We all want to live as long as we can, don’t we? But what does it mean to “live” long?
The lifespan of people today is long due in many cases to the advancements that have been made in medicine and pharmaceutical treatments for the myriad of age related diseases. What these “advancements” often result in is additional years of poor health and a sedentary lifestyle, based on controlling the disease state and treating conditions, rather than preventing or reversing the maladies of age.
Healthspan refers to the years of your life that you are healthy, happy, active, and full of vitality; for many people these years are only a fraction of their lifespan due to environmental and lifestyle decisions that they themselves make. We have the power and responsibility to ourselves to make the best decisions for our health, decisions that will make us feel better, live longer, and be better members of our communities.
Making the right choices means different things to different people, we all have different values and circumstances, but we all have the same biology that needs to be supported in the best manner we can. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said that “genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger.”1 You may or may not be pre-disposed to some condition, but how you live (your environment) can influence whether or when a particular condition expresses itself in your life. Putting off or preventing diseases until the very end lengthens the healthspan years and shortens the age related disease years; as Mark Sisson has said “live long, drop dead!” Would you rather be the guy dragging his grandkids on a long hike, or the guy dragging an oxygen tank around Walmart?
The thing is, it’s really easy to make the right choices; cut out processed foods, get some exercise, play in the sun, and relax!
Comments? Questions? Want to learn more? Head over to my contact page and shoot me a message!
In Health
Chris
Swailes Primal Health 