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Boomers can calculate how not to 'die before I get old'
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Floss ... and add six months to your life
Aging Baby Boomers realize two things about their lives: 1) they don't really want to "die before I get old," as the Who suggested in 1965 and 2) they aren't going to live forever.
So how long a life is long enough?
It used to be that you'd consult a palm reader to assess whether your life line gives you reason for optimism or pessimism about just how old you'll get before the eager funeral homes do their thing.
These days you can consult the web, specifically a popular feature called the age expectancy calculator at Eons.com. The calculator has received a lot of print and air time, including yesterday on NBC's "Today" show.
You can't use the calculator until you sign on to Eons.com. It's as much a registration gimmick as it is an attempt to give you some advice on how to live a longer life. As Eons.com says:
"Having a strong network of friends, family and community is key to longevity. Eons, the online community for baby boomers, is here to help you with that. But there's more you can do. Discover what more than 500,000 people have learned through the Eons Longevity Calculator."
The calculator will inquire about you on five levels: personal, lifestyle, nutrition, medical and family.
You'll be quizzed, among other things, about whether your married, how many friends you've made recently, the stresses in your life, whether you feel you get enough sleep, and whether you smoke. There are a lot of questions about the foods you eat, exercise and vitamin intake, plus the medical related questions about blood pressure, cholesterol and the like.
It processes the information and gives you an age that you will live to, but it also offers online advice on how to extend the years. For example, someone who drinks three or more cups of coffee a day can add a year to their life by reducing or eliminating caffeinated coffee from the diet. Too much red meat is another factor; reducing red meat consumption to one to two days a week can add another year.
Oh, and daily flossing of the teeth can add another six months. Who knew?
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