12 Things you must do before turning 60

         Everybody desires to live long, to live to see his/her grandchildren but just like every other thing, it has to be worked for. Read this to know what you must do/ avoid to enjoy your old age. 

1.   Quit smoking- Nourish yourself with a handful of sunflower seed and a cup of nettle or oat straw infusion daily for 4 to 6 weeks before quitting. Sunflower seeds reduce the body’s craving for nicotine by filling the nicotine receptor sites. The infusions strengthen blood vessels and nerves and cushion the impact of withdrawal.  
2. Touch and be touched- Many scientific studies have shown that people who were touched lovingly every day had significantly fewer heart problems than the control group.
3. Eat sea foods-  sea foods  have been shown to stabilize blood pressure, regulate levels of triglycerides, phospholids and cholesterols, they dissolve fatty build-ups in the blood vessels, they can restore cardiac efficiency and prolong the life of the heart muscle, and they encourage  a steady heart beat.
4. Eat food rich in beta-carotenes- food rich in beta-carotene can cut down risk of a stroke by 40 percent. Foods rich in beta-carotenes include carrots, cabbage, winter squash, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, apricots, and seaweeds. 
5. Eat garlic- study after study has confirmed garlic’s abilities to lower blood pressure, reduce phospholipids and cholesterol, strengthen heart action, increase immune response, reduce platelet clumping and clotting (thus reduce strokes) and stabilize blood sugar levels. Eat garlic raw or lightly cooked, many cloves a day.
6. Eat foods rich in essential fatty acids- fresh pressed oils of wheat germ or flax are especially nourishing. 
7. Drink lemon balm tea- there’s an old saying that: “Those who drink lemon balm tea daily will live forever!” This is so true because lemon balm tea strengthens the heart. You can also steep a handful of fresh leaves in a glass of white wine for an hour or so and drink it with dinner. Or make lemon balm vinegar to use on your salads. 
8. Go for a walk, jump rope, and swim. Or do leg lifts and arm raises from your bed or wheelchair: however you can do it, do it! Regular exercise is important for a healthy heart.
9. Avoid restrictive diets. Frequent dieting, fasting, binging and purging destabilizes your electrolytes levels, causing weakening of the heart muscle and damage to the heart. 
10. Eat as much as you want of whole grains, vegetables, beans, greens, fruits, fish, seeds, and yogurt. Go easy on: nuts, cheese, and milk. 
11. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you, make up with your enemies-having good relationships with other people improve your chances of being well physically and mentally. 
12. Meditate- it will help you become more stable emotionally, enhance your ability to empathise with other people, reduce your stress and increase your brain size.

Culled from The NATION, Saturday 26, 2013.