I hit a milestone yesterday!  I guess at some point I should be or should have already had a mid-life crisis..shouldn’t I?

Longevity is something that runs in my family. We have so many family members that are living closer to 90 years old and some even to over 100 years! So yeah, I feel like I am on track to have a meltdown..I guess..

What is a mid-life crisis you ask? Well to me it is a time in your life when you realize that half of your life is already gone, and supposedly you have lived longer than you will continue to live. Did that even make sense?

Some people go out and buy new sports cars, have plastic surgery, leave their spouses for someone else, and many other crazy things to spice up their lives. All I want to do is reach retirement age so that I can become a volunteer at the daycare center and rock babies 5 days a week.. Those of you who know me can see me rocking babies but can not fathom me sitting still and doing nothing.. Me either…..

How does one reach longevity?

It all starts within, and if you do not have your mind set on longevity, you may not reach it or even glimpse it. I have been clean living for most of my life, that means that I am not a heavy drinker, a heavy smoker, have a horrible diet and ignore my body. I am the opposite and at 45 I can say that I do not look my age, and do not feel my age on most days. I am going to add a picture to this blog and let you guys guess how old I am in the picture and give me a guess in the comments. No worries on me being offended with your guesses, I am way to chill for that mess..

Stress is something that has to be mastered if you want to live a longer life. Stress kills, and most people do not even know that it is making them sick. When I was getting my undergrad we read a book called “Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers.” That silly titled book was a great read and encouraged humans to be more like animals in the way that we deal with stress. If we perhaps spoke the truth to others and let them know how we felt instead of holding it in, our stress levels would stay low, and we would have much more honest relationships.

Food is something else that we take for granted when thinking about longevity. We hear that healthy diets are the way to go and that we should never eat certain foods or drink certain things to keep our bodies healthy. However I do have a hard time encouraging someone to give up something that the love. I know you have heard that moderation is key. Well it is. If you overdo anything it can be bad for you. Why not have that chocolate drop when you want some chocolate, or that biscuit when you crave one. In my case that diet, caffeine-free cola that I love, I will take this substitution for my favorite drink because I have been off of regular cola’s for so long that if I had a real one, it would make me sick.

Eat food that feeds your body the things it needs to work efficiently, and give it a treat every once in a while, you will be happier about your journey. Drink water, your body needs water, and craves water. If your daily urine is not clear and odorless you are not drinking enough water.

Rest!
What else can I say about rest? I know that we all never feel like we get enough!
That does not necessarily mean that we need to sleep all the time, it simply means that we need to rest our bodies, minds, and souls. One of my favorite things to do is to lay on my bed under the fan with a blanket on my legs and listen to the TV with my eyes closed. I get some of my best rest this way and I am often inspired to write these blogs then, and I pray to God for guidance. I need my rest, you need to find your personal way to rest, don’t be concerned that you fall asleep when trying to find a balance between sleep and rest, it happens but keep it up. When you find the balance you will find that even 10 minutes of “rest” can rejuvenate you for the entire day.

These are just a few things I recommend to each of you to try in your lives and you too can move toward longevity. As for me I am expecting to have a mid-life crisis anytime now…lol. No Worries for me, I’m ready for anything..

Peace and Love
Dina