Some common sense tips for a healthier, happier life

How long do you think you’ll live?

An expert on aging once told me a person will most likely die within five years of when they expect to. With all the talk these days about manifesting dreams, I tend to think this might be true. So if you think you’ll live to be 100, you’re likely to live to at least 95. If you think you won’t make it past 60 - be careful!

Here’s how to hang around longer and enjoy the ride.

Stop Smoking

Health experts agree that quitting smoking is the Number 1 change you can make to reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer, the top two causes of death. Did you know that smoking can make you look 10 years older?

If you’re not ready to quit, protect yourself by incorporating healthy habits into your life, especially exercise. Smokers also need more vitamin C and E. And try to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke.

Get Moving

If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the Number One-prescribed drug in the world. The word “exercise” makes lots of people cringe - a sad but true fact. The human body has a natural need to be active and often we confuse that need with the natural need to rest.

The key to becoming more active is to combine something you love to do with movement. Catch up with a friend over a once-a-week hike, turn on your music and dance in your living room, start walking just five minutes a day and add a minute each day, try a new activity, or leave the car at home and walk. How can you make moving more fun and more frequent?

Eat Your Veggies

Ask any person who appears younger than their age and they’ll probably be active non-smokers who eat at least five servings of fruits and veggies a day. This takes planning and creativity. Admittedly, some veggies are not all that exciting on their own; sometimes you need to help them along.

My housekeeper helps me cut up carrots and jicama for snacks, and tomatoes, onions and peppers that can be added to omelets, vegetable medleys and more. Add more color to your plate to keep that skip in your gait. A nice side effect could be losing a little weight.

Lighten Up

Outside of a handful of really cranky old people, you can bet that most centenarians have let the small stuff slide through the years. Stress is not caused by the stuff that happens to us - but by how we react to that stuff. Making lemonade out of lemons keeps the healthy hormones working.

Limit Alcohol Intake

Honestly, it’s all too easy to overdue the drinking, especially in Mazatlán. Try to keep it at three drinks or less on a regular basis or take a couple of days off to let your liver rejuvenate. If alcohol has taken over your life (if it controls you) there are options like the wonderful AA group in town.

Wear Sunscreen

Be sure you choose a sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum coverage, meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays can cause suppression of the immune system, interfering with the immune system’s ability to protect you against the development and spread of cancer. UVB rays are the sun’s burning rays and the primary cause of sunburn. Sunscreens should have at least 15 SPF, preferably 30 SPF.

Make sunscreen part of your daily routine; apply every day 15-30 minutes before going outdoors and re-apply as needed.

View the Process of Aging Positively

Many people fear getting old, fragile and sick. Today, more people are aging better and proving that getting old does not mean losing the quality of your life. I’m surprised when I hear middle-age people say “I need a house with the bedroom on the ground floor in case I have trouble walking some day.” Yes, that could happen to anyone, but it doesn’t have to. Genes only account for 20% in our aging process - the rest is how we choose to live. If you can walk up a flight of stairs now and don’t already have a bum knee, hip or back, you should be able to do that for the rest of your life. Walking up stairs will condition you to be able to walk up stairs. It’s like magic!

Maureen “Mo” Geraghty M.A., a certified yoga teacher and Exercise Kinesiologist, has been teaching for over 20 years. She offers classes for all levels in Centro and north of the marina. For more info: www.mazatlanyoga.com or 044-669-159-1655.