Tag Archives: longevity

You can dramatically extend life

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“You can dramatically extend life — not by multiplying the number of years, but by expanding the fullness of your moments.”

—Shinzen Young, American Meditation Teacher

Image from Unsplash by Simon Berger

We often dream of extending our lives, wishing for more trips around the sun. But what if true longevity isn’t about adding time, but about deepening our experience of each moment?

Life’s richness isn’t measured in years alone, but in the fullness with which we live. By being present and embracing each moment wholeheartedly, we dramatically expand our lives — not in length, but in depth.

So, seek meaning in the Now. In doing so, you’ll discover a life that feels not just longer, but in many ways, limitless.

EXERCISE:

In what ways can mindfulness help you live more fully?

What practical steps can you take to make your daily experiences more meaningful?

Consider reading “How Will you Measure your Life” by Clay Christensen for ideas to put more life into your years.
You can also view his TED talk from 2012 on this subject

Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust

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“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”

—Sun Tzu, Ancient Chinese Military general & Philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Ricardo Cruz

What is your personal assessment of your health? Consider all aspects including your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual status.

What current habits and practices enhance your well-being and nourish your vitality?

Despite all of our best Blue Zone efforts, we all eventually decline and rust.

Our telomeres shorten and our cells don’t always replace themselves with the exact genetic codes of our youth.

I’ve heard that over the years about 70% of our health can be positively influenced by our actions.

Regardless of the exact number it is in our best interest to keep our life swords sharp and strong.

EXERCISE:

What factors in your world act like salt water, having a corrosive effect on your life?

How can you minimize or eliminate their toxic effects to optimize your chances of a long and healthy life?

Check out Blue Zones and investigate the work of the Human Longevity Institute for some approaches being used to galvanize our lives for the better.

“If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit would never grow old.”

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“If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit would never grow old.”

—James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States

Image from Unsplash by Pelayo Arbués

How old are you? How old do you feel? When you look in the mirror how many more wrinkles do you see compared to last year? What strategies do you use to slow down the hourglass of time?

Looking for the fountain of youth is a preoccupation for many, and potions, lotions, superfood strategies, exercise machines, and cosmetic surgery are very big business.

Books such as Younger Next Year and Real Age even promise the 44 scientific strategies to be up to 25 years younger biologically than you are chronologically.

This past year, I’ve noticed a significant shift in many people toward discovering and nurturing the inner beauty and spirit that, when exercised, remains ever youthful.

EXERCISE:

Have a conversation with folks that wear a few more wrinkles and have a bit more pep in their step than you. Inquire into the strategies they recommend to remain young at heart and bright in spirit.

“Aliveness comes from living a life of personal integrity in which…”

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“Aliveness comes from living a life of personal integrity in which our outer actions match our inner values, beliefs, wishes, and dreams.”

—Jerry Colonna, American venture capitalist and professional coach

Image from Unsplash by Katya Austin

How alive do you feel at this moment?

Take a trip down memory lane into your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and ask yourself the same question. Dig a bit deeper to determine the intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for your answers.

What about projecting this question forward into your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond?

How can you maintain and even increase your aliveness well into your senior years? What can and will you do to experience far more life in your years, not just more years in your life?

Life expectancy data points to many more of us becoming centurions due to exponential technologies, especially in the field of medicine.

EXERCISE:

A few books you may wish to explore relative to this topic are:

Halftime by Bob Buford
Replace Retirement by John Anderson
Abundance by Peter Diamandis
Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley

Also consider taking the online Real Age Test to see how biologically youthful you are today.

We remain young to the degree that our ambitions are greater than our memories

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“We remain young to the degree that our ambitions are greater than our memories.”

—Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach

Image from Humanlongevity.com

How long do you expect to live?

Dan Sullivan, the co-founder of Strategic Coach, expects to live 156 years. Over the years, he has had a voracious passion for longevity and optimal health. In the Exponential Wisdom Podcast, he and Peter Diamandis explore where the world is headed by discussing cutting edge technologies and global trends.

Exploring topics such as gene editing, stem cells, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology, they look into the multi-disciplinary crystal ball of the future of health care. Peter Diamandis, founder of Human Longevity, Inc., expects to live 700 years. He is best known for his X-Prize Foundation and competition, and the commercialization of space. Sullivan and Diamandis encourage the rest of us to release the idea of traditional retirement. They council us to stay actively engaged in making our future ambitions far more extraordinary than our past.

EXERCISE:

Consider reading Peter’s book Abundance, or Dan’s book The Laws of Lifetime Growth, to help guide you to an even more extraordinary future.

Check out their podcast on this and other provocative subjects at exponentialwisdom.com

A light heart lives long

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“A light heart lives long.”

—Irish Gaelic Proverb

Image of two old women laughing

Image from Flickr by Patrick

Did you know that workplace stress has been proven to increase the risk of heart attacks and shorten your life span? I am sure you could list five or ten other factors that make the impact even worse!

Listed below are are some lighthearted or heart-related activities, proven effective to add both years to your life and life to your years.

  • Laughter: just 15 minutes of laughing at a funny video can improve blood flow to your heart by 50%, reduce blood clot formation, cholesterol deposition, and inflammation.
  • Optimism, meditation, and other mindfulness efforts help us view the world through a more hopeful and lighthearted lens.
  • A short nap or frequent breaks in your day to recharge have been shown to reduce coronary mortality by 37%.
  • Social engagements which include family, faith, and other forms of community involvement help us lighten our burdens, share more joy, and fill our hearts.

EXERCISE:

Explore at least one of the strategies above to brighten and lengthen your days and let me know what happens.

Consider replying to this post with some of your own lighthearted strategies to live a longer, more fulfilling life.