Recipe for long life

Press, 27 February 1986, Page 9

Recipe for long life

"Bodywork”

PORTER SHIMER

Two years ago, “Prevention” magazine set out on an interesting mission: to find , out what a survey of leading American health professionals would establish as the number one thing people could do to live long. Would , it- be eating a heathful diet? Getting enough exercise?

Going for regular medical checkups? No, it would be not smoking.

And after that it would be not smoking in bed, followed by wearing a seat belt, followed by avoiding driving under the influence of alcohol, followed by living in a home equipped with a smoke detector.

In a word, safety — rather than health — had run away with most of the top honours. Since 103 health experts (including physicians, researchers, professors and administrators) were polled, the results of the survey were no fluke.

They were surprising, however. It seems common sense — more so than uncommon devotion — may be our greatest longevity factor of all. The guy who neglects tobuckle his seat belt enroute to his gruelling workout at the gym clearly is missing the boat.

But before you become too comfortable about the idea of spending weekends “safely” in front of your television, venturing

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only as far as your fridge for snacks and beer, understand that more conventional health and fitness practices did figure in the survey results eventually.

Getting some form of regular exercise finished eighth, and restricting dietary fat finished tenth. Maintaining a reasonable weight finished eleventh, and consuming enough dietary fibre finished fifteenth (for the rest of the survey results, see below). The survey had made its point, nonetheless: you can be fit as a fiddle and a real stickler about diet, but if you are living in a house without a smoke alarm or driving like a bat out of hell, you might as well be a lush.

We may only be as “healthy,” in other words, as we are wise — a thought to keep in mind

when you go to make your New Year’s resolutions this year, for sure. Here are the results of “Prevention” magazine’s nationwide survey of the most effective measures people can take to live long. These rankings emerged from a list of 65 health-affecting behaviours, so consider them, the “cream of the crop.”

1. Not smoking. 2. Not smoking in bed. 3. Wearing a seat belt. 4. Avoiding driving under the influence of alcohol. 5. Living in a home with a smoke detector. 6. Keeping a strong network of friends. 7. Exercising regularly. 8. Moderating alcohol. 9. Being careful to avoid accidents at home. 10. Restricting dietary fat. 11. Maintaining a healthful weight. 12. Obeying the speed limit 13. Having blood pressure checked annually. 14. Controlling stress. 15. Consuming enough fibre. 16. Restricting cholesterol. 17. Getting adequate vitamins and minerals. 18. Seeing a dentist regularly. 19. Restricting sodium. 20. Restricting sugar. 21. Getting 7 to 8 hours sleep nightly.

Copyright 1985 Universal Press Syndicate.