Everyone seems to have their own ideas on ‘what’s the secret to a long life’.
For example, 105 year old Clare says ‘No Sex is secret to longevity’. That might have worked for her, but most people would be thinking ‘what’s the fun in that’. Long life, no sex – no thanks.
Meanwhile, a 113 Japanese man suggests that the ‘the key to long life is abstaining from alcohol’.
But for those of us who aren’t so keen on these ways of ensuring a long, long life, meet Li Ching-Yun. Not only did he believe in sex (he had 23 …read more

Looks like those Wednesday afternoon golfing doctors had it right all along. Seems golfing is not only good for your health but also has the potential to add years to your life according to a new study out by the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.
The study, published recently in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, analysed data collected from 300,000 Swedish golfers and discovered that “…they were 40 per cent less likely to die at any given age than those who did not play.”
And those with the lowest handicap had even a greater chance of longer life. …read more

I suddenly realized that Liberty and I have just passed our 5 month anniversary as Healthbolt bloggers. Wow, how time flies when you’re having fun. And it is fun. Getting to research and post on all the interesting, informative, bizarre, and oddball health and medical things is like a dream come true…
I did some maths and five months working on ‘the Bolt’ equates to around 250 posts between us. That’s a whole lot of words.
My choice for Top 5 Posts…
Doing a Hasselhoff…new medical slang and it’s companion piece Pumpkin Positive – more medical slang would be my all time favorite …read more

Earlier this week Liberty and I took the Vitality Compass quiz to see where we sit in the longevity stakes.
But then we asked ’why should we have all the fun’. So we issued a Healthbolt Vitality Compass Challenge.
Here’s the brave souls who took up the challenge and not only completed the Vitality Compass quiz but also shared their results with us…
Lisa from Best Health Magazine found that she is 6 years younger that her real age.
A’Lyn is 4.4 years younger.
Alicia from Mental Health Notes is 4 years older…but she explains, with good reason.
ME, with a life expectancy of 97, will outlive …read more

So it’s my turn to report my results from the Vitality Compass Quiz, and let me tell you, I was not anxious to take that thing at first. I figured you’d have to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jessica Alba to score even decently on it, but after reading Liz’s results, I was encouraged. A real person who does not spend the bulk of her day in a gym and who probably noshes on a carb or two once in a while? If Liz could score well, so could I, right?
Well, turns out Liz is on track to last …read more

I’m not one for questionaires and surveys but this Vitality Compass, an online longevity calculator, had me intrigued.
I wanted to know…was I in the Blue Zone? What was my life expectancy? And were my current life habits going to lead the way to a grand old age of 100 plus?
So I headed on over and took the Vitality Compass quiz.
Thirty five questions later, I got my answer.
I exist in the Blue Zone.
I’m 6.5 years younger biologically than my real age. Of course I’d rather it was 10 or 15 years younger but still any number less that the real one …read more

Image details: Question mark with the Earth as a dot served by picapp.com
Happy Earth Day, everyone!
We’ve been reminded quite a bit today about being green and caring for our Earth. So here’s my question: Can the Earth continue to care for us?!?
Over the weekend, Edna Parker of Illinois (the oldest known currently-living person) celebrated her 115th birthday. Also recently, Barbara Walters did a special on living to be 150. While this is fascinating and the idea of living past 100 sounds intriguing, when it comes right down to it, how will our world be able to support such an aging …read more

So here’s an accomplishment to shout from the rooftops: Turning 115! Can you imagine?!?
The lovely Edna Parker of Indiana can. This Sunday, Edna will celebrate her 115th birthday.
One of only 75 living people (64 women and 11 men) who is 110 or older, scientists are hoping that Edna’s DNA can unlock the “Holy Grail” of longevity. Is having a long life a genetic thing? It’s definitely possible. In fact, nearly all centenarians have a sister, mother, or other relative who lived a long life. The same is true for Edna, whose two sisters lived to be 99 and 88.
While …read more