Summary

I will close with a summary of the scientifically established essentials to maximize your chances of living a long healthy life:

• WFPB diet – If you need help, hire a WFPB nutritionist.
• Exercise – If you need help, hire a trainer at a gym. Daily exercise should include:
  • Regular aerobic exercise to increase your heart rate to over 80% maximum for at least 15 minutes (unless you already have a medical condition that makes this unsafe) and results in your clothes being soaked in sweat. This promotes cardiovascular health.
  • Resistance exercise, weight lifting to prevent muscle atrophy of aging.
  • Impact exercises - pounding the bones makes them respond by laying down more bone.
• 8 hours of sleep – Prevents dementia, strengthens the immune system, etc.
• Maintain Social Connections – Go out with friends, and stay close to your family. Don’t become a hermit after retirement.
• Don’t drink to excess – The recommendations constantly change but it currently appears that for men one drink daily and for women, none is the healthiest. If modest occasional drinking promotes social connections, it may be healthy on balance.
• Don’t smoke or vape.
• Don’t take supplements and vitamins. They are a waste of money and may even do harm. The exceptions are Vitamin B12 in Vegans and Vitamin D. Get all your vitamins and antioxidants naturally by eating colorful plants. Red wine is better than resveratrol. Oranges are better than Vitamin C. Fish oil is unhealthy.
• Consider having your hormones replaced to normal young adult levels using bioidentical slow-release pellets by a hormone specialist.

I hope these resources stimulate your curiosity to learn and understand how to eat properly to regain and/or maintain good health well into old age. While I can fix your hip or knee, taking care of the rest of your body will be up to you. The general health in the wealthiest country in the world with the greatest opportunities is deplorable. Ninety percent (90%) of healthcare costs and a lot of pain and suffering would be eliminated if people just made healthy lifestyle choices.