Longevity

People who are 100 years old are jumping out of airplanes, running races and traveling the world while other people in their 70s, 80s and 90s are suffering and in assisted living centers and nursing homes. Quality of life, activity level and energy have nothing to do with age.

Imagine what your life at 100 would look like based off of your current lifestyle choices. Do you get excited or scared? As centenarians, 100 year old people, are proving, how you age is largely dependent on the lifestyle choices you are making right now. Getting older doesn’t have to mean aging along the way.

While many older people still languish in assisted-living facilities, hampered by poor health and decreased mental agility, centenarians across the globe are showing that it doesn’t have to be that way. Consider Verdun Hayes, who set a world record in May of this year by becoming the world’s oldest tandem skydiver at age 101. Then there’s Don Pellmann, a 101-year-old track star from Santa Clara. He began running in track events at age 70, and has since participated in 890 of them, winning most and even breaking world records. Some other great examples of high-quality 100 year living are Fauja Singh, the 106-year-old marathon runner, and Mieko Nagaoka, who is still breaking world records in swimming at 102 years old. Compare these go-getters to people you might know in their 80s or 90s who are living lives of poor health and low energy, and you’ll begin to realize that quality of life has very little to do with age.

People across the globe are living longer. Information from a CDC study indicates that in the United States, the number of people 100 years old or older has increased greatly in the past few years, jumping by 44percentsign! If you knew you could live to more than 100 years old, wouldn’t you want to be as healthy as possible?

How can you live a healthy, fulfilled life all the way to 100 years old and beyond? The 100 Year Lifestyle promotes practices that can be easily remembered if you use an acronym related to the word fitness. Take the NESS from fitness, square the “N”, and use this acronym to enjoy your healthiest today while propelling yourself into a healthy, happy 100 years and beyond.

– N is for Neurology. All of your conscious and unconscious functions are controlled by your nervous system, including your heart, muscles, digestion and circulation. Taking care of your body means paying attention to your neurology, which is an integral part of chiropractic care and promotes full body health.

– N is also for Nutrition. You’ve heard it said that you are what you eat, and it’s absolutely true. A diet full of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, low in sugar and processed carbohydrates, is essential to a strong and healthy body.

– E stands for Endurance. You can build your endurance through cardiovascular activities like walking, running, swimming and bike riding, which increase your heart rate and strengthen your cardiovascular system. Start slow and steady, be consistent and you’ll be able to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of your endurance training over time. Who knows? You could be a 106-year-old marathon runner, too!

– S is Strength. Don’t wait until you lose your strength to prioritize it! Instead, start strength training today, so that as you age your muscles will remain strong and healthy.

– S also means Structure. Staying active and healthy means keeping your spine healthy, strong, and straight. That’s why so many world class athletes turn to chiropractic care to help them protect this important part of the body.

Are you ready to get started? It’s time to live your best life for at least a century, and we can help! It’s all about making the critical transition from crisis care to lifestyle care, taking care of your body so it will be in good shape throughout your (long) life. Visit our office and give us the opportunity to make a difference for you.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/25/health/centenarians-increase/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db233.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/europe/101-year-old-skydiver/index.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/100-year-old-track-star-don-pellman-keeps-breaking-records-california-santa-clara/
https://www.thenational.ae/sport/other-sport/101-year-old-japanese-swimmer-aims-for-more-world-records-1.158307

Your innate life expectancy is greater than you think. We see this longevity potential through the 100-year-old people who are celebrating birthdays, doing yoga, setting running records and skydiving. You can also look around your neighborhood and notice the number of nursing homes, assisted living and Alzheimer’s care centers that are popping up.

Consider these statistics:

– The Pew Research Center predicts that the number of 100 year old people will increase by 800 percent between now and 2050.
– The May 2013 cover article of National Geographic focuses on the probability that some of today’s children will live to be 120 years old.
– By 2060, approximately 60 percent of girls born in the UK will live to be 100, according to the analysis, which was published by Britain’s Office of National Statistics.

People are living longer than ever but sadly for many, they are not quality years. Too many of them are rotting away in nursing homes unable to capitalize on their golden years. Their plight has skewed our view of aging giving many of us trepidation and fear about the reality of our extended life span.

This does not have to be the case for you or your loved ones if you acknowledge your Innate Life Expectancy and change the way you live your life.

It is not because of their age that these people are suffering. Their generation had no clue they were going to live so long. They were blindsided by their extended lives; many of them living 50 years longer than science expected.

They didn’t know they were going to live this long, so they didn’t know how to take care of themselves to optimize their quality of life.

We are the first generation in history that is getting the advanced notice that whether we like it or not, want to or not, we will probably live longer than we ever thought. Our generation must live differently by making healthy, 100 Year Lifestyle choices rather than waiting for a crisis and then having to rely on a life-saving miracle.

From the moment you were conceived, you were blessed with the blueprints for an Innate Life Expectancy to 80, 90, 100 years and beyond. There have even been some experts who have said that we have the potential to live to 150 with quality years.

More important than just getting to 80, 90, 100 years and beyond is getting there in style with the health and vitality.

Change your life. Dive into the the 100 Year Lifestyle Resources, keep your spine and nervous system healthy with Chiropractic Lifestyle Care and enjoy a sensational century! See you at your next appointment.

Are your children’s health and longevity threatened by your lifestyle choices? The answer is yes!

Think about how long will your children live and what will their quality of life be like along the way? According to the Lancet, 50 percentsign of the babies born since the year 2000 are expected to live over the age of 100. Additional research is concerned that our current generation of children may be the first in recent history to see their life expectancy go down.

How can this be? Doesn’t it seem like a contradiction to see so many children living longer while their overall life expectancy goes down?  The answer is sad yet simple in that the other 50percentsign of children are expected to die younger and sicker than ever, not because of their genetics, but because of unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Even Children Are Concerned

If your children have aging grandparents, they are staring at their potential longevity during every family gathering and this can be unconsciously weighing on their spirit. Nico Santi, a 10 year old boy from Bellevue, Washington who is blessed with a proactive, health conscious family, sent me this video after attending an event in their community. Sponsored by Cummins Chiropractic and Wellness, Dr. Bob Cummins and his wife Anna have been providing Chiropractic Lifestyle Care for the family who are more excited about their health and future than ever.

It is not rocket science to understand the connection between lifestyle choices, quality of life and longevity. A healthy life requires a lifestyle that includes healthy food, exercise, strong social circles and a healthy spine and nervous system as well as avoiding destructive habits such as the overuse of technology, smartphones, smoking and excessive stress. On the other hand, a 50 to 60 year lifestyle includes unhealthy eating with excessive sugar, calories, sitting, lack of exercise and an unhealthy spine and nervous system.

Are you raising your children to live a 60 year lifestyle or a 100 Year Lifestyle? You will often hear people say as they get older, after they are diagnosed with diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, that “these diseases run in my family”. While there is a genetic component to these conditions, it is actually a small component. These diseases are mostly lifestyle diseases. Based on the lifestyle in which your children are being raised, they are either inheriting the lifestyle habits that contribute to a 60 year lifestyle or they are inheriting the lifestyle habits that contribute to a healthy, active, positive, productive 100 years and beyond.

If you have not been healthy and you are ready for a change, it is not too late for you. Many people who have lived from crisis to crisis have become tired of this roller coaster ride. They are tired of pills and potions that cause side effects but don’t solve their problems. Because of the amazing ability of your body to adapt and heal, it is never too late to take care of your spine and nerve system and adjust your lifestyle.

Begin shopping in stores that sell organic food. Fill up your shopping cart with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. Avoid high fat foods like cookies, cakes and cereals that are high in sugar and avoid white flour and white rice.

Turn off the TV and the video games and get outside with your family for walks or bike rides. Go to the gym and to your chiropractor together.

In 1903, Thomas Edison said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Thomas Edison was right and 115 years is enough. The future is now and the future of our children is at stake.

So in 2010 I updated Edison’s quote to say, “The doctor of the PRESENT will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of DIS-EASE. Be present.” We should do what we can to stay healthy and consider using medicine and surgery only as last resorts.

As a parent, it takes being one of the Purposeful Willing to protect your children and ensure their well-being. You have to be purpoeful and you have to be willing. Do your part by making 100 Year Lifestyle choices so you and your children are healthier today and can enjoy a sensational century.

We are the first generation in history that will get to know our family tree four to five generations deep. This consists of newborn babies, parents in their twenties, grandparents in their fifties, great grandparents in their seventies and great, great grandparents in their late nineties and over 100 years old. This will become the norm as people like 107 year old Mike Newcomer connect with his genetic downline.

This is certainly becoming more present in our practices as we attract more generations of families for chiropractic care. This makes sense considering the importance of a healthy spine and nervous system through every phase of of life.

If you are blessed to be able to interact with your family history in this way, don’t take it lightly. Appreciate the history and perspective of your elders. Spend time listening to their reflections of the past and their wisdom while also keeping the perspective that this generation was blindsided by their longevity. Their life expectancy when they were born ninety to 100 years ago was only fifty years. They had no idea they were going to live this long so they didn’t know how to take care of themselves to ensure quality of life as they aged.

These older generations have lived through incredible stress and outrageous innovations. They include to name a few…

22 recessions
The Great Depression
World War 1
World War 2
Vietnan
The development of the automobile and air travel
Inventions like radio, television and the internet
Typewriters to computers
Rotary phones to smart phones
And so much more

In cultures like Japan, elders are appreciated more than in cultures like the United States. And their life expectancy is greater for it as well. Elders are not pushed away and pushed into homes as quickly. If you are blessed to be able to have relationships with the elders in your family history, appreciate them.

Listen to their wisdom
Honor their journey
Ask them about their most valuable lessons
Ask them The 100 Year Lifestyle question that is so relevant for you today, “If you knew that you were going to live this long, how would you have lived differently”?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to know my grandparents very well, and I didn’t get to know my great grandparents at all. They all died fairly young. I was however, very fortunate to know my wife’s great grandfather, Papa Hy. He was a passionate man who was healthy and strong for his age. He loved his family and his community. He kept himself active and healthy. While his diet wasn’t super clean, he was fit for his age and took very little to no medication. He would make it his business to walk. I remember when we brought the kids to visit him in Florida he would get on the ground and play with them. It was a joy to watch.

We are getting the advanced notice that our grandparents and great grandparent never received. What will we do with this information?

Adjust your lifestyle! The choices you make today, how you live today, will impact the quality of life today and every day along the way. Make today count by making 100 year lifestyle choices. You will have a great day today while you pave the path to a sensational century.

Schedule an appointment for your family today.