Seasonal Paradise

Perfect Greek Salad

Enjoying another Greek salad at Irena's favorite restaurant in Athens on Adrianou Street.

Longevity Design - 25 Steps To An Extended Youth

If you want to live to 95 and still be as spritely as Jack Lalanne, here's what you need to do, per the book The Longevity Prescription.

1. Eat minimal saturated fats. Eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 veggies, and unprocessed grains, beans or other fiber-rich foods daily.
2. Exercise 5x a week: 2 resistance + 3 aerobic sessions
3. BMI under 25.
4. Sleep soundly 7-8 hours a night and nap 20-30 mins a day.
5. Be in a marriage with someone you trust and love and are intimate with.
6. Get on with your kids, siblings and extended family.
7. Maintain active long term friendships with people you care about.
8. Interact daily with people, in person, by phone and online. Go out 3x a week with friends or family.
9. Make 1+ new friend a year, and communicate regularly with them.
10. Avoid depression and anxiety, don't relive unhappy moments and maintain a hopeful attitude for the future.
11. Challenge yourself to learn new things.
12. Keep up with events, consume media, and know what's going on in your community.
13. Find simple joys in life, and laugh heartily.
14. Stretch your mental muscles regularly; reading, games.
15. Don't harbor grievances, adapt, accept losses and look to new challenges.
16. Employ stress reduction strategies; yoga, golf, meditation etc.
17. Recognize the good in aging; wisdom, experience, perspective and patience.
18. See the doctor regularly for checkups and tests.
19. Take a multivitamin and a children's aspirin daily (81mg).
20. Take prescribed medication as directed.
21. Do self-exams; breast and testicular lumps, moles and birthmarks
22. Get glasses or a hearing aid if you need them.
23. Wear a seatbelt and bicycle helmet and use sunblock.
24. Don't smoke.
25. Drink alcohol only in moderation; men 3 oz, women 1.5 oz a day.

I've read a few books on this subject now, and this sums up the best knowledge we have so far. As much as this is a recipe for longevity, its also a GREAT recipe for an enjoyable life. The point here is youth extension, as much as life extension. There's a big difference. Who cares about living to 90 if the last 20 years find you fighting illness constantly. Live life like LaLanne, actively, with purpose and with people who you love around you.

Here's some more advice from Methuselah Foundation longevity experts.

Heroes: Jack LaLanne

In 1936 Jack opened a gym, and grew his company to 200+ gyms which became Bally's.  Here's Jack in his show from the 50's.  

and here he is at 95.

and here's a great article on him in Washington Post.

He's an inspiration.  I love his energy and passion for helping people find health and fitness.  He's one of my heroes. 

Losing Weight Isn't Easy: Vegan Diet Experiment

I can't imagine how people manage to eat vegan.  So, I'm trying it for 30 days.  The comments off this post show my daily diet and how the experience goes.  I'm at 193lbs, half way to my goal weight of 178lbs, from 207lbs.  I got down to 190lbs but bounced back up.  Going vegan for 30 days will help me stay on plan during the Miami iDate/SNC conferences.  This is my own little 'Super Size Me' experiment, in reverse. 

Diet Update

Irena lost 26lbs in the last two weeks.  Amazing.  Actually 19lbs was
in one day.  :-)

I'm down 14lbs from my high of 207lbs.

Losing Weight

...isn't easy. I'm generally eating to 80% full, tracking my daily food religiously, only eating meat 2 or 3 times a week, and am eating far more sensibly. I'm down from 210 to 202lbs in the last month. But, I'm not exercising anywhere near enough, am drinking too many calories, and eating too late. I'll fix this. By this time next month I'll be 194lbs.

Weight Loss Update

No weight loss, but I'm now enjoying being vegetarian.  Last month I decided to abstain from eating meat and coffee.  Meat I can do without, coffee I need, but am now drinking in moderation.  So this month has had its success as I feel no pull towards meat.  Seafood, yes, but meat has lost its allure.  I feel better eating veggie and seafood, and fruit.  I'm exercising more often, but being on the road had its toll.  Next month I'm getting down to 198lbs by eating until I'm 80% full like the Okinawan centenarians advise.  One rule for August.  80% and STOP.

Diet Update - end of month 1

No appreciable weight loss but I've successfully formed a new habit in keeping a log of my meals and exercise on this blog, as comments. So begins a new month.

It take 21 days to form a habit, apparently. So the next habit I'll re-form is daily exercise of half an hour a day. Up to two day slips allowed. Meaning, exercise can be skipped and carried forward up to two days. Also, I'm going vegetarian for month and quitting my morning honey-rich coffees, just to see how it feels. I'll report back in a month. Hopefully I'll be back down from 207 to 200 lbs In that time.

Thoroughly Embarrassing Photo #1

I've tried a number of diets over the last three years and this is my last resort.  Stickk.com didn't work.  The 'Rule of two' diet didn't work for me.  Dietwars.com didn't work.  I'm beyond a 36" size trouser and 95kg/209lbs and in the worst cardiovascular health in my life.  Now I'm on the 'thoroughly embarrassing' diet.  The last resort.  Three rules only.
  
1. Stick a thoroughly embarrassing photo up on this blog each month.  
2. Enter in what I eat into the comments section.  Anything goes, I just need to write down what I eat.

3. Do something in the way of physical exercise every day.

Operation Bellybutton

It's time I lost my fluff catcher.  Target weight is 178 by October.