I’m not a medical expert but one thing I have noticed is that the people that live longer and have better overall lives are those that get regular gentle exercise, eat and drink in moderation, are not overweight and keep themselves active mentally.
Although this conflicts slightly with the State teachings of an hour a day exercising, no fat, no salt, no booze, no smoking, 5 veg or fruit a day and have a BMI that is absolute regardless of your body type. The rough theory is right which is exercise and watch what you eat but it is always the implementation with government and there are some ailments such as rickets returning to the UK as we remove salt and fat which are necessary for life from our diets by their orders. How politicians and others of their ilk lecture anyone about health matters is beyond me. The Doctors from the BMA should know better too. They should remember their oaths and get fixing people.
My own parents go dancing, they have for years and their group have several members over 90 years old. They still eat all the wrong foods and all drink more than the recommended limit, although few of them smoke at all and those that do do so infrequently, that must tell you something, and yet they dance and bounce around for a couple of hours several times a week, go on holidays together and socialise regularly.
Now, I’m not advocating that everyone joins one of these cults but if it interests you then it seems a good choice. I’ve not come across anyone who drives a computer all day there but I have convinced myself that is because they were not around 90 years ago. All that typing keeps the fingers supple. Many walk, cycling, ramble, play golf or simply just go shopping. It keeps their minds and their bodies active.
I am advocating though that you get some regular exercise. Go dancing, walking or cycling, swimming is always a good one and I like to do that. I also eat what I want and coupled with too many business lunches in the past I have a bit of a tummy and am overweight in general. I’m working on that and my starvation at the start of an event will help go a long way although I obviously don’t want to wait for that.
My personal problem is that I’m always reading or on the computer. I do like walking, rambling and swimming but I’m certainly not a dancer and although I can control what I eat I like bad things. I’d probably be better off after an event as the bad items would be reserved for treats rather than just snacks.
One last thing I have noticed. When these people stop going dancing within a year or two they are usually gone. An active life suddenly reduced to one where you are indoors and not in control of your life seems to destroy the will to live and that kills them off. That is why I want gentle exercise that I can do on my own and not stop because someone else does.
So, gentle exercise, watch what you eat, drink in moderation and keep yourself stimulated mentally and you should be good for a very long time, even after an event. Modern day living where we really don’t have to strain ourselves and we miss out vital components in our diet is bad for people.
Everything in moderation was the old statement and it is just as true today.
You are right in what you say about doing GENTLE exercise and all other things n moderation. The one thing that will come back and haunt you in later life are the rigours of extreme exercise. Having worked as a Nurse on an Orthopaedic & Trauma Ward, I have seen the results of extreme exercise when they are 20/30/40 years down the road with ‘shot away’ knees and hips – Warning: Old fractures tend to come back and haunt you as well in arthritis. I have also seen the little old lady who is 98 years old and has always had a ‘wee dram’ of wiskey each night, to help her sleep.
As for a BMI (Body Mass Index), they are NOT very accurate, especially for fit young people. If it was, then most of the Armed Forces would be classified as obese (>30 BMI). Muscle is heavier than fat.
Gentle exercise and modestly healthy lifestyle is probably the way ahead, I got far to involved in lunatic type pastimes in my youth from martial arts to rock climbing to motorcycling, and now I’m running out of bones to break,but its the prolonged activity as a soldier that has done the most damage to joints, ears, eyes etc.
I have a pyhsical job that keeps me in trim, I’ve never been one to go running after a hard day at work but many of my friends do. Several of my friends that have been doing marathons for many years are now finding that they are suffering terrible knee problems as they hit their mid forties.
as you say, ‘everything in moderation’