KEITH HAYES WAS willing to try almost anything to lower his blood pressure. He sat quietly, breathing deeply, in his car. In empty conference rooms. Even in his own cubicle, with his eyes closed. But the best oasis he found for destressing during the day was a tiny 4-by-8-foot room -- otherwise known as the office utility closet.
It was there in the dark, crammed between boxes of printer paper, that the 43-year-old property-tax appraiser from Salinas, Calif., would set his cell phone alarm for 20 minutes and meditate. The practice reduced the stress of his harried job. But more important, recent medical research shows that meditation can lower blood pressure, too. Hayes also cut back on the daily jolts of coffee, walked two miles a day and even told his employer that if he had to choose between a wage increase and more vacation time, he'd take the time off. Two years later, his blood pressure has started to fall -- without Hayes turning his life upside down. "Small changes along the way work best for me," he says.
His approach to health may be curious, but it's quintessentially American. We're always looking for new ways to live a healthier and longer life. And if anything, that search is now taking on a new urgency, because the ever-growing life spans that we take for granted may be at risk. That might sound counterintuitive. After all, life expectancy in the U.S. has been consistently rising. A 50-year-old today can expect to live past 80, compared with 75 in 1960. Conventional wisdom says that medical science will keep extending that horizon, as new pills and treatments keep Americans alive longer. In fact, one growing concern in the financial community is the notion that we might live too long; investment advisers are increasingly warning their clients about outlasting their retirement savings.
Someone's keeping secrets! Here's who and the 10 things these folks don't want you to know:
But there's disturbing news on the longevity front. A sedentary lifestyle has earned today's 55- to 64-year-olds the glamorous status of being the fattest age group ever, with 39% of them qualifying as obese based on their "body mass index," a formula that factors in weight and height. Wrap a cuff around their chubby arms and you'll also find that half of this age group has hypertension, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That puts them at much greater risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney malfunction. What's more, an estimated 20.8 million people, or 7% of the population, have diabetes.
The bottom line: While some experts disagree, a growing cadre of scientists believe that within the next few decades, these factors may halt -- even reverse -- the growth in life expectancy. And people who reach old age are more likely to see the quality of their lives decline as they face chronic disease. "Anyone who has predicted that boomers will be healthier than previous generations, I don't see how they could say that," says Amy Bernstein, chief of analytic studies at the National Center for Health Statistics.
It's an unsettling trend, but it's not too late for you to improve your own odds. And in fact, the latest research shows that good health and longer life may depend less on dreary diets and punishing calisthenics and more on subtle lifestyle changes like Hayes's utility-closet retreats. Studies suggest, for example, that you can reduce your risk of obesity by sleeping adequately. Need an excuse for a holiday? There's research showing that vacations may measurably relieve stress, as long as you're taking the right kind of trip. And even exercise and nutrition, those longtime staples of good health, are being rethought: You can improve your odds of staying healthy without training like a triathlete (or eating like one). Indeed, doctors are finding serious benefits in moderate exercise -- gardening, anyone? -- and in good old-fashioned portion control.
We've scoured the research and interviewed leading longevity experts, cardiologists and dietitians to find unusual and accessible tips that you can apply in five areas of day-to-day life. Sure, healthy living might take a little work: It's not easy to remove the Mocha Frappuccino with extra whipped cream from the breakfast category. But it's an effort that could reap real rewards -- in the form of years tacked on to your life.
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Pages in This Report:
· Introduction
· Exercise
· Vacation
· Work Stress
· Sleep
· Diet
