My Great Grandmother was proud that, well into her eighties, she’d impressed her doctor: she could still bend over and grab her toes. She got up early to cook for twenty people once a week, she had all her mental faculties, and she helped my grandmother in the garden every afternoon.
My other Great Grandmother was in her nineties when she was still taking care of small children, cooking, and walking to the grocery store—over a mile—when she got bored.
It makes me wonder how I’ll age, and motivates me to take care of myself now. Because I’ve seen that it’s possible to age gracefully, to stay active, to be alert and involved all through my days.
I’ve heard bad habits justified like this: “You should live for today because you could be hit by a bus tomorrow.”—true, but it’s a bit of a twist to use that logic to justify bad habits. Because what if you don’t get hit by that bus? I saw one grandfather go on dialysis, and a step grandfather die of liver failure (after having already survived smoking related lip and mouth cancer that left him unable to eat with dignity). Bad habits can really catch up with you.
You can’t control luck, but you can encourage things to go your way!
Support your body and mind with good nutrition—a daily multivitamin will cover your bases, especially if you still have the occasional day where you have a sugary breakfast or skip lunch. Good nutrition in middle age is strongly linked to a healthier old age!
Exercise, at least a little, each day. It doesn’t have to involve weights—it could just mean making time for your favorite activity.
Keep your immune system strong—a weakened immune system means you’re more likely to be in and out of the hospital, which dramatically raises your risk for dementia! Eating right and exercising will help, but so can a dietary supplement like colloidal silver.
Incorporate healthy activities into your daily life. For example, you can try our long life tea, which supports cardiovascular health. (And my gardening great grandma would tell you she kept her health because of all the tomatoes she ate—you can get a lot of the health benefit of tomatoes through lycopene, which is available in many supplements).
What are your family’s secrets to a long life?
