Most people want to live a long life, and more importantly (if they’ve really thought about it), they want good health during those years.
Where do sunshine and rainbows come in?
First off, there’s this fascinating study: sunshine helps lower your blood pressure. It’s not a vitamin D thing, or a sun makes you happy thing, it’s an actual chemical reaction that takes place in your skin and causes your arteries to dilate, leading to lower blood pressure.
The theory is the sunlight is somehow mobilizing nitric oxide in the skin. Note: nitric oxide is indeed related to nitrates and nitrates, which you’ve probably seen denounced on the packaging of your breakfast meat. Eating nitrates does not contribute to the reaction/lower blood pressure, and is in fact bad for your health (they oxidize iron and decrease your oxygen supply). So continue to stay away. (They are also present in low quality veggies).
As for rainbows: it’s really a lemonade out of lemons sort of metaphor. I’m sure you’ve heard the idea before, but science continues to support it: enjoying life leads to better health and a longer life.
It’s partly a stress thing,and partly a staying active thing. The key to graceful ageing is filling your life with something you enjoy that also gives you meaning. Gardening and community service come up a lot in stories about about centenarians.
What’s your secret to healthy living?
