Living Long, Living Well

Naturally, I hope to live a long time.  But I want them to be quality years more than anything.  Of course, there are no promises.  Despite the uncertainty of it all, my plan, as always, is try to live the life today that could enable to reach that level of longevity.  It's not always easy.  My genes do their thing, but so much comes down to personal willpower and choice. 

The other day I was deleting some old e-mails and found one I had sent an aunt in 2007!   She was always one of my favorite e-mail correspondents, as well as a significant contributor to this blog's family genealogy content.  Anyway, I had seen a study on the very long lifespans (a super-centenarian study) that certain groups of people maintain, and how their diets, lifestyles, environments, genes and mindsets contribute to their quality aging.  Here's an excerpt from that e-mail:

 

This study was done a few years ago.  Three people groups were studied comprehensively to determine how/why they lived well late into life.  I know you probably have gotten thousands of tips and read hundreds of articles on diet and nutrition and how that plays into dealing with your cancer, treatment and recovery.  So your impulse might be to dismiss this as just another tip or gimmick.  However, this study on the Okinawans of Japan is worth looking over when/if you desire.  As Dr. Oz said on Larry King the other night, "We (Americans) pay twice as much for healthcare than the Europeans because we're twice as sick."  What I want to know is why we're twice as sick and how we can turn that around.  I do think we can.