The Longevity Script – an online publication helping people focus on healthy longevity.

Three of the biggest health issues that people face in an early death or a diminished life are cardiovascular disease (both heart attacks and strokes), cancer, and diabetes.  Of these, we have very good information as to how to prevent and reverse most cardiovascular issues and diabetes, and we also have a good idea of how to reverse or prevent many cancers, but why do we continue to have so many deaths and disabilities from these illnesses?

Let me be clear:  I’m not a medical doctor, and I’m not a medical science researcher.  I’m an attorney and a financial advisor, but I have a scientific background (MS degree) and read medical research regularly.  My clients are predominantly individuals in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, and my quest has been on studying how I can possibly prevent myself, family, friends, and clients from developing these illnesses that shorten lives and make the last years or decades of life much less enjoyable.

How do we live longer?  What steps can we take now to make sure that we stay healthier for longer?

The primary focus for a long and healthy lifespan should be on diet and exercise. These are the most basic things that people can usually change if they want to make the change.  Is one more important than the other?  The more important of the two is the one further from where it should be. Diet is probably easier to change than exercise, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do both at the same time.  They’re both the building blocks for a long, healthy life.

What else is important?  Sleep, stress, and socialization come next, and again, the focus should be more on the ones that are most out of whack from where they should be.  If you get 7 to 8 hours of deep sleep every night, but live like a hermit, your sleep probably isn’t an issue, but increasing your socialization by having greater contact with other people may be something that greatly increases your odds of living a longer and healthier life.

How’s your weight?  How’s your heart?  Cholesterol?  Blood pressure?  Blood sugar?  Are you diabetic or pre-diabetic?  These are all concerns, and you should reflect upon your current status and what you can change in your life to move towards a healthier life.

Life is about options and understanding what is mostly likely to benefit you and what is most likely to cause you harm.

Study after study has shown that people benefit from eating no animal products, or very little animal products, and especially no red meat or cured meat.  What?  Veganism? Yes, or close to it.  But what about the carnivore diets and Atkins and Paleo and Keto diets?  Well, if you look hard enough, you can probably find someone who claims that the healthiest diet is to eat raw beef while sitting cross-legged on the floor, in the dark, and facing east, but are there any long term studies that back that up?  No.  All long term scientific studies show that eating no animal products, or very little animal products, leads to healthier bodies.

Do I expect you to live long, but be unhappy because you give up bacon, salami, and steaks?  No, I expect you to give up those damaging foods and do the work you need to do to adjust to healthier foods that you find enjoyable.  It’s possible to have very enjoyable meals that don’t include any animal products, but it takes time to make the leap to a new style of eating.

And I don’t promote this to protect animals or the environment.  I say this to protect your own body.  I grew up raising sheep and chickens and pigs for us to sell or butcher for our own freezer, but I’ve come to realize over the years that the odds of living a longer and healthier life are greatly increased by avoiding all animal products in our diets.

And what about exercise?  This is the second thing that can be somewhat easily controlled.  Very few people can go out and run a marathon, and even fewer can do it after being out of shape and/or obese for decades, but most people can start small and just work on continuing that effort and improving.  You don’t need to join a gym or buy special equipment.  You can start by walking short distances and then increasing that distance, and also using resistance training like stretch bands or light weights that you can store in the closet or under the bed.  The objective is to get some exercise, a little at a time, and then start increasing both the intensity and duration of the exercise.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you’re unlikely to become an Olympic athlete overnight, but the objective is to lead a longer and healthier life.

Why change your diet and start to get more exercise? For love.  For love of life, and for enjoyment of a longer life with less pain and illness.  To be able to spend more enjoyable time with friends and family.  To be able to walk across the room with ease, and enjoy the things you want to do without experiencing pain.

Focus on healthy longevity, and what an improved and extended life could mean to you and your loved ones.  Think long term.