Most of us are either too aware and mindful of the need to exercise - and carry on with it - or are aware of its benefits and yet, continue to shun it. Let me say this then: we should all try a little of it every day. The mantra in the past was to exercise a lot, combine aerobic work with strength, and generally eat carefully to live a long, healthy life. And yet, who among us has not seen men and women who live a hedonistic life and live into the ripe 90's, while health-conscious, exercise-loving younger men and women die like withering leaves that fell from the tree on arrival of the autumn wind?
The last word on the right combination of needed activity levels and food quality and type to live a long life is not yet written. Even as you read this, research on the best way to increase longevity is being done all over the world. It seems that longevity is coded into our DNA. The longer our "telomeres" are, the longer are we likely to live. To understand this, let me first show you what your telomere looks like:
The last word on the right combination of needed activity levels and food quality and type to live a long life is not yet written. Even as you read this, research on the best way to increase longevity is being done all over the world. It seems that longevity is coded into our DNA. The longer our "telomeres" are, the longer are we likely to live. To understand this, let me first show you what your telomere looks like:
The above is a simplified image of a chromosome of an adult cell. We have 23 pairs of these (one of each pair from each of our parents) in every one of our billions of cells, The chromosome is made up of DNA - which in turn is made up of amino-acid pairs called nucleotide pairs. The terminal pink portions of each of our chromosomes are known as the telomeres (Greek: telos =end and meros = part).
Trials have shown that people who eat a vegetarian diet rich in fibre, olive oil and greens AND do moderate exercise every day have a 10% increase in the size of their telomeres. Thus, the DNA on the end of our chromosomes determines how long we are going to live.
So, how do we go about it? It is easier to do bite-sized exercises multiple numbers of day than to devote, say, 45 minutes of uninterrupted exercise like walking briskly, running, or, for example. In the same fashion, try small changes in your daily diet and try not to convert your diet in one overnight go.
Do write back to me on what your routine is. Thank you.
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