One secret of youthfulness as you grow older
Forty four years ago I was nineteen – I was at university in London, England. I drank a huge amount of beer, ate badly (whatever was there – actually I never thought about health), I walked a lot (you do that in Europe) and I weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds (ten stone, ten). I played rugby once a week. I drove like a maniac and basically didn’t care about anything (other than girls that is).
I became progressively less fit in my twenties as my exercise levels went down – especially once I arrived in California. Nobody walks in LA. So eventually I had to join a gym. I was running on surface streets about six miles a day five days a week. And of course rather than get healthy – I ended up with a hairline fracture in one of my knees and both hurt. For a while I was fit but given that I was damaging myself I was not healthy. I drank a lot of wine and even though I exercised a lot my weight was going up – I cannot remember by how much.
Thirty years ago – I was exercising but perhaps less. What I do remember is that my weight was about one eighty.
Twenty years ago I weighed one ninety – my maximum weight.
Ten years ago I started getting serious about becoming healthy. It was about this time that I started giving seminars on weight management and weight loss. I cut down the amount of alcohol I drank. My weight hovered between one sixty to one seventy.
And, today a month before my sixty third birthday, I weigh between one fifty five to one sixty two. my waist size is the same as it was forty years ago. I weigh slightly more but that’s because I have way more muscle mass today.
I now manage my weight tightly and am very aware of it. This is a secret of those who control their weight. We use the scales (and how well our clothes fit) as feedback mechanism and take action if our weight goes up above a narrow range.
I eat a mostly vegetarian diet with plenty and plenty of fruits. I eat about ten portions of fruits and vegetables daily. I consume huge amounts of fiber and am as regular as the Big Ben in London. I drink huge amount of tea (black, green, oolang, and herbal teas of all kinds). I eat lots of non-fat plan yogurt and tofu. I make sure I consume plenty and plenty of water based and lipid (fat) based antioxidants (natural and supplements).
Most importantly I have a positive attitude toward life and have fun. I do not adhere to the tenants of any formal religion, but am extremely spiritual. If I have to put a term on my religion I’m a very liberal Muslim. I love the Sufi’s from my own tradition and Zen Buddhism but basically I note that the mystical traditions in all religions talk about the same things.
The point is that medical research has shown that people who are sure of their religion and/or spirituality (or lack thereof) are healthier than those who are less committed to a belief system. Thus atheists are just as healthy 9from the aspect of the effect of faith on health) than any other true believer. But if you partially believe you do not get that health benefit.
By the way most people think I’m in my mid forties but that could (does have) something to do with my genes. OK at this time you cannot do anything about that – in time perhaps you can do something about it. But you can do something about the things you take in (food and thoughts). You can change your attitudes. You can keep your health. You can keep your youth no matter what your age.
I’ll write more about the above issues (exercise, what you eat and other environmental effects, mental effects including spirituality) in later posts.
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