10 Ways to Live Longer

10 Ways to Live Longer

1. Look for the laugh - people with a good sense of humor increased their survival odds by 31%.

2. Pop five pills - vitamins are good for you.

3. Don't gum up the works - gingivitis is bad.

4. Talk and walk - 30 minutes of walking per day is a step in the right direction.

5. Taste the rainbow - eat a variety of colorful veggies (bell peppers are great).

6. Am for your optimal weight - stick close to your teenage weight.

7. Do some good - volunteers live longer and have fewer health problems.

8. De-stress with intimacy - need I say more?

9. Finish those annoying tasks - mounting to do lists can have health impacts similar to that of divorces or deaths of loved ones.

10. Hit the sack - seven to eight hours of shut-eye allows the body to rest and fully recover.

I am happy to report that I am doing pretty darned well in 9 of the 10 areas, as embarrassing as it may be to admit. Here's my run-down:

1. I laugh at Heidi all the time. I think she laughs with me sometimes.

2. I take all sorts of vitamins: E, C, calcium, fish oil, multi and zinc/magnesium/something else.

3. I brush my teeth three times a day. I could improve the flossing frequency, but I do use a tongue scraper whenever I brush.

4. Now that I have Heidi I am outside a lot. I take her on several walks every day. As for the talking part, mostly I talk to other dog-owners, neighbors and the kids, but sometimes I just talk to Heidi.

5. I suppose I could work on this a bit, but I do focus on a veggie and a fruit each week. The vitamins help here.

6. I am the same as I was in high school. I'm on the cusp of dipping below that benchmark. On top of that, I'm in better shape.

7. I have been volunteering one to two times a month lately.

8. This one is a flat line for me. Meh.

9. I am an organization and prioritzation freak. I keep those grimy tasks from taking over my mood. Well, 95% of the time I'm in control, anyway. Everyone slips.

10. Since college I've learned how well my body responds to proper amounts of sleep. I always get at least 7 hours, 8 typically.

How are you doing against this list?

-Amanda

(List credit goes to Style Magazine's Beauty section.)

Tuesdays with Morrie

Finished the book in three days; very quick read. Mitch Albom has a great narrative skill, and I fell in love with the characters (real people) and the story. Mitch entwines honest, shamelessness and even humor into this loving tale.

Reminding me of Randy Pausch's story, this story is about how Morrie learns how to live his last days through learning how to deal with his looming death. Morrie has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease where you gradually lose control of your body. One with ALS dies when the disease reaches their lungs; they become unable to breathe. Morrie has an unbelievable perspective and attitude towards his condition, but that does nothing to stop him from living out loud and to the fullest. If anything, his condition was his most beneficial blessing. If anything, this disease gave him renewed life.

I chalk this book up on my List of Books Everyone Should Read. It's truly wonderful. It is amazing how life is so much simpler, so much slower, so much more satisfying if we learn from the lessons Morrie shares with Mitch.

My first reflection was how 180 this book was from my last one, American Psycho, haha. A fresh breath of air, for sure! Tuesdays with Morrie helped me with the death of something from my recent past. I think this book can help us all learn about death because, while it sounds utterly morbid, death is always around us in some way or another. Graduating college, moving to a new town, stuff like that. Something in our life has to end and die - this is required for something new to be born into our lives. The Lion King had it right... everything is part of the Circle of Life.

I've not seen the movie yet, but might someday. The movie has Jack Lemon in it to play Morrie. There's a link for the trailer below.

If you've read the book, please feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Links:
Book's Website
Movie Trailer
IMDB

Love or perish,

Amanda

Ten Life-Defining Moments

When called to obey
When seeking to be known
When faced with failure
When pursuing your purpose
When taking a stand
When engaged in suffering
When asked to forgive
When experiencing temptation
When needing to repent
When deciding on God



The above is a list from a little book I happen to have. I thought this little blurb was really interesting not only because I am in complete agreement that all of those things are life-defining but that they have all happened to me in the last 5 months. Another interesting thing about the list is that (I believe) they are in a very specific order. Still another observation I made about the list was that, as with anything, really, the items listed here can be greatly aided by engaging in prayer.

The list, applied to my life:

When called to obey - letting go of a person I did not want to let go of
When seeking to be known - witnessing to that person
When faced with failure - realizing I should have put God first a long time ago
When pursuing your purpose - reviving my relationship with God
When taking a stand - not backing down on my journey; not giving in
When engaged in suffering - nights of crying myself to sleep for missing a piece of my former life
When asked to forgive - needing to forgive myself, requesting the forgiveness of the person I hurt
When experiencing temptation - focusing on who I'm becoming instead of reverting to my old self
When needing to repent - asking God for his mercy, grace and guiding hand
When deciding on God - fully trusting in Him

I wonder how this list applies to the lives of others...

-Amanda