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The key to good health and longevity for baby boomers starting to come to grips with their mortality is common sense. I base this on my own personal experience as well as that of people I know both in the medical and nutrition fields.

There is a steady stream of studies and reports relating to health that keep bombarding us in the media. If we started to take each one to heart, we'd not only be paranoid wrecks, we'd also die young. This is because the more time we spend worrying about things that can happen to us from a health point of view, the greater the chance that they will happen.

There are people I know who suffer from depression simply because they are so self-absorbed. They fret about their health, their appearance, their finances and everything else under the sun. And of course their worst fears are coming true as they worry themselves into wrinkles, sleeplessness and gastronomical upset. Sadly, when I try to tell them they need to get out more and worry less, their response is that it's "easy for you to say".

Some people tell me that I don't look fifty-three. I'm not sure whether they're just being kind, but I like to respond to them that it's probably because I try not to worry. We are instructed by Christ in the Bible not to worry about tomorrow. If we follow this teaching, chances are we'll also be happier and more contented individuals. As my Christian faith is an important part of my life, I also tell people that this may have something to do with my appearance.

Some of the studies I've actually paid attention to are the ones that connect happiness and contentedness to longevity. This bears out in centenarians who are at times interviewed regarding the secrets to their long life. Often time they talk about family and friends and maintaining a good attitude. They also speak of keeping themselves occupied and moving. These are all simple common sense tips that everyone should be familiar with.

Where people can sometimes go off track is when they start doing all kinds of extraordinary things to buy back their youth. They don't realize that the best way to stay young is to have a realistic but youthful outlook to life. This does not mean running ten miles a day and weight training for two hours. It simply means getting on with life, doing the things that are both meaningful to others, and pleasureful to them. It should include some exercise, but this can consist of a half hour walk each day to the supermarket rather than driving once a week to shop

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