Do you have aging parents or grandparents who are suffering from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or another serious disease or condition? While there may be a genetic component to these severe health challenges in your family history, that doesn’t mean that it’s your destiny to acquire them, suffer from them, or die from them. In The Longevity Solution, Secrets of The 100 Year Lifestyle produced by Nightingale-Conant, I review the top 10 leading causes of death for men and women, along with the science research and basic lifestyle information to help you prevent them, or at least push them as far into the future as possible. Let’s face it, if you prevent them, you don’t have to treat them, and you will enjoy a much better quality of life along the way.

The lifestyle choices that you make for yourself and your family can literally change the course of your history. It used to be thought that if you had a family history of heart disease or cancer, then it was your destiny to get these conditions too because they were “in your genes.” Through the science of epigenetics we are learning that nothing can be further from the truth. Epigenetics, which means “around the gene,” has shown that your lifestyle choices, both positive and negative, can influence the expression of your genes, turning them on and off like a light switch.

The lifestyle choices that you make for yourself and your family can literally change the course of your history. It used to be thought that if you had a family history of heart disease or cancer, then it was your destiny to get these conditions too because they were “in your genes.” Through the science of epigenetics we are learning that nothing can be further from the truth. Epigenetics, which means “around the gene,” has shown that your lifestyle choices, both positive and negative, can influence the expression of your genes, turning them on and off like a light switch.

After three months, the men had changes in the activity of about 500 genes, including 48 disease-preventing genes that were turned on and 453 disease-promoting genes that were turned off.

In the largest nature/nurture study that was ever done, on 44,000 pairs of twins, it was found that the primary determinants in most cases of cancer were environmental or lifestyle factors, such as tobacco use, diet, and exercise habits, rather than the inherited disposition of their family history.

So here is a very important message if you want to live an active, healthy quality of life for 80, 90, 100 years and beyond… stop blaming your genes. Too many people rationalize unhealthy choices with words like, “Why bother? It’s in my genes.” You can’t get away with this anymore.

Adjust Your Lifestyle

Changing the course of your history is not rocket science. Eating a diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats will keep you lean and healthy, and they will activate healthy genes. Exercise, as a part of a lifestyle, reduces stress, strengthens your heart and muscles, and has been shown to reduce the risk of nearly every disease.

Optimistic thinking has been shown to keep people motivated to make healthy lifestyle choices regardless of their circumstances. In addition, chiropractic care as a part of a healthy lifestyle, Lifestyle Care, keeps your spine and nervous system aligned, balanced, and healthy and free from deterioration; this ensures that the vital messages between the brain and the body are optimized. Reducing stress is also important, as stress has been shown to shorten the telomeres, or caps on the genes, which can reduce the life expectancy of your cells.

 

One of the life-changing principles of The 100 Year Lifestyle, which are covered completely in The Longevity Solution, is “Change is easy; thinking about change is hard.” It is much easier to eat healthy and exercise regularly as a part of your lifestyle than it is to be on a weight gain/weight loss rollercoaster or to chronically have to deal with being sick or injured.

The second life-changing principle is “Change comes one choice at a time; think progress not perfection.” It is not the first cookie that makes you fat. It’s all of them. It’s not the first cigarette that gives you cancer; it is all of them. As the research above has indicated, making lifestyle choices that are good for you, consistently, will progress you toward a much healthier life.

The third life-changing principle is “If you are going to make a change, make it with your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle in mind.” Don’t just make the changes you need to make to avoid a heart attack or cancer. Make the changes with the idea that you want to maximize your genetic capabilities and make the most of every day you are alive.

The Longevity Solution: Secrets of The 100 Year Lifestyle is about enjoying your best life every day for 80, 90, 100 years or beyond. Most likely your parents and grandparents didn’t know they were going to live as long as they have, and you can capitalize on their advance notice by making different lifestyle choices, beginning today. The good news is, the sooner you make them, the more time you will have to enjoy the benefits of good health that come with a healthier lifestyle.

There’s another bonus in it for you in addition to good health. Unfortunately too many people who don’t take care of themselves end up giving all of their savings back to hospitals because they waited to get sick before they took care of themselves. Make the changes now, and you will be able to enjoy your money for many more years to come.

Change the course of your history today with good lifestyle choices. Let The Longevity Solution guide you in the journey.