Enjoy Qualitative Longevity

In an interesting recent scientific observation, author and theoretician in the field of gerontology Aubrey de-Grey suggests that first person who will live to be 150 years has already been born and that someone who will live to be a 1000 years old is only 20 years behind them. The recent figure from the UK National Statistics show that the number of people reaching 105 years or older has almost doubled in the past decade. Longevity has therefore arrived with a bang. However, the flip side is that the esthetic of ageing would be troublesome.

Who would want to live for decades with wrinkled, prune-like skin? Who would want to spend lifetime earned money for injecting Botox, on cosmetic surgery or on treatment of Alzheimer’s and bear the cost of other hospice facilities?

Needless to say this would add grossly to the economic burden of the national exchequer. In circumstances like these it is imminent that people would look inside their own brains and mind, use the natural resources to their advantage and enjoy qualitative longevity.

Humans have the capacity to influence the electrochemical dynamics of their brain by voluntarily changing the mental processes to positive emotions in relation to self and environment through yoga, biofeedback or complete engrossment (reading, listening to music, watching movies, playing golf or bridge) which stimulate the neurocircuits of relaxation and pleasure system and inhibit stress circuits in the mind-brain axis. The brain and the ever-changing fluid environment communicate interactively in a bidirectional manner. Such mechanisms protect telomeres, the protective ends of chromosomes, which are the markers for qualitative longevity. Longer telomeres produce healthier and happier people.

While you cannot turn back time you can slow down the process of ageing while keeping the functions of various organs intact. A healthy lifestyle would save not only a huge amount of money, but would also give one an opportunity to enjoy the world around and also combat the stress of ever-increasing pace of modern living and polluted environment, which predisposes us to premature ageing.

The whole concept does not require a great deal of sacrifice or exploration. A positive food for thought and a programmed, beneficial diet are value additions for preventing lifestyle diseases and living a longer, healthier and happier life. Good time management, non-confrontational problem-solving, forgive-and-forget attitude, perfection in office and casual approach at home, being pleasant and appreciative, low environmental reactivity, a sense of belonging and productive gossiping are the keys to being happy and healthy! A daytime power nap and 6 to 7 hours of sleep are icing on the cake.

Certain things imbibed in day-to-day practice with some degree of flexibility can achieve wonders. The simple menu would be eating less by 20%, consuming a lot of water, use of natural anti- oxidants by remembering a dictum ‘Black is Beautiful’, thus black tea, black grapes, black carrots, apple and sweet potatoes along with ample use of Indian spices like turmeric, flax seed, almonds and walnuts.

If the whole programme looks heavy, just remember to use your feet more often, consume a lot of water and sticking to the dictum that ‘20% less calories will enhance your qualitative life for 20 years’.