an interest in longevity

People think I am joking when I say my short term goal is to live to my 150^th birthday. I am very serious about this… and don’t see why it can’t be done. In fact, I was excited to see one of the articles in the new Omni Magazine is by Elizabeth Blackburn about living to 150. (That article is what reminded me of my goal, like a vindication of sorts.)

Here is what I did to get the ball rolling around 10 years ago: First, I started by doing something I’ve always avoided… I went to the doctor and had a complete physical. I was overweight, had high cholesterol, and my doctor was concerned to say the least. I don’t think he believed me when I said I was going to fix that. He was ready to start me on medication to compensate for my poor lifestyle. I refused his suggestions and he agreed to let me work on it. This was several years ago.

In conjunction with this, I was attending Weight Watchers, where I was already losing weight and getting more exercise. (I eventually lost 40 pounds.) I was planning on climbing Mt. Fuji with some friends and wanted to make sure I could make it. I started my exercise program with six sessions with a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness. (The trip up Mt. Fuji was fantastic, BTW)

Along with the diet and exercise, I started reading books to learn as much as I could about the body and how it works. Here are a few:

(This is the book which I used to set my goal.)

Fantastic Voyage > Ray Kurzweil, Terry Grossman, M.D.

(These four books are great for catching up on general physiology, by Dr. Oz of Oprah fame.)

You-The Owner’s Manual > Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.

You-On a Diet > Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.

You-Staying Young > Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.

You-Being Beautiful > Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.

(This book inspired me to quit sodas and drink 4 liters of water or more a day.)

Water for health, for healing, for life (You’re not sick, you’re thirsty!) > F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

(These two books are good to learn about vitamin C.)

Curing the Incurable > Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D.

Stop America’s #1 Killer > Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D.

Yeah, I read a lot…