To improve your prospects for a healthy lifespan, defined as being mentally alert and physically vigorous as long as possible, you are encouraged to consider the program that I commit to, and which includes the following:

• A daily fitness program of flexibility, stamina and strength exercises. Aerobic exercise improves circulation to the brain as well as the heart and the rest of the body. Strength training helps preserve lean body mass (e.g. muscle) which we begin to lose after age 35. Flexibility protects from injury to the ligaments and tendons that attach muscles to bone and hold joints together. You don’t get old and stiff; you get stiff and then you get old! You can complete an effective fitness program in 45 minutes/day.

• A nutrition program that is intuitive, intelligent, tasty, continuously updated with ethical science, and which controls your cravings. The Zone by Barry Sears PhD in my opinion is the best program and it is my personal choice. He has written many books on the subject. Also, you can find out about his program on his website at www.DrSears.com. The two best books: A Week in the Zone, and OmegaRxZone. For calculation of your BMI and more information the National Institutes of Health has an excellent site at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

• Drinking 3-4 quarts of plain water/day. This corresponds to a formula based on weight (mine is 165) multiplied by 2/3rds (110) which equals the number of ounces of water I should consume each day. 110 ounces is between 3 quarts (96 ounces) and 4 quarts (128 ounces). I can write for pages, and talk for hours why water works wonders toward wellness.

Recommendation for supplements

Supplements, vitamins, and replacement hormone therapy foster a multi-billion dollar industry. 98% is hype, hucksterism, or simply harmful. But 2% of the offerings are fascinating and relevant. For information on what I find worthwhile and the information I give to patients in my practice at Primary Care Associates, please go to www.healthbanks.com. Enter the “User ID”: 3738034903. The password is “health”. Please remember that every item mentioned should be individually reviewed by each person with your personal physician.

Bruce Kiessling, M.D. is the Medical Director for Primary Care Associates, Anchorage and Eagle River. Primary Care Associates is an affiliate of U.S. HealthWorks