When asking people "When do you think you should start thinking about your longevity?", many people will raise their gaze to the sky, tilt their head slightly, and as if they were looking at the sun, squint their eyes and say "When I'm OLD. Like in my 60s, 70s, or older".
I understand where the idea comes from as most us think longevity is reserved for people who are much older than we are, no matter the age. But if you are in your 40s or younger, you think you are decades away from even entertaining the idea of longevity, or more importantly, being concerned about longevity.
The question remains: WHEN? Well, if you were planting a tomato plant and wanted it to produce the best tommies you had ever had, you would start with the best seeds, then the best soil, and then the best way to care for those seeds into plants for as long as possible by giving it the best nutrients, protection, and pest care.
The same can function with you and I. In the discussion of WHEN, the time to BEST begin thinking of longevity for you and I is TODAY. What can we do, those small, reasonable, effective, and cost-effective steps we start today to stack the deck for a better tomorrow, and decades to come?
In looking at next generations, our kids, the best day to start is BEFORE conception. We want the best seeds for those tomato plants so we can grow the best plants. The same idea can be applied for us, we humans.
If we want the healthiest, longest thriving children, then we as adults should put our health at the forefront and make it a priority so our kids can be their healthiest by the genetic and then epigenetic things we can do.
So, for the question of WHEN? The answers are: TODAY, or, even better, from Day 1.
Longevity is simpler than we have been mis-lead to believe. Take advantage of our innate abilities and watch how great we can be for decades more.
There is a saying, that I am not sure the origin, I believe it is from Greek origin, but it says "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." Get the best seed. Cultivate the best soil. Give that tree the best opportunity.
It is the same for US.