Rules for Living Younger

I want to live longer and younger. Don't you?

And even though I want to live younger, when I have my annual physical and the doctor tells me what my blood pressure is, I still have to wait for the doctor to tell me whether such and such number over such and such other number is okay or not. I just can't remember what my blood pressure should be or even whether the big number or the little number should be on top.

And I believe I should take a daily multivitamin, but when I read the list on the back I can't tell whether I need what is on the list or not. For example, where is the vitamin B5? You mean its called pantothenic acid. Oh, right -- I mean, of course it is. You would know that, right?

That is how I felt until I recently read Drs. Oz and Roizen's health guide book called "You, the Owner's Manual." Its not a Harvard Medical Guide and it has no footnotes. It just gives simple explanations about how each system in the body works and then it outlines a "Living Younger Action Plan." I have read all 500+ pages of the book, and you should too. But I know you are busy, not to mention fully employed, and may not have brain power left at the end of the day. So as a benefit of my current unemployment and as my gift to you, here is the "cliff notes" version of the the Living Younger Action Plan. You now have no excuse to "not to be around" for my 100th birthday bash, which will be a major extravaganza.

1. KNOW THE NUMBERS -- (a) Blood pressure maintained at 115/76. A higher BP level can be considered normal, but maintaining it low at 115/76 can add up to 12 years of life to your cardiovascular system. 12 YEARS! (b) Cholesterol: LDL less than 220 minus your age and HDL greater than 40. (c) Blood sugar (glucose) should be less than 100mg/dL. (d) Eat less than 20 grams of saturated and transfat per day -- eating none is great. (e) Homocysteine should be less than 9 mmol/L. The reason women have heart disease later in life is because they genetically have lower homocysteine levels. Memorize those numbers mate! You can add 25 years to the life of your ticker and veins. (You can lower you homo-cysteine levels by supplementing with Folate (Vitamin B9) and vitamins B6 and B12, all of which is listed below in the Vitamin supplement section). Now, when you go in for your annual physical, first make sure that each of the above is being tested and second, if any of the levels above are too high -- make a plan with your doc to get straight.
2. STRESS!!!!! is the number one ager of our bodies in general. YOU MUST REDUCE IT!!!! Exercise, meditation, religious devotion, nurturing friendships and playing with a pet can decrease stress. You may not have a pet, but to live younger you must find time each week for sufficient exercise, meditation and nurturing friendships. Put it on the schedule, its a must. Stress can take away over 20 years from your life!
3. SUPPLEMENTS: (a) take a daily multivitamin with magnesium (400 mg), calcium (600 mg twice daily), vitamin A (1,500 IU), vitamin D (1,000 IU), vitamin C (600 mg twice daily), vitamin E (400 IU), Folate (400 mcg), vitamin B5/pantothenic acid (300 mg), vitamin B6 (6 mg), vitamin B12 (25 mcg), zinc (15 mg) and cooper (2 mg); (b) take 162 milligrams of aspirin (2 baby aspirin) daily and drink 1/2 glass warm water before and after; (c) take Co-enzyme10 up to 1,200 milligrams daily and (d) take 1,500 mg combined of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin to lubricate your joints. If you do not eat fruit rich in potassium daily, you must add that too.
4. EAT HEALTHY: (a) 1/2 handful of nuts a day (contain good fats and precursor to serotonin to improve mood); (b) 13.5 ounces of omega-3 rich fish; (c) eat a cup of beans daily (especially soybeans [or tofu] or kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans) (you can soak beans in water overnight to breakdown some of the compounds that cause gas); (d) 31 mg of flavaniods daily from yummy foods such as red grapes, cranberries, chocolate, oranges or onions and tomatoes; (e) drink skimmed milk; (f) consume plenty of fiber (25 g for men and 35 g for women); (g) no more soda pop -- regular or diet! and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day; (h) eat healthy fat at the beginning of meals, but especially before dinner; (i) eat your cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) to fight cancer and detox the liver and (j) eat four servings of fruit everyday. I am serious about the soda thing. Studies are showing that people who eat substantial sugar substitutes (i.e., diet soda) are training their brains to think that sweets do not have calories, not good.
5. SLEEP: 7-8 hours for men and 6-7 hours for women. If you do not sleep enough, you brain does not release enough serotonin and you try to make up for it with stimulants such as sugar, caffeine or tobacco.
6. EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN. Your brain is a muscle that must be worked out by trying something new or testing yourself. The chosen activity should feel like recess, not study hall. Find something challenging that you enjoy doing everyday. Also, take a break and just daydream to keep your brain flexible and your imagination keen.
7. HELMETS. Wear a helmet when you are biking, blading, climbing or other activities with high probabilities of head trauma.
8. EXERCISE YOUR BODY. Perform 3 types of exercise weekly: (a) 10 minutes resistance training 3 times a week (by adding more lean muscle you help prevent injuries by taking stress off joints and ligaments and by building stronger bones and you create a fat-burning machine to help with long-term weight loss); (b) 20 minutes of stamina training 3 times a week (to help strengthen your cardiovascular system) and (c) 5 minutes daily of stretching or yoga. If you do not walk 30 minutes a day in your normal daily schedule, you will need to add this in to keep your bones healthy. A note with respect to stamina training -- be nice to your joints. Swimming, biking or an elliptical machine will keep you from sustaining stress injuries from the pounding of repetitive prolonged running. Cross training is actually the best work out for your heart, so mix it up if you can. Also, note that using free weights helps build your balance and core muscles better than machines.
9. DON'T SMOKE.
10. GREENERY. Adding plants to your home is the best air filtration system.
11. PROTECT AGAINST DUST MITES. Wrap your pillows and mattress in impermeable (1 micron-protected) cloth. Why? Otherwise, within two years your pillows accumulate 2 pounds of dust mite excrement, that's right -- mite poop -- that's 2lbs in your pillow! So when you buy those wonderful dual layered feather-core goose down wrapped pillows for just-right comfort, put on a micron wrap or you'll have to chuck your pillows at the end of the year. Ouch! That's expensive trash.
12. EXPERIMENT WITH FOOD. Use food elimination testing to avoid food allergies. Even low-grade food allergies can make a person have a runny nose or headaches or even feel flu-like symptoms. In this test, you completely eliminate one group of food from your diet for about three days and take notes about your energy levels, fatigue and digestive regularity when you go off the food and then when you go back on the food. Don't forget that food can affect the way your children act and feel, so take note also.
13. FLOSS. Gum disease and inflammation actually contributes to heart disease. So please, floss.
14. AVOID TOXINS: (a) drink filtered water; (b) eat unprocessed food; (c) take care not to eat meat from animals exposed to toxins (especially its liver, yes, that means foi gras); (d) wash your fruits and vegetables; (e) wash your hands and (f) evaluate your home' and office air quality.
15. SEX, SEX, SEX. Have more stress-free, quality, thoughtful sex. From what I've read, quality and thoughtful means more and longer foreplay guys. A person can add up to 8 years to their life by figuring out how to have stress-free, qualify, thoughtful sex. Quickies and affairs do not meet the test. We are talking about the need for the big long-term commitment to extend your life and your happiness.
16. PROTECT YOUR EARS. Avoid sounds over 85 decibels. That includes snoring. Seriously, you are damaging your spouse's hearing, man!
17. Wear sun-protection
18. Wear sun-glasses.
19. Take a 10-minute break after every two hours in front of the computer or TV screen.

That's it. These are just minimum standard's for living longer, mind you. You can certainly do more. But it seems like a daunting list for me already. I am adding a few good habits at a time.

Good luck.