We are all going to die. How’s that for a positive start to things! But, in spite of some wacko millionaire freezing himself for a couple of hundred years, most sane people will die. That doesn’t mean we have to die today or tomorrow. Again, most sane people would like to live well as long as possible. We all know that cancer is one of the leading causes of death and destruction on the planet. I suspect if I told you I had a pill that, taken daily, would reduce your chance of dying from cancer by half, most of you would sell your ugly sister to the gypsies to get the money to buy it. Needless to say I don’t have such a pill (I would be lounging on the beach of my private island if I did), but I can tell you four things that you can do that will accomplish the same outcome.
Don’t smoke… anything. Do I really need to harp on this? I can’t believe there are still folks who don’t know that smoking increases your risk of everything from lung cancer to terminal halitosis. Cigarette manufacturers ought to have to go to work every day dressed as the Grim Reaper because their product is as poisonous as a viper’s venom. Do whatever you need to do to stop, hypnosis, medicines, counseling, wiring your mouth shut. Just do it…now…no excuses.
Don’t drink at all, or at least in moderation, alcohol that is. For you mincers of words, let me define moderation. That’s 1 drink of the grape a day for women and 2 for men. I realize that for many moderation means just short of passing out, but these are the same people who run naked onto ballfields. Moderate intake has been associated with a slight decrease in cancer deaths, probably due to the antioxidants (resveratrol and proanthocyanidins) that populate the Merlots and Cabernets, but realistically you can get the same impact from eating grapes. Live like the old Greek philosophers, nothing in excess, everything in moderation.
Keep your BMI in a healthy range. First BMI doesn’t stand for Butt Massive Index but Body Mass Index. It is a simple measurement that divides your weight by your height and is loosely correlated to how much fat you carry on your bones. A high BMI (>25) is associated with a number of medical problems such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure , and trouble finding XXXL shorts. A better tool which is more predictive is your % body fat, but that takes some effort and measurements which aren’t available to everyone, but everyone can measure their height and weight (and if you can’t, being overweight is the least of your problems).
Exercise a little everyday. Maybe a better way to put this is to increase your daily activity. It doesn’t have to be a formal sweat session with your Attila the Hun personal trainer. It may be just taking the stairs or parking a bit farther away from your destination. Even these simple changes have been connected to lower cancer deaths. This is one category where more is better (unlike the wine) so lace up the tennies and get moving.
You literally can reduce your chance of dying from cancer by 50% by doing all these things. The biggest question is …why aren’t you?
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