Living in Health

Since the COVID19 Lockdown in 2020, I have observed many more people taking exercise, with running, walking and cycling popular. Perhaps this is one aspect of the isolation of the last 4-months that has accrued to our benefit. Thankfully the lockdown has been in the spring – summer period when the weather was conducive to these activities.

Coronavirus has, however, raised the question of how we take care of our general well-being, both mental and physical. Each of these categories breaks down into 3 – subsections: Eating habits, sleep and exercise (pertaining to physical health); meditation, social interaction and control of ones thought life (pertaining to mental health).

If we want to slow-down the aging process we need to take account of each of these. Our eating habits and exercise are both important to maintain a healthy weight. The amount that we eat, measured in calories, needs careful control, as does what we eat. Consuming high-fat, high-sugar processed food has a counterproductive effect in accelerating the aging process. More healthy foods are highly recommended, but usually more expensive. Daily fasting, such as missing a meal, is a useful means of diet control. Time-restricted eating, as a means of long-term calorie reduction, is another useful strategy. For example, fasting between 8 pm and noon the next day.

For adults just passed middle age, a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease indicated that walking 3km per day (about 4,000 steps) could improve capacity to concentrate, information processing and cognitive function.

Sleep quality is significant. Fragmented sleep is connected with chronic inflammation through-out the bloodstream, and linked with higher amounts of plaques in coronary arteries. This connection may not be limited to heart disease, but could include mental health and neurological disorders, such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

Other studies suggest that meditation slows down the wear on particles of DNA (known as telomeres) which protect our chromosomes from deterioration. This can give rise to wrinkling of the skin, greying hair and sagging muscles. Meditation is also good practice for mental health, since it should include positive thought processes. Optimists live longer, according to a study at Boston University of more than 70,000 people in 2019. They found that optimists have a 70% better chance of reaching 85 than severe pessimists. A recent study at University College, London, found that having negative thoughts over a long period of time may be linked to the deposit of harmful proteins in the brain, which, in turn, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Limited social interaction has clearly been a mental health hazard during the coronavirus emergency. Periods of self-isolation and family lockdown have taken their toll. Psychologists and psychiatrists alike have expressed concern about the mental health of people who must stay at home, especially those who live alone. Loneliness has become a much more acute problem than before the advent of COVID19.

When it comes to our personal health, our heart attitude also needs to be taken into account. Joy and happiness are not simply a matter of taking responsibility for applying all of the suggestions already featured in this blog. For that will not, of itself, bring joy and satisfaction into our lives. I propose having a heart attitude of joy, happiness and thanksgiving is more important than the sum of all of the anti-aging, physical and mental health suggestions we may take onboard. Having love in our lives, both for ourselves, our family and others gives us an outward look and leads us to care about others. So warmth, generosity and good-naturedness arise as a consequence of happiness in our own heart and mind. When we espouse these virtues as our “normal”, the gain is most desirable, and is too often under-stated. I believe our enjoyment of life depends on it.