Basic Principles of Good Health and Longevity

I learned a lot from two people who were in

great physical shape…. except for one major
thing. That one thing killed both of them.

The first one was very active and had a good

basic diet. The problem was that he was a chain
smoker. He knew someday it would kill him but
didn’t take enough time to learn how to quit.

The other had a strong heart, accompanied with

strong lungs. Her problem? She had cancer. If only she had been checked by a doctor be-
fore it was too late. Both may have lived a whole lot longer…. except for that one thing.

On the other hand, many inactive people keep on pushing their bodies to the limits in sev-
eral ways and wear out their only bodies way too soon. You know the saying, “An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure”. So, in other words our point is threefold:

1. Be certain to cover all major aspects of staying healthy. (Total Living Concepts)

2. You must control your diet and exercise, as well as control and monitor
your daily habits. Lack of proper exercise can do serious damage to you over time.
Note that being overactive can be harmful as well. You know the other saying—
"Do things in moderation".

3. Be sure to get those check-ups. If you have a symptom, get it checked out early.

It has been reported that one half of the world population is overweight and one in 6 is
obese, and is predicted to increase 1% each decade in many countries. The highest rank-
ing overweight population is in the United States, and Mexico. Japan and Korea rate the
lowest in overweight population.

You know you reap what you sow. Your habits will eventually reward or punish your body.
As more and more scary facts are revealed about what we consume every day, and what
we are doing to ourselves, more and more people are reconsidering how they live their
lives. They start looking at the damage being done, and where it might lead.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that if you continue to apply unnecessary pressure to
your body or mind (or both, since one affects the other), you are likely to vastly reduce the
quality of your life as you start getting older.
Once upon a time, aging was associated with numerous aches and pains, with the
body showing the signs of all the beatings it had to endure during its productive years.

However, thanks to the availability of modern-day knowledge, there is no need for that any
more.

Another note to joggle the mind is the mortality rate among infants. The United
States ranks the highest in that area. Infants in that area will not even get the chance to
think about longevity. They won't even know what it is. Therefore, it is good to learn about
prevention.

A leading cause of infant mortality is teenage pregnancy. The teenage mother may not be
able to properly care for her young child. Another reason is bad health habits such as con-
siderate drugs and alcohol usage.

What's so golden about the golden years if you feel a lot of aches and pains and have diffi-
culty getting around? Quality of life is just as important as getting old gracefully. By paying
some attention to your body and its needs, and respecting its limitations, you can preserve
the quality of your life for many years to come.

At the end of the day, increasing your chances at longevity is your choice. It's never too late
or too early to start taking care of yourself.

Key Areas to Living Longer

While there are a multitude of topics could be included when discussing longevity, there
are a few basic key areas of your life that should be singled out as vital components:

· 1. Are you taking care of what you have? Are you still hammering your body into deliver-
ing what you want from it, rather than accepting what is reasonable?

· 2. What are you eating? You are what you eat - and you are what you don't eat. What you
consume makes a huge difference to what your life will be like when you grow older.

· 3. Are you allowing your environment to stress you out? Stress has caused many people to
grow old long before they were supposed to be.

· 4. Are you still adding unwanted toxins to your system? The less you pay attention to
what you are doing to your body, the sooner it will wear down.
 · 5. Are you paying attention to the little things? Are you taking care of your eyes, your skin,
your teeth, your feet, etc?

· 6. Are you paying attention to your weight? Excess weight can cause a multitude
of problems - none of which you need to live with.

· 7. Are you an active person? There is a difference between being active and be-
ing disorganized to the point of constantly rushing.

· 8. Are you getting enough sleep? Sleep is not just the time your body takes to rest - it is
much more than that.

· 9. Are you taking anything to slow down the natural aging process, like antioxidants? You
have the power to cheat nature, and turn on the brakes.

These are the questions we’ll be answering throughout this series, and hopefully by the
end of it… you’ll be on your way to a healthier, longer lasting life.

PS -- Remember -- It's never too late or too early to start taking care of yourself.