To all of us who travel South to enjoy the warm winters: “Welcome Back, relax and have fun in the desert.” Think of this time as a chance to renew life, decide what’s really important, take another look at that bucket list before we get too old.
We are all aging–getting older–and some of use are just plain old. We feel old, the slowing down, the aches and pains, the inability to do the things we used to do. Most of what people dread about getting older is actually decay. Aging is unavoidable, but decay is optional. Here’s the secret: Daily exercise, good nutrition and keeping the brain active.
Make a decision right now to start a new plan to get rid of the decay. It starts with exercise. We have to exercise because that’s who we are. Around five hundred thousand years ago on the African savanna our species Homo sapiens evolved. Living in this Garden of Eden required hunting and gathering and hours of walking, with intervals of running and sprinting in between. Exercise is the single most powerful signal we can send our bodies to build new muscle and stop the decay.
Walking is the best. It’s aerobic. It uses oxygen to get the respiratory and circulatory systems up and running. The rule: Do at least 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week, forever.
Give up junk food. Eat real food: fresh fruits and vegetables. unprocessed meats, and dairy products. Cut back on bread, white rice, white pasta, sugar, chips, and soft drinks. Stop eating prepared items like frozen meals, snacks and desserts.
Exercise the brail: Learn something new, start a new hobby, a new class. a musical instrument, or tackle some new computer challenge. Find you passion and make an emotional commitment.
Getting rid of the decay is not easy, but it’s so worthwhile. It will add ten plus years to your lifespan. I hope these rules are enough to get you started and I plan to enlarge upon this idea of preventing decay in future health articles.