There are times in your life when you accomplish something so monumental and important that you want to make sure you have a WITNESS! When you catch the big fish, make a basketball shot from half-court, or reach the top of the rock wall, it sure feels better knowing someone is there to capture that moment and corroborate your story. Former President George W. Bush had one of those moments recently...he got his first-ever hole-in-one while playing golf...and fortunately the three other guys in his foursome were there to witness it! I loved what he said that day: “Next golf goal: live to 100 so I can shoot my age!”My golf score is much higher than that, so I would have to live to 120!
Wanting to live to 100 is no longer an unreachable goal. Believe it or not, as we often hear about other things, “there’s an APP for that.”"Living To 100" is an app that you can put on your smart phone or your tablet and is based on the popular book with the same name - Living to 100. The app provides you with a Life Expectancy Calculator which uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. You are asked 40 questions about a variety of important topics including your family medical history, lifestyle, nutrition and how you handle stress. It did not surprise me that the life expectancy calculator includes so many questions on stress. Doctors routinely report that over 80% of their patients’ office visits are due to medical conditions related to stress. April is Stress Awareness Month so there is no better time than now to address this topic. Many of the health issues that we all regularly deal with (headaches, digestive distress, neck and back pain, blood sugar imbalances) are due to what Time Magazine called America’s # 1 Health Problem - the stress epidemic.
I wish I had a magic wand to erase all of the stressors in your life. I cannot make your boss less demanding, your kids more grateful, the traffic congestion go away or reduce your cable bill by half. I can, however, give you some tips and tricks for helping your body deal with stress.
Was Thanksgiving the last time you served a big turkey dinner?
Do you only drink green tea when you are eating out in an Asian restaurant?
Are blueberries only a part of your diet when they are in a pie?
As I often say to my clients, “Food is Medicine!” and there are foods that can be your RX for reducing stress.
Turkey, nuts, seeds, tofu, fish, oats, beans, lentils and eggs are all foods that are high in tryptophan. If hearing the word tryptophan makes you think about the post-Thanksgiving meal nap, you are not far off-base. It is an essential amino acid which is often attributed to making people sleepy. More importantly, tryptophan helps your body to produce serotonin which is a mood stabilizer.
Green Tea contains the amino acid l-theanine which will decrease your cortisol level and prevent your nerves from becoming over excited.
Blueberries are high in Vitamin C, antioxidants and flavonoids which will all work to improve the health of your brain.
A few simple adjustments to your grocery cart can have a huge impact on your overall health, particularly with helping your body handle the inevitable life stressors that are coming your way.
You can take the quiz yourself on the website LivingTo100.com. You will end up with a Personalized list of things which you can do differently and how many years you will add to your life if you do so. One of the tips may be that you need to spend more time doing something that you love. If that is golf, then your personal health goals may be similar to that of the former President - living long enough to shoot your age. If the thought of chasing a little white ball around 18 holes stresses you out, then make sure you add turkey and green tea to your shopping cart! Remember that you know a Health Coach who can help you live a healthy and wonderful life to 100!