{"id":13047,"date":"2018-11-26T08:05:29","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T14:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/?p=13047"},"modified":"2021-07-27T09:58:33","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T14:58:33","slug":"for-a-longer-lifestand-up-now-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/26\/for-a-longer-lifestand-up-now-2","title":{"rendered":"For A Longer Life\u2026Stand Up Now!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By far the most common answer to my question, \u201cExercising these days?\u201d is \u201cNot enough.\u201d This is usually accompanied by the briefest flicker of melancholy regret, as if by such a confession my patient has permanently abandoned the hopes and dreams of both a svelte body and enviable longevity. \u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d I say, \u201cIt\u2019s just a temporary glitch. You\u2019ll start up again.\u201d (Nod, nod).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say this with confidence because our WholeHealth Chicago patients are a different breed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a glance around our waiting room or apothecary to see what a patient population engaged in maintaining good health actually looks like. Even the beginners, perhaps overweight or out of shape, are working on it. The office abounds with new leaves turned over. Prevention is the buzzword and it\u2019s paying off in spades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of us at WholeHealth Chicago see the effect of prevention on our relatively tiny number of patients with life-shortening chronic diseases<\/a> (diabetes, heart disease, bronchitis\/emphysema). And when chronic illness does develop, such as diabetes in a genetically predisposed individual, the number one question I hear is not \u201cWhat should I be taking?\u201d but rather \u201cWhat can I do to avoid taking pills for the rest of my life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if one of my patients is \u2018fessing up her lack of exercise, it\u2019s most often because some situation (overwork, school, caring for kids or an aging parent) is cutting into her workout time. Now that she\u2019s realized she hasn\u2019t been moving enough, she\u2019ll start up again. It just seems to work that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big news on integrating healthful choices into your life<\/strong>
In a previous Health Tip,\u00a0I wrote about one type of exercise everyone should consider. If you drive to work, just leave the car at home and take public transportation. The walking involved, the stair climbing, standing, and waiting for a bus provide many of the rich benefits of regular exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I have something even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve got a sedentary job, all you have to do is stand up. That\u2019s right. During your workday, getting up out of your chair and walking around for a bit triggers the very changes in DNA linked to a long healthy life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what happens: Inside the nucleus of your cells, your genes are arranged in twisted, double-stranded molecules of DNA called chromosomes. At the ends of the chromosomes are stretches of DNA called telomeres, which make it possible for our cells to divide. Telomeres also hold secrets to how we age and whether or not we get cancer. Think of a telomere as the stiff plastic protector tip at the end of a shoelace. Telomeres actually keep the ends of your chromosome from fraying and shortening prematurely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each time one of your cells divides, the telomeres get shorter, and when they get too short the cell can\u2019t divide anymore and dies. This shortening process is linked with premature aging, cancer, and a higher risk of death. Uncomfortable as this sounds, telomeres have also been compared to bomb fuses. (As if you didn\u2019t have enough to worry about at night, lying there in the dark, along with the threats to our democracy you can now ponder your shrinking telomeres.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers have discovered that one of the key reasons a healthy life is associated with resistance to disease and impressive longevity\u00a0is the positive effect lifestyle choices have on telomere length<\/a>. One small but important study tracking lifestyle and telomere length came up with key steps to take. I’m guessing you knew this already:<\/p>\n\n\n\n