So I found this interesting. Below are 6 seemingly simple ways to “add years to your life, and life to your years”, seems simple enough.
1) Eat a diet full of minimally processed foods
2) Do routine physical activity at moderate intensity, frequency, duration;
3) Avoid toxins, particularly tobacco and excess alcohol;
4) Get adequate sleep, both quantity and quality;
5) Find ways to mitigate psychological stress;
6) Cultivate meaningful, supportive relationships & strong social bonds.
Of the six the hardest one for me is #6. I would think that family is easy enough for most of us but what about other social bonds? I have always been a more private person. I find that making friends and creating social bonds is work. It’s not that I don’t like people, I may be somewhat of an introvert and I do like time to myself. Maybe being in a customer focused job I get my fill of people during the day. However, what do I do when I retire?
How important is socialization? A January 2016 study, by researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the first to definitively link strong social relationships with concrete measures of physical health including: high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, BMI, and inflammation. The study identifies specific biological mechanisms triggered by social isolation that can lead to long-term health problems such as obesity, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Looks like it’s time to break out of my shell and join a club or two.
What about you. Of the six which one is your biggest challenge?
Aging with Dan 
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