One brisk walk a day is enough to cut the risk of early death by as much as 15 per cent, according to Public Health of England. I read this in my nightly download of stories of centenarians. Fifteen percent! That’s a pretty good payoff for one brisk walk a day, don’t you think?
I gave a talk about nutrition and lifelong wellness at a retirement community today. My advice on how to live long and die short? Eat well, move and relax, don’t worry. I was in the hall talking with a resident after the program and she pointed to the back of a man briskly walking down the hall. “He’s 104” she said.
The residents at the retirment community had many questions. “Are eggs good for you? Skim or full fat milk? Milk at all? What foods should I eat to support my underactive thyroid? Is beef okay to eat? How about mushrooms?“
These are very informed residents who want to stay well. They are willing to do the work to live long and die short.
It would take some time to thoroughly answer these questions, but briefly stated, the answer to all of them is whatever you eat, begin with simple whole fresh foods that have not been treated with antibitoics or hormones. Know the source of your food. Buy local whenever you can so you can know the answers.
And don’t forget to take into account what you like to eat. No one wants to suffer through vegetables or grains or fish or meat that they plain don’t like. There are enough foods to choose from - there are more than 100 vegetables alone - that you can always find a healthy choice.
How motivated are you to do the simple things of walking and eating well each day? Do you think it’s worth the effort to live like that 104 year old I saw yesterday? Leave your comments below.