The Key to Longevity - 5 Things You Should Know
Did you know by the age of 40 you have approximately 5 undiagnosed diseases and by 50, 10 undiagnosed diseases? Dr. John Hart, Bachelor of Medicine and Functional Medicine Doctor (a health detective of sorts) shares with us HOW to live a longer life – healthy!
After all, we all want to live a long HEALTHY life, not just a long life.
And guess what?
Just when you thought you could blame your genes for things like heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol, obesity and blood pressure, it turns out that genes are only approximately 10% of the equation.
The other 90% is the environment and lifestyle.
What does this mean? It means you don’t have to be a victim to your family history, you can take control of your health now and make change to live a longer, healthier life.
But how?
Dr. John Hart believes there are 5 very important keys to longevity and all 5 areas need to be acted upon.
But before I jump into the big 5, let’s think about this.
Why do we wait until we have a disease before we start to look after our bodies? Why don’t we look at HEALTH MANAGEMENT rather than DISEASE CONTROL?
Did you realise that long-term, low-grade inflammation causing damage to tissues lead to the 70 to 80 percent of causes of inflammation death, with chronic degenerative diseases, like heart attacks, stokes, cancer, dementia and osteoporosis?
Best of all, low-grade inflammation in the body (think gut health, stress levels, cortisol levels, joint pain) can be addressed in a very natural way.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to bag out our modern medicine professionals, after all, they are good at treating life-threatening diseases and let’s face it, we are grateful when we need antibiotics and treatment that can literally save our life.
BUT why not start looking after ourselves, our health, BEFORE we get to the stage of disease? Why not lower the inflammation in our body now?
If you look at having a life span and a health span separately, you realise that a life span is HOW long you live whereas a health span is HOW long you are healthy. Me personally, I want to live a LONG HEALTHY life, not just a long life.
Are you starting to see the importance of prevention?
Here is Dr. Hart’s top 5 keys areas to longevity
Diet
The most important area to address is what you eat. Dr. Hart says, "the single major source of inflammation is healthy eating quotes healthy eating an unhealthy gut in most people. So by correcting the gut, then you can minimise the inflammation in your body, which then decreases the degeneration and the decay in your body". If you suffer from bloating, gas, uncomfortable tummy, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, reflux, burping or a tender stomach, you may have a gut problem. He suggests a great starting point is to eliminate the obvious gut inflamers -wheat, gluten, sugar, diary and soy.
Exercise
Move Often, Lift Heavy, Sprint occasionally. In other words, keep active to burn fat, maintain your muscle strength by lifting heavy weights and every now and again raise your heart rate to look after your cardiovascular fitness. It is simple but not necessarily easy. I always recommend a personalised program designed by a health professional such as myself to minimise risk of injury and achieve maximum results in minimum time.
Sleep
Do you think of sleep as a time you stop? You’re not alone! Actually sleep is a very busy time for our bodies to rejuvenate and heal. Do you sleep well? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel rested when you wake up in the morning? If you answered NO to any of those questions, you may want to investigate tips on sleeping better.
Stress Management
Do you have a stressful life? Are you a cardio junkie? Are you running on empty? These are just a few examples of stress. Stress can elevate the hormone cortisol in your body. Science has proven that elevated cortisol can interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, increase risk for depression, mental illness and lower life expectancy and the list goes on. If you feel that you could be stressed, why not read my blog on ‘Are Your Hormones Changing? This 1 tip may help you.
Hormones
Nature has your hormones covered when you are young but as you start to age, your hormones decline and do not work as well. If you are over 35, you may consider investigating HOW you can look after your hormones through bio identical hormone treatment and a health professional that specialises in this area.
What all this boils down to is, as we age, it is important to take the time to make our health a priority and connect with health professionals who can help you on your way.
Below is a list of resources that I recommend to help get you started.
180 Nutrition Podcast with Dr. John Hart
http://180nutrition.com.au/180-tv/probably-the-best-description-of-inflammation-youll-ever-hear/
Exercise Program, coaching and weight loss
Me!
Womens Health – Bio Identical Hormone Treatment
As you practice to love yourself enough to live, eat and breath a healthy lifestyle, not only will you find it changes your body and health but also your mind, your attitude and your mood.
If you would like help, please reach out to me, the first step is often the hardest
Yours in health
Dana Eden
