Love You Long Time: Healthy Tips for Longevity: Part 2
Hello everyone; it’s Dr. Shirley! Welcome to Fifteen Minutes of F.A.B., a segment of the
Forever F.A.B. podcast, where I review products, services, experiences, and frankly, whatever-- in 15 minutes or less. If the full-length podcast is a couture dress, then FFAB is a button-down Henley paired with leather leggings. If you don’t have time to tune in to my full-length podcast, check out Fifteen Minutes of F.A.B.
Some have considered it truth in beauty, plastic surgery secrets, or as a nerdy or academic take on wellness and beauty… with a dash of fashion.
Consider it what you may, my aim is to engage you as a credible and authoritative voice in most, if not all, aspects of beauty and wellness, with a dash of fashion—including products, wellness services, technologies, new scientific research, and innovations in plastic surgery. As the founder of Holistic Plastic Surgery, my approach to beauty is through a lens of wellness, that is grounded in science, backed by medical study and research, strengthened by clinical experience, and bolstered by surgical training with the use of principles and techniques of plastic surgery. And, there’s my love of fashion, of course! I feel uniquely qualified to talk with you about beauty, wellness, aesthetics, and plastic surgery, as well as products and services within those spaces,… not only because of my extensive training and expansive background, but also because I am one of you!
Many of the human issues around aging and being a fierce FAB woman as well as an agent for positive change-- I live these, too.
You are not alone.
Together, we can help the world to become a more beautiful Forever FAB place!
So, that said let’s get started.
[Start the timer (timer sound)!]
In this new year, I’ve decided that it will be one of expansion and discovery. So, I will explore all sorts of topics—near and possibly farfetched, while still focusing on the topics that make the
Forever FAB podcast… well, FABulous, namely fashion, the art of living well, and beauty.
As part of my philosophy of holistic plastic surgery, where I believe that beauty emanates from within, wellness plays an integral role in my practice. This goes for many aspects of life that help you to live in grace and beauty, including nutrition, exercise, products, technologies, mind-body, spirit, and science.
Main Points:
The average life expectancy to date for men and women in the US is 77.28 years.
Many factors affect how long you live. These include, but are not limited to:
Age
Genetics
Epigenetics
Lifestyle
Gender
Access to health care
Diet
Access to clean food
Access to clean water
Exercise
Environment: crime?
Education
Social support
Socioeconomic status
And more
It can be said that if you do all the right things from the list I mentioned, you know-- eat well, get enough sleep, manage stress-- the FAB Five rules of a Beautiful life-- then you may increase
your lifespan.
But, this is not guaranteed.
There are also factors that have been shown to reduce or shorten your life.
These include, but are not limited to:
inadequate sleep
lack of exercise & inactivity
unhealthy diet
lack of social support & loneliness
Unmanaged stress
Smoking
Alcohol abuse
Drug abuse
And so much more.
The first question to ask is: do you love your life?
Then ask yourself, do you wish to live longer?
If yes, then do you have a sense of purpose, one that contributes to the greater good?
There is significant interest not only in age management, but also in longevity.
According to the Healthy Longevity Clinic, “The definition of longevity is living a longer and healthier life. It means how long a person is going to live, and how healthy his later life will be.
You can also understand the term longevity as the description of the state when a person lives beyond their average life expectancy.”
(https://www.healthylongevity.clinic/blog/what-is-longevity-
definition#:~:text=The%20definition%20of%20longevity%20is,average%20life%20expectancy
%20(1).)
Research abounds on longevity-- what influences it, how to improve it… Is it even possible for us all to expect to live beyond 100, even to 120?
Scanning the titles of the most current research on longevity, the National Institute on Aging
(NIA) highlights these papers over the past year:
July 20, 2023
Study of fruit flies finds hunger causes brain changes that slow aging
May 03, 2023
Immune system profiles of extremely long-lived people
April 13, 2023
Aging linked to RNA-length imbalance
February 23, 2023
Personality and mortality linked to number of mitochondrial DNA in blood
February 09, 2023
Fetal exposure to Great Depression economic hardship linked to accelerated aging
December 22, 2022
Anti-insulin protein linked to longevity in queen ants
December 08, 2022
Optimism linked to longevity and well-being in two recent studies
October 04, 2022
Adopting healthy habits: What do we know about the science of behavior change?
September 20, 2022
Leisure activities may improve longevity for older adults
The NIA’s most recent paper, entitled Today’s Research on Aging, Issue 34, highlights the
following points:
“Older adults in their 90s who are resilient—who can adapt positively under adverse circumstances—have a much higher likelihood of living to age 100 compared with peers who
have lower levels of resilience.
Compared with the overall U.S. population, the oldest old (ages 95 and older) have more positive attitudes towards life, are more extroverted, and experience less general emotional distress (are
less neurotic).
The link between social connections and health is well established: Older adults who are socially
isolated face a risk of premature death that is on par with the health risks associated with
smoking.
Researchers estimate that between 15 percent and 25 percent of the overall variation in human longevity may be explained by genetic differences in the population.
Men with the genetic variant known as FOXO3 have almost three times the odds of living to nearly 100 years of age than their peers without the genetic variant.
On average, long-lived individuals have fewer chronic diseases, better mental health, and better physical and cognitive function than non-surviving members of their age cohort.
Among long-lived individuals, men tend to be healthier than women, whites healthier than nonwhites, and highly educated people tend to have better cognitive function than their less-educated peers.
Among those ages 65 and older, researchers find that the increase in years spent without disability (disability-free life expectancy) outpaced the increase in disabled life over the past 40 years.”
(https://www.prb.org/resources/longevity-research-unraveling-the-determinants-of-healthy-
aging-and-longer-life-spans/)
It isn’t only about activity, it’s about the collective. And, it isn’t only about your chronological age… it may be related to your telomeres.
As it turns out, while your chronological age is one way to describe your lifespan, studies have shown that your telomeres may be a better predictor of survival and mortality.
Telomeres are the caps that protect the end of chromosomes that are linear, and telomeres are
known to shorten with age. So, the older you become, the shorter your telomeres.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6651551/)
I’ve actually had my telomeres looked at, and they just indicated that I was right where I should
be…
Huh?
What does that mean, exactly?
I don’t know!
The jury is still out on whether telomeres function as a biological marker of age and aging, or whether they, instead, can serve as biomarkers that influence certain conditions to promote
longevity. It’s a very interesting topic, one that I may discuss with experts on a future FFAB podcast.
Another often-cited reference is made to those communities who experience an extended
lifespan. They’re the populations living in what’s called “Blue Zones.”
According to bluezoes.com, “The term “blue zones” was first coined by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer and journalist, during an exploratory project he led in 2004. After an expedition to Okinawa, Japan in 2000 to investigate the longevity there, he set out to explore other regions of the world with reportedly high longevity.
With the support of National Geographic, Buettner, and his team of scientists and demographers traveled the world in search of communities where people not only lived longer but also enjoyed
a high quality of life in their old age. After analyzing demographic data and interviewing numerous centenarians, they identified five
regions that stood out for their extraordinary longevity and vitality.”
(https://www.bluezones.com/about/history/)
Those FAB Five are, according to National Geopgraphic:
Ikaria, Greece
Okinawa, Japan
Ogliastra Region, Sardinia
Loma Linda, California
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
(https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/5-blue-zones-where-the-worlds-
healthiest-people-live)
These are the places around the world where the healthiest people live.
What do they all have in common that may contribute to their long and healthy lives?
1. Move every day.
2. Know your sense of purpose.
3. Minimize stress and maximize stress relief. Make stress relief a priority.
4. Eat until you're about 80% full.
5. Eat a largely plant-based diet.
6. Drink alcohol in moderation.
7. Connect with your community.
These are the main reasons why those who live in the Blue Zones live longer and healthier lives.
As a relevant aside, these reasons sound a lot like the FAB Five rules of a Beautiful Life, the five core tenets around which I try my best to live, myself.
They bear repeating:
These are Dr. Shirley’s FAB Five Rules of Beauty… and by extension, these are also the foundations of living a Beautiful Life:
1. Good nutrition is the first rule of beauty, and the second rule being that of
2. Adequate daily hydration.
3. Consistent, restful sleep.
4. Frequent and effective stress management.
5. Mind, body, and soul nourishment and protection: social support, purpose-driven living,
learning something new every day
Back to the Blue Zones.
What if you don’t live in one of them? What do you do?
Brian Johnson doesn’t live in a Blue Zone-- and he seems to have reverse engineered his age.
The American tech entrepreneur made millions when his company acquired Venmo for $26.2 million then sold it to PayPal for $800 million one year later.
He is obsessed with longevity-- and he’s putting his money-- and his body, where his ideals are. Brian Johnson lives in Provo, Utah-- not in a Blue Zone.
In pursuit of life extension, aka longevity, Mr. Johnson follows a strict diet and regimented lifestyle.
He takes at least 61 supplements per day and allegedly eats at more than 70 pounds of vegetables a month. And, many of his bodily functions are monitored almost all the time, every day.
It has been said that his anti-aging routine costs over $2 million per year.
In a July 2023 interview with Fortune magazine online, the 45- year old long-life chaser has
stated that four principles guide him:
1. Don’t die.
2. Don’t kill each other.
3. Don’t destroy the planet.
4. Don’t underestimate aligning with AI.
After these four, nothing else matters for him.
(https://fortune.com/well/2023/07/13/bryan-johnson-life-principles/)
I believe that Beauty matters-- inside and out. Holistically, outwardly towards others in the form of compassion, and inwardly towards ourselves, in the form of forgiveness and self-love. These
are some of the fundamental tenets of optimal living, of a Beautiful Life.
The beauty industry is catching on. And yes, I told you so!
If you think that longevity and beauty are unrelated, think again.
After health and well-being, beauty is now betting on long life. According to The Future Laboratory, “Businesses in the health and beauty sectors are pursuing longevity through rigorous
scientific research, exploring solutions in areas such as skincare, nutrition, IV therapies, wearables, biomarker monitoring and more.”
(https://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/blog/what-does-the-pursuit-of-longevity-mean-for-beauty-
and-wellness-brands)
From product and medication development to lifestyle services as personalized nutrition and
menopausal symptom monitoring, beauty brands are recognizing that consumers not only want
to look good and feel good, but also to optimize their lives… to live a more Beautiful Life, inside
and out -- as I often say.
The Future Lab recommends that “Beauty, health and wellness brands should focus on offering
accessible products and services that are preventative, innovative and restorative.”
(https://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/blog/what-does-the-pursuit-of-longevity-mean-for-beauty-
and-wellness-brands)
That’s the future of Beauty, and it is almost here.
For now, ponder this.
How far are you willing to go to live longer?
How much are you willing to pay to optimize your life?
Let me know in the comments.
This concludes this episode of Fifteen Minutes of FAB on the Forever FAB podcast—
And as always, Stay beautiful and Forever FABulous—inside and out!
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Thank you for sharing the love. Goodbye, Gorgeous.
