According to
Best Life magazine March 2008 you can increase your chances for a longer and healthier life quite easily.. except for that farming lifestyle in Old McDonald listed below of course. Enjoy the following info!
Arm Yourself
"Doing bicep curls can increase your life span. Men who have the highest muscle mass in their upper arms are 36% less likely to die from any cause of death than those with smaller arm muscles according to a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
It's a shame my arms are puny. I have been itching to get a new set of dumb bells though. Here's to long life!
Vein Event
"Having blood clots nearly doubles your risk of having a stroke or heart attack within the next year according to a study published in the Lancet. Long periods of inactivity, being overweight, and smoking all increase the risk of getting blood clots, but a new study found that participating in a sports activity just once a week regardless of the type of sport or intensity reduces the risk of developing blood clots in a lung artery by 46% and in a leg artery by 24%."
Bowling? Did I hear someone say bowling?
Cancer Trigger
"More than 62 million computed tomography (CT) scans are performed in the United States every year, but a study in the New England Journal of Medicine warns that the increased exposure to radiation from CT scans could be responsible for up to 2% of all cancers in the future. If you must have a CT scan, eat plenty of bran and languans. Researchers from the University of Maryland found that antioxidant compounds found in these foods can protect DNA from radiation damage."
Also another reason health insurance is getting more expensive... too many unnecessary procedures.
Raise Another Glass To Your Health
"Turns out, your heart isn't the only organ that reaps benefits from drinking adult beverages in moderation. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Center in California followed 178,000 people for 9 years and found that drinking 1 or 2 glasses a day but not more of wine, beer, or liquor translates to a 20% reduction in the risk of developing lung disease including Asthma, Emphysema, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, the lung protective benefits are the same for smokers and non-smokers."
Excellent news for those of us who love to drink just about anything in moderation.
Old McDonald
"If you want to live to 100, buy yourself a farm and start procreating, that's the message from a new study based on data from World War I draft registration records. Researchers from the University of Chicago's Center on Aging found that having more than 3 children increases the man's chances of living to 100 by nearly 300% and farmers are more than twice as likely to become centurions than are city dwelling peers."
I've always wanted to live to 100 but I'm not sure I'll go to this extent. Maybe I'll just accidentally have 3 kids and plant a garden in my backyard. :)
Update 5/28/2009: If you liked this post I think you'll like a website called
How To Live A Longer Life. This site is packed with tips just like these and many others. Everything is cross referenced and sortable and much is based on the studies featured in Best Life magazine.
