Thoughtful Thursday…Longevity…daring to live well

Welcome to Thoughtful Thursday. This GreenNote Fitness newsletter mindfully gathers and distills useful information that is supportive to our journey. It is my mission to educate, inspire, and propel you into action that moves you towards your goals and life of purpose. Take control of your journey today.

When you hear the word longevity, what do you think of? How long you live? How well you live? Or…both…? Often times the first and sometime only, thing people think about their longevity is if they will have “enough” money to live and pay for health insurance. An important consideration for sure but let’s challenge that thought and go deeper. First we need some definitions. Longevity. Longevity defined Longevity can be defined as a long life or a great duration of life. Personally, I value quality over quantity and if you get both, so much the better. I’m not sitting back and counting on good genetics; genetics account for a maximum of 30 percent of your life expectancy. The rest? It comes from your environment, attitude, lifestyle and behaviors. To recap on that math, 30 percent is genetics, so that leaves 70 percent up to me. Therefore, it is controllable. I’ve been thinking a great deal about health and wellbeing in the long term. What mindful, spiritual, and physical shape do I want to be in 15, 25, 35 years from now? I understand the importance of building the habits and routines now and not waiting for something to go horrible wrong to make lifestyle changes. Did you know that 70 to 80 percent of all deaths of people over the age of 40 (non-smokers) are due to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is on the rise. What’s my “why”? Why do I care so much about longevity? Why am I looking ahead 35 years? Firstly, I am planning on living a long life. Nothing is guaranteed, not even the next moment but genetically and with my lifestyle choices, chances would lead me in that direction. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, quality is important to me. I want to be able to move without pain, learn new things, be mindful, and be helpful to others for as long as I am on this planet. If you have spent any time in a nursing home or assisted living residence, you see not only the decline of body, mind, but also the human spirit. Yes, if we are lucky, we all get old. There is a natural decline in the aforementioned BUT, we can still celebrate another birthday with feeling great. This reminds me of my new acquaintance, Frank. A 90 year-old I met while training. He attributes his great health and being on zero medications to working out everyday. You go Frank! As we age, if we need help, who will be there for us? Children, relatives? Maybe, maybe not. There are no guarantees who will come to our aid, especially if we can’t communicate or have lost our faculties. If we do have insurance and/or monies, who will ensure we are being taken care of properly and not being taken advantage of? Sadly, this is an everyday occurrence in our society where senior citizens are not being respected, they are being mistreated, often with their bank accounts being drained. I’m not relying on relatives or other kind souls and I’m not relying on a system to manage my health care needs. I’m relying on me. What I do today will make all the difference in the world. That’s my “why”. What am I going to do about longevity? What’s my 70%? We know we age. With that comes loss of muscle, loss of cognitive function, and often a decline in social activity. I will be spending a considerable amount of time researching, testing, and measuring to help me upon my journey of living a quality life. My research will include the importance of strength training, what your telomere length means for longevity, improving brain health, nutrition and supplements for healthy living, and much more. Come with me on this journey. Share these newsletters with those you think could benefit. Ask questions. Think about possibilities for yourself and your loved ones. Join me on this journey to dare to live well. Enjoy your journey, Lisa Schaffer GreenNote Fitness You wouldn’t happen to know just one person that would benefit from this information? Please forward it to them! Did you miss last week’s newsletter on March Madness…daring to live greatly ...? P.S. Check out my Facebook page for inspiration. P.P.S. Discover GreenNote Fitness recommendations for books, podcasts, and more on body, mind, and spirit.