Some people think age management medicine strives to help people live longer. But who wants to add years to their life if those years are spent being feeble and infirm in a nursing home?

Quality of life matters. In age management circles, it’s called squaring the curve.

It works like this. Imagine graphing vitality over time. Vitality is on the vertical axis. A high level represents vibrant health and vitality. Zero means death. The horizontal axis represents time — the longer a person lives, the further out their graph extends.

Our lives can be represented by this graph. Eventually, for all of us, it goes to zero — we die. The points on the graph before we die tell a lot about whether we truly lived or just existed. For too many people, the vitality line slumps toward zero long before they die. It’s a downward curve, representing an increasingly miserable life.

Sudden death shows up as a rapid drop to zero. But someone living a vital life has a curve that stays at a high level for a long time. A graph like this has a right angle in it. Hence, if someone is taking steps to improve their health, they’re “squaring the curve”.

Although we may not want to contemplate our own mortality, it makes sense to take a moment to think of what we want our vitality curve to look like. A healthy lifestyle will boost our vitality and minimize many of the changes previously thought to be part and parcel of aging.

Make decisions right now that will help you live better as well as longer. For example, even if you begin at age 40, eating 6 ounces more of vegetables a day increases your life expectancy by a year!¹ That’s an amazing improvement. But better yet, eating more vegetables supports your immune system, reduces your risk of cancer, and helps you maintain a healthy weight.

Take responsibility for your own vitality. Make decisions and take actions that keep you alive and vital as time goes on. Square your curve.

Reference

1. Shaw, J et al. The determinants of life expectancy: an analysis of the OECD health data. Southern Economic Journal April, 2005.

[Ed. Note: Joseph F. McCaffrey, MD, FACS is a board-certified surgeon with extensive experience in alternative medicine, including certification as a HeartMath Trainer. His areas of expertise include mind-body interaction and cognitive restructuring. Dr. McCaffrey strives to help people attain their optimum level of vitality through attention to all aspects of wellness. For more information, click here.]

For more great articles like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our free natural health newsletter!