IN February, here in Las Vegas, it is high desert winter. It is characterized by cold nights and cool windy days. Night time temperatures are in the 30’s with day time highs generally in the 50’s. I had two outdoor Saturday adventures. That is, first a climb of Lone Mountain and second a drive/hike that included Rodgers Hot Springs and the Valley of Fire State Park.
Lone Mountain
Lone Mountain is in the sea of suburban roof tops near the north west corner of Vegas. It has a two mile circular trail around the edges of the mountain. The kicker is a near vertical trail to the summit. Up 600 to 3000 feet. At the summit you get a 360 degree view of everything everywhere.
The view from the Summit
View from the summit
The second adventure was a road trip. First stop was Rogers Hot Springs
Rodgers Hot Springs is inside Lake Mead Recreation area. It is a drive-up spot. It has rest rooms and covered picnic areas. The water temperature is 86 degrees year round. It makes a great break spot. I took a friend on this day trip so we had a break here. We had an hour canyon exploring walk. It made the trip into Valley of Fire State park even better.
Lake Mead as seen from Rodgers Hot Springs hike.
The Valley of Fire does not seemed to be named for the dessert heat but rather for its special red rock formations which are way more expansive than the popular Red Rock Canyon miles the the south west. It is a spectacular drive with hiking areas everywhere requiring a return trip. We completely enjoyed this trip. Here just couple of the photos:
Next: FEET, FORKS, AND FINGERS
This is how Dr. David Katz relates to the sky rocketing health issues in America and around the world. He is referencing what is well known to all of us. Feet refers to all people needing regular exercise or activity. Forks is about the importance of what we eat to run our bodies. Fingers is the importance of not smoking. He recognizes and is aware that most people know this, but the issues still exist. He says that the gap between what people know and what people do is the cause of 80% of disease and is preventable. This 80% of disease is what are called lifestyle related diseases. They are the biggies, most heart disease, most cancers, type II diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease (the most common type of dementia). Dr. Katz says that our zip code not our genetic code is the more important factor in determining our longevity and health span. That is why they are described as lifestyle diseases. In an early career talk he highlighted 6 factors of health for longevity: 1. diet 2. exercise/activity 3. not smoking 4.sleep 5. stress 6. social factors/love.
These 6 things sound a great deal like the Blue Zone formula. I believe this road less traveled must be traveled for us the be healthy. To get motivation watch the 2017 Documentary What the Health again or maybe for the first time. It is on Netflix and other media too.
I received a gift book from my son; The Blue Zone American Kitchen. It is a coffee table style book with lots of good pictures. Besides good recipes, it is a historical account of early American ethic group diet before their eating was corrupted or lost. If you’d like to learn some cool longevity facts listen or watch Rich Rolls interview with Blue Zones Dan Buettner just below.
Finally, This month, a real world problem. I continue my concern with pollution and toxins in our environment. We all heard or read about the mess in New Palestine, Ohio. Of course in our country, it is now a political issue. It should be a right to life issue. Some people will get sick and die. What a mess. With that said, this week (2/23) in The Guardian, a liberal news paper in the UK, there was an article about “forever toxins”. It has map showing the areas in Europe and the UK that are polluted with PFAS. PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, it’s an umbrella term for a family of about 12,000 chemicals that are prized for their indestructible and non-stick properties. They are toxic. The mapped areas are massive. The “forever toxins” are detected in the air, water, soils, sediments, and rain. Yes, this life is terminal, but must we speed up the process and our own demies.
January opens with a personal brief evaluation and a resolution to improve. January ends with glossing over of that resolution or a justification so I can live with my failure, again this year. Why do we go through this kind of thinking? It is bad and does not reinforce good thinking or good health habits. I prefer goal setting; short and long-term goals which can grow and adjust with me. There is no failure.
December found me in the chill of Colorado with my family. A lucky flight in the middle of flight cancelations and a myriad of snafus put me in the Siberian weather front. It was -23 degrees before the wind chill was tagged on. It still was a joyful reunion.
Morning Walk
It was warm and homey inside with lots of fun and laughter and I was able to reinforce my personal energy. I finally finished reading, “Ageless. The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old” by Andrew Steele. This new field of studying the aging process is called Biogerontology. The book took a long time for me to read as it was at the edge of technical knowledge. Each of the medical breakthroughs that are on the horizon was discussed. My goal or task and yours is to live long enough to reap the benefits of this new and emerging medical study area. The science this there.
Chapter 10 of the book is Titled “How to Live Long Enough to Live Even Longer”. It is turning to the basic rules of good health to increase your health span to match your life expectancy until scientific breakthroughs can be made safe for everyone.
Here are Andrew Steele’s familiar suggestions.
Don’t Smoke
Don’t eat too much
Get some exercise
Get seven to eight hours of sleep
Get vaccinated and wash your hands
Take care of your teeth
wear sunscreen
Monitor your heart rate and blood pressure
Don’t bother with supplements
Don’t bother with longevity drugs-yet
Be a Woman: this improves your life expectancy by about 5 years.
I found a good article in “Livestrong” titled, “7 Things Physical Therapists Do Every Day for Healthy Aging”
Make Resistance Training a Regular Thing: this will reduce age-related muscle loss. 30 to 60 minutes per week.
Put Protein First: every meal, every source, helps maintain muscle and avoid age-related weight gain.
Keep Up With Cardio: aerobic exercise keeps your heart and lungs functioning. 150 minutes a week.
Say Yes to Yoga: strong, flexible, balance to avoid falls.
Take a walk after Dinner: improve digestion.
Get Enough Sleep: benefits body and brain recovery.
Find a Stress Reliever That Works: Walking, meditating, and yoga can all be helpful.
That is plenty of Back to Basics information here for you and me to move forward. There is no failure. Today is a new day.
I really liked this research:On January 4, a randomized study by the University of Colorado Boulder revealed that community gardening could bring great health results. By increasing fiber intake and physical activity, gardening can decrease cancer and chronic disease risk while also benefiting mental health by minimizing stress and anxiety.
Please click and watch this 13-minute YouTube. It is meaningful.
“ALL EXPERIENCES ARE Proceeded BY MIND, HAVING MIND AS THEIR MASTER, CREATED BY MIND” not from Science of Mind, not from New Thought…It is from THE BUDDHA.
October in Red Rock Canyon.
Too Big of a Topic and conflicting opinion.
AHA: Life’s 7 Rules Plus 1.
Nevada in October is a great hiking month.
It was hot, like 95 to 105 hot, until October 22nd. On that day at 2pm the wind can from the south east in 35 to 65 miles an hour. The daytime high temperature went from 95 to 65 degrees and stayed there. What that means to a hiker is either a change for clothing or a change of environments. I changed from hiking in the higher altitudes of Mt. Charleston and Spring Mountain to lower altitudes of Red Rock Canyon, Calico Basin and Lake Mead. All these places are great hikes.
Mt. Charleston hike
Red Rock Canyon Hike
2.Bad Blog Topic: Toxin.
This blog ended up mostly on the bedroom floor. We all have heard about external environmental toxins. We all have heard about food toxins. The combination is killing us. It was going to be all about the Toxins that we live with while breathing, eating, and just being. You know, all the crap we deal with every day. It turned out to be too big of a topic and surprisingly controversial. When you have a little time, check out “The Plastic Ocean Movie” and learn about Estrogenic plastics. We are hurting ourselves.
So after all my research, check this out.
Lots of data and Science.
3. American Heart Association Life Essential 8
As I read lots of other peoples blogs, I look for supported facts. The blog “Health Secrets of a SuperAger” got my attention with a title “Sleep as a new measure of cardiovascular health. The blog directed me to Aha life’s 7 rules plus 1on the American Heart Association Website. Here are their 8 Essential:
This is not meant to be a book review, but a chance to impart some great information that we all need to know.
“Life expectancy of an American born today averages 78.2 years. But this year, over 70,000 Americans have reached their 100 birthday.”
Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic to find the world’s longest-lived people and study them. They found pockets of people around the world with the highest life expectancy, or with the highest proportions of people to reach age 100.
The 5 places are:
Barbagia region of Sardinia-mountainous highlands
Ikaria, Greece-Aegean Island
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Seventh Day Adventist-around Loma Linda, California
Okinawa, Japan-Island area.
They put together medical researchers, anthropologists,
Demographers, and epidemiologists to search for evidence-based common denominators. They found nine lifestyle and diet habits .
Here are Lifestyle habits:
1. Move Naturally.
“The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.”
How do I incorporate this into my life?
“Inconvenience Yourself”
“Have fun, Keep moving’
“Walk”
2. Purpose.
“The Okinawans call it ‘Ikigai’ and the Nicoyans call it ‘plan de vida;’for both it translates to ‘why I wake up in the morning.’ Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.”
In his book, The author says to take time to see the big picture. For me, I know some days are going to not be pain free. Having a purpose helps me push the pain and strain aside.
#3. Down shift
“Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world’s longest-lived people have that we don’t are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour.”
#4. 80% Rule
“‘Hara hachi bu’ -the Okinawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.”
#5. Plant Slant
“Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat–mostly pork–is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3-4 oz., about the size of a deck of cards.”
#6. Wine @ 5
“People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food. And no, you can’t save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.”
7. RIGHT TRIBE
The world’s longest-lived people are either born into or choose to create social circles that support healthy behaviors. Ikarians enjoy tight-knit communities that socialize frequently, while Okinawans build “moai” groups of five friends that commit to each other for life.
Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness and even loneliness are contagious. Assessing who you hang out with, and then proactively surrounding yourself with the right friends, will do more to add years to your life than just about anything else.
8. BELONG
All but five of the 263 centenarians interviewed in the original Blue Zones areas studies belonged to some faith-based community. Belong to a civic- or faith-based organization, since strong social relationships can add years to your life.
If you already belong to a group, great! If it’s been a while or you aren’t sure where to start, try asking friends and neighbors for their suggestions or search for additional information online.
9. LOVED ONES FIRST
Happy, healthy centenarians in the Blue Zones areas put their families first. This can take shape in many ways, from keeping your aging parents and grandparents in or near your home to being in a positive, committed relationship, which can add up to 6 years of life expectancy.
These are all from the Blue Zone website and you can check out more information there.
Nearly every health, fitness, nutrition, and supplement specialty article uses this quote from Hippocrates (460 B.C.-370 B.C.). “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”, but what does mean today? Do we ignore 2500 years of science and eat what grew in another time and place? I can not. Science and medicine have become essential for diagnoses and major repair or treatment of our body and mind. Modern Western medicine can isolate and produce the nutrients that can activate healing or repair but the very act of isolating nutrients disenfranchises the adjunct nutrients that are complimentary to healing and good health, plus these healing prescriptions all have adverse side effects. Our future health lies in prevention not treatment, I think. The foods we have access to today are not the same as those foods from 2500 years ago. Industrial commercial farming has provided us with plenty of food but not the ancient quality. It is a dilemma and we are all caught in it. We still have choices. I choose to eat the best I can based on my body and its needs. What good is a long life span if you don’t have a good health span?
My 10 Rules for Eating and Shopping.
THESE COME FROM LOTS OF RESOURCES. NOT A SINGLE ONE IS ORIGINAL. I HAVE LOST 60 POUNDS DOING THESE.
S.O.S- RESTRICT SALT, OILS, AND SUGAR.
G-BOMB- EAT GREENS, BEANS, ONIONS, MUSHROOMS, AND BERRIES.
S.S.S.- IF STUCK ON PLANNING OR TIME, GO TO SOUP, SALAD, OR SHAKE.
ORGANIC- CHOOSE ORGANIC FIRST.
CALORY RESTRICTION- ALL LONG LIVING PEOPLE EAT FEWER CALORIES.
LIMIT MEAT- BLUE ZONE COMMUNITIES LIMIT MEAT INTAKE. I’M AT 3.5 OZ. EVERY OTHER DAY.
LIMIT DAIRY- DAIRY IS FOR COWS; NOT FOR PEOPLE.
WHOLE GRAINS-THE LESS PROCESSING THE BETTER.
LIMIT PROCESSED AND ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS- THESE WERE ONCE GOOD-INTENTIONED CHEMISTRY PROJECTS. NOW THEY ARE POISON.
WATER IS ESSENTIAL- GET YOURS WHILE IT LASTS.
The Big Three to Unwrap First
If you want to get started with a lifestyle of health, talk to your doctor to be sure your body is okay to begin. Then download an App. myfitnesspal.com. Unwrap the plan for exercise, the plan for nutrition, and the plan for your spirit to de-stress. There is a free version of this app. You can watch a 2019 documentary called “HEAL“. I found a lot to think about in this film. There is a trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdNWn6BwU8s
Here is something you can fix with the your diet: Metabolic Syndrome.
WHAT IS METABOLIC SYNDROME?*
Doctors have long been interested in uncovering a connection between obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X or insulin resistance syndrome, emerged as a way to describe shared underlying characteristics.
METABOLIC SYNDROME SYMPTOMS
You may be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome if you have at least three of the five following conditions.
A large waist circumference: You have an “apple-shaped” body, or your waist circumference measures greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men.
High blood glucose (sugar): Your blood sugar measures 100 mg/dL or more, or you take medicine for high blood glucose.
Low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol: Your HDL levels are less than 40 mg/dL for men or less than 50 mg/dL for women.
High levels of triglycerides: Your triglyceride levels measure 150 mg/dL or more, or you take medicine for high triglycerides.
High blood pressure: Your blood pressure measures 130/85 mmHg or more, or you take medicine for hypertension.
RISK FACTORS
A variety of traits, conditions, and lifestyle behaviors put you at greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome. The following may occur on their own or in combination with other risk factors.
Excessive fat in and around the abdomen
Inactivity (less than the recommended 150 minutes per week of exercise)
Chemotherapy: Women treated with chemotherapy before or after breast cancer surgery are at a higher risk.
HOW DOES DIET AFFECT METABOLIC SYNDROME?
“Metabolic syndrome is certainly very much impacted by diet,” says Nicole Harkin, MD, FACC, founder of Whole Heart Cardiology. “The central component to it is weight gain which is often created by a combination of genetic factors, a sedentary lifestyle, and then dietary factors that really go into developing insulin resistance and a body weight that’s above ideal.”
A primary culprit, she says, is the standard American diet, which tends to be rich in highly processed foods.
A 2021 study published in Liver International investigated the connection between ultra-processed foods and metabolic syndrome. A total of 789 male and female participants (59 years old on average) received a food frequency questionnaire, an abdominal ultrasound, body measurements, blood pressure measurements, and fasting blood tests. Researchers found that eating more ultra-processed foods was associated with higher odds for metabolic syndrome and its components—hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL.
Another culprit, according to at least twostudies, is the high consumption of red meat and processed meats.
On the flip side, evidence shows that a whole-food, plant-based diet can play a protective role against metabolic syndrome. Not only is it low in saturated fat; it’s also high in fiber, which could be effective in the management of metabolic syndrome for its ability to control body weight through its effect on satiety (among other health benefits). And research indicates that eating greater quantities of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
HOW TO REVERSE METABOLIC SYNDROME
“While [metabolic syndrome] might sound like a scary diagnosis, it’s definitely something that you can turn around with lifestyle changes,” says Harkin.
A healthy diet and regular exercise are keys to doing just that, according to a 2007 study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Researchers divided 335 metabolic syndrome patients aged 45 to 64 in northwest Italy into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group reduced saturated fat intake and increased polyunsaturated fat and fiber intake, along with exercise levels. After 12 months, researchers saw weight, waist circumference, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), and most metabolic syndrome components decrease in the intervention group and increase in the control group.
“Getting an adequate amount of exercise is a great part of preventing and reversing metabolic syndrome,” says Harkin.
And it doesn’t need to be vigorous exercise, which may be especially challenging for overweight or more sedentary individuals. Instead, according to a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, even moderate exercise, such as walking about 12 miles per week, can sufficiently improve metabolic syndrome. Alternately, the American Heart Association recommends 30 to 60 minutes per day of moderate-intensity physical activity supplemented by two days per week of resistance training.
“If you lose somewhere between just 5–10% of your body weight, that can really improve your insulin sensitivity and reverse some of the cardiometabolic abnormalities that we see in association with metabolic syndrome,” says Harkin.
REAL-LIFE SUCCESS STORIES
By adopting a healthier lifestyle, it’s possible to avoid and even reverse metabolic syndrome and its risk factors. For inspiration, check out the following first-person testimonials from individuals who have—with the help of a whole-food, plant-based diet—done just that:
To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.
This is not meant to be a book review, but a chance to impart some great information that we all need to know.
“Life expectancy of an American born today averages 78.2 years. But this year, over 70,000 Americans have reached their 100 birthday.”
Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic to find the world’s longest-lived people and study them. They found pockets of people around the world with the highest life expectancy, or with the highest proportions of people to reach age 100.
The 5 places are:
Barbagia region of Sardinia-mountainous highlands
Ikaria, Greece-Aegean Island
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Seventh Day Adventist-around Loma Linda, California
Okinawa, Japan-Island area.
They put together medical researchers, anthropologists, Demographers, and epidemiologists to search for evidence-based common denominators. They found nine lifestyle and diet habits .
Here is the first Lifestyle habit:
#1. Move Naturally.
“The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.”
How do I incorporate this into my life?
“Inconvenience Yourself”
“Have fun, Keep moving’
“Walk”
#2. Purpose.
“The Okinawans call it ‘Ikigai’ and the Nicoyans call it ‘plan de vida;’for both it translates to ‘why I wake up in the morning.’ Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.”
In his book, The author says to take time to see the big picture. For me, I know some days are going to not be pain free. Having a purpose helps me push the pain and strain aside.
#3. Down shift
“Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world’s longest-lived people have that we don’t are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour.”
#4. 80% Rule
“‘Hara hachi bu’ -the Okinawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.”
#5. Plant Slant
“Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat–mostly pork–is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3-4 oz., about the size of a deck of cards.”
#6. Wine @ 5
“People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food. And no, you can’t save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.
#7. Belong
All but five of the 263 centenarians we interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.
#8. RIGHT TRIBE
The world’s longest-lived people are either born into or choose to create social circles that support healthy behaviors. Ikarians enjoy tight-knit communities that socialize frequently, while Okinawans build “moai” groups of five friends that commit to each other for life.
Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness and even loneliness are contagious. Assessing who you hang out with, and then proactively surrounding yourself with the right friends, will do more to add years to your life than just about anything else.
Blue Zone #9 is coming, the final lifestyle similarity in the next blog.
HEALTHY AT 120 