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The secrets of long life turn out not to be secrets at all (see "Best Islands to Extend Your Life" featured in our July/August issue). A super-scientific survey of seven ISLANDS staffers produces a list of life-extending practices very similar to the lists promulgated by such books as UltraLongevity by Dr. Mark Liponis, The Longevity Bible by Dr. Gary Small and Life Beyond 100 by Dr. C. Norman Shealy. A composite list of ISLANDS/guru life-extending recommendations follows.
Please send us your own life-extending suggestions and the best islands to practice them on. Just don't worry about it too much.
Reduce stress. Try not to worry about anything, including how long you're going to live. Relax, play, sing, get a massage, clean house, whatever it takes. The methods are myriad, and what causes stress in one person may relieve it in another. So reflect, but do not dwell. Stress kills. Let it go.
Eat less. Estimate how many calories your body needs; cut that in half. Eat a variety of highly nutritious foods. Hungry feelings do not indicate starvation. If your hands shake so hard you can't type anymore, have a snack, not a steak.
Breathe good air. You have to breathe something, better it be clean. Live near plants and open water. Do not smoke.
Exercise the body. Rhythmic movements that raise the heart rate, like dancing and brisk walking, improve all body functions. If you don't breathe hard and sweat every day, you're shortening your life.
Exercise the mind. Thinking new thoughts, ie learning, keeps the brain healthy, literally growing brain cells and connections, giving brain impulses more paths to follow, speeding healing from injury and disease, making life more fun. Learn a new language. Learn to juggle. Learn a musical instrument. Do the math. If someone tells you, "Maybe you're over-thinking this," tell them, "Maybe I want to live!" Open your mind; years will follow.
Drink water. A large amount of high-quality water consumed steadily throughout the day washes away life-shortening toxins, keeps necessary cells all moist and cheerful, and induces numerous healthful runs to the restroom.
Drink wine. One daily glass of high-quality red wine promotes health. Two glasses of wine may do more good than one. Three glasses may do more harm than good.
Sustain healthy intimate relationships. Spend your life with someone great, someone who loves relaxation, a low-calorie diet, good air, physical and mental activity, water, wine and you. Or get a dog.
Avoid medical care. If possible. Prescription medication is particularly dangerous (far more dangerous than surgery, which is pretty dangerous). Yes, some conditions require medical treatment, which should not then be avoided. But do not rely on medicine to extend your life. It won't.
Avoid dying. This comes naturally to some people. Others have to work at it. Avoiding life-threatening recreations like skydiving, cave diving and drug abuse, and perilous jobs like lumberjacking, commercial fishing and bush piloting will extend your life, statistically speaking.
But there's the trick; neither statistics nor lists speak directly to individual experience. You, the individual, must determine your own best practices. Perhaps the single most important attribute of long-lived people is their sense of agency, the belief that they have control over their lives and a purpose for living. Why you live, how you live and how long are all up to you. But please choose health, happiness, life. We're already planning "Best Island Parties for 2099."
Matthew Miller ISLANDS
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