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Over-65s in England ‘living longer than ever before’

| By: Dr Robert Stevens

Over-65s in England ‘living longer than ever before’

This should be great news surely? We are living longer, but are we living any better?  Surely we want both quantity AND quality of life.

According to the Department of Health 2014 figures, in 2013 there were 956,757 men admitted with coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, 47,919 with diabetes, 1,113,362 with cancer, 789,735 with respiratory problems and 1,239,035 with gastrointestinal problems.  In total 9,578,675 men were admitted to hospital in 2013.

How much of this is preventable disease?  Well, the Department of Health estimates that 2/3 of deaths each year in the under 75’s are avoidable.  The big five are heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, cancer & liver disease.

I want to lead a healthy active life for as long as possible, I’m sure we all do, I also don’t want to lie on my death bed with any regrets.  I’m sure my younger self has made some questionable decisions that my older self would not have made in hindsight.

The invincibility of youth was great wasn’t it?  It’s only when you get a bit older and wiser, you realise you should have probably listened a bit more and thought a little sooner about the potential consequences of your actions.

It’s not too late, it’s never too late.  I’m not going to be so presumptuous as to tell you how to lead your life but I have some rules I live by now, and they work for me so I thought I’d share them:-

Diet

  • Eat real food – meat from pastured animals, organic vegetables and fruit, nuts and seeds.  Avoid processed foods and refined sugar.
  • Drink plenty of fresh water.  Avoid sodas, artificial sweeteners and flavourings.
  • ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.’   Fuel your body for the day ahead, don’t expect it to run on empty.
  • Eat complex carbohydrates, such as oats, for sustained energy release and simple carbohydrates in moderation for a quick boost. Remember your brain’s preferred energy source is Glucose.
  • Eat a high fat, low carbohydrate diet for health, only increase your carbohydrate intake to fuel your exercise.
  • Supplements should do just that, supplement an already healthy balanced diet, not replace it.  I take a daily multivitamin, turmeric, dandelion, milk thistle, Liv-52, creatine, BCAAs and a whey protein.
  • Remember athletes eat they don’t diet.

Exercise

  • Engage in regular resistance and cardiovascular exercise.  Short intense bursts rather than long protracted half-hearted sessions.
  • Compound exercises are best for overall form and function – squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, dead hangs; work on improving  core strength and stability.
  • Set realistic goals, achieve them and then set new ones.  Challenge your body and your mind, it’s the only way to improve.
  • Remember athletes train they don’t exercise.

Lifestyle

  • Minimise stress, there are no problems only challenges.  Come up with a plan and accept that some things are beyond your control.
  • Maintain a healthy sleep pattern, allow your body adequate time to rest, recover, grow and prepare for the day ahead.
  • Avoid alcohol, smoking and illicit drugs.
  • “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” ― Lao Tzu
  • Smile and laugh a little more, don’t take life too seriously, it’s not like you are getting out alive!

Medicine

Don’t look to modern medicine as a band aid for things that can be addressed through adjusting your lifestyle.  Take responsibility for your own health.  Use science and medicine to prevent disease rather than just cure it.

Here at the Men’s Health Clinic we are pioneering optimisation of testosterone with Testosterone Replacement Therapy to improve health and well-being, with the emphasis being on prevention.  Why accept low testosterone as a natural consequence of ageing when you don’t need to?  There are proven health benefits from restoring your levels to an optimal level.

“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” – Thomas A. Edison

Preventative Health Doctors embraces this philosophy and uses science to ensure you lead a healthy and productive life.

See how we can help you to lead a healthy and active life for longer…

Men’s Health Clinic