Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

– Doug Larsen

 

As humans, a prehistoric instinct to survive still drives us—it’s hardwired into our brains. By nature, we have an innate, primal drive to stick around for as long as possible. A deeper, philosophical conversation is required to explore the reason for our being here, but there is no denying that the natural tendency is to prolong our ride around the sun while finding as many shortcuts as possible to achieve that end.

 

Extreme longevity claims have been made by various religions claiming that some humans have lived for more than several hundred years. In 1513, Ponce de Leon purportedly discovered the fountain of youth in St. Augustine, Florida, perhaps birthing the quick-fix industry for better health and longevity. In 1985, the sci-fi movie Cocoon won two Oscars and many baby boomers are still searching for the rejuvenating swimming pool of water used in the film.

 

I’m always looking for the "next best thing" to help me live a cleaner and healthier life, and there’s no better place to find it than in the algorithm-filled world of online marketing, where social media and website ads follow me around like my newest, best friend. It's intriguing, because I’m interested in learning about the latest products and services and evaluating the marketing approaches used in the digital space. However, I’m a bit leery when claims are made that I can achieve desired health results by doing nothing other than purchasing the latest workout, product, gadget, formulation or discovery.

 

Kara Fitzgerald, a naturopathic doctor and author cited in our feature article, "Growing Younger," makes the point in her book Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better. She says, “We absolutely need to take responsibility for our lives,” and points out that what we eat, our stress level and how we respond to it, the quality of the air we breathe and the amount of exercise we get are all important factors that will contribute to reducing our biological age and essentially extending our longevity.

 

Success, like most things in life, whether in school, sports, work, relationships or our health, requires commitment, attention to detail, concerted effort and personal responsibility. Now is the time to be proactive and responsible for making our world better, safer and more sustainable, as well as guiding our personal journey to feeling good, living simply and laughing more.