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Rituals for Longevity
By James H. O'Keefe, M.D.
I am coming to see an individual's life as a trajectory. Over time what
you think, choose and do is what you become. It is possible to see where
you are headed years and even decades before you arrive there by looking
closely at what you are doing today. In particular, the path your health
follows is determined much less by your genes than your daily habits.
Mundane as it seems, your day-to-day routine largely determines how
healthy and happy you will be, how quickly you will age, what diseases you
will or won't get, and how long you will live.
Many people spend their lives as though they have another one in the
bank. But being alive is like being on board an aircraft flying through a
storm: once you are aloft you have no option but to make the best of it. A
serious oversight or mistake can leave you spiraling out of control and
going down in flames without a second chance. Settling into the right
routines will keep you flying smoothly for decades to come.
Most of what you do in your day-to-day life is done in the context of a
routine. Your health, vigor, and longevity are dependent upon habits. A
routine that involves healthy habits will maintain the integrity of your
bio-system and effectively repel the ravages of time and entropy.
But if you develop self-defeating customs, they will drag you into the
downward spiral of accelerated aging and disease. The key to making your
life the best it can be is to develop the right routines, and break the
bad ones. Habits start simply enough, almost unnoticeably. Sharing a
cigarette with a friend at a party, grabbing a can of Coke and a bag of
potato chips from the vending machine, scarfing down a doughnut in the
mid-morning because you skipped breakfast, coming home after a long day at
work to a big meal and then spending the entire evening watching
television. When we find a pattern that feels good, we tend to repeat it.
Soon a groove develops in our lives, and the action is no longer a choice,
but an automatic response; it becomes the path of least resistance. These
rituals that may have started as innocent whims can eventually become like
chains so strong that sometimes you cannot break them to save your
life.
Yet good habits are as easy to develop as bad ones. Your natural
predisposition to develop rituals can be harnessed in a positive sense to
'vaccinate' yourself against illness, disease and aging. If you are like
most people, you brush your teeth in the morning and before going to bed.
If you have been disciplined to also work flossing daily into your
routine, you will almost certainly have healthy teeth and gums for a
lifetime. You don't need to think about whether or not to do your daily
oral hygiene, it happens automatically.
My colleague and mentor Dr. Bob Conn likes to say, "If you make it your
priority to eat for health rather than taste, you will develop a healthy
taste"; when that happens, good nutrition becomes second nature too.
Billions of people from cultures around the globe can attest to the fact
that green tea can be habit-forming. And it's not for nothing that they
call it happy hour - a drink or two before dinner is a routine that can
bring relaxation with good health as a serendipitous benefit (as long as
you limit your 'happiness' to not more than two drinks per day). Daily
exercise will happen automatically if you can find activities that feel
more like play and less like work. Sure, sex counts as exercise too, but
you will need to find other fun activities that get your heart rate up as
well.
My good friend Tom Medlock has a graduate degree from Harvard
University and now teaches and coaches at Pembroke Hill High School in
Kansas City, Missouri. He wrote to his students in their school paper:
"In cross country (running) we practice a lot; we have rituals we
repeat many times. They make us stronger, faster, better, more than we
were yesterday. The quality of your life practices (routines) factor
greatly into what quality of life you have. Do you practice compassion for
others? Do you practice self-discipline? Is there a general pattern of
giving things your best? Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, and you become.
But surely repeats are not the purpose of cross country or life. On our
team we have a saying: We don't train to train, we train to race. Likewise
in life: we don't practice to practice, we practice to
fly."
Good Things First
Bringing balance back to your life is a real key to health and
happiness. Living in the 21st century American culture seems to promote an
unbalanced life: too much work - not enough play; excessive calories - not
enough natural fresh foods; too much stress - not enough fun; too much TV
- too little exercise; too much rushing around - insufficient restful
sleep; too much materialism - too little spirituality. As Dr. Phil would
ask, "Is it workin' for ya?" I know it doesn't work for me. One of the
best ways to avoid getting swept away in the tide of the modern lifestyle
is to live by the mantra: 'Good Things First'.
Get in the habit of prioritizing the things that will make your life
better in the long run; such as exercise, good food and healthy beverages,
time to play, plenty of rest and relaxation, and a chance to make
meaningful connections. For example, each day you should try to eat lean
protein three times, and at least six servings of vegetables and fruits;
drink eight glasses (about one liter) of water, two to three cups of tea,
two glasses of non-fat milk or soymilk and a drink of wine, beer or
spirits (if you enjoy this, and can drink responsibly).
If you are still hungry, have a treat but make sure it has no trans
fats (found in doughnuts, French fries, or processed snack foods) or high
fructose corn syrup (as in pop or candy). When you make it a priority to
eat and drink all the good things first, you will find that you aren't
constantly hungry; which makes it easier to resist the junk food
temptations that surround you each day. You will also be getting all the
great disease-fighting, anti-aging nutrients you need while at the same
time avoiding empty calories.
In truth, most folks who say they don't have time to exercise really
could find the time if they had the energy and the will to overcome their
inertia and get moving. The average American now watches four hours of
television daily. When you sit down in front of the TV you need to think,
'good things first'; and then ask yourself, "Have I gotten my exercise
today?" If the answer is no, get up and go. At first this may seem
uncomfortable, but in no time you will feel your energy level improve
dramatically, and after a few weeks of daily exercise, you will find
yourself raring to go. A routine of 30 to 60 minutes of exercise daily
will turbo-charge your energy level like nothing else can.
"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that
you dare to dream really do come true. Somewhere over the rainbow
bluebirds fly, birds fly over the rainbow. . .That's where you'll find
me." - E.Y. Harburg
Changing a long-standing habit can be a difficult task. Sometimes a
health problem such as a diagnosis of diabetes or high blood pressure or a
heart attack can be a wake-up call - the silver lining behind the cloud. A
reminder of your vulnerability can spur you to make changes in your life
that can dramatically improve the trajectory of your future. Instead of
wasting your precious time and energy on anxieties about the future or
ruminating about sufferings of the past, focus on what you can do to make
your life better right here, right now. There is only one instant in which
you can be truly alive - the present moment. The future has not yet
arrived, the past is already history. But you can always begin anew with
the present moment. The surest way to take care of the future is to take
care of the present moment. You can only do what you can do - make each
moment count.
In my case, I have turned a potential addiction into a positive health
habit. I have a family history riddled with chemical dependency. I believe
I have been 'addicted' to exercise from the time I was a small child. I
distinctly recall the day when, as a sophomore college student, it became
clear to me that it was time for me to give up on organized varsity
athletics. At the time I made a promise to myself that I would continue to
exercise every day, because I knew deep down that this is my coping
mechanism, a crutch that keeps me happy and well-adjusted.
Luck Favors the Prepared
Your life is the product of your choices, actions, thoughts, and words.
When you integrate meaningful positive habits into your day to day routine
you will flourish and thrive. If you can make these practices a priority
in your life and incorporate them into your daily routine, your excess
body fat will melt away and your overall health and well-being will
improve. Specific rituals can revolutionize your life and put you on a
trajectory toward longevity with energy, health and vigor. Believe in
yourself, make a plan and begin.
"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it
takes 'til I touch the sky. Out of the darkness and into the sun. I'll
make a wish, take a chance, make a change and break away." - Kelly
Clarkson
13 Rituals to Change the Trajectory of Your Life:
- Smile. Think positive. Be optimistic and enthusiastic. You will
discover that if you love life, life will love you back.
- Eat until you are only 80 percent full and then stop. This is a
tradition of the people of Okinawa, the society with the best longevity
in the world.
- Know your numbers. Keep your blood pressure (under 130/85),
cholesterol (under 180), weight (BMI 25 or less), and sugar (less than
100) levels in the optimal ranges. Find a doctor you can relate to and
trust and see him or her once a year.
- Try to sleep 6 to 8.5 hours nightly.
- Practice good oral hygiene: brush twice and floss once daily.
- Exercise 30 to 60 minutes most or ideally all days of the week.
- Limit television viewing to not more than two hours daily. Choose
shows that make you laugh, make you happy or enrich your life. Watch TV
only after you have gotten your exercise for the day. Or kill two birds
with one stone by lifting weights, working out on the treadmill, or
doing yoga while viewing television. Even making a meal, or folding
laundry while you are watching is better than just sitting on the couch.
- Get out for at least 15 to 30 minutes of fresh air daily.
- Try to spend at least a few minutes daily in quiet reflection,
whether in the form of prayer, meditation, yoga, or relaxation
breathing, etc.
- It's not all about you. Connect with your community and your world.
Feel the energy flow into your existence when you make a positive
difference in the network of life around you. The universal law of life
is that you will only get what you give. If you want a long, vigorous
life full of health, love and happiness, it helps to have a generous,
caring attitude.
- Eat fresh natural foods. Avoid processed foods, especially anything
with hydrogenated polyunsaturated fats (trans fats), or high fructose
corn syrup. Include lean protein in your diet three times a day.
Consider adding whey protein powder, one scoop in water or skim milk for
your morning protein source.
- Each day take three omega-3 (fish oil) capsules (okay to take them
all at one meal) and a multivitamin.
- Give up tobacco permanently. Nothing else has the power to improve
your health and longevity like stopping smoking for good. Quit making
excuses. It's only the nicotine addiction that is brainwashing your
mind. Once you have beaten this deadly habit, you will look back and
wonder why it took so long to break free of this ball and chain. Zyban
(Wellbutrin) and other drugs will double your chances of getting off
tobacco once you make up your mind you want to stop smoking or
chewing.AA
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