Although this article is about the potential to help YOU live longer, it is more likely that readers will want to ensure that the people they love will live a healthy and long life.

Living longer is not a huge benefit if you do not enjoy good health. Everyone has seen obese people living in small rooms on huge beds eating themselves to death. Is that a life style worth prolonging?

My answer is "No."

What is important is living as long as possible in a fit and healthy condition. Health and fitness includes mental health. A good functional body and a "normal" mind.

As a middle aged man, my impressions are that age is physical not mental. I am trying to say that I feel that my mind is the same one I had as a child.. it has just been around a while.

Sadly the same can't be said about my body. Running produces more puffing, my eyes need glasses to read this page, my hair is thinning ( and changing color ) and I have shrunk ! ( slightly )

For now my brain still works the same, or it has been kind enough to disguise the fact that I am not as sharp as I was in the past.

My task is to make my body last as long as possible so that I can continue to marvel at nature, enjoy being with my children and family, hopefully see more UFOs and to learn a bit more.

Nature, or the creator ( s ) did a pretty good job. The human body repairs itself rapidly after most mishaps. I saw a movie this week "Copying Beethoven" made in Hungary with Ed Harris as Beethoven. When poor Ludwig became ill, a "doctor" was called to drain blood. Great ! Left alone nature would have taken care of the symptoms of fatigue.

I digress... the aim is to help our loved ones to enjoy a long life with happinesss and rewards. The first issue is preparation. Look after what you were given. Good food, adequate exercise, stimulation, love and avoid drugs or tobacco. This will be enough for most people.

Secondary factors include not climbing tall buildings, driving race cars, scuba diving in the Bering Sea, parachuting in third world countries and walking on thin ice.

One of the best places I have found to find out the information I need to keep myself and my family going a bit longer is a website called LivingTo100.com where Thomas Perls provides the medical profession's 2007 version of  how to live longer.

Look after yourself so that you can look after the ones you love. They are the ones who may want you to be around a bit longer.

The referral to Livingto100.com was not a paid message. The site is worth a visit. It will help many people to enjoy life.

Greg Rogers
editor@faxts.com