I should add that I do not do this perfectly. If, for example, I am tired from travelling, or get the flu (thankfully not often), I may not walk for a while, but when I am rested I get back to it and have a goal of 30 mins walking 5 days a week. it may be 3 10 min stretches or whatever works best for me at the time. The same with diet. I work on following the regime that suits me best. I prefer to cook from scratch, but sometimes don't. If I go off my routine, I reassess and go back on it again. It is a work in progress. :)

Good points. Unfortunately, in my opinion, we (society) tend to rely on drugs to solve our medical/aging problems rather than lifestyle changes. Significant improvements can be made by relatively small changes in lifestyle. Rather than taking drugs, I first look to make changes in my diet, exercise and stress management to stay healthy. Keeping mentally engaged is not a problem. I eat an anti-inflammatory diet and work on keeping moving and have few joint problems. My blood pressure went up a bit at one point and I brought it down by exercise and stress management. My blood fats went up a little, so I did some research and rather than taking statins, use Vit. B (niacin) and fish oils. My blood sugar also went up to borderline for a while, and I brought it down by dietary changes and exercise. My main exercise is walking which can be done outside, or even in the house in bad weather. My sig other cuts a higher calorie item from his diet every year or so (e.g. stopped taking honey in his tea, substituted yogurt for ice cream) and still wears the jeans he wore in college. His lifestyle also includes a lot of physical activity. We both look younger than our years. I am 77. To me, it is a matter of priorities and choices. Yes, definitely value your health and care for it. I appreciate Dr. Daggy's approach. Thanks, Carol, for the article.

Great article