If You Knew You Would Live To 100, How Would You Change Your Life?

Did you know that centenarians – people living to 100 or more – are one of the fastest-growing age groups in the United States? There are now over 50,000 and it’s predicted there’ll be 2 million by 2005. Anyone over 40 years of age today will be the first to experience living in a society that is living longer than any generation in history.

According to Dr. Eric Plasker, author of THE 100 YEAR LIFESTYLE, aging poorly is not inevitable. You have a choice. Based on your parents and grandparents’ experiences, you’ll see where you are headed unless you choose a different path. That path may include major shifts in lifestyle, such as a commitment to exercise, balancing hormones, vitamin and mineral therapy, organic foods, and a commitment to maintaining your dental health.

It sometimes takes a rude awakening to realize that you are the only one who can alter the course of your own health. Many people don’t give up smoking until they suffer a heart attack; many don’t lose weight until they are replacing their wardrobe with a bigger size. And though we’re constantly urged by fitness and medical experts to exercise, many don’t take it up until they find themselves huffing and puffing through an activity that used to be effortless.

Many common diseases seen in older people in this country are not a normal part of aging in other parts of the world. According to Dr. Plasker, these diseases are largely brought on by lifestyle choices. That’s a sobering thought. You can influence not only how you feel today, but whether you’ll have a healthy body in your geriatric years.

While standing at a checkout counter recently, I was intrigued by a photo in a fitness magazine, featuring a fit-looking 63 year old man standing on his head. In the accompanying interview, he described how at the age of 57 he was fat and tired with very little energy. He realized that his current lifestyle would lead to a very unhealthy old age. He dedicated himself to getting fit through learning the postures of yoga and exercising with them every day. At first he found it painful to stretch body parts that hadn’t moved in years. He persisted and at 63 he is more limber, stronger and healthier than at any other time in his life.

As your dental health provider, I know that no matter how beautiful we make your teeth, unless the rest of your body is in good physical condition, your oral health will suffer. Conversely, if you neglect your oral health, the rest of your body is affected. They are inextricably related.

Each tooth has a connection to organs. It’s a system that works together and for this reason, I’ll be exploring in future issues what can be done to literally turn back the clock and be healthier today than you have ever been in your life.