Category: Longevity

Understanding Longevity: Key Biomarkers for Better Health

August 22, 2025
Portrait of smiling middle easter woman using Pilates ring

Longevity Isn’t About Defying Death. It’s About Enhancing Life.

What if your biological age mattered more than the number on your birthday cake? That’s the promise of longevity markers: biological indicators that reveal how well your body is aging and how you can intervene to live not just longer, but healthier.

Longevity markers are measurable biological signals that reflect your rate of aging, disease risk, and overall vitality. Unlike chronological age, these markers help assess biological age: how well your body is functioning at the cellular, metabolic, and systemic levels.

Key Biomarkers To Watch

HEART & METABOLISM

  • Blood Sugar & Insulin : How your body handles sugar. High levels can signal diabetes risk.
  • Good vs. Bad Cholesterol Ratio: A simple way to gauge heart health.
  • Cholesterol Particle Count: A deeper look at the type of cholesterol that clogs arteries.

INFLAMMATION & CELLULAR STRESS

  • Inflammation Protein: Tells you if your body is fighting hidden inflammation.
  • Immune System Alarm: Signals chronic stress or aging in your immune system.
  • Cell Stress Signal: A marker that shows how hard your cells are working under pressure.

PHYSICAL STRENGTH & MOBILITY

  • Grip Strength: A surprisingly powerful predictor of overall health and longevity.
  • Walking Speed & Balance: Reflects how well your body and brain coordinate movement.
  • Sit-Stand Mobility Test: Measures how easily you can get up and move. An important factor for independence.

GENETICS & HORMONES

  • Alzheimer’s Risk Gene: A genetic clue about brain aging and memory.
  • Cancer Risk Genes: Help to assess your inherited risk for certain cancers.
  • Testosterone & Estrogen Sex Hormones: Affect energy, mood, muscle, and aging.

Add LIfe To Your Years

Longevity isn’t just about adding years to your life, it’s about adding life to your years. By understanding and tracking these key biomarkers, you gain insight into how your body is aging and where you can intervene.

Whether you’re optimizing your diet, refining your exercise routine, or exploring cutting-edge therapies, these markers offer a roadmap to a longer, healthier, and more vibrant life.

Start small. Get curious. And remember: the goal is progress, not perfection.

Aging Well Starts On The Floor: The Mobility Test That Predicts Longevity

August 7, 2025

What Is Floor Mobility?

Floor mobility is an essential skill for healthy aging. It is the ability to get up from the floor without assistance. Research shows that this ability is linked to longer life and better overall health.*

Why Floor Mobility Matters

  • It’s a powerful health predictor.
  • It keeps you independent.
  • It’s a sign of physical decline or strength.
  • It’s easier to maintain than regain.

Why It Works As A Predictor

The ability to sit and rise without assistance reflects a combination of the following.

  • Muscle strength
  • Joint mobility
  • Balance and coordination
  • Neuromuscular integration
  • Flexibility and core control

All of these functions are critical to daily function. They tend to decline with age if not actively maintained.

Quick At-Home Test

Use a padded floor or exercise mat. You can do this wearing sneakers or barefoot.

  1. Sit down on the floor without using your hands or leaning on anything.
  2. Now try to stand back up, without using your hands, knees, or nearby furniture.
  3. Subtract one point for each hand, arm, or knee used for support.
  4. Maximum score is 10.

If you don’t have the strength to attempt the mobility test, begin an exercise program as outlined below. Always check with your physician beforehand.

Tips To Improve Floor Mobility

  • Practice squats without equipment.
  • Strengthen your core and glutes with planks, bridges, and step-ups.
  • Improve balance with single-leg exercises.
  • Practice Yoga balance poses or Tai Chi .

*Study Title: Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality
Published: December 2012
Journal: European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
Lead Author: Dr. Claudio Gil Araújo (Brazilian researcher and sports medicine specialist)

Legendary Musicians Still Performing: Willie Nelson 92

June 13, 2025

Willie Nelson the legendary country singer, songwriter and guitarist, was born in Texas in 1933. He’s considered one of country music’s most influential artists. His career spans seven decades, and even in his 90s, he continues to tour and record new music. Beyond music, he has acted in over 30 films, written several books, and is a vocal advocate for biofuels and marijuana legalization.

108-Year-Old Japanese Woman Is Crowned The Oldest Barber In The World

March 18, 2025

“At the astonishing age of 108, Shitsui Hakoishi has been certified as the world’s oldest female barber. Shitsui’s salon is around a three-hour drive from Tokyo, located on the fringe of Tochigi Prefecture surrounded by mountains. In her compact workspace, one will find vintage items such as a pair of scissors that she has been using since the pre-war period”.

Shitsui was officially recognized as the oldest barber in the world by Guinness World Records. She has no plans to retire.

Why American Life Expectancy Is Falling

February 17, 2025

A Mayo Clinic news article written in August 2024 discusses the reasons for the decline in life expectancy in the United States.

The US outspends every country in the world in healthcare. Yet people in the U.S. still live shorter lives than do people elsewhere in the industrialized world.

The Mayo Clinic article cites three main reasons for the decline in longevity.

  • Deaths from opioid drug overdoses.
  • Consumption of overly processed foods such as toaster pastries and sugary cereals.
  • Sedentary lifestyle.

Read the full article at mcpress.mayoclinic.org

Actor Dick Van Dyke Turns 99

December 16, 2024

Dick Van Dyke was born in 1925, and turned 99 on December 13, 2024. His career started in the late 1940s as a radio DJ in Illinois. From there he moved on to television, Broadway theater, and motion pictures.

The actor married for a second time in 2012 to Arlene Silver, who is 46 years his junior. He attributes his well-being to staying active and to his wife. He says that they are very close and that he loves her more every day.

Dick Van Dyke is best known for his role in the movie Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Bye Bye Birdie, and for his tv series The Dick Van Dyke Show.

The life of Dick Van Dyke is celebrated In this 7-minute Coldplay video All My Love.