Joseph S. Alpert’s Guide to Graceful Aging

Guide #1: Try to
be born into a family with a history of longevity. There is no
replacement for good genes. This is the single factor that one cannot
influence with a change in lifestyle or attitude. Nevertheless,
disobeying the other 11 guides can negate any hereditary propensity for
long life.

Guide #2: Never smoke! If you are unlucky enough to be a current smoker, quit the moment you finish reading this article.

Guide #3:
Only exercise on the days that you eat. In other words, exercise
everyday. The form of exercise is not the most important aspect of this
guide, nor is the intensity of your workout. Exercise for 40-60 minutes
each day at a level that produces sweating. Don’t bother to count your
heart rate unless you are training for competition.

Guide #4:
Avoid extreme diets such as the transiently popular starvation diet.
This diet has never been shown to prolong life in human beings. It
works for inbred mice in the setting of laboratory experiments, and, in
my opinion, is not a good strategy for humans.

Guide #5:
Eat a healthy diet, low in saturated (animal) fats and high in
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats with 5-8 servings of fruits
and vegetables each day.1 Hold back on the “white carbohydrates” (ie, sugar, white flour, white rice, white potatoes).

Guide #6: Don’t get fat.2
It is okay to be a few pounds (and only a few pounds) over your ideal
weight. If you are 15 pounds or more over your ideal body weight, start
a program of dieting and exercise. Consult your doctor or nutritionist
about a reasonable program, and check out the reliable, online
resources on weight management and fitness.3 Avoid fad diets—see Guides #4 and #5.

Guide #7:
Be moderate in your use of alcohol. Some studies have demonstrated
improved longevity with moderate alcohol consumption. However, the
benefit disappears at more than 2 drinks per day. So drink moderately.
Whether or not red wine is the healthiest form of alcohol to drink has
not been definitively decided unless you work for the French or the
California winegrowers association!

Guide #8:
Periodically consult your doctor for preventive health measures such as
cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure checks; cancer screenings;
and flu vaccinations. If you are a woman, get regular Pap smears,
mammograms, and bone density scans once you are in the age range for
these to be useful.

Guide #9:
Cultivate family and friends. Enjoy conversation, dining, and
recreation with people whom you like (for example, your spouse). Spend
as little time as possible with folks you don’t like or who make you
uncomfortable.

Guide #10: Cultivate
an avocation that occurs away from your work day. For example, play a
musical instrument alone or with someone; engage in sports such as golf
or tennis; read interesting books, etc. If you can do this with someone
who you like (see Guide #9), so much the better.

Guide #11:
Be informed, but try not to be overwhelmed by current events as
portrayed by the popular media (ie, television and newspaper news
reports). Remember the part of your high school US history course that
discussed “yellow journalism” in the US in the 19th
century? In my opinion, nothing has changed since then except the
subtlety of the media’s messages. Most of the daily news is comprised
of stories of murder, rape, terrorism, pollution, vandalism, and other
acts of violence—along with celebrity updates. If you don’t believe me,
watch Fox News for 5 minutes (if you can stand it) and see how much of
what is portrayed pertains to the topics just enumerated. It is far
better to spend the time doing what is suggested in Guides #3, #9, and
#10; also, watching less television can help you with Guide #6. If you
are watching television and the daily news comes on, change the station!

Guide #12:
Do your best to avoid being irritated by little things. Every one of us
experiences small daily irritations that can eventually lead to
surprising degrees of anger and depression. Try to put things into
perspective. As one of my patients recently told me about some minor
irritations occurring at his home, “At least it is not cancer!”