We have all heard the phrase “healthy, wealthy, and wise.” If you have been a Nightingale-Conant customer for any length of time, you probably notice that every time you commit to a program, you move further along the path toward a healthy, wealthy, and wise life. This is certainly true with The Longevity Solution: Secrets of The 100 Year Lifestyle. Wisdom is an amazing concept because it only comes with age, time, and experience. My father used to say to me, “Youth is wasted on the young” and “If I had known then what I know now…” Maybe you share similar thoughts with my father as you have grown in age and wisdom, based on experiences in your life. The question is: How are you applying your wisdom to your daily life and well-being? One of the first sentences in The 100 Year Lifestyle book and The Longevity Solution is “Tell me something I don’t know.” Applying what you know may require you to make some changes. In The Longevity Solution we talk about the three Life-Changing Principles. #1 Change is easy. Thinking about change is hard. #2 Change comes one choice at a time. Think progress not perfection. #3 If you are going to make a change, make it with your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle in mind. Applying what you learn and what you know — your wisdom — is the only way to make the progress that you may want in your health, your finances, your relationships, and your work. You will experience the results of your wisdom when you make the changes you know you need to make. When it comes to your health, it is important for you to apply your wisdom to ensure quality of life as you age. Make your fitness your top priority by incorporating the 4 Essentials of Fitness into your life. The last four letters of the word “fitNESS” form an acronym: Neurology and Nutrition, Endurance, Strength, and Structure.

Neurology and Nutrition

A healthy nervous system is essential to a healthy life. Your nervous system controls and coordinates every cell tissue and organ of your body and helps you adapt to your environment. Activity in the nerves is carried out with neurotransmitters. In some cases, these special messaging molecules are simple amino acids or derivatives of them. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein. Optimal protein intake can be very helpful in support of the nervous system. In order for the nervous system to synthesize and circulate neurotransmitters, B complex vitamins are particularly important. Vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid could also be singled out as especially important in nerve metabolism. Green leafy vegetables are rich sources of many B vitamins. The sheath structures surrounding many nerves in the body need the omega-3 fatty acids found in such foods as wild-caught cold-water fish (like salmon), seeds (like pumpkin seeds or flaxseeds), nuts (like walnuts), and some oils (like canola oils). Chiropractic adjustments ensure that your nervous system is functioning without interference so that your entire body can be healthier and you can heal quickly from injuries, function well, and perform at your highest level in sports and at work. Consume QCs vs. ECs. Good nutrition is important for your body to be healthy. Both empty and excess calories, ECs, will lead to sickness, low energy, obesity, and chronic health problems that make you old before your time and cause unnecessary, preventable suffering. QCs are quality calories. They come from live foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. QCs are nutritionally satisfying because they contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and amino acids that are the building blocks of a healthy body. ECs, empty calories, come from foods such as white sugar, white flour, and white rice, which add calories to your diet without nutritional value. Be conscious when you are eating and choose QCs over ECs every time.

Endurance

Endurance comes from cardiovascular exercise. Whether it is from walking, running, bike riding, the elliptical, basketball, tennis, soccer, or a rowing machine, this type of exercise is necessary for your heart to stay healthy. Get 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least 3 to 4 times per week. Wear a heart monitor and monitor your heart rate while you also count the number of calories you burn. As your stamina grows, increase your intensity to increase your results. Life is a marathon and not a sprint, and endurance training will give you the stamina to enjoy it.

Strength

Your level of strength will determine your ability to remain active and independent as you age. Through regular strength training with a personal trainer or on your own, you can build muscle and stand strong, no matter how many birthdays you celebrate. The saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is definitely true when it comes to strength. Free weights, functional training machines, Pilates, CrossFit, and yoga are all examples of exercises that build your strength. Make strength training a part of your fitness plan today.

Structure

Hippocrates said, “Look well to the spine for the cause of disease.” Edison said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” There is no way around it; you have got to take care of your spine and nervous system if you want to live an active, healthy, long life. Many people attempt a fitness program and find that their body breaks down within a few weeks. They experience pain and injuries that become nagging to severe, and it can stop them from reaching their goals. This is one indication that your spine may have underlying problems known as subluxations. Chiropractic examinations can reveal underlying problems in your spine that can keep you from getting in shape and also lead to all types of health problems. Don’t wait until you “feel it” to get checked. You may be waiting too long, and why spoil your momentum if you are working out to get in shape?

Wealth

Wealth is attainable for anyone at any age no matter the starting point. Remember Life- Changing Principle #2: Change comes one choice at a time. Think progress not perfection. In The 100 Year Lifestyle, there is a formula for becoming wealthy, and it starts with a philosophy. If you want to achieve abundance throughout your extended life you must do A*Bun*Dance and begin having more fun than ever in your work. What a great way to generate more income as you grow financially free in your extended life. Sir Richard Branson said in a recent Forbes magazine interview: “I could of course have retired and concentrated my energies on learning how to paint watercolors or how to beat my mum at golf. It wasn’t and still isn’t in my nature to do so. People asked me, ‘Why don’t you have some fun now?,’ but they were missing the point. As far as I was concerned, this was fun. Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business, and it has been key to everything I’ve done from the outset.”

• There is an abundance of money in the world.
• Do what you love.
• Create value for others.
• Create value in the world.
• Package this value in a business.
• Tithe by contributing money to make a difference for others.
• The money will follow.

Garrett Gunderson, a fellow Nightingale author, who wrote and recorded The New Rules to Get Rich, describes this as living your Soul Purpose. You may already categorize yourself as healthy, wealthy, and wise, or you may just be starting your action steps to get there. Wherever you are on your path, enjoy the journey and make friends  that you can share experiences with and celebrate successes with every day along the way as you live your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.

Subscribe