Lifenuts: A Community-Based Blueprint for Individuals to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier

By Robert Kroeger

Childhood obesity. Divorce. Cancer. Heart disease. Financial woes. The stats of doom surround us, yet we continue in lifestyles that lead to unhappiness and early death. Yet,
life doesnt have to be that way.

LifeNuts is a community-based vitality program designed to save city budget dollars (lower health costs and reduced absenteeism) as well as to reverse the American trend
of unhealthiness, disease, and a lifespan that decreases annually. Run by volunteers,
LifeNuts helps individuals to lose weight, become fit both physically and financially, and manage stress effectively. This book helps individuals to become full-fledged LifeNuts and explains how to implement the program into the communityv

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469199313

Robert Kroeger

Robert Kroeger, after retiring from dentistry, lives with his wife Laura in Cincinnati and is a certified personal trainer. An avid golfer, he also runs marathons, having qualified for Boston in over half of the 50+ marathons he's run. He also enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren.Robert Kroeger lives with his wife and children in Cincinnati. When he is not practicing dentistry, playing golf, running marathons, or spending time with his family, he writes about the history and traditions of golf. A former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, he is three-time club champion of Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati. He has qualified for and played in two USGA Senior Amateur championships and he belongs to Royal North Devon Golf Club at Westward Ho!, the oldest seaside course in England. A former member of Royal Dornoch, he enjoys playing seaside links courses. A member of the Golf Collectors Society, he enjoys researching the history of the game. Having played on over 300 courses in the British Isles and Ireland, Kroeger has written six books on golf in these countries: To The 14th Tee, The Links of Wales, Golf on the Links of England, The Golf Courses of Old Tom Morris, Golf on the Links of Ireland, and Complete Guide to the Golf Courses of Scotland, a book that emphasizes the fun in playing the lesser known gems in the Kingdom.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Robert Kroeger.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012907266

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4691-9930-6

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4691-9929-0

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4691-9931-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book involves a drastic lifestyle change for most people and is intended only as an outline to guide those aspiring to become full-fledged LifeNuts. Neither the publisher nor the author attempts to render any of the following services: psychological, religious, fitness, dietary, financial, transitioning, or municipal planning. Beginning a new lifestyle in the fields of nutrition and physical fitness may involve health issues. BEFORE STARTING A NEW EXERCISE OR NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM, PLEASE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL EXAM AND GET ADVICE FROM A PHYSICIAN. With regard to other aspects of acquiring a new lifestyle, please consult an appropriate professional in any field where you feel you need additional help. The publisher and author disclaim any risk, loss, physical injury, or liability as a result of the reader or community who uses the contents of the book in any way to become a full-fledged LifeNut or a LifeNuts community.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

115244

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Appendix

Bibliography

To My Fellow Members of the Baby Boomer Generation

May our lives disprove the derogatory terms, old geezer, old maid, old fart, old timer, over the hill, old hag, wrinkles, and such. May we become LifeNuts—in every sense of the term—and offer inspiration, counsel, and wisdom to newer generations. May our lives bask in happiness and show others that old age can be fun, healthy, and fulfilling. May our children and grandchildren thrive as they, too, become LifeNuts.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my wife Laura for her insights and for professionally editing this book. I would also like to acknowledge Mike Fremont, the 90-year old LifeNut, for inspiring me and for guiding me towards healthy eating. Thanks also to my wife and my five children, making me realize how important relationships are. I appreciate my son, Rob, for his help in website design and social media marketing. I also thank my marathon guru, Roger, for showing me that I could run a marathon and for listening to me for countless hours on our long training runs during a dark time in my life.

I also owe thanks to the many researchers in the field of longevity and psychoneuroimmunology for their efforts and their books and articles. National Geographic pioneered this field in the early 1970s: I hope they continue this work. Thanks also to John Robbins for writing Healthy at 100, a book that changed my life. I would also like to thank Dan Buettner and his team for creating the Blue Zones and for demonstrating how a community can become healthy.

—Please Note—

I have opted not to attach footnotes for each point I make because to include voluminous references in every paragraph would have converted this book into a medical text, which was not my intention. You’ll find ample documentation on the Internet. In searching, you’ll hear arguments and studies from both sides of the coin. Please remember, we Americans aren’t even in the top 30 nations in longevity, despite our state-of-the-art medical system. And we are getting fatter every year and dying of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes—well before our time.

There’s no guarantee that, by reading this book and changing your lifestyle by implementing these concepts, you will live a glorious existence well into your 90s and beyond. But, the odds will be in your favor. And, even if you decide to become a LifeNut solely to set a good example for your children, that’s reason enough.

And . . . I would recommend reading this book from the start, rather than skipping randomly, since each chapter builds on the preceding one.

Introduction

One day last summer my wife called me a health nut, which carries a negative connotation to some although it doesn’t bother me . . . much. I thought about it for a second and then retorted, I’m not a health nut; I’m a life nut. I love life, its challenges, and the people I encounter each day. I enjoy having a low BMI that gives me loads of energy to exercise daily. I like turning the lemons of life into lemonade. I look at stress, the assortment of life’s ever occurring changes, as a challenge that tests my mettle. I stay in the present moment, forget about the past, and don’t get too caught up in the future. I love my wife, my children, and my grandchildren (Oh yeah, I’m a senior citizen). So, yes, I must be a life nut, I thought. And that’s how the name evolved.

A few years ago at a family dinner, I brought up the concept of longevity in America and the importance of making healthy choices to live a long life—as many centenarians do in cultures described in Healthy at 100, a book I had given to my five children. My daughter-in-law quickly commented, No offense, but I don’t want to live to 100. Her honest reply reflected the American concept of old age: wheelchairs, nursing homes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and a decrepit, sickly and feeble existence, one that often depends financially and physically on others. When I commented on the vibrant, happy and healthy lifestyles of the independent 90 and 100-year-olds in such places as Okinawa, my preaching fell on deaf ears. Most twenty and thirty-somethings enjoy their lifestyle and aren’t interested in thinking about old age, which seems like an eternity away. Yet, the time to prepare for a wonderful quality of life in old age is when you’re young, not when you’re old and the demons of the American lifestyle have firmly established their destructive roots. So, then, here’s the foundation of this book—to offer a blueprint for individuals and communities to examine their lifestyle, make appropriate changes, and measure their progress in order to grow into a long, graceful, healthy and fulfilling old age.

I didn’t really want to write this book but I felt compelled to since I did not want to reach the finish line of my life without sharing what I know with my fellow Americans. I’ve intended it as a way for city leaders and employers to save money while also improving the health and happiness of their people.

I’ve also written this book for you, your children and your parents, for your neighborhood and your state, and for the good old USA in hopes that we Americans, young and old, can live happily and healthily into our golden years. These pages provide free guidance on how your city, township, suburb, or county can become an official LifeNuts community and how you, as I have, can become a full-fledged LifeNut.

USA—#1 in Health Care Costs and #36 in Longevity

Why is this message critical? The USA has the highest per capita health care spending in the world. We have wonderful doctors, famous clinics and hospitals, effective drugs and world class medical technology. Yet we rank 36th in longevity. We live an average of 78.3 years (We lost .3 years in 2011). The Japanese, ranked first in longevity with an average lifespan of 82.6 years, live nearly four and a half years longer than Americans. We approach health by relying on medical treatment (drugs, diagnosis, and treatment). Let me eat what I want and don’t bug me about exercising. Don’t worry: I’ll see my doctor or I’ll take a pill if I get sick. We are overfed, overly sedate, and overstressed.

On the other side of the world, the Japanese approach health much differently, which is why they live much longer than we do. In fact many countries (Canada, France, Spain, Iceland, Italy) have a lifespan longer than ours. Even bankrupt Greece has us by a year. I guess our medical model isn’t working. By the way, the women of Japan lead everyone with a life expectancy of 86.1. You ladies rock!

Obesity in America increases daily and is considered by many—except by those who are overweight—to be our major public health problem. Most Americans gain weight each year, despite an array of campy diets. In March of 2000 The New England Journal of Medicine featured a study that examined weight gain. The study pointed out that, on an average, a 160-pound person annually puts on five pounds (male) and eight pounds (female). One in four Americans is obese. If this trend continues, 43% of the population will be obese by 2018. This statistic does vary by state—Colorado is the leanest state (less than 20% are obese) while Mississippi holds the dubious distinction of being the fattest state (34% are obese and another 36% are overweight).

It’s no coincidence that obese folks are more prone to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, all of which shorten one’s lifespan. How much energy and zest for life do you have if you’re 100 pounds overweight? Not much. But why? Why is America going into the dumpster of disease? Well, today we live in the marvelous technological age of television, movies, cell phones, and electronic gadgets that evolve almost monthly. Tech allows us to sit, relax, fiddle, and get fat.

Think about your own childhood. For those of us over 40, look at your class pictures from grade school. Notice any fat kids? Probably none or not many. Not so today. Childhood obesity threatens our children and their futures since excessive childhood fat is much harder to lose than fat acquired during adulthood. TV shows and ads feature overweight and obese actors and actresses. To attract viewers and enhance ratings, Hollywood and its marketing geniuses must relate to the masses, most of whom are overweight. The Center for Disease Control states that childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years and that more than a third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.

I remember watching the first TV shows as I grew up in the 1950s. Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger were my favorites. Westerns fascinated me. But I don’t recall watching TV as much as folks do these days. Believe it or not, TV watching today is still more prevalent than time spent on the Internet. The average American spends more than 30 hours a week watching the tube. But other electronic media are decreasing that. Good, right?

Wrong. In 2010 the Kaiser Family Foundation reported findings from a study of over 2,000 children from 8 to 18. Each day these youngsters spend over seven and a half hours engaged in electronic media: TV, video games, computer, music. Actually the total number of hours was larger but some time was combined with other activities (multi-tasking). This study did not include texting, which has become a rite of passage for all adolescents. Go to any high school parking lot and watch kids as they exit the school doors and head for their cars or the bus. Texting. Texting. Texting. Some admit that it’s so addicting that they can’t refrain from texting while driving. Scary thought, eh? And, in 2011, a young lad, about 11, was texting while crossing the street, and, completely unaware of traffic, he was hit and killed by a car (the driver was not charged since the boy walked out suddenly from behind a parked car). How we seniors survived childhood and teenagedom without a cell phone escapes me.

But our problem can’t be solved solely by healthy eating and by exercise. The other piece to the puzzle is stress management. And a significant part of this is relationships. Witness the deterioration of the family unit. In 1940 there were less than two divorces out of 1,000 marriages (a 1.4% rate). Today the incidence of divorce approaches 50%. Surveys show that divorced men and women have a higher death rate than those not divorced. Surveys also show that children of divorced parents have a host of social and health problems.

Going back in time to the 1950s, I remember family dinners. When my dad came home from work, the six of us sat at the dinner table and spent time with each other, talking. No TV. No texting. Just one-on-one communication. Fast forward to the 80s and 90s: when my late wife and I were raising our five children, our family dinners were bombarded by sports, school, and other activities. Sadly, the only family dinner we had was at a pizza joint after church on Saturday night. And that wasn’t every Saturday. Still, that one weekly time together was better than nothing. If I could go back in time, I’d change that. We’d have a family dinner every night . . . without cell phones, thank you. America’s lifestyle has eroded.

So, can we change? Can we become healthy and happy? The answer is a resounding yes, but a difficult yes. How we mentally and emotionally face life’s stressful events may be as important as diet and exercise. In 1921 the late Stanford University psychologist Louis Terman started a famous longevity study on more than 1,500 bright children. He, and researchers who continued the study after Terman died, found that personality and attitude (both learned behaviors) played a major role in longevity. Drs. Friedman and Martin, two psychologists, wrote a book on their findings on this study, now eight decades long. Their work, The Longevity Project, offers numerous explanations for a long life.

One of the Terman children became a famous biologist who developed the famous K-ration used by troops in WWII. After the war, Dr. Keys studied heart disease and began recommending the Mediterranean diet—fruits, vegetables, beans, cereals, nuts, and unsaturated fats. He also thought Americans eat too much food. Even though his dietary ideas sparked controversy, Time featured Dr. Keys on its cover in 1961. He also recommended physical activity along with this unusual diet. Keys died at the age of 100 in 2004, probably frustrated that his ideas have largely been ignored since he proposed them 50 years ago. Why haven’t Americans embraced his principals of smaller portions, a low fat diet, and exercise? There are many reasons for this. I hope to make them clear throughout this book.

Dr. Alexander Leaf, a professor of medicine at Harvard, embarked on travels in the early 1970s to study cultures that had reputed high percentages of centenarians, folks who live past 100. National Geographic funding enabled him to visit three areas: Abkhasia in southern Russia, Vilcabamba of Ecuador, and the Hunza region of northern Pakistan. He wrote a National Geographic article about these people in 1973 but later, in 1978, Leaf admitted that the Vilcabambans exaggerated their ages for publicity and tourism. Still, Dr. Leaf found common characteristics of these cultures: respect for the elderly, continuous work ethic, a plant-based diet, and strong social environment. The seed was sown for longevity research.

Can We Be Healthy at 100, 110, or 120?

In 2006 John Robbins wrote Healthy at 100, a book he based on findings of Dr. Leaf. Even though he was heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream fortune, he instead chose a path of wellness. In his research of centenarians, Robbins, after admitting the problem of age verification, discovered many health benefits leading to the long lives of these people. Intrigued, he continued his investigations and found that the Japanese islands of Okinawa had high percentages of centenarians, whose ages could be verified, dating to 1879 registries. Here he found characteristics that mirrored those discovered by Dr. Leaf: a plant-based diet, exercise, an active work life, and an abundance of family and friends. Okinawa is also home to 15% of the world’s supercentenarians (those over 110), despite its tiny population. Ironically, today’s youth of Okinawa, influenced by the influx of American fast food, are among the most obese children in Japan.

In the November, 2005, issue of National Geographic, Dan Buettner wrote an article entitled, The Secrets of a Long Life. Dan, an adventurous explorer, also studied cultures with high percentages of centenarians. And he found that these 100-year-olds aren’t sitting in nursing homes. No, they’re active in their communities and they’re respected by the younger generation. The three sites he examined, Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, and the USA community of Loma Linda near Los Angeles, had traits in common such as a vegetarian diet, exercise, purpose in life, strong social ties and community involvement. However, these cultures were rural—with the lone exception of Loma Linda.