“If you can tell me right now, what it is that gets you up in the morning, your life expectancy is 7 years higher than the person sitting next to you who can’t tell you why they get up in the morning” says Dan Buettner. Dan spent 5 years travelling the world and studying the world happiest people and has written a brilliant book, Blue Lines. He came up with 9 behaviours that lead to living a longer, better life;
1. Move (find ways to move mindlessly, make moving unavoidable)
2. Plan de Vida (know your purpose in life)
3. Down Shift (work less, slow down, rest, and take vacation)
4. 80% Rule (stop eating when you’re 80% full)
5. Plant-Power (more veggies, less protein and processed foods)
6. Red Wine (consistency and moderation)
7. Belong (create a healthy social network)
8. Beliefs (spiritual or religious participation)
9. Your Tribe (make family a priority)
I have just completed Dan’s Vitality Compass, found at bluelines.com, and the results are astonishing. After answering a series of 35 questions such as how often I felt anxious in the last month to how many serves of fruit I have eaten this week to am I single or married I have a few hard facts staring at me.
My biological age is actually 32.8 which is a vast improvement on the 38 years I actually am. This reflects my health habits and great diet choices.
I am expected to live until 90.2 which, considering my strong family trends of longevity did not surprise me at all. My grandmother is 85 and a ball of energy, she Skypes me regularly and always makes me promise to have some down time!
The figure that worries the hell out of me is that I am expected to be disease free until only 76.4 years of age after which I may be struck down by cancer, heart disease and diabetes! That is a total of 13.8 years of disease and I refuse to accept that. As a naturopath I focus my whole philosophy on disease prevention and the wellness model. The wellness model is focused on supporting a healthy diet and lifestyle which keeps you well instead of fixing something that is already broken.
The last result is that my life has accrued 8 years due to my already healthy habits. This is good news – to know that my super healthy diet is actually adding years to my life is amazing. But I want those years to be full of health and vitality, not illness and suffering. So, according to my report I need to stress less, work on my anxiety and exercise more frequently. I am aware of these factors already but it’s great to know I am on the right track.
What is the answer for me? A regular day off, book a girlfriend to join me in some exercise, get back into regular meditation and simply stop and breathe!
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