5: Don’t Pamper Your Bad Back
Even if you’re hunched over in agony, spending more time in bed will only make a bad back worse. The latest research shows that bed rest weakens back muscles and prolongs the suffering. Married men with this problem may suffer more than single men because they’re tempted to lie back and enjoy all the pampering they receive. The best solution is to get up, take a pain reliever and be a soldier.
6: Taste the Colors
Foods with bright, rich colors are packed with flavonoids and carotenoids, powerful compounds that bind with the damaging free radicals in your body, lowering inflammation. Eat nine fistfuls of colorful fruits and vegetables each day and you’ll reap the benefits without having to give up other foods. Whenever I shop the produce aisle, I’m reminded that these foods are often more powerful than the drugs sold in pharmacies. My favorites are arugula and blueberries.
7: Brushing is Not Enough
If you plan to spend your later years eating more than yogurt and apple sauce, invest in some floss. No matter how thor- oughly or long you brush your teeth, you’re missing a good portion of their total surface. That’s like washing one armpit after a workout. But the dangers of skipping floss go beyond hygiene: The bacteria that linger can increase your risk of heart disease.
8: Take a Deep Belly Breath
Do this anywhere, anytime. Push out your bellows and suck air through your nose until your lungs are full. They’ll fill with nitric oxide, a chemical found in the back of your nose that opens up blood vessels. The dose of oxygen will make you feel happier and more alert. This is my secret technique for calming down in the face of challenges.
9: Join a Yoga Class
Yoga is the most impor- tant exercise of my daily routine. Being surrounded by beautiful women in spandex should be reason enough to join a class, but if you need more motiva- tion, consider this: Yoga eases stress, lowers blood pressure, slows heart rate and increases flexibility. There’s nothing mystical about it. Loosening your muscles will make them more adaptable, so you may be less likely to injure yourself playing sports. Sure, some of the poses may look ridiculous, but that’s for a reason. Yoga can reach and work muscles that are ignored during routine sports and daily life. My favorite maneuver is the sun salutation.
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10: Don’t Be an Island
Ever wonder why women live longer than men? One major reason is that they form tight networks and actually talk about their problems. If you face life’s stresses alone, you will make yourself older. With another per- son’s love and support,
the inner aging associated with stress can be reduced.
11: Avoid Fad Diets
The secret to weight loss is not to avoid carbs, fats, yellow foods, solid foods or foods that start with the letter G. The real trick is to lower your daily intake by about 100 calo- ries. You’ll hardly notice, but it’ll add up to a loss of about 10 pounds in a year. Calorie restriction has been shown to lengthen life (in rats and monkeys). I cut back once a year to reset my appetite and taste buds. Healthy foods taste great afterwards.
12: Be a Smart Patient
Professionals can help keep you in good health, but the responsibility ultimately falls on you. Seek a second opinion before undergoing any medical procedure, because 30 percent of the time, that opinion will change the diagnosis or plan. Keep a written medical history and educate yourself about any family problems. You might even consider signing onto Mi- crosoft HealthVault or Google Health, so your files would be accessible in case you find yourself in trouble away from home.
13: Lose the Beer Belly
Most men fasten their belts below their waists. It’s just another way of avoiding the truth about their gut. Grab a tape measure and put it around your body at the level of your belly button. That number should be less than half your height. For my six-foot, one-inch frame, for example, I need to keep my waist under 36.5 inches. If avoiding heart attacks and diabetes isn’t enough motivation to eliminate that gut, consider this: For every point your body mass index is over 25, your testosterone drops 3 percent, which isn’t very manly.
14: Go Green
I drink green tea three times a day. It’s packed with heart- boosting and cancer-stopping polyphenols that black tea doesn’t offer. These beneficial chemicals are lost when it’s fermented. Green tea also delivers a boost of alertness,
June 2010
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