Human Longevity and Life Expectancy in the Future - This May Surprise You

INTRODUCTION

In this article I have provided an overview of the fascinating subject of "human life expectancy and longevity" and why it is probably going to increase more than you may expect. If you are over 50, this article has important information for you

This subject is vast and its implications for humanity, at both the individual and collective level, are huge. This article will set the scene for a series of articles that will explain in more detail, what is happening, why it's happening, what it will mean for you and how you can make sure you are fully prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that will be available to maximise your personal longer healthier life.

THE LONGEVITY REVOLUTION

I believe we are very fortunate, as mature people in a developed nation, to be living at such an exciting time. The Longevity Revolution is upon us and it offers hope, even an expectation that we can all look forward to the possibility of a much longer healthier life than we could have even conceived of as recently as 15 years ago. This new field of study and research is being referred to as "Life Extension."

The longevity revolution is already happening in biotechnology and medical science, and is going to result in a quantum leap in our lifespan; but even more importantly in how long we will stay healthy i.e. our "healthspan".

Right now, longevity statistics tell us that average life expectancy at birth in the top 20 ranking nations is 80 years; but of that on average, the last 8 years (10%) is spent in ill health.

To extend our lifespan without improving our healthspan would be pointless, maybe even cruel, and would place even greater pressure on our social security systems and national budgets, at a time when the ever increasing population of people over 65 is already threatening to swamp them.

HUMAN LONGEVITY-THE LAST 100 YEARS

Before we look into the crystal ball and attempt to see into the future, let's briefly review the recent history of longevity and current predicted life expectancy statistics.

"Life expectancy," according to the World Health Organisation website, is "the average number of years a person can expect to live, if in the future they experience the current "age-specific" mortality rates in the population." In other words, no significant changes occur in the person's lifetime; either positive or negative.

In the last 100 years, life expectancy in Developed Nations has increased by 50% from 53. 6 years to 80.4 years. This has been due to a combination of two factors; a reduction in child mortality and older people living longer.

In his article "Broken Limits to Life Expectancy" in "Science" magazine in May 2002, Demographer James Oppen stated "For 160 years, best-performance life expectancy has steadily increased by a quarter of a year per year, an extraordinary constancy of human achievement."

The main reasons for this massive increase have been:

- Advances in food supply and nutrition,

- Vastly improved sanitation and hygiene,

- Clean drinking water,

- Technological breakthroughs,

- The advent of major new medical technologies and medicines (e.g. antibiotics),

- Better housing, including clean heating systems (i.e. replacing coal fires), and

- Increased awareness and knowledge about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

THE FUTURE-WHERE TOO FROM HERE?

Many longevity scientists believe that over the next 10 years there will be dramatic advances in biotechnology that will radically change the future prospects for longevity from which we can all potentially expect a significant increase in life expectancy. There is widespread belief that an average life expectancy of 100 years is possible in developed nations in that timeframe.

So taking action right now in all the key areas of your lifestyle will increase your chances of being around to take advantage of these imminent benefits.

My research suggests that there are 4 areas for continuing research, development and public education that must be addressed simultaneously, and with urgency if as many of us as possible are to reap the full benefits that will be available:

1. Continuing the great work being carried out by Medical institutes and public health professionals across the globe to combat these chronic degenerative diseases This work has already saved many lives and improved the lives of many others, and it needs to continue.

2. Continue to educate people; that contracting these chronic diseases as they age is not an inevitability, and that they can significantly reduce the risks of contracting them by leading a healthy lifestyle i.e. adopting a healthy anti aging diet and avoiding the unhealthy foods and ingredients that damage their health, by avoiding unhealthy addictions, by a regular exercise and fitness practice and by reducing the stress that weakens the body's immune system and invites these diseases in.

3. In his fascinating article "A Wrinkle in Time" Stuart Jay Olshansky, a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois, Chicago made the following statement:- "Scientific evidence now strongly supports the idea that it's time to invest in the future of humanity by encouraging the commensurate political will, public support, and resources required to slow aging, and to do so now, so that most people currently alive might benefit from the investment." and that "there is ample reason to be optimistic that decelerated aging can be achieved for humans."

4. As I said in the introduction, the longevity revolution is already happening in biotechnology and medical science, and is going to result in a quantum leap in our lifespans, but even more importantly, in how long we will stay healthy.

What would have been considered science fiction 20 years ago is now becoming a reality. The human genome project, completed in 2003, has opened up a multitude of amazing possibilities. The new field of "tissue engineering" is enabling medical laboratories to create replacement body parts and organs using an individual's own cells, and work already underway includes growing new organs, breast tissue, windpipes and bladders, amongst many other body parts.

CONCLUSION

Over the next 10 years, major advances in biotechnology will radically change our future prospects for longevity from which we can all potentially expect a significant increase in life expectancy. There is widespread belief that an average life expectancy of 100 years is possible in developed nations in that timeframe.

By taking action right now in all the key areas of your lifestyle, you can increase your chances of being around to take advantage of these imminent benefits and live a much longer, healthier and happier life.

1. Name: David Amer

2. Links: Find out more:
http://www.designyournewlife.com/category/introduction/

3. I created "Design Your New Life" to share my personal journey and vision with as many men as possible; and in so doing, to help them to design a better life for themselves and their families in their retirement years.

So, If you are a man over 50 years of age, and want to design a great new life for yourself and your family after you retire, CONGRATULATIONS, you have come to the right place.

My website has been designed to make it easy for you to find all the information and guidance you might need to make your later life phase fulfilling and happy, without the need to spend lots of time researching hundreds of websites; bringing together in one "easy to use" website, all the information you will need; a "one stop shop" laid out within a logical framework with a step by step approach that I will guide you through,

4. Be Smart - Stay Updated. Just enter your details in the "opt-in box" to receive our ongoing articles and updates. http://www.designyournewlife.com/

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Work On Improving Your Functional Strength As You Age

No matter your specific fitness goals, your overall goal should be to improve your functional strength which can help make your daily life easier! This rule should hold extreme importance to the seniors reading this article. As you age the ability to carry out your day-to-day activities is really determined by your functional strength!

What is the definition of functional strength though? The meaning according to the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America is that functional strength, "... refers to the idea that muscles should be trained and developed in such a way as to make the performance of everyday activities easier, smoother, safer, and more efficient". To put it practically, this is strength needed to pick up your groceries or shovel snow. Improving this functional strength should be imperative as we age; it allows us to maintain our independence.

One great aspect of resistance training to increase your strength is that it can reverse sarcopenia which is the loss of muscle due to lack or use or degeneration. The ability to reverse sarcopenia can be seen in a study by the University of London that illustrated that three, one hour weight training sessions was enough to significantly improve the strength of women over 75 years old! If people over the age of 75 can improve their strength, you can make serious strides if you are still in your 40's or 50's!

There are many ways to improve your strength from bodyweight training to resistance band training and many different exercises in-between. No matter the method you decide to employ to improve your strength try to follow these simple guidelines:

1. Stretch, stretch, stretch - Static stretching should be a priority in your workout regime, almost more important than the workout itself. It increases your range of motion. Conduct static stretching (low-intensity, long duration) for 5-10 minutes before and after a workout.

2. Resistance train 3 times a week - All it takes is strength training 3 times a week to combat sarcopenia. That's it; take the time to improve your strength.

3. Exercise the entire body - Pick 6-8 exercises that will exercise the whole body. This will give you a full body workout every other day throughout the week.

4. Slow, steady, and light - Start slowly with a light resistance. This will help you develop the correct form of the exercise, helps reduce your risk of injury, and prevents you from being overly sore.

5. Perform both coordination and balance exercises - Workouts that increase your coordination and balance are helpful at improving your quality of life. For instance, standing on one leg or conducting exercises that involve multiple movements can help improve your coordination and balance.

Growing older can be difficult, especially as it starts to decrease our quality of life! This makes it very important to work on your functional strength through exercise. There is a lot of great information on the internet about how to develop your own functional strength training plan. This will allow you to improve your strength, coordination, and balance. No matter the training method you use, your main focus should always be to improve your functional strength which can help make your daily life easier!

Want more information on at-home, sustainable fitness? Check out Always Active Athletics. There you'll find convenient, sustainable exercise and nutrition tips to help you get the results you deserve!

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The Reason Behind Tired Eyes and the Treatment to Help Solve It

Tired of looking tired?

There is nothing worse than being told you look tired when you have had a good eight hours sleep and feel raring to go. This tired look is associated with looking older which is not want you want. The eye area and mid-face are the areas we focus on most when we are speaking to each other so it is the area to address first when considering treatments. In the UK we spend millions of pounds on 'cover up products'. Most of these are whitish in colour, whereas a peachy colour, similar to the Circle Delete product from Jane Iredale's make-up collection is the one to hide the darkness. In fact, light coloured products often draw attention to the area rather than away from it. Think about light highlighter pencils we use to emphasise the brows and cheek areas.

We can look tired at any age but the reasons are very different. Sometimes we have a dark blue or purple discolouration to the skin under the eyes. This can be due to tiredness or dehydration which can be addressed. However, as we get older, it is more common and is due to the fact that our skin gets thinner from the lack of collagen production in the skin. When the skin is thinner, the small veins underneath the surface become more visible and make us look tired. Vitamin A taken orally and Vitamin A creams used topically help stimulate skin to produce collagen and hence make it thicker, therefore dark circles are reduced. Products such as Jane Iredale's Dark Circle & ZO eye cream that you can't buy on the high-street are excellent.

The other reason for looking tired is having 'sunken eyes' or 'eye bags' which is due to enlarged orbital margins meaning that the holes in the skull for the eyes become larger. Some people are born with naturally large orbital margins but everyone eventually experiences the loss of bone around the eyes. - it's inevitable. Even people who have had surgical face lifts will not have this problem resolved. The only treatment for this is dermal fillers. Dermal fillers, such as Juvederm & Restylane, are hyaluronic acid which is present naturally in our skin but reduces in volume with age. Injecting the dermal fillers into the affected area helps to rebuild this volume, restoring that youthful look - and the results are instant.

The treatment involves numbing the area under the eyes with a cream followed by piercing the skin with a tiny needle. A blunt ended needle, called a canula, is then inserted and tiny amounts of dermal filler are slowly placed under the skin to fill the area. The results are significantly different whilst still natural looking. The product typically lasts about a year and for many people is the best investment they make in their appearance. It helps to change a tired to look, into a rejuvenated, wakeful one. As a patients regularly say to me,"I wear my face every day. Why wouldn't I look after it?"

Dr Ros Debenham
Radiance MediSpa 01392 277799
http://www.radiancemedispa.co.uk

To Claim Your Exclusive Report On The "10 Reasons Why You NEED An Assessment Before Buying Any Treatments Or Products - The Lies The Industry Won't Tell You!" Then Head Over To http://www.radiancemedispa.co.uk.

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Here Are 3 Healthy Anti Aging Skin Care Tips to Follow

It is the desire of every woman to feel and look young. They want to have that terrific gorgeous skin. They want to sizzle away that unwanted roughness on their skin. They don't want to wake up the following morning and find themselves feeling and looking old.

But sadly, wrinkles often rears its ugly head and makes potentially fun-filled morning fizzle out in a flash.

Sounds like what is happening to you now?

In this article, we are going to look at 3 healthy anti-aging skin care tips you can follow to help you reduce your skin aging.

3 Best Anti-Aging Skin Care Tips To Improve Your Looks

1. Drink Plenty of Water

Water is very important for our body's healing processes. Failing to drink water could do more harm than good to your skin. Failing to drink enough water is one thing that can quickly begin to age your skin. This is especially true since the dryer you are beneath the surface of your skin, the more it is likely to damage the top layer of your skin.

It is recommended you drink enough water daily - at least 8 glasses of water. Several things you will notice if you fail to drink enough water or without proper hydration, are the wrinkles on your arms and hands. You will also notice the dryness in and around your elbows and heels.

If you have wrinkles on your face, it is never too late to slow down your aging process. You can start to heal the damages already done and improve your looks and feel good. Even if you don't like to drink water force yourself to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

2. Get Plenty of Vitamin C and E

There are several environmental factors that contribute to your skin aging. For instance

• Harsh chemicals
• Air Pollution
• Cigarette smoke
• Plant Herbicides
• And other environmental pollutants

Studies indicate that it takes a longer time for the environmental pollutants to have an effect on your skin. The negative impact on the skin breaks down the living cells causing major problems. This damage affects the elasticity and collagen of your skin causing your skin to droop and produce more wrinkles.

Vitamin C and E helps the skin by reducing the damages causes by these pollutants. Get plenty of vitamin C and E from eating plenty foods high in vitamins or at least you could supplement your diet with vitamin C and E capsules.

3. Avoid the Hot Sun

Exposing your skin to too much sunlight will have a profound effect on it. It can cause premature skin aging, skin cancer, and other skin conditions. However, it doesn't mean you cannot enjoy the sunlight. But you should be more careful about the sun exposure. Use sunscreens to reduce the harmful effect of the UV radiation.

With the above anti-aging skin care tips, you can improve your skin appearance. Apart from the tips given above, you can find several others to help you fight skin aging. You just have to learn how and take action. Know what works for you and stick it.

I believe this article has pointed out some useful anti-aging skin care tips you can follow to pamper your skin and have and glowing looking skin. Got any skin care tips of your own to share? What makes a skin beautiful to you? Share in the comments. Don't forget to share this post with your friends.

Who else wants to enhance her looks? You can easily achieve that with some 7 beauty tips that is really helping more women look beautiful like the pros. Find out at, http://skincareanalyst.com/beauty-tips-to-enhance-your-looks/

©Copyright 2014 Josh Manuel

Josh Manuel is a beauty and skin care enthusiast who helps men and women reach their full potential and gain greater self-confidence by finding their beauty from the inside out. Visit http://www.skincareanalyst.com and grab the FREE report "Cheat Sheet For Being Beautiful - The Secrets To Easy Beauty With No Difficulties".

Over 4000 people have used the free report to have better looks and a vibrant life they love waking up to. Sign up free.

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How to Increase Your Chances to Be a Centenarian

So you want to live to one hundred and beyond, and you want to know how to do it. There is no secret formula for getting there, but there are quite a lot of lifestyle prescriptions that give you a better chance. Plus because more people all the time are becoming centenarians our knowledge base of what allows people to live longer is growing. There are things that are becoming more apparent the more we study, and there are things that remain a mystery, which we will explore here.

Many people look at what they envision that life of a centenarian to be, and they think "no thanks". Most people equate aging with aches and pains, loss of memory and loneliness. But we now are observing what life as an aging person really is, and it isn't all that bleak. We now know that the older the age group degenerative disease onset also comes later, and they are quite healthy until very near the end of their lives.

And a human's chances of reaching the 100 year mark are increasing all the time and it is expected will continue to increase. If you are now a baby boomer your chances of hitting 100 years is only about 4%, but children born today have about a 25% chance. About eight out of every nine centenarians are women.
These are some of the things we can do (or have no control over) to reach the century mark:

1. How old was your mother when you were born? According to a study conducted at the University of Chicago Center for Aging, you have twice the chance of reaching 100 years if your mother was under 25 when you were born.

2. Are you a happy and optimistic person? Numerous studies have shown that happy people live longer. We're not exactly sure how, but optimism and other positive thoughts tend to provide stress relief and boost the immune system.

3. How do you cope with stress? Centenarians don't eliminate stress in their lives, but they have learned to deal with it. For the most part they deal with the stress and then quickly put it in their past.

4. Do you watch what you eat and get some exercise? If you are treating your body well by feeding it nutritious foods, eliminating harmful foods and keeping your body active, you increase your chances immensely.

Knowing all the things we can do, it also seems to be true that centenarians seem to have something in their genes that sets them apart from average people. They definitely age slower than normal people. Looking at people who are over 100 years old, studies have shown that when they take a snapshot of what their lives looked like when they were 70 is quite revealing. Over a third was overweight, with 8% falling in the obese category. Over one-third smoked, for an average of 31 years. Less than half exercised moderately, and another twenty percent never exercised. Not exactly what we think of as the ticket for old age, but centenarians are a different breed.

There are many things we can do to help us become healthier and to age better, and exercise is certainly a big part of it. Seniors are now getting more into yoga and other exercises such as Pilates to keep young. Rich Carroll is a writer and avid health advocate now living in Chicago.

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At 35-40 Years Old: Aging or "Avoidable Deterioration"

Around 35-40 years old many of us are seeing what we believe to be signs of aging. Time for action and damage control.

Physical changes that show as early as 35-40 are better called "avoidable deterioration." Aging in general gets blamed for too much too often.

Unavoidable signs of aging come later- maybe in your 50's. Even those can be mitigated by healthy habits.

If you're 35-40 years old and seeing thing you don't like you could be seeing a "result" from either too few effective good habits or too many bad ones held for too long.

Make a clear distinction between natural healthy aging verses the cumulative effects of too few good habits and too many not so good habits.

You can easily tweak your choices and start nipping in the bud the avoidable unattractive results you're experiencing.

You can improve your body regardless of what age you start. I've witnessed an 82 year old woman develop muscles from strength training. The sooner you start the easier it is to get visible results you'll be thrilled with.

Everything's easier if you never allow your condition to get bad to the extreme. If all you need to do is shape up what you have that's easier than dropping a lot of weight and then shaping up what remains.

What you need to know is staying in shape doesn't take as much exercise and time (or unpleasantness) as you think. What it really takes is doing a little something for your body consistently every day, along with healthy food choices perhaps 90% of the time.

Consistency does 2 important things:
1. creates the phenomenon of cumulative effect, thereby increasing the value of even a short workout.
2. firmly establishes a habit and is critical to sustaining one.

Avoid thinking in terms of self-denial. Add good new choices instead. It's possible to reduce bad choices as a direct result of adding good choices.

Effective exercises can be creatively incorporated into any day- regardless of your schedule or your budget.

Find out what works for you. Getting on a scale may discourage you. Instead of getting on a scale and having your day ruined by a number you could try on the clothing item that once fit you well. Try it on periodically to check your progress. Your scale won't recognize positive internal results that start immediately when you eat right and work out. It can't discern that you're converting fat to muscle.

Most women don't like the appearance of the back side of their thighs. Solution: take 30 seconds every day/7 days per week/ 52 weeks each year. Using a pair of hand held weights that you keep in your bedroom do a great strength movement called "dead-lifts." Look online for instructional videos. They've been around for a long time. It's impossible to make this choice without getting results- as long as you don't quit too soon. You may have to hide your mirror if you find yourself checking it too soon or too often.

From now on make dead-lifts a part of your life. Do them before or after you brush your teeth. If that's the only part of your body you want to work on then fine. Chances are you'll add another movement to your repertoire. Once you get used to it you'll find yourself saying "this feels so good." Soon you'll feel muscle developing and next you'll see results.

By the way, as I've been typing these words you are now reading I've gotten up from the computer several times to do some kind of strength movement using dumbbells. The movements feel good for multiple reasons. You can rid your body of discomfort from tension at the same time as you're maintaining muscle. Everything isn't about looks.

Fitness begins with consciousness. Consciousness expands into choices. Choices become habits. Habits create lifestyle.

At 35-40 years old you are still so incredibly young- young enough to recover from the effects of not having made healthy choices up to this point. Start now- today. No one ever says they regret becoming healthy. Don't confuse healthy aging with avoidable deterioration.

Frankie O'Brien started exercising moderately when she was just 13 old. Now a 63 year old mother of 4 she says it's nice to wear the same size clothes as when she was in high school. Read her fitness philosophy at her blog http://www.getfitwithfrankie.com or visit http://www.fithealthylady.com to watch easy to learn strength training videos.

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Age Gracefully With These Simple Tips And Techniques

One of the easiest ways to achieve slow aging is by eating the right types of food. This can be done by eating vegetables that are high in antioxidants, which protect our body from oxidative stress. This results in having a body that has clearer skin and ages slower than normal.

It might be harder as you age to take care of things as you used to. Now is the time to simplify. This could be as easy as cleaning out a drawer or even a closet. Once you have seen that you can reduce the clutter, and get rid of things that don't serve a purpose any longer, you can then move on to other parts of your life that need simplification.

Get the proper amount of water each day! This is important as the years go by! Without proper hydration, your body will react in terrible ways. It could lead to things as serious as seizures, brain damage or even death. Buy a large jug that will hold eight glasses of water and fill it each morning. Make sure that it is empty by the time you go to bed.

As you start getting older, your metabolism slows down. So if you aren't at a weight you are comfortable with now, it will be even harder to keep your weight under control as you age. Take up exercise and get moving regularly, preferably 3 to 4 days a week.

A key to aging well is to maintain a good relationship with your physician. By getting yearly preventative checkups as well as any checkups that are necessary in between, you are taking a proactive approach to aging. There are many diseases that when caught early are highly treatable. Early disease treatment will definitely slow down your aging process.

Don't overeat! Overeating is one of the most common factors in shortening your life span. You don't want to starve yourself, but you should be conscious of the amount of calories you're taking in each day. Check with your doctor and find out the amount of calories you should be taking in based on your age, gender, and body type, and try to stick to that number.

Try to remember that aging is a part of life, not a disease or illness! Bodies do become more vulnerable to common infectious diseases during aging, so taking care of yourself and getting adequate exercise will help you feel youthful. Keeping active is very important to keep your body strong and your mind sharp.

As you become older you will start to find parts of your body not working as well as they used to. For some things, it is possible to take medication but for others, you will simply have to accept these facts. It can be hard to accept but the faster you do the easier it will be for you.

In order to keep the signs of aging at bay, you need to avoid overeating and stuffing yourself until full. Do not starve yourself, but there is no better way to slow aging and extend life than cutting back on the calories. Just as a rule of thumb, avoid overeating in any situation.

Sign up to a new class. It is never too late to learn something new, so consider attending some public lectures or joining a community class. Choose a topic you are interested it, whether it is computers, gardening, crafts, philosophy, foreign languages, or quantum physics. Continuous learning will stop your mind from being idle.

Staying Young

One of the key tips to staying young is to be happy. The body reacts to stress and this stress causes physical damage. So in order to stay young and have a healthy body, your life should be filled with the things that you love and get rid of all the other stresses. Use exercising and meditation to keep young and learn to appreciate the good things in life.

A key element to staying young and looking young is to get plenty of sleep. Not only is it important on how you look each day, but it is critical to feeling your best. Everyone's ideal amount of sleep is different so determine when you feel best after different lengths of sleep over a week.

Eye Cream

Prevent wrinkles! The best way to combat aging around the eyes is to start early. Applying eye cream before even a single wrinkle appears will help to keep your healthy skin smooth and supple for as long as possible. The skin around the eyes is the most delicate of all, so take care of it!

Crows Feet

A good way to reduce the impact of lines around the eyes is to wear sunglasses. Not only does this prevent squinting and causing crows feet, but sunglasses block the sun from hitting those high wrinkle areas and damaging the skin. So wearing sunglasses has a dual effect on the anti-aging process.

In conclusion, there is plenty that you can do and plenty of things that you can omit in your life in order to make sure that you live a long, healthy, and happy life. Aging is inevitable, however, if you follow the tips in this article you can learn to deal with it in the best ways possible.

I am a fanatic of great looking skin, so I have found many products to have a youthful looking skin. If you want to learn more, check out our website antiaginghandcream.org, where we provide all kinds of information pertaining to how to stay looking young. You will find a ton of information that will be very helpful. - Click here

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