It seems that fate has conspired to present me with some interesting health articles today.
The first is a TED talk given by National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner about longevity, and what keeps people young, or at least in working condition:
There are many aspects of his talk that I found interesting. First is the notion of incidental exercise, which is my preferred method. I don't exercise (though some days I feel like I need to), but I try to maximize the amount of exercise that "gets in my way." I park far away from where I'm going. It's easier to find a spot there anyway. I take the stairs which are often faster and less crowded. Not only are you being healthsome with these habits, You're being environmentally healthsome too!
The second is the idea of community and friendship. I spent the most dreadful year of my life when I first went to college. I started off not knowing anyone, and kept not knowing anyone (except for Seth of course ;P) due to a great deal of illness. The lack of companionship did nothing to help my situation. What's more, your friends keep you motivated to do things. They keep you moving, thinking, and happy. Friends make you happy. That's why you have them. I can imagine a pretty dismal old age spent alone.
There's also the idea of taking a mental or spiritual break in the talk. This is something I found myself doing a lot in school, even when I didn't mean to. I'd just become incapable of doing my work and have to do something else. I watched many crappy movies on FX those years. The talk points out people who regularly take time to rest and reflect. I think I should try this.
Finally faith and diet are also apparently important. Faith tends to keep people together and talking with a common interest, but I think it's the common interest and the together which makes the difference, not the particular reason for it (I'd like to think so anyway). Diet is harder. I feel that diet, like exercise, needs to be incidental. You eat well because it is what you like to eat, not because you're stressing out about what you're eating. I believe the trick is to figure out what you like to eat that's also "eating well." And when you do, let me know :B
PS: When he says your cells are damaged a little every time they turn over, he is talking about DNA replication. In the process of replication, a little bit of DNA is lost on each end (this has to do with starting the replication process). It starts of with junk DNA, stuff you don't use, but as you get older, you begin to run out of that useless stuff and may get into the used stuff. This equals aging :D
Thing number two in our health topic is this article from Slate. I tried taking vitamins for a while, but eventually found them to be more trouble than they were worth. Apparently, that fact remains true. The notes on antioxidants are also interesting. It reminds me of an article I read a long time ago about cancer cells actually stockpiling antioxidants as a defense against your immune system. Disconcerting to be sure, I'm still drinking my tea however.
As a final note to brighten your day, I give you Fizzgig, stuffed and with a purse strap:
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