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I dunno. You know… my grandpa drank a 5th of whiskey a day and smoked one cigar a day until the day he died. Age 102. Sometimes I think that you enjoy the heck

I dunno. You know… my grandpa drank a 5th of whiskey a day and smoked one cigar a day until the day he died. Age 102. Sometimes I think that you enjoy the heck out of life and don't worry about anything. Shrug. I hope genetics matters more :)

jm__87 8y ago
Not sure why you're downvoted. There is a guy by the name of Peter Attia who has spent a lot of time studying centenarians and his conclusion has basically been, these people won the genetic lottery for longevity. He of course thinks those of us who aren't so lucky with genes can achieve similar results through diet and exercise. Very interesting stuff.
- taurath 8y ago
  The question is do you want to play against the averages (smokers more likely to die sooner for example), or above them - it comes to a personal choice. What isn’t a personal choice is how little we control the environment in formative years. Kids growing up with parents that are told cheap carbs are healthy are gonna have a hard time changing later when it turns out it’s not healthy at all.
  - jm__87 8y ago
    I don't disagree with you. I just wanted to give the first poster I responded to some credit. There needs to be a balance between quantity and quality of life. For some, they will enjoy drinking and smoking. Personally, I think meditation and mindfulness is a better path. But quality of life matters a lot. Edit: I also didn't mean to imply that I think the key to a long life is simply not worrying. The key to a long life is definitely a combination of genetics and how well you take care of yourself. But part of taking care of yourself is worrying less.
    - zw123456 8y ago
      I do think stress plays a role. Full disclosure, I work out every day and eat pretty healthy, I am not dismissing science, just saying, enjoying life is, IMHO, and important component. Enjoy your time on this planet. It is wonderous, all the beauty and ugliness are in an existential way, amazing.
- zw123456 8y ago
  I think people want to feel like they have some control over their fate. I certainly do. But, I am not sure that the data supports that. But, for me, in a situation where the data is not conclusive, maybe the best thing is to enjoy your time. I admit I could be wrong.
hombre_fatal 8y ago
I'd wager most people already have a daily battle with their own waistline long before they are worried about longevity. And there's much, much more to life than longevity, like day-to-day quality of life. If you focus on that, then longevity is just a bonus, even if it's true that you have no control over it. You certainly have control over quality of life, though. And indulgence tends to hamstring that for short-term gain. I'm in my 30s which is apparently when all the chickens start flocking home to roost from lifestyle decisions. It's sad to see a 35-year-old seat-ridden at the beach because of a smoking habit and obesity, winded from tossing a football around. Not sure my friend feels like that's the road to "enjoying the heck out of life". Surely the key to life is getting to a point where you aren't dependent on vices like sweets and alcohol and food so that you can partake on your own terms, exercising total dominance over yourself.
opportune 8y ago
my grandfather did the same and died at 49. I'm sure you can find outliers to anything but alcoholics are not particularly known for longevity
jstewartmobile 8y ago
Genetics, but not particularly uncommon genetics. I know so many people who smoked perpetually, drank hard, ate like birds, and lived in full physical health until their late 90s. Look at the Italians! The Japanese! If I enjoyed smoking and drinking, I'd invest in that nutrition plan long before taking a stab at whatever the "scientists" and "nutritionists" are whoring out at the moment.
basicplus2 8y ago
Imagine how long he would have lives if he had NOT drunk a 5th of whiskey a day and smoked one cigar a day until the day he died. Age 102!!

jm__87 8y ago

Not sure why you're downvoted. There is a guy by the name of Peter Attia who has spent a lot of time studying centenarians and his conclusion has basically been, these people won the genetic lottery for longevity. He of course thinks those of us who aren't so lucky with genes can achieve similar results through diet and exercise. Very interesting stuff.

taurath 8y ago
The question is do you want to play against the averages (smokers more likely to die sooner for example), or above them - it comes to a personal choice. What isn’t a personal choice is how little we control the environment in formative years. Kids growing up with parents that are told cheap carbs are healthy are gonna have a hard time changing later when it turns out it’s not healthy at all.
- jm__87 8y ago
  I don't disagree with you. I just wanted to give the first poster I responded to some credit. There needs to be a balance between quantity and quality of life. For some, they will enjoy drinking and smoking. Personally, I think meditation and mindfulness is a better path. But quality of life matters a lot. Edit: I also didn't mean to imply that I think the key to a long life is simply not worrying. The key to a long life is definitely a combination of genetics and how well you take care of yourself. But part of taking care of yourself is worrying less.
  - zw123456 8y ago
    I do think stress plays a role. Full disclosure, I work out every day and eat pretty healthy, I am not dismissing science, just saying, enjoying life is, IMHO, and important component. Enjoy your time on this planet. It is wonderous, all the beauty and ugliness are in an existential way, amazing.
zw123456 8y ago
I think people want to feel like they have some control over their fate. I certainly do. But, I am not sure that the data supports that. But, for me, in a situation where the data is not conclusive, maybe the best thing is to enjoy your time. I admit I could be wrong.

hombre_fatal 8y ago

I'd wager most people already have a daily battle with their own waistline long before they are worried about longevity. And there's much, much more to life than longevity, like day-to-day quality of life. If you focus on that, then longevity is just a bonus, even if it's true that you have no control over it. You certainly have control over quality of life, though. And indulgence tends to hamstring that for short-term gain. I'm in my 30s which is apparently when all the chickens start flocking home to roost from lifestyle decisions. It's sad to see a 35-year-old seat-ridden at the beach because of a smoking habit and obesity, winded from tossing a football around. Not sure my friend feels like that's the road to "enjoying the heck out of life". Surely the key to life is getting to a point where you aren't dependent on vices like sweets and alcohol and food so that you can partake on your own terms, exercising total dominance over yourself.

opportune 8y ago

my grandfather did the same and died at 49. I'm sure you can find outliers to anything but alcoholics are not particularly known for longevity

jstewartmobile 8y ago

Genetics, but not particularly uncommon genetics. I know so many people who smoked perpetually, drank hard, ate like birds, and lived in full physical health until their late 90s. Look at the Italians! The Japanese! If I enjoyed smoking and drinking, I'd invest in that nutrition plan long before taking a stab at whatever the "scientists" and "nutritionists" are whoring out at the moment.

basicplus2 8y ago

Imagine how long he would have lives if he had NOT drunk a 5th of whiskey a day and smoked one cigar a day until the day he died. Age 102!!