Who doesn’t want to live forever? Especially after the pandemic has given us a new lease on life. However, as we’ve learned in the past year, there’s no point in planning for the future if your health isn’t where it needs to be. This is why Longevity LIVE has created Wellness Wednesdays – a weekly Instagram interview at 19h00 SAST hosted by the founder of the World of Longevity, Gisèle Wertheim Aymés that will help you on your health and wellness journey. Joined by a different expert each week on @longevity_live. Gisèle and her guests will help you take baby steps with facts and points.
Wellness Wednesday ft Dr. Duncan Carmichael
According to Dr. Carmichael, responding to disease is much less potent than empowering someone to understand their health and prevent the diseases from occurring. This is why he left the world of illness long ago to focus his efforts on his passion for wellness.
Dr. Duncan Carmichael
It wasn’t long before he released his best-selling book Younger for Longer, which shares how readers can live a healthy life free from the debilitations of aging.
How do you want to live forever?
It’s one thing if you want to live into old age, but if your health isn’t a priority, the journey into old age will be anything but pleasant.
“We see examples of old grown people in old age homes and deciding that “I do not want to be like that” explains Dr. Carmichael. He adds that having good examples of role models on social media who look fantastic for their age and making a conscious decision to take care of our bodies and wellbeing is important if we want to reach the philosophy of living longer.
That said, there are a few things that you can change if you want to live longer and better. However, some things can’t be changed, and we’ll have to manage them better as the years pass. According to Dr. Carmichael, there are 3 main points that can help one age better. These are the 3 S’s (Sleep, Stress, and Sugar).
Sleep for better aging
According to Dr. Carmichael, the first secret to better and healthy aging is sleep and the quality of sleep. is very important.
“Sleep and deep REM sleep is when the body works at its best,” says Dr. Carmichael, who adds that the “Iron lady” Margaret Thatcher who had a brilliant brain and could function on ¾ hours of sleep a day. However, when she hit her 70s, she battled with Alzheimer’s and couldn’t necessarily enjoy her aging years.
How can I sleep better?
Dr. Carmichael shares that he used a Whoop band to help improve his sleep patterns. The app works by monitoring your sleep and certain stages of it. He also shares that getting into a peaceful, quiet place before sleeping can help to improve your sleep. He also shares that CBD oil can help speed up the process of getting into your REM sleep, as well as boost your immune system.
Manage your stress
“Stress has been a huge factor in the past year, from menopausal stress and anxiety stress to emotional breakdowns and immune system breakdowns,” says Dr. Carmichael.
If you want to manage your stress, Dr. Carmichael suggests mindful meditation as it’s been proven to alleviate stress. Additionally, he also shares that there are multiple supplements you can take to ease stress levels. At the end of the day, the best thing you can do for your health is to recognize that you’re stressed and then take action towards changing your lifestyle.
Stop with the sugar
“As fantastic as sugar might taste and despite it being in almost all sorts of foods, the fact is that it isn’t really great for anyone.”
Dr. Carmichael shares that we often crave sugar when we’re feeling sad and low. So, instead of falling for the trap, he suggests that we use it as a moment of reflection. “Ask yourself why you are feeling this way and if there is a particular reason why you are sad. Use it as a time of introspection.”
The bottom line
The span of your life is not really determined by genes as most people think, at least not in all cases. All you need to do is activate your genes for longevity by adopting healthy habits like good sleep and less stress.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW
The video interview with Dr. Duncan Carmichael contains the entire dialogue of this interview, and you can watch it below.
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