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How to Live Longer

Posted By: Randy GageNovember 5, 2011

I remember walking into a building in Seoul with some Korean friends.  They were quite surprise to discover that it had an elevator, because it was only four stories tall.  They told me that it was kind of generally accepted practice that you only needed an elevator in buildings five stories and higher.  (Which makes it a pretty bad place to live if you are in a wheelchair!)

I can tell you that if someone put up a building here that didn’t have an elevator to just the second story, people would be shocked and angry.  They couldn’t imagine such a thing as walking up a flight of stairs.  If they checked into a hotel and there was no remote control for the TV, they would be down banging on the front desk (provided there was en elevator down).

If you suggested that they get off their ass and manually switch the channels when they wanted to change programs, they would look at you like you had just asked them to donate a kidney.

We have drive through windows at the restaurant, bank, convenience store, pharmacy, and dry cleaners, so we never have to get out of our car.  We have electric can openers and remote controls for our ceiling fans.

We have created an age of convenience, which is breeding any physical exertion ability completely out of our DNA.  So what are you doing about it?

Some suggestions:

  • Make yourself get up and change the TV channels manually one night.  I bet you will be amazed at how weird it feels.
  • Take the stairs not the elevator.  UP, not just down.
  • Find one type of league activity (football, softball, volleyball or whatever) that you can join a team.  You’ll get some regular exercise, and make some new friends.  (If you are severely out of shape, see a doctor first and get some pointers on how to begin.)
  • Why not make a point to take a relaxing walk, every night after dinner?

Work in some more exercise and you’ll feel a whole lot better, and live a much longer life.  Please share any tips you have for getting more exercise below.

-RG

 

31 comments on “How to Live Longer”

  1. Hey Randy...excellent exhortation. Two things...my wife and I have gone on a cruise. We read about how folks gain a POUND A DAY. We simply refused to take the elevators at all. We went from deck to deck and fore and aft via the stairs. We took a spin class and two yoga classes. And we didn't gain a pound, while still thoroughly enjoying the food.

    I also, am now about to run my first marathon at age 49. I have been training and participating in shorter races throughout the year. I have now figured out that I can be in better shape than at any time in my entire life.

  2. Reading Shawn Achor's (Harvard prof) 'The Happiness Advantage' so I will be sleeping In my swimswuit and jump into our shared pool 4 'X' number of days to form a good habit for my exercise regime.

  3. Set your alarm 30 - 60 minutes early and get it done. Seldom will you have "something come up" in the morning that prevents you from exercising, just your will do do it.

  4. Walk at leas 3o minutes per day at least 3 times per week. That's my goal for the next few months. Then it's back to cycling for at least five miles.

  5. Hi Randy,

    Thanks for bringing up the subject of living longer. Physical exercise is one of the keys to living longer. We Ned to not only focus on our body, mind ie meditation, spirit as well to maintain the best life for ourselves, Four of the key things we can do are to paractice regular exercise, meditate, become bilingual or learn a new language, learn a musical instrument. Also if we cut the word can't out of our vocabularly, it boosts our brain and allows us to think so much smarter.

  6. I've been skinny all my life.. then hit my 40s.. had to work at it a little more...did pushups and deep knee bends in the morning.. then hit 50 and then had a whole bunch of stuff to deal with this year.. still no excuse.. stopped doing the exercises and promptly put on a small tire.. my dress pants no longer fit.. I hate it!! back to doing the exercises and want to do more.. bottom line.. never make excuses to do exercise...

  7. Real talk Randy.

    The West has some fat SOBs. Seriously....and it's because folks are programmed to be lazy, and forget to call upon their will power. Travelling Asia for the past year I see few obese people. Most folks ride bikes or walk to work, or work in some form of manual labor. So they stay lean and mean. All the fatties are virtually from Western countries like the U.S. and Australia. Eating all that meat and taking the tax everywhere. My girlfriend and I walk everywhere, and we stay lean and look pretty dang young, too. Persistent meditation and exercise does that to a person.

    I see 80 year old woman here in Bali outside knocking down banana leaves with the heat index approaching 300 degrees. Back home, many 12 year olds are not in this type of shape.

    People in the U.S. and other Western countries need to get off their asses. I exercise 30 minutes to an hour a day, every day, which is why some folks think I look like I just graduated college (or high school), and I will be 37 years young in a few months. I pray, and I move my feet....a lot.

    Thanks RG!!

    RB

  8. Totally with you there Randy!
    In my 20/30s I was the original couch potato and then when I got into personal self development I began to realise how important good health is!
    I started slow but then at the age of 55 years I ran my first marathon! Can honestly say that I am fitter and healthier now at the age of 61 years than I was at 40 years.
    But the biggest benefit of exercise is MENTAL!
    After 10/15 mins of exercise you release endorphins into your system (nature's painkillers) which are good for you.
    Whatever you stop using you'll lose - so keep using your body and your mind!
    Peace out!

  9. Maybe better is be independent on TV... and other e.g. PC (great idea for today...)
    Went somewhere on a walk to the nature... or roam the city, observing the surroundings and just be with yourself, celebrate yourself in this situation.
    We do not know how long we will live, so it may be better to live creatively and with joy. Even if it means the beginning of something to give up.

  10. You can do more while working out, such as bring your iPod and listen to the latest convention again etc., hence, it's not the only thing you're doing, plus, you can do it more often rather than for too long.

  11. For me movement is life and the only reason to stop moving is death. And there are to much people out there walking around like zombies.
    I train almost every day. I do Parkour, Capoeira, walk the slackline and just yesterday was the first time for seven years that I used my skateboard again. In summer I go swimming and play beach volleyball and in winter I go snowboarding.
    In my everyday life I take everything as an additional training, like taking the stairs and not the elevator or stairway. When someone needs help with some heavy load I take it just to do some strength training. When I brush my teeth I only stand on one leg and have my eyes closed just to train my balance. When I watch TV I sit on the floor and do some stretching exercises.
    But with all this training I learned that it is really important to listen to your body maybe meditate and most important get some rest and good sleep.

  12. I work in a hotel and that remote scenario happened to me last night. You speak the truth Randy! But you would be happy to hear that a lot of people still take the steps rather than the elevator. Even when they have luggage to carry!

    Sometimes when it seems the world is going to hell, there are a few people who will "punch the higher floor"(Lets go Crazy - Prince). Those people will show us how to rise above!

  13. I have an additional way that covers ALL the relevant areas. 😉

    How about going out into apartment buildings, regardless of whether they have elevators or not, and doing some of that good old door to door sales? It doesn't matter how rich you are, you can still use it as a good business practice.

    Although most people would never do it even if you told them they could get rich doing it. 😀

  14. Randy, please fix mobile version of your site. Use WPtouch plugin or something. Your site is horrible to use on mobile devices.

  15. Wow, I realize that at the moment I have no idea were the buttons on my TV really are to change channels.

    But one additional idea:

    Park two blocks away from your next customer you visit or your office and walk a little bit longer without really loosing time.

  16. Hi Randy,
    The hidden secret of why many older French people are still fit is because many of the apartment buildings in France in the area I live in at present (The South) whether they have two or five floors have no elevators.

    And if by chance they do have an elevator they are old and not working Plus the ones that work are tiny and slow!

    I don't believe from personal experience it is just the olive oil or tomatoes in the diet here that keep people fit. Everyone is welcome to ask me about what it is really like to live on the French Riviera.It is not what I read in the papers.
    All the best,
    David

  17. Mark Victor Hansen and Art Linkletter just wrote a book - " How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life". Art is 95 and already has 130+ speaking gigs for his 100th year.

    Another really inspirational person is
    http://www.bobdelmonteque.com - I met Bob the first time in Monaco and he would say - If I can do it don't tell me you can't. He used to be the trainer to all the Hollywood stars including Marilyn ( who he said hated to exercise)and is better in his eighties than ever before in his life - see photos on his site. He is SUCH an attractive man and his 2 longevity secrets are: exercise and nutrition exclusively - no botox nor surgery.

    Personally I have taken to cycling everywhere. I am fortunate to live in a small city ( Geneva )and since I began to train for this years triathlon 90% of the time I use my bike to get around the city
    No sitting in traffic jams. No parking tickets. No speeding fines. Parking spaces alwys right outside. And best of all I get out in the fresh air and get my heart rate up about 4 times a day. A friend of mine sold his $300 000 Ferrari for a bike( $6000)
    He now goes for a 2 hour cycle ride 4 or 5 times a week and travels for 6 months of the year as retired early.
    They say "Exercise is the best medicine."
    I'd second that but would add 2 others - laughter and loving.

  18. I have to say that I find he US obsession with drive-thrus astonishing! In Australia we have drive-thru restaurants and that's about it. I remember that we had a drive-thru bank a couple of suburbs away from where I grew up, but it shut down probably 15-20 years ago now. I have to say that I've never seen a drive-thru pharmacy, dry cleaner or convenience store. We walk to all of those here!

  19. Dear Randy, you have taken the right point. I never thought of it. Apart from it there are very small-small activities where in we look for short cut and easy way of doing the things. But it all depends on our enthusiasm and energy level at any point of time. So, activites on mental, physical and spiritual early in the morning makes us highly spirited and enthusiastic through out the day. I follow strictly 1 hour morning walk followed by 1/2 hour free hand physical exercise followed by listening to religous and motivational talks. As told by you will prefer to any of the professional leagues. Thanks for the enlightenment.

  20. I run quite a bit, but I try to do all those little things as well. They add up. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Doing the little things like ditching the remote may nto burn a ton a calories, but it changes your frame of mind.

    I've got co-workers that think I have lost my marbles because when I get to work in the morning, I always park in the farthest spot from the door.

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  • 31 comments on “How to Live Longer”

    1. Hey Randy...excellent exhortation. Two things...my wife and I have gone on a cruise. We read about how folks gain a POUND A DAY. We simply refused to take the elevators at all. We went from deck to deck and fore and aft via the stairs. We took a spin class and two yoga classes. And we didn't gain a pound, while still thoroughly enjoying the food.

      I also, am now about to run my first marathon at age 49. I have been training and participating in shorter races throughout the year. I have now figured out that I can be in better shape than at any time in my entire life.

    2. Reading Shawn Achor's (Harvard prof) 'The Happiness Advantage' so I will be sleeping In my swimswuit and jump into our shared pool 4 'X' number of days to form a good habit for my exercise regime.

    3. Set your alarm 30 - 60 minutes early and get it done. Seldom will you have "something come up" in the morning that prevents you from exercising, just your will do do it.

    4. Walk at leas 3o minutes per day at least 3 times per week. That's my goal for the next few months. Then it's back to cycling for at least five miles.

    5. Hi Randy,

      Thanks for bringing up the subject of living longer. Physical exercise is one of the keys to living longer. We Ned to not only focus on our body, mind ie meditation, spirit as well to maintain the best life for ourselves, Four of the key things we can do are to paractice regular exercise, meditate, become bilingual or learn a new language, learn a musical instrument. Also if we cut the word can't out of our vocabularly, it boosts our brain and allows us to think so much smarter.

    6. I've been skinny all my life.. then hit my 40s.. had to work at it a little more...did pushups and deep knee bends in the morning.. then hit 50 and then had a whole bunch of stuff to deal with this year.. still no excuse.. stopped doing the exercises and promptly put on a small tire.. my dress pants no longer fit.. I hate it!! back to doing the exercises and want to do more.. bottom line.. never make excuses to do exercise...

    7. Real talk Randy.

      The West has some fat SOBs. Seriously....and it's because folks are programmed to be lazy, and forget to call upon their will power. Travelling Asia for the past year I see few obese people. Most folks ride bikes or walk to work, or work in some form of manual labor. So they stay lean and mean. All the fatties are virtually from Western countries like the U.S. and Australia. Eating all that meat and taking the tax everywhere. My girlfriend and I walk everywhere, and we stay lean and look pretty dang young, too. Persistent meditation and exercise does that to a person.

      I see 80 year old woman here in Bali outside knocking down banana leaves with the heat index approaching 300 degrees. Back home, many 12 year olds are not in this type of shape.

      People in the U.S. and other Western countries need to get off their asses. I exercise 30 minutes to an hour a day, every day, which is why some folks think I look like I just graduated college (or high school), and I will be 37 years young in a few months. I pray, and I move my feet....a lot.

      Thanks RG!!

      RB

    8. Totally with you there Randy!
      In my 20/30s I was the original couch potato and then when I got into personal self development I began to realise how important good health is!
      I started slow but then at the age of 55 years I ran my first marathon! Can honestly say that I am fitter and healthier now at the age of 61 years than I was at 40 years.
      But the biggest benefit of exercise is MENTAL!
      After 10/15 mins of exercise you release endorphins into your system (nature's painkillers) which are good for you.
      Whatever you stop using you'll lose - so keep using your body and your mind!
      Peace out!

    9. Maybe better is be independent on TV... and other e.g. PC (great idea for today...)
      Went somewhere on a walk to the nature... or roam the city, observing the surroundings and just be with yourself, celebrate yourself in this situation.
      We do not know how long we will live, so it may be better to live creatively and with joy. Even if it means the beginning of something to give up.

    10. You can do more while working out, such as bring your iPod and listen to the latest convention again etc., hence, it's not the only thing you're doing, plus, you can do it more often rather than for too long.

    11. For me movement is life and the only reason to stop moving is death. And there are to much people out there walking around like zombies.
      I train almost every day. I do Parkour, Capoeira, walk the slackline and just yesterday was the first time for seven years that I used my skateboard again. In summer I go swimming and play beach volleyball and in winter I go snowboarding.
      In my everyday life I take everything as an additional training, like taking the stairs and not the elevator or stairway. When someone needs help with some heavy load I take it just to do some strength training. When I brush my teeth I only stand on one leg and have my eyes closed just to train my balance. When I watch TV I sit on the floor and do some stretching exercises.
      But with all this training I learned that it is really important to listen to your body maybe meditate and most important get some rest and good sleep.

    12. I work in a hotel and that remote scenario happened to me last night. You speak the truth Randy! But you would be happy to hear that a lot of people still take the steps rather than the elevator. Even when they have luggage to carry!

      Sometimes when it seems the world is going to hell, there are a few people who will "punch the higher floor"(Lets go Crazy - Prince). Those people will show us how to rise above!

    13. I have an additional way that covers ALL the relevant areas. 😉

      How about going out into apartment buildings, regardless of whether they have elevators or not, and doing some of that good old door to door sales? It doesn't matter how rich you are, you can still use it as a good business practice.

      Although most people would never do it even if you told them they could get rich doing it. 😀

    14. Randy, please fix mobile version of your site. Use WPtouch plugin or something. Your site is horrible to use on mobile devices.

    15. Wow, I realize that at the moment I have no idea were the buttons on my TV really are to change channels.

      But one additional idea:

      Park two blocks away from your next customer you visit or your office and walk a little bit longer without really loosing time.

    16. Hi Randy,
      The hidden secret of why many older French people are still fit is because many of the apartment buildings in France in the area I live in at present (The South) whether they have two or five floors have no elevators.

      And if by chance they do have an elevator they are old and not working Plus the ones that work are tiny and slow!

      I don't believe from personal experience it is just the olive oil or tomatoes in the diet here that keep people fit. Everyone is welcome to ask me about what it is really like to live on the French Riviera.It is not what I read in the papers.
      All the best,
      David

    17. Mark Victor Hansen and Art Linkletter just wrote a book - " How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life". Art is 95 and already has 130+ speaking gigs for his 100th year.

      Another really inspirational person is
      http://www.bobdelmonteque.com - I met Bob the first time in Monaco and he would say - If I can do it don't tell me you can't. He used to be the trainer to all the Hollywood stars including Marilyn ( who he said hated to exercise)and is better in his eighties than ever before in his life - see photos on his site. He is SUCH an attractive man and his 2 longevity secrets are: exercise and nutrition exclusively - no botox nor surgery.

      Personally I have taken to cycling everywhere. I am fortunate to live in a small city ( Geneva )and since I began to train for this years triathlon 90% of the time I use my bike to get around the city
      No sitting in traffic jams. No parking tickets. No speeding fines. Parking spaces alwys right outside. And best of all I get out in the fresh air and get my heart rate up about 4 times a day. A friend of mine sold his $300 000 Ferrari for a bike( $6000)
      He now goes for a 2 hour cycle ride 4 or 5 times a week and travels for 6 months of the year as retired early.
      They say "Exercise is the best medicine."
      I'd second that but would add 2 others - laughter and loving.

    18. I have to say that I find he US obsession with drive-thrus astonishing! In Australia we have drive-thru restaurants and that's about it. I remember that we had a drive-thru bank a couple of suburbs away from where I grew up, but it shut down probably 15-20 years ago now. I have to say that I've never seen a drive-thru pharmacy, dry cleaner or convenience store. We walk to all of those here!

    19. Dear Randy, you have taken the right point. I never thought of it. Apart from it there are very small-small activities where in we look for short cut and easy way of doing the things. But it all depends on our enthusiasm and energy level at any point of time. So, activites on mental, physical and spiritual early in the morning makes us highly spirited and enthusiastic through out the day. I follow strictly 1 hour morning walk followed by 1/2 hour free hand physical exercise followed by listening to religous and motivational talks. As told by you will prefer to any of the professional leagues. Thanks for the enlightenment.

    20. I run quite a bit, but I try to do all those little things as well. They add up. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Doing the little things like ditching the remote may nto burn a ton a calories, but it changes your frame of mind.

      I've got co-workers that think I have lost my marbles because when I get to work in the morning, I always park in the farthest spot from the door.

    Leave a Reply to Hilary Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


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