Long live!

My paternal grandfather Col. Nazario Mayor, who would have been 106 this month, lived till the ripe old age of 92. He took alcohol (though not excessively), smoked a pipe and traveled quite extensively. A veteran of two world wars, he died of natural causes.

My maternal grand father Igmedio Reyes, who would have been 101, lived till he was 96. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink and loved preservative-rich hotdogs and fried adobo. He also had a sweet tooth, and when there was no dessert around, he would savor a teaspoon of sugar instead. A landowner, he worked on the farm most of his life and was a voracious reader. He also died of natural causes.

My grandfathers were poles apart in personality, but both were upright, hardworking gentlemen of the old school. They both had tempers and were barakos, but they didn’t seem like worriers to me. They both enjoyed a cup of coffee. In fact, my Grandpa Mayor would take a cup if he couldn’t sleep.

For sure, they both knew how to relax. They both lived life on their terms, and lived most of their life with the quality they wanted. They both had dutiful wives and when they were widowed, they had lots of children and grandchildren who doted on them.

They had years in their life, and life in their years.

My grandfathers’ long and productive years came to mind when I was watching Larry King Live!’s special on longevity. Among the guests were Dr. Sanjay Gupta, author of Chasing Life and CNN medical correspondent, wellness guru Deepak Chopra, cancer survivor Lance Armstrong and Oprah’s fitness coach Bob Greene.

Let me share with you some of their tips.

Gupta said limiting one’s caloric intake matters. He went to a place in Okinawa where there was the largest concentration of centenarians in the world, and he discovered they have a mantra, which translates roughly to, "Eat only until you are 80 percent full."

Chopra also recommended exercise, because the activity produces an elixir within you that not only lifts your mood but also helps boost your immune system.

Lance Armstrong said that whenever he feels he’s in the dumps, he climbs his bike and cycles the blues away.

The panelists pointed out though that cardiovascular exercises were not enough, and one had to build up or restore mass by adding weights to one’s regimen.

Most agreed that breakfast was a very important meal and shouldn’t be skipped.

All agreed that having someone to love — a spouse, a partner, a child, even just a pet animal — lengthened years.

Smoking chops off 15 years from your life.

Eat healthy and take omega-3 fatty acids. At a dinner hosted by taipan Lucio Tan for STAR executives and editors recently, we found out that "Kapitan" enjoys eating braised turtles. The dish gives one terrific eyesight, among other healing qualities.

For women, bone up on calcium.

They said nothing definitive as far as coffee was concerned. But all agreed two cups a day wasn’t harmful.

Armstrong was strong on having regular medical check-ups. He said the stress is usually only before the check-up, and when you get the results, you’re a new person.

All said good sleep was important, including naps, because it is while we are asleep that our bodies restore themselves.

Everyone agreed that though stress was inevitable, it could be managed. Knowing how to manage stress, pain and grief could add life to your years and vice versa. Take for example the late Rose Kennedy, who lived to the ripe old age of 104 despite the successive heartbreaks in her life — two children died in plane crashes, two were assassinated. One daughter was mentally retarded. Her husband cheated on her. Talk about stress, she had it. And yet she heard daily Mass, played golf and swam till her sunset years and looked like she never lost her love for life or her faith in God.

My own personal advice, validated in my 40-plus years, is: It is important to have a life, and not just a living, and one should not sacrifice the former for the latter.

* * *

Longevity will surely need adjustments in society, in medical care, in the social security system, in the labor force, in housing, and in food production. But who does not want to live long if yours is a life well-lived? The effort to add years to our life should be complemented by the effort to make it meaningful and comfortable. Heaven must have a place on earth.

And finally, though there will be medical breakthroughs that will give us long, healthy lives, diets and cosmetics that will help us mock time, ultimately we are not in complete control. There is a God who is. And if it His will that we live long, then why can’t we look and feel 35 forever?

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])