Health Alert 218
Dear Subscriber:
They say Methuselah lived for 969 years. It begs the question of just how long you can live. Who among us wouldn’t want to stick around to hit the 100-year mark?
Today, you’ll see how you can get a prediction of your lifespan without going to the doctor. I’ll show you the 12 predictors of longevity we use in my antiaging clinic in Florida. You can discover whether you’re on your way to becoming long-lived like Methuselah…
* The Longevity Game *
The average life expectancy in the US today is 76 years.1 You may go well beyond that average. Let’s see how you do. Start with the number 76 – and see if you have to add or subtract from that average. (Then be sure to keep reading to see how you can make that number climb higher):2
1. Exercise. Do you exercise vigorously at least 3 times a week? If you do, add 3 years. If not, subtract 3 years.
2. Diet. Do you avoid bad fats and processed foods and instead choose lots of omega-3 rich fish and grass-fed beef? If so add 2 years.
3. Weight. Are you at a healthy weight? If you’re overweight by 50 pounds or more, subtract 8 years. If you’re overweight by 30 to 40 pounds, subtract 4 years, 10 to 29 pounds subtract 2 years.
4. Blood Pressure. If you know your blood pressure, add 1 year.
5. Drinking. Do you drink more than two drinks (cocktails, beer or wine) a day? If you do, subtract 1 year. And for each additional daily drink subtract 2 more.
6. Smoking. If you smoke more than two packs a day subtract 8. One to two packs a day subtract six. One-half to one pack subtract 3.
7. Driving. Have you received a traffic ticket in the past year or been involved in a traffic accident? If so, subtract 4 years. Other violations, minus one. If you always wear your seatbelt, add one.
8. Working vs. retiring. If you are 65 or older and are still working this is a good sign, add 3.
9. Relaxation. If you take a relaxed approach to life, add 3 years. If you’re aggressive, driven or anxious subtract 3 years. And if you consider yourself ‘unhappy’ subtract another year.
10. Gender. Since women live longer than men, if you’re a women add 3 years. If you’re a man, subtract 3 years.
11. Age. How long you’ve lived matters. If you’re between the ages of 30 and 39, add 2; 40 to 49 add 3, 50-69 add 4, 70 or older add 5.
12. Family history. If any grandparent has reached age 85, add 2. If all of your grandparents have reached age 80, add 6. If one of your parents died of a stroke or heart attack before the age of 50 subtract 4.
Your total number is your estimated lifespan…
* Changing Your Longevity Number *
You can start today to improve your longevity by making positive changes to your lifestyle. Examine your answers above. Determine what you need to work on. Do you need to exercise more? Eat better? Lose weight? Just because your father died from a heart attack doesn’t mean that is also your destiny. You have information he may not have had. Look at the diseases that run in your family and work to lower your risk factors. And for a little extra motivation, listen to this…
If you can maintain your body and stay alive for another 25, science may be able to give you another extra 50.3 Already we’ve learned how to regenerate human cells. There are almost certainly life-extending discoveries on the horizon. All you have to do is your part. Start today.
To Your Health,
Al Sears, M.D.
Sources:
1. Wadsworth Publishing Company, ‘The Longevity Game’ by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, 2001.
2. Wadsworth Publishing Company, ‘The Longevity Game’ by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, 2001.
3. Frank, Bill. Forever Young: 100 Age-Erasing Techniques, New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2003, p. 5.