The fact we can control our lives through conscious control of our perceptions and our habits and actions is part of the new biology, writes Carolyn Hansen. Photo / Getty Images
The fact we can control our lives through conscious control of our perceptions and our habits and actions is part of the new biology, writes Carolyn Hansen. Photo / Getty Images
In the past decade, science has broken through many previous taboos in understanding and deciphering molecular, cellular and genetic ageing. The new science of longevity has been born.
Longevity is not a new topic. It has been an area of interest since man became a self-conscious being, providing great fodderthroughout the years for science fiction writers.
Advancements in this exciting field include some of the greatest achievements of this century. Even the United Nations recognises how this science is changing the status of world health and ageing, referring to longevity research as one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century.
Looked in the mirror recently? What you see is an entity with about 50 trillion individual living cells - each with a life of its own that interacts with other cells. Photo / Getty Images
There are many factors that affect life expectancy including the quality of healthcare received, diet, exercise, social factors and of course, genetics.
For the past 50 years science assumed that genes controlled biology. However, this old, outworn belief that our genes controlled us and that we are structured, determined and limited by our genes is being blown apart as false information the same way that discovering new lands by venturing forth into the unknown destroyed the belief that the world was flat.
According to internationally recognised stem-cell biologist and author of many books including The Biology of Belief, Dr Bruce Lipton, this kind of limiting concept/belief that says, "we are less than our genes" creates victim mentality and sets us up for failure. If we believe we can't change it, we won't try.
Furthermore, when we believe we are powerless, we become irresponsible and it becomes way too easy for us to use genetics as an excuse for our bad habits. After all, I am a victim of my heredity and can't change the genes that I was unlucky to be born with.
But the new longevity sciences are revealing something different and we are beginning to understand that self-knowledge is self-power.
Epigenetics, one of the emerging new longevity sciences, shows us that more things come into play than just our genes when it comes to our biology and how long we live.
Our cells are chips with the nucleus working like a hard disk storing programs. The cell membrane is an information-processing computer chip while the cell's genes are the hard drive. Photo / Getty Images
In fact, Lipton states it is not genetic programming that spurs action in our body, but our beliefs and perceptions that select our genes and our behaviour. So, it seems our beliefs and our environment are the primary players when it comes to our health and wellbeing.
The individual we see in the mirror is really a community of about 50 trillion living cells all operating within the same system. Every cell is an individual sentient, living being with a life of its own that interacts with other cells within the community.
Harmony and health go hand in hand, meaning, when the community of cells is harmonised, health is enjoyed, but when disharmony rules, the community relationships are fractured, and disease takes hold.
Lipton says our cells are chips and the nucleus of the cell works like a hard disk storing programs. The cell membrane is an information - processing computer chip while the cell's genes are the hard drive containing all potential.
Every cell within our body contains all the genes that make us human. They also contain genes whose function it is to adapt and rewrite genes as necessary, so, what differentiates one type of cell from another?
The answer is not programmed genes but informational feedback from the environment. It seems our genes are just environmental respondents reacting to perceptions handled by the cell membrane.
This makes it plainly clear that if we want our lives to change for the better, if we want to be happier and healthier, it's our perceptions and our lifestyles that we need to focus on, that we need to change first and these changes will be programmed into our genes.
Studies done on animals suggests that a 10-30 per cent reduction in normal caloric intake has positive effects on their health and their life spans.
Human populations long renowned for enjoying extended life spans also observe close links between low calorie intake, a lower likelihood of disease and extended life spans.
It's obvious that our health and longevity are influenced by our caloric intake and simply limiting our daily intake of calories can help protect us against disease and as a result, extend our lives.
Build your diet around plant foods
Nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans have proven to decrease disease risk while promoting longevity.
Plants contribute nutrients and antioxidants including polyphenols, carotenoids, folate and vitamin C. All these disease fighting warriors contribute to lowered risk of premature death, reduced risk of cancer and heart disease, depression, metabolic syndrome and even brain deterioration.
Stay active
Staying physically active adds years to your life and life to your years. Just 15 minutes of exercise a day is empowered to add an additional three years of life. Even sweeter, the risk of premature death decreases by 4 per cent for every additional 15 minutes of activity performed.
And those who exercise vigorously enjoy an additional 5 per cent reduction in premature death risk.
Furthermore, a recent review revealed that participants who hit the recommended weekly 150-minute mark (or more) for exercise were 28 per cent less likely to be hit by premature death. Exercise is mandatory.
Avoid dangerous substances
Smoking kills, it's really that simple. People who smoke lose as many as 10 years of life and are three times more likely to be hit with a premature death than those who never smoked.
Quitting can significantly prolong life. No matter what your age, giving up this dangerous habit will add years to your life.
Alcohol is another dangerous substance when abused. Heavy consumption is linked to heart, liver and pancreatic disease and an increased risk of early death.
Enjoy that glass of wine but don't abuse it.
Eliminate chronic stress and anxiety
Statistics show women who suffer from anxiety or stress are twice as likely to die from stroke, heart disease, or lung cancer.
Men who are chronically anxious or stressed fare even worse – they are three times more likely to suffer premature death.
Stress kills so finding ways to eliminate it from your life will add years to your life. Meditation practices work wonders in this area.
Attitude
Lastly, but certainly not to be forgotten, is attitude. Fostering an attitude of gratitude puts us in a positive flow of energy and attracts people, places and things that align with our greater good.
Training our minds to focus on the silver lining in all things removes damaging negative perceptions and multiplies our good because whatever "we see" we create.
Quantum physics has proven that there is nothing more than energy, and that all energies are entangled and interact, including the human body.
Therefore, if healthy longevity is important to us, it is vital that we pay close attention to how we spend our energy, what habits we entertain daily, what's occurring in our lives and how it affects us not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
The fact we can control our lives through conscious control of our perceptions and our habits / actions is part of the new biology.
Rather than stealing our power, it empowers us, puts us in full control, makes us responsible and strips away flimsy genetic "excuses".
For those ready to take responsibility for their lives, the truth is, we are way more powerful than we've given ourselves credit for.
