Living Longer & Healthier - Tips & Advice

[1stLand]

Not sure if this Thread is FATA, mods feel free to delete / move.

Just an open question to CP Members:

Have you made a concerted effort to change your Lifestyle in the form of a healthier diet, Anti-oxidents, vitamins?

Any Tips and or Suggestions?

Next year I hit 30 years of AGE and I am starting to feel the effects of age and my own mortality.

Looking at specific foods, dietary changes that can give me more energy, more vitality and help me age more gracefully.

[Tyler]

Buy a Vitamix.

Life changer.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Eat less junk food, and exercise more.

[GreenLantern]

Got yourself a significant other? Buy some over night back packs and go make use of those lovely Rocky Mountains. Exercise, quality time, and great crisp mountain fresh air all wrapped into one.

Single? At age 29? If you lived in Saskatchewan you would either be gay or recently divorced.

[Tinordi]

Don't pity yourself and exercise and eat well. It's entirely up to you.

[Regular_John]

exercise

[Tron_fdc]

Don't get married and have kids.

[SHOGUN]

I-jk9ni4XWk

[Flabbibulin]

My advice is buy 80% of your groceries from the outer ring aisles (specifically fresh produce, poultry, dairy), and 20% from the interior aisles. The majority of people use the opposite ratio, purchasing the overwhelming majority of their groceries from the interior aisles, which is an endless amount of processed, canned, and packaged food products.

[flamesfever]

I believe I read a study that the life expectancy of rats can be extended from 24 to 36 months by simply eating less. As the physiology of rats is similar to humans, this would probably also apply to us.

One of the books I found useful, in terms of diet, is "Eating Well for Optimum Health", by Andrew Weil.

Also, smoking, and the resultant problems in later life e.g. high blood pressure, COPD, heart problems, etc. can significantly affect life expectancy...possibly as much as 25 years in some cases.

Usually, men don't start having a strong sense of their mortality until they get in their 40's. You are lucky that it is happening earlier, and can take steps to make any lifestyle adjustments that will definitely help you live longer.

[Flabbibulin]

Oh, and don't tan or smoke.

[DuffMan]

drink plenty of beer

[troutman]

Antioxidants? It’s a Bit More Complicated

by Harriet Hall, M.D. (a.k.a. the SkepDoc)

http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/11-10-26/

I am getting very annoyed with antioxidants. Like Pavlov’s dogs, I’m becoming conditioned to flinch when I hear the word “antioxidant” because it is so often followed by oversimplifications, distortions, and partial truths. The hype is everywhere, in magazines, on the Internet, on the radio, in books, in stores. Antioxidants promise to prevent heart disease, cancer, cataracts, Alzheimer’s, and even wrinkles; they will make you live longer and keep your mind sharp, along with making you feel young again. Well who wouldn’t want that? Every day I am bombarded with recommendations for foods, supplements, and skin creams that are “a good source of antioxidants,” “high in antioxidants,” or “anti-aging” products. Everyone knows antioxidants are wonderful. Everyone except for skeptical scientists who realize it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Antioxidants are important for health, but so are free radicals. We need to know a lot more before we can confidently recommend increased antioxidant intake for everyone. The American Heart Association doesn’t recommend taking antioxidant supplements; they’re waiting until better evidence becomes available. For now, they say what Mom said: “Eat your vegetables.”

http://www.quackwatch.com/03HealthPromotion/antioxidants.html

There is widespread scientific agreement that eating adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables can help lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. With respect to antioxidants and other phytochemicals, the key question is whether supplementation has been proven to do more good than harm. So far, the answer is no, which is why the FDA will not permit any of these substances to be labeled or marketed with claims that they can prevent disease.

[Matata]

Good excersice and eating habits.
Get some sleep.
Stay hydrated (it's amazing how many people don't do this and it ends up being misinterpreted as other problems: illness, headache, sleepiness, etc. You lose a significant amount of water weight every night, and just drinking a pint of water before leaving the house in the morning can make a real difference)

[blankall]

Don't be fat.

The vast majority of diets and health issues are tied to obesity. Obesity will increase your risk of high blood pressure, poor cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, various forms of cancer, stroke etc.. these are all major killers of people aged 40-70.

I'm not telling you to starve yourself either. In my early 30s, I know many friends who've just accepted the fact they are old now, and it's okay to be 50lbs overweight.

[1stLand]

Yup, already have eating less and healthy taken care of.
I don't smoke at all or drink a lot.

I heard Macha green tea powder is good for you.
Have any of you tried a cleanse?

What about Special Herbs to make tea with?

[rotten42]

Don't get married :D


ok....really...don't get divorced. The process is enough to kill you.

[habernac]

cleansing or anything that's a binge/purge type deal is worthless. Short term it looks great, long term it does nothing.

[troutman]

detoxification therapies


http://www.skepdic.com/detox.html

Thus, while detoxification therapies abound, there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason the average person should consider using any of them. They are not based on solid scientific evidence. They are sold to the general public mainly by appealing to fear (of being poisoned by our foods, water, air, and general modern environment) and hope (of good health, feeling better or less tired, and the like). Worst of all, the word 'detoxification' when used by the sellers of foods, drinks, herbs, and machines, is almost always so vague, ambiguous, or obscure as to be meaningless. The purveyors of these products fancy themselves to be offering a progressive response to the modern world with its many sources of pollutants that find their way into our bodies. In reality, these snake oil hucksters are akin to the pre-scientific physicians and barbers who used bloodlettin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting)g to remove 'bad humors' and poisons in an effort to cleanse their patients.

supplements: vitamins, minerals, herbs, & "natural" products

http://www.skepdic.com/vitacon.html

[CaptainCrunch]

Lots of sex.

With people you don't know.

Its great for your self esteem and you can give yourself 10 mental high fives a day.

oh and the good diet and excercise do wonders for your energy level.

the idea of shopping around the grocery store is a good one, just be ready to extend your meal preperation.

[Ozy_Flame]

Don't feel about being 30 and feeling the health thing.

Most of the people I know don't truly take their health and their own bodies seriously until around 30 anyways.

Not so sure your body is slowing down, but it's just at the point where you realize you've been through enough crap to know what makes your body work and what doesn't.

[Muta]

Stay single (just date and mess around, nothing more), don't get married or have kids, go to the gym 4 times a week (50% cardio / 50% weights), don't smoke, eat healthy (use the perimeter rule at the grocery store), and keep your house clean and organized. Also, travel when you can and pursue only what your passion is career-wise.

Follow this and you'll love long, happy and healthy!

[Devils'Advocate]

Someone asked me last year if I felt older at 40... Did the turnover into another decade concern me? My response was that I feel much better at 40 than I did at 20 and plan on only getting younger. If you are losing vim and vigor at 30 you might want to get checked out.. (Blood tests). Could be a lack of iron or other vitamins.

BTW - I am not just talking feeling younger physically, but mentally. When most of my friends have a free night without the family they just want to sit back with a brew and watch the game. I want to go to a club or at the very least go to a rowdy sports bar to watch the game.... I think the old adage is right.. Age is a state of mind.

[rotten42]

Someone asked me last year if I felt older at 40... Did the turnover into another decade concern me? My response was that I feel much better at 40 than I did at 20 and plan on only getting younger. If you are losing vim and vigor at 30 you might want to get checked out.. (Blood tests). Could be a lack of iron or other vitamins.

BTW - I am not just talking feeling younger physically, but mentally. When most of my friends have a free night without the family they just want to sit back with a brew and watch the game. I want to go to a club or at the very least go to a rowdy sports bar to watch the game.... I think the old adage is right.. Age is a state of mind.



I agree with this one. I'm 49 now. I exercise 5 times a week......my eating is inconsistent....But I feel way better and have more energy than I did 10 years ago. I now hang out with people that are younger than me because people my age act like they are 65. They don’t do anything.

I think one of the things that might have been over-looked here is the benefit of mental health. I wasn't kidding about my post about divorce. Stress is a killer. I started back into cycling (road bike) during the divorce and I’m sure it saved me a heat attack and/or mental breakdown.

[flamesfever]

Stay single (just date and mess around, nothing more), don't get married or have kids, go to the gym 4 times a week (50% cardio / 50% weights), don't smoke, eat healthy (use the perimeter rule at the grocery store), and keep your house clean and organized. Also, travel when you can and pursue only what your passion is career-wise.

Follow this and you'll love long, happy and healthy!

However, it may become a little lonely...especially in old age.

Also, I seem to remember reading that married people tend to live longer. Although for the 50% that end up getting divorced, or suffer poor marriages, I can see this not being the case.

[1stLand]

I agree with this one. I'm 49 now. I exercise 5 times a week......my eating is inconsistent....But I feel way better and have more energy than I did 10 years ago. I now hang out with people that are younger than me because people my age act like they are 65. They don’t do anything.

I think one of the things that might have been over-looked here is the benefit of mental health. I wasn't kidding about my post about divorce. Stress is a killer. I started back into cycling (road bike) during the divorce and I’m sure it saved me a heat attack and/or mental breakdown.

No doubt stress is a killer. I find when I get really stressed out with work, I don't sleep well and I eat unhealthy fast food because I have no time to prepare meals or plan for them.

In my line of work, I see first hand how divorce can be a real nightmare stress wise. That is why I have chosen to stay single (unless something great comes along).

I can also see how kids can take their toll. I think this is particularly the case when kids are younger and they have sporadic sleep patterns and throw temper tantrums. As kids get older and become adults, I think its great for ones health to have them around and have them as a support system.

Good for you on getting into biking during a time of stress. I know playing beer league hockey once a week acts a great stress reliever.

So I guess the consensus is:
- Eat Right
- Exercise A lot
- Avoid / mitigate stress

[Devils'Advocate]

So I guess the consensus is:
- Eat Right
- Exercise A lot
- Avoid / mitigate stress

…and wear sunscreen.

[TurnedTheCorner]

I don't know why anyone would want to do this. Live your life in the best, most enjoyable way you can until it's done. Bargaining and manipulating yourself to squeeze out a few extra days, months, years, or whatever just seems distasteful to me.

[Tron_fdc]

Geez. Did you guys miss out on making party from age 20-35 or something? At 38 I'd rather jump off a bridge than go to a club.

I've always kept myself in decent shape, but the urge to go clubbing left me looooooong ago.

[Muta]

i've always kept myself in decent shape, but the urge to go clubbing left me looooooong ago.


Your avatar begs to differ!

[TheSutterDynasty]

Stop looking for easy ways out.

Eat right and exercise. It's pretty simple. You get out what you put in.

[endeavor]

Yeah, recognize the fact that there are no short term fixes. Make exercise a habit and understand it needs to be a life long commitment.

And laugh a lot :D

[Devils'Advocate]

I don't know why anyone would want to do this. Live your life in the best, most enjoyable way you can until it's done. Bargaining and manipulating yourself to squeeze out a few extra days, months, years, or whatever just seems distasteful to me.

I'm not sure what you mean by "bargaining" and "manipulating". But I can tell you that the lifestyle changes I made were not so that I'd have a few extra days at the end, but so that the days between now and the end would be better. That's what I never got about Dennis Leary's justification for his smoking. "Meh, so I die a few years earlier… those are the years that suck anyway." Yeah, well, I know a few people in their 70s that are going very, very strong. Actually, the guy at the pool who is 92 swims about as fast as I do (though that's more of a statement about how poorly I swim than anything else :) ). You can live longer AND BETTER if you make the right choices now.

[DuffMan]

Grandpa: Well, I'm going to give it to you, anyway. I don't want you making the same mistakes I made when I was young. Dwayne, that's your name, right? Dwayne? Listen to me, this is the voice of experience talking. Are you listening? #### a lot of women, Dwayne.

Grandpa: I got no reason to lie to you kid, #### a lotta women. Not just one, a lot. So are you gettin' any? Is it going anywhere?

Grandpa: No? Jesus! What are you? Fifteen? You should be gettin' that young stuff! That young stuff is the best stuff in the world!

[Travis Munroe]

I consider myself to have a balanced lifestyle. I work out 4-5 times a week for 2 hours and.....thats it. My diet sucks as I am always eating out, attend most flames games which is a minimum 2 beers.

Point of my story is that exercise alone has been able to counteract every other unhealthy lifestyle choice I make. Nothing replaces exercise and it has to be the easiest thing to change as it becomes enjoyable after a month or 2.

Everytime I think about changing my diet I read something new about a "bad" food. Joe Rogan recently had a podcast talking about how America gets the worlds garbage coffee because regulations won't allow it anywhere else. Who would have thought a cup of coffee could be a problem.

Some other interesting points made... good quality thread!

[Travis Munroe]

I'm not sure what you mean by "bargaining" and "manipulating". But I can tell you that the lifestyle changes I made were not so that I'd have a few extra days at the end, but so that the days between now and the end would be better. That's what I never got about Dennis Leary's justification for his smoking. "Meh, so I die a few years earlier… those are the years that suck anyway." Yeah, well, I know a few people in their 70s that are going very, very strong. Actually, the guy at the pool who is 92 swims about as fast as I do (though that's more of a statement about how poorly I swim than anything else :) ). You can live longer AND BETTER if you make the right choices now.

Agreed on the first half but I don't mind kicking the bucket in my 70's/80's...as long as I gave it my all up until then. If I had it my way I could crush 2 Dr Oetkener pizza's with ranch and hot sauce every single day. I am not manipulating or bargaining myself because I don't.

[Tron_fdc]

I consider myself to have a balanced lifestyle. I work out 4-5 times a week for 2 hours and.....thats it. My diet sucks as I am always eating out, attend most flames games which is a minimum 2 beers.

Point of my story is that exercise alone has been able to counteract every other unhealthy lifestyle choice I make. Nothing replaces exercise and it has to be the easiest thing to change as it becomes enjoyable after a month or 2.

Everytime I think about changing my diet I read something new about a "bad" food. Joe Rogan recently had a podcast talking about how America gets the worlds garbage coffee because regulations won't allow it anywhere else. Who would have thought a cup of coffee could be a problem.

Some other interesting points made... good quality thread!

Not sure how old you are, but I used to do the same thing. I always thought that my activity level would easily counteract the garbage I put in (and it was a lot). That was until I was told I had high cholestorol, high blood pressure, and gout. At the time I was about 6' tall, 190lbs, and quite fit.

What I learned is that there is an ungodly amount of crap in the food we eat every day, and even though you follow a healthy lifestyle you're still at just as high risk as the fat guy eating chicken wings every night. North America is going to be riddled with heart disease from all the processed foods that are found EVERYWHERE these days.

Everyone's different, but it's food for thought.

[rotten42]

THis is why you should stay in shape so that when you get to your later years you are physically able to do the things you want to. My brother is only 3 years older than me but he is out of shape and smokes. I can already see his body breaking down and he now complains of back trouble. Yeah, A big beer gut will do that to you.

On the other side, my dad is 82. He worked in the concrete industry all his life. He has always been in good shape. Last year down in Mexico I shot my best game of golf ever. A 86. He shot a 79. Infact he still shoots in the low 80's on a consitant basis.

[GGG]

Shooting your age in golf is amazing.

The key for me is do things that make me feel better. This is why I eat healthy. If I eat like crap I feel like crap, need to drink coffee to be alert, can't sleep as well becasue of all the caffine, feel to tired for exercise etc, The unhealthy choices really stack well on each other.

So eating healthy and exercise for me isn't to live longer, it is to feel better now. I don't go crazy on diet and let myself eat whatever I want. The only thing I should change is too eat out at lunch less but part of that is social so it is a tough habbit to break.

Im not sure why people say don't have kids as a secret to living longer. I find that kids in general make me happier and therefore overall improve my quality of life therefore should help me live longer. Yes there are stressful eppisodes but I think they are a net benefit.

[undercoverbrother]

Im not sure why people say don't have kids as a secret to living longer. I find that kids in general make me happier and therefore overall improve my quality of life therefore should help me live longer. Yes there are stressful eppisodes but I think they are a net benefit.


Cuz they don't have them.....

One tip that is helping me is to not worry about what you can't control or change. It has helped at work and home.


Also masturbate daily.

[worth]

Sunscreen.

[undercoverbrother]

Sunscreen.

Useless as lube, stings like ####.

[1stLand]

Everyone keeps talking about sunscreen and not to tan.
Not sure if serious.

Regarding the previous posters father who worked in concrete all their life - I am not surprised he is in good shape.

I shoveled concrete for 5 seasons to pay my way through University and I was in great shape. Most of the guys on my concrete placing crew were ripped. They also smoked and drank alot to dull the pain they incurred from the back breaking labour. lol.

Part of me wishes I had a job where I could incorporate strenuous physical labor into my daily routine and get paid for it.

[Tron_fdc]

sTJ7AzBIJoI

And I actually have kids. My life is currently being lead one hockey practice to the next, and one feeding to the next, which is probably every 90 minutes. I was half kidding about wife and kids, but that means I was half serious...