How to Die Young as Late as Possible

Borja Bandera 23 June, 2020 Well-being habits Leave a comment

In this article, we are going to talk about one of the most important questions we could ask ourselves: How can we Die Young as Late as Possible?

Index

1. Let’s imagine…
2. The Work of a Lifetime
3. Injustices of Nature
4. Guidelines to Die Young as Late as Possible
5. Related Entries

Let’s imagine…

…You wake up at 7 a.m, full of energy and ready to enjoy the day.

Today, you do not have to work and you are going to spend the day exercising, walking and doing some shopping.
You feel good, both physically and mentally and you are completely autonomous and functional.

Now, imagine that you are 75 years old and you can still do what I just said.

The world population is becoming older and older.

Medicine and public healthcare have allowed us to live many more years than a few decades ago.

However, the following challenge we are facing is no easy task. Now, apart from living longer, we need to live in better conditions. Or at least, we should try to live with an acceptable quality of life as long as we possibly can.

And how do we get that?
Is Medicine the solution?
Will we find a cure for aging and even death in decades to come?
Will we take a pill a become 10 years younger?

The Work of a Lifetime

This will possibly happen in the following years, but it is not probable.

In the meantime, we need to use the research in gerontology and biology to find out why do we age and how can we slow down this process.

That is, our objective will be to make a plan to Die Young as Late as Possible

We have already explained the diets of some of the most long-lived populations, like the blue zones. Moreover, we have also talked about what telomeres are and how these structures play a crucial role in the aging process.

But we are not going to talk about that today.

Once again, let’s focus on answering a question with all the information that we have available:

How can we die young as late as possible?

Need a clue? Dying young as late as possible is the work of a lifetime.

Injustices of Nature

Let me explain.

We need to mention another issue that I call the injustices of nature.

First of all, we need to be aware of some things:

We cannot control our health 100% of the time.
Neither can we eliminate all the risks.
Unfortunately, we cannot make most diseases disappear either.

Somewhere in the world, a 3 year old child is being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. There will always be healthy and young athletes that go running one day and die of cardiac arrest.

Therefore, there will always be injustices of nature

Guidelines to Die Young as Late as Possible

After accepting this fact, we have a series of guidelines that are quite easy to analyze but hard to carry out that will help us age slowly.

There are many, so we are not going to deepen in every single one of them.

This may come as a surprise, since most of them do not have anything to do with anti-aging creams or the esthetic symptoms of aging.

In fact, you can look young on the outside but have old cells on the inside, which is actually quite common.

So this post is not going to delve into the physical aspect or how to look more attractive.

Well, let’s begin with the guidelines to die young as late as possible:

Avoid a lack or excess of protein

We have already talked about that before: the issue of protein is actually quite controverted.

The key lies in knowing how much protein do we need in every stage of our lives.

If you are young and athletic, eat 1.5g/kg of body weight.

Bear in mind that a low protein intake is related to a higher risk of mortality in old people (over the age of 65). So, if you have already passed this barrier you will have to make an effort to obtain this macronutrient if you want to die young as late as possible.

Avoid processed food

I will never get tired of saying this.

Nowadays, ultraprocessed products are the cause of many deaths.

No, they are not poison.
Yes, you can eat them every once in a while.

But a diet that relies on these products is meant to fail, not only because they are not healthy, but because they replace other healthy products that we should be eating instead.

Avoid sedentarism

To sum up: you cannot be healthy if you do not follow an active lifestyle.

In other words: you can eat healthy, but if you are sedentary you will NOT be a healthy person.

Have you ever heard of NEAT? I suggest you take a look at this post.

But do not overtrain

However, going to the other extreme is also related to a shorter life.

Physical exercise behaves like a J curve regarding morality: this means that both no exercise and a lot of exercise can have negative consequences in the long term.

But, if I had to choose between both extremes, I would definitely would go with “a lot of exercise”.

Even Olympic athletes live longer than sedentary population.

Sunbathe moderately

Without taking into account specific pathologies, avoiding sunlight by all means is not healthy whatsoever. Not only due to vitamin D, but also mental health, chronorhythms and even cardiovascular health.

Sunbathing moderately without getting sunburns is also good for our health.

Fasting every once in a while

Caloric restriction (CR) is the best and most direct way of living longer.

Reaching a CR of a 30-40% of your maintenance kcals is not easy and even less in the long term.

That is why strategies such as intermittent fasting have become so popular among the general public… keep reading

Because it is easier for most people to structure their meals while fasting a few hours between them, than eating less in each meal and being hungry.

Fruit and vegetables should be the base of your diet

Any diet that does not include plenty of fruit and vegetables cannot be regarded as healthy in the long term and it will not help you die young as late as possible.

Absolutely every single study associates the intake of fruit, vegetables and fiber with a better health and survival.

A healthy microbiota equals a longer and healthier life

The microbiota has been the discovery of the decade. These tiny bacteria are more crucial for your health than what you could possibly imagine.

Ruining your microbiota is quite easy: you just have to do wrong all that we have said in this post.

The night is for sleeping, take care of your circadian rhythms

Another important finding in the world of health has been the importance of chronobiology and how following the biorhythms can prevent chronic diseases.

For instance, we know that those who work in night shifts have more chances to suffer cardiovascular diseases or type 2 diabetes.

Any workout is not valid, take care of your muscles

If you just go running, you will end up suffering sarcopenia in the long term if you do not include strength exercises.

IF you want to live longer, you will have to take of your muscles.

A strength workout routine at least 2 or 3 times a week should be compulsory for everyone.

Acute stress not chronic stress

We are ready to face a period of acute stress followed by a recovery period, like a sprint or a fight.

But we are not made to carry problems, sometimes real, sometimes imaginary, day after day…

Surround yourself of people who support you

The problem when we approach longevity from a scientific perspective is that we forget about aspects that are as important as the diet, exercise or pharmacology.

Having a community, family or not, that supports you is essential if we want to live long. Visit any of the blue zones in your next holidays and observe the relationships between their members.

Let me know what you think afterwards

Run away from solitude

Do you know that solitude is a great predictor of morality and cardiovascular disease?

We do not know how to be alone.
We are not made to be alone, regardless of how taciturn we may be.

In fact, even having a pet is related to a better health and it is strongly connected to this idea.

Have a defined purpose

Having a purpose in this life, no matter what it is, is not only going to make you healthier, but it will also improve your quality of life. A life well lived needs goals, a direction, sense.

You will not hear many doctors talk about this factor which is so important for life.

Contact with nature

If you live closer to nature you already have a gift.

A simple stroll through the forest or by the sea lowers the blood pressure and improves the mental health.

It seems that nature wakes up something within us that tells us that we are exactly where we are meant to be…

This is where we have evolved.
We are also part of it.

Having lost contact with nature is one of the biggest problems of today’s society.

Control the anxiety

Stress and anxiety go hand in hand.

They are two sides of the same coin and both are extremely harmful.

Without any doubt, taking care of the aspects we have mentioned will help us control the anxiety. However, there are moments in our life when it will appear, whether if you want it or not.

At that moment, you will have to face it with all you have.

Children in school should be taught how to relax…

Be thankful for what you have

Another simple thing that can actually make a difference. Be thankful, even for the most insignificant things. You will start feeling better shortly after.

Have money

Yes, I am not joking, money is definitely important.

More money, to certain extent (another J curve) means:

Less stress
Better diet
More exercise
More purpose
Less solitude

Let’s not forget that there is a J curve. We all know miserable and solitary rich people…

To sum up, if you want to be healthier, earn 1000 or 2000 extra euros to your pocket every month.

Move in the virtuous range of moderation

Your mother was right when she said that excess is not good. Stoics also said that and they were definitely right.

Believe in something

Those who believe in something or belong to a specific religion live longer.

Why? We do not know.

But if you are a believer or you have some kind of philosophy in life, the better.

We need something to answer the dreadful existential questions that haunt us.

There are medicines that mimic autophagy

So far, we have not mentioned any medicines, but there are some that can have an effect on key signalling pathways that mimic the autophagy. For example, Metformin, Rapamycin or Spermidine.

Do not fall into medicalization

Look for help when you need it, not before.

This last point is extremely important. Medicine is extraordinary when we use it properly.

Little medicine can kill but a lot of medicine also can…

Do not fall into medicalization
Not all of your day to day problems require medical attention

Overmedicalization, overdiagnosing and overtreating are issues that are becoming more a more common.

That is all for today. If you liked these tips to die young as late as possible, make sure to share it with the world so that it will help others.

Cheers!