For trying to live as long as possible?

[ToastMarmalade]

I’m not one of those Silicon Valley millionaires, but I have a kid with special needs and I’m thinking, I want to live as long as possible to be around for them.

I wasn’t that healthy in life, I’ve smoked a bit, drink sometimes, now going through the menopause and put on a bit of weight. I have high cholesterol but managed to bring it down with a better diet.

I’ve watched the programmes on the Blue Zones with interest (places with people over 100) and newer information like being able to stop diabetes before it starts through diet, makes me think, it’s not too late to really slow down ageing? YANBU

Or am I being daft (YABU) and I’ve done the damage already?

I hope that if I do:

• weights 15 mins x3 a week
• walk 15 mins every day at a fast pace
• dance class 2x a week
• eat less processed foods, more vegetables, porridge, legumes, less meat, Mediterranean diet
• drink mostly water and only 1 or 2 cups of tea of coffee
• volunteer more around my community
• lose some weight to be more in the middle of a healthy BMI
• sleep better

That I might add 5 - 10 years of my life!

A glass of red wine a day is part of one of the blue zones diet

They all sounds like great things to do which, if you are not doing them already, will on average add a few years to your life expectancy. I imagine they will also just make you feel better and happier generally.

But remember that there is an enormous amount of uncertainty about how and when we will die. The healthiest people doing all the right things can die early and vice versa. We don't have much control over this in the end, so need to be prepared for all possibilities!