If there’s a single phrase that might hold the key to a long(ish) life, it’s mindful moderation.
Have you ever noticed that the one of the commonest invocations for the ones we love, across all cultures, is to wish them a long life? All living beings, from the smallest single celled ones to the most complex, crave for a long life and procreation. These desires are universal. Despite this, only one in a hundred humans in India manage to reach the age of 80 years.
While, philosophically speaking, one might live only as long as he is destined to, there is little doubt that several medical advances have contributed to a significant reduction in mortality thus contributing to a longer life span than most of our ancestors ever had. Life expectancy has steadily and universally increased even among lesser developed nations.
How does one plan to live longer? It is well known that there are pockets across the globe called Blue Zones, where people live unusually longer than their peers elsewhere. Many studies, books and a series on a popular OTT site have tried to analyse this. All of them arrive at a similar conclusion that a long-life result from a combination of both nature (the genes that one is born with) and nurture (how one leads his life). While very little can be done about the former, a few broad principles and lifestyle tips can surely contribute to nurturing a body in order to make it survive longer.
This article, the first of two, deals with a few general measures that might contribute to one’s longevity. The list is only suggestive and not exhaustive. It can never be! The next article will cover the specific measures that might lead to a healthier (and longer) life.
Eat well, exercise well.
Almost all people whom I interact with, whether professionally or socially, seek a dietary advice. My usual policy is to advise them a middle path – neither too many restrictions, nor too many indulgences. We cannot but acknowledge that good food makes us happy and needless restrictions make us sad. Hence, in my advice, there is never a no. It is always about minding what one eats (both in terms of quantity and quality) and being moderate in ones eating. Don’t starve, don’t indulge. As simple as that. Even when one is overweight or grossly obese, what’s going to work is a long term moderate and sustained weight loss. Anyone who promises to lose 10 kgs in a month is sure to fail. Trying to lose a kilogram of body weight each month, (which might add up to about 10 kgs in a year), is much more doable and more likely to succeed.
Another aspect about dietary advice is about unfamiliar diets and food fads. Most of us grow up consuming a certain type of food. These are our comfort foods. A moderate approach of gently modifying ones existing diet to a lower calorie and lower fat one is much more acceptable in the longer run than an approach that attempts at replacing one’s diet with a completely new one.
Exercise is another lifestyle change which is rightfully and rapidly gaining importance in lives of many young and middle-aged Indians. This is evident from the rapid mushrooming of gymnasiums, frequency of marathons and a pervasive increase in our vocabulary about all things sporty such as Pilates, power yoga and so on. Good exercise, undoubtedly bestows several health-related advantages and is perhaps the single most important lifestyle change contributing to longevity. Paradoxically however, once in a while, we hear of individuals sustaining adverse cardiac events during bouts of exercise. Even trained athletes do not seem to be completely immune from these events. How can an activity that is supposed to be universally beneficial sometimes cause harm? The answer to this also seems to narrow down to being mindful (of one’s age, body habitus and previous exposure to exercise) and moderate with exercise schedules, at least to start with. This is one life style choice where peer pressure and faddism to blindly follow others’ exercise schedules, without being mindful of one’s own capabilities, can result in more harm than benefit. Even if one aspires to be a competitive sportsman, he needs to build up gradually and consistently. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, one can’t expect to become a champion with a week’s training.
Stick to a routine, sleep well
Ask any octogenarian or his family members and they will vouch for their self-discipline. One of the greatest casualties of a fast-paced life is a definite daily routine. Linked very closely to this is inadequate sleep, which is perhaps among the least recognized stressors in one’s life. Several studies have highlighted the immense benefits of a restful sleep. Awareness of the emotional and psychological benefits of good sleep is widespread. Physical impact of inadequate sleep is discussed less often. Sleep deprivation, by altering several hormones and neurotransmitters can increase heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar, thereby increasing chances of cardiovascular events. It also lowers immunity, thus making an individual more prone to infections.
It’s all in our hands
A story is often narrated about a young boy who visits a future-predicting sage, while holding a small living bird behind him. He asks the wise man to predict whether the bird was alive or dead. His plan, just to prove the sage wrong, was to kill the bird by wringing its neck, in case the sage predicted that it was alive or to bring it out alive, if he predicted it was dead. The sage, smilingly and knowingly replied that the answer to this question entirely lay in the boy’s own hands!
Quite similar to the story above, the answer to the eternal question of how one can strive to live healthy and long, often lies in one’s own hands!
Prof Hemant Madan is an Interventional Cardiologist and Programme Head, Cardiac Sciences for Narayana Health. He can be contacted dr.h.madan@gmail.com.