Jan Kuzma - Live 10 Healthy Years Longer: How to Make Simple Adjustments to Your Lifstyle That Can Help You..

LIVE 10 HEALTHY YEARS LONGER

LIVE 10 HEALTHY YEARS LONGER

JAN W. KUZMA AND CECIL MURPHEY

Copyright 2000 Jan W. Kuzma and Cecil Murphey.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by W Publishing Group, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee, 37214.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Other Scripture references are from the following sources:

The New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV). Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

The New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV), 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.

The Contemporary English Version (CEV) 1991 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

The information in this book provides a general overview of health-related topics and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this information applies to you and to get more information about any health-related issue, talk to your family doctor. The health claims stated in this book are those of the authors. Neither W Publishing Group nor Thomas Nelson expresses any opinion as to the validity of those health claims.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kuzma, Jan W.
Live ten healthy years longer/by Jan W. Kuzma and Cecil Murphey.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-8499-3770-1
1. Longevity. 2. Health. 3. Aging. I. Title: Live 10 healthy years longer. II. Murphey, Cecil B. III. Title.
RA776.75 .K89 2000
613dc21

99-045953
CIP

Printed in the United States of America

99 00 01 02 03 04 05 PHX 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

CONTENTS

Jan Kuzma thanks Dr. Frank R. Lemon, who introduced him to the field of biostatistics and to Loma Linda University, and Dr. Mervin G. Hardinge, his respected dean, who offered him his first position in the School of Public Health. He also thanks Dr. Roland L. Phillips, a college classmate and fellow researcher at Loma Linda University. Together they submitted the first grant application to fund the Adventist Health Study, and when it was funded, Dr. Phillips became its first director.

Jan and Cec also thank their wives, Kay Kuzma, who offers Jan daily inspiration, and Shirley Murphey, Cecs devoted editor and wonderful partner.

RICHARD CLARKS doctor first asked him how long hed like to live when Richard was thirty-five years old, a time when he had just begun to notice his decreased energy level. Hefty love handles had appeared around his middle and loaded him down with an extra 25 pounds. Tiny crows-feet had started to appear around his eyes. Hmm, how long would I like to live? Richard repeated. Until Im about eighty-five or ninetyif I can still be in good health.

But if youre not in good health, came the second question, then how long would you want to live?

Then Im not sure, he said. Not that long anyway.

Richard Clark also became aware that his blood pressure was slightly elevated, and his doctor warned him not to allow his cholesterol level to get any higher. Despite his doctors advice, Richard didnt quit smoking. He did admit that he knew he should give up cigarettes. But, like many American males who feel no pain or discomfort, he paid little attention to the warning signs of his declining health. As he had done all his adult life, Richard Clark continued to make decisions about his lifestylemost of them unconsciously.

This week Richard Clark turned fifty-five. Although he doesnt know it yet, he is preparing for an early death. If hes extremely lucky, hell live to age sixty-five. But the odds are stacked against him. He did quit smoking five years ago, which has helped. For fifty-five years, however, Richard has been preparing to die of a catastrophic illness: heart disease, cancer, or stroke.

Carol Clark, Richards wife, doesnt know it yet, but she will survive him by six yearsmaybe. If shes really lucky, she will live until shes seventy-one. At age fifty-two, Carol is acutely aware of the 40 extra pounds she carries on her 5'4" frame. She has successfully dieted nine times in the past five years. After each diet, however, she ballooned back to her original weight and gained four or five additional pounds before she started the next regimen. Even though she isnt aware of the adverse health effects of her many diets and her lifestyle, Carol is also preparing to die of a catastrophic illness.

Although women can look forward to living six more years than men, the average American male can expect to reach the age of seventy-two. Not everyone, of course, will live to the average age. Many die much younger!

Sounds a little bleak, doesnt it?

But this doesnt have to be a picture of you.

You dont have to be an average statistic.

You can beat those statistics and live healthier, longer, and happier for another decade.

You can make that happen.

But will you?

Would you make sensible changes in your lifestyle if it enabled you to live nine or ten years longerand healthier at the same time? Would you like to enjoy the golden years without physical restrictions? to have more vitality? to perform better as you advance in age?

In contrast to the Clarks, consider Joe and Vicki Nichols. On his fortieth birthday, Joe had a complete physical. The results forced him to take stock of himself. He joined a health spa primarily to lose 50 pounds. He also learned to play tennis and became fairly good at the game. To improve his breathing, Joe dumped his pack-a-day habit of smoking. He never went on a weight-loss diethe didnt have to. He dropped nearly 60 pounds over a two-year period. By his forty-second birthday, Joe had drastically altered his lifestyle. His once-racing pulse hit a steady 70 beats a minute; his cholesterol level consistently hovered at 185.

Vicki, who was in worse shape than Joe, reluctantly cooperated with her husbands lifestyle changes. Despite her misgivings, she learned to cook differently and found it an exciting adventure. I kept learning new things, she said. Even with a hereditary factor for high blood pressure, lifestyle changes enabled Vicki to stop taking medication and maintain a pressure of 135/80.

The best news about Joe and Vicki is that he is now eighty-four and she is eighty-six. My bones feel a little creaky in the mornings, Joe says, but after Vicki and I do our two-mile walk and a few exercises, I feel all right. Neither is on any medication. Vickis weight, she says, is about six pounds more than I would prefer it to be, but I dont plan to do anything about it.

Obviously, Joe and Vicki have already beaten the statistics.

They arent that unusual.