Longer Life
I just saw a TED talk about the ten factors that help you live a longer life. Here they are in the reverse order of importance. In other words numbers nine and ten are the most important factors in having us create a longer life.
- Clean air
- Hypertension Rx
- Lean vs. overweight
- Exercise
- Cardiac rehab
- Flu vaccine
- Quit boozing
- Quit smoking
- Close relationships
- Social integration
Number nine includes those people in our lives that will sit with us when we are in despair. Will take you to the hospital. Call the doctor if you are not feeling well. Will loan you money if you need it. This group of people who love and support us and make a difference in our life.
Number ten is about how much you interact with people as you move through your day. Also how many people a day do you talk to? Do you talk to the person who makes your coffee or the person who delivers stuff to your home or office? Do you talk to the woman who walks her dog by your house every day? Do you play bridge or belong to a book club? Those interactions are one of the strongest predictors of how long you will live.
So if you are like me and you eat well and exercise well and you don’t smoke or drink; it is more important to surround yourself with various kinds of people. They give us a connection to life when we interact with them and give us greater meaning to being alive. Perhaps we could contact members of our family and friends and let them know how much they mean to us and do it more often. From my healthier heart to yours, Thomas