“Think big, think positive, never show any sign of weakness. Always go for the throat. Buy low, sell high. Fear? That’s the other guy’s problem. Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for the absolute carnage you are about to witness. Super Bowl, World Series – they don’t know what pressure is. In this building, it’s either kill or be killed. You make no friends in the pits and you take no prisoners. One minute you’re up half a million in soybeans and the next, boom, your kids don’t go to college and they’ve repossessed your Bentley. Are you with me?” – Trading Places
It’s a new martial art – we call it “Slap-foo.”
I’ve been posting on health topics weekly for, well, over a year every Friday, which is well over fifty posts on health (my basic math is still intact, so my senility is at least another week off). The Friday health posts have examined some important relationships between all sorts of issues, and generally attempt to tie back to things that impact (or will impact) our health, health care, and the future of what technology might do to health care and longevity. It’s a pretty big topic, and well within the blog’s mission, which was stolen shamelessly from Benjamin Franklin’s “healthy, wealthy, and wise” quote.
But what I haven’t done is look at health from a bigger picture. Health as a human system. Let’s examine the human body as if it were a Tesla® Model 3™ or any other engineered system. That car rolls off the assembly line (or not, if it’s a real Tesla©, they seem to be having trouble making them) in as good a condition as it ever will be. Every moment, every mile degrades a system in one way or another. The tires get worn down by the road. The batteries experience a slow failure as they are charged and discharged. Your Elon Musk™ bobblehead gets faded by ultraviolet rays. The paint gets chipped by a rock from the road. And yet, we can look at the systems that impact the life of the car in a dispassionate way because they’re governed (mostly) by things that we can analyze, failures that we can predict based upon way we use and treat the car.
So how is a human body different? In many ways it isn’t. Human longevity depends on many predictable, controllable factors that determine how long and how well a human will function. It reaches its peak genetic health at birth, its peak physical health between 16 and 30 (depending upon the system) and then ages. What determines how long this machine lasts? How much of it do we control?
Quite a lot, really, and it’s simpler than you might imagine (though I didn’t say it was easy):
Diet – if I were to pick my number one choice for something to focus on for longer human life, it would start here. “You are what you eat.” “Don’t be such a pig, John Wilder, and save some for the rest of us.” “No, you don’t have to finish off the second plate of fettuccini alfredo. That’s not the way to stick it to Olive Garden®.”
I’ve discussed this on numerous posts – and it appears that a low carbohydrate diet is demonstrably the best in many respects. But sugar tastes so good, even high fructose corn syrup. Obesity is one that more and more people struggle with every year. It’s a major factor in heart disease and cancer, too – the number one and number two killers.
If you want to live longer, start with diet. It’s hard, and society is making a frowny face at you if you don’t conform. But in the end, you (and I) control the fork . . . .
Here are a couple of relevant posts from the past:
Doritos, Obesity, Addiction, and Nic Cage
Diet, then Exercise. Diet first. Atkins and Paleo work.
The Link Between Sugar, Cancer, and the Kardashians
Exercise – this is my number two on the list. Exercise tones and trains the body, so that when you die you will look awesome at your funeral and also helps you lose weight so that you don’t need thirty pallbearers. I kid.
Exercise is clearly related to a stronger body. It’s clearly related to a healthier heart (though it’s not a cure all for heart disease). It’s clearly related to lower incidence of cancer. And it’s clearly related to smaller pants (which helps with stress, below).
If you’re not exercising and are healthy enough to do so, exercise. Duh.
Russian Wrestlers, Pylometrics, and You’re Probably Not Trying All That Hard
Sitting? Death. Get up. Neal Stephenson says so.
Stress – third on my list of factors influencing how long you live, stress seems to be a byproduct of modern life. But many of the things that stress us are chosen, and most of those things we choose to stress out about are based on future consequences that will never happen. Stress is dangerous for nearly every system that you require for operation: your brain and memory deteriorate under long-term stress. Your heart and blood pressure are aggravated by stress (and stroke risk increases). Negative behaviors like eating a whole cake, or living on a diet that consists entirely of pre-made frosting tubs (chocolate sour cream, of course) increase with stress. Tobacco use increases. Alcohol/drug consumption increases.
Sure, you say, but what are the negative behaviors? I kid. But long term consequences of stress and the behaviors that we engage in to cope with stress kill 4 billion people a year.
Okay, not 4 billion people a year. But it’s not good. According to one source, stress-related conditions are responsible for 75% of doctor visits. Stress is a contributor to the top deadly conditions (heart disease, cancer, accidents, suicide) in the United States.
So what do you do?
Surviving Stress, Still Proudly Caffeinated
Superpowers, Stress, Ben Franklin’s Nails
Relationships and Social Engagement – having friends is key to living longer. While it may be related to stress reduction, I think it’s more than that. Engagement in something that gives your life meaning and purpose is inherently fulfilling. And it gives you something to look forward to each morning when it’s time to get up. Being married is also key. Having people you can share with – you can confide in – makes you stronger.
Recently, however, people doing more social interaction on places like FaceBlock® or Tweeter©, and these interactions don’t and can’t replace taking a five mile hike with your son or a spirited conversation with your family, just like you can’t fight evil with a macaroni duck.
Lonely? Ditch Facebook, Find Real People. Live Longer.
Friendship and Health – and When Friendships are Made . . .
Lifestyle – other lifestyle factors can greatly influence your lifespan, especially if you overdo them:
- Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking – I would say these might void the factory warranty, but Keith Richards is still alive. I also had a relative that smoked several packs of cigarettes a day. And slipped in the shower and died when she was in her mid-seventies. Those are outliers – be moderate in your vices. Ben Franklin and his Thirteen Virtues
- Sleep – Get enough. Too little will hurt you and make you fatter over time. Sleep Deprivation, Health, Zombies, and B-Movies
- Be Wealthy – everything is easier if you’re rich, and that’s part of the mission of this blog. So get a lot of money, or change your name to Richard.
- Personal Safety Habits – I had a dream that my youngest son was using my table saw to turn trees into planks. He kept putting his fingers near the blade. NOOOOO! Don’t do that. Be . . . at least a little
- Supplements – Might some help? Sure, but you have to have your basics (above) in place. Vitamins and You
Sure, there are things you can’t control and that are difficult to assess:
- Bad luck –
- Accidents,
- Meteors,
- Being a skinny marathon runner who has a heart attack
- Being Job, that guy from the Bible. (Never be the subject of a bet between God and Satan – it’s like being Dan Ackroyd from Trading Places.)
- Genetics – Ever see a family of fat people? Or skinny people? Some people just have those genetics. And if you’re lucky you’ll have the “only allergic to being stabbed and are impervious to cancer” genes. Heck, I’d settle for Keith Richards’ genes.
Luck aside, if you control your diet, exercise, stress, relationships, and lifestyle, you could live 10 to 20 years longer – you can get a lot more mileage out of your Tesla® if you take care of it. That is, if you can get one . . .
Again: I am Not a doctor. NOT A DOCTOR. Not a doctor. Not a doctor. Not a doctor. Doctor.
NOT A DOCTOR. So see a real one if you think you need to.
