithful to your beliefs. When people live conflict with their convictions, they inevitably be suffer higher levels of anxiety, stress, and ultimately, illness. ”While there are always disparities and between one’s belief and one’s behaviors, it is the consistent attempt to close this gap that ultimately redefines you closer to contentment,” declares psychologist Bruce A. Baldwin.

Centuries ago, philosopher John Locke wrote:” A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of happy state of this world.” By following these simple strategies, anyone can have the quality of life he recommended.

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