The Old Artist

The other night I was watching television with great interest as a journalist interviewed a ninety year-old bloke who still runs his own business, is sharp as a tack and as productive, funny, creative and happy as ever. He is an artist who sculpts, draws and paints and with the help of his young (sixty five year-old) wife, manages his own successful commercial art gallery. He also teaches (and entertains) budding Picassos.

His positive attitude and his laugh were infectious. He flirted (harmlessly) with the female interviewer, he wheeled out a string of witty one-liners and he was clearly a charismatic, charming and engaging character who loves life. He made the interviewer laugh so much that she had to stop and regain her composure several times.

Finding the Good

During the interview it became clear that our artist was the eternal optimist. He had an amazing ability to find the good and to find a reason to be happy. Not too long after his first wife passed away from cancer he started to have coffee (tea actually) with one of his "sexy young students", who would become his second wife within twelve months. "I loved my first wife very much, but she wouldn't want me to sit around moping", he said.

The other thing which captured my attention during the story was the ever-present cigarette between the fingers or lips of our artist. When the interviewer questioned him about his apparent good health, he put it all down to laughing and having fun. "My goal in life is not money or accolades" he said, "it's to laugh as often as possible, to do what I love with people I love and to have fun. While others do all kinds of strange things to their bodies and spend their lives worrying about getting sick, my health plan is laughter and fun."

Confusion

So there the 'fitness expert' sat in his hotel room (I was interstate) somewhat conflicted. Here was this old guy who's been smoking for seventy (or so) years, who has outlived the average western male by over a decade and is still going strong! That's not meant to happen. Shouldn't he have died long ago? Throw into the equation the fact that he eats meat daily (apparently that's gonna kill you), has a beer or two most days and has never been near a gym in his life and you need to ask a few questions. Of course the experts are gonna say it's just dumb luck or amazing genetics but what if it's not?

What if he's done something (consciously or not) which has enabled him to reach his tenth decade on the big blue ball in such good shape despite his lifestyle, despite his lack of exercise and despite his liking for charred animal flesh?

Well, he has.

Killing Ourselves with Stress

Without knowing it (but then maybe on some level he did), he has avoided the biggest health risk in western society; stress (and all the destructive, cancer-causing hormones and chemicals it produces). While so many of his contemporaries have worried themselves into sickness and an early grave, the happy artist has laughed his way into old age.

Consider these factors:

He is passionate about what he does, he experiences joy every day, he laughs a lot, his life has meaning and purpose, he is appreciated and needed, he loves people and is loved in return, he is creative and expresses that creativity, his mind is stimulated and challenged, he is still learning, he is optimistic, he chooses not to worry and he lives a relaxing and fulfilling life.

Now, before you misinterpret what I'm saying, I'm not suggesting that we all run out and buy ourselves a pack of Marlboro and some clay. Of course smoking is harmful, as is an unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle. What I am saying is that for some people the biggest determinant of health or sickness in their life will be their ability to effectively manage stress (fear, anxiety, anger). Keeping in mind that situations, circumstances and events don't produce stress, we do.

Current research

Current research is telling us that more than any other variable, stress will kill us the quickest. Long-term chronic stress will see our body consistently producing high levels of cortisol (a destructive hormone), which has been strongly linked to obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, various cancers and a wide range of other chronic diseases. The precis' version? Stress equals cortisol, cortisol equals disease, disease equals premature death.

Compare the level of health of Sally who eats badly and doesn't exercise for a month with her twin sister Julie who is under immense emotional and psychological stress for the same amount of time. Sally gains two kilos. Julie ages ten years and her health declines dramatically.

So, I'm not suggesting that you take up smoking (of course) but I am suggesting that you learn to manage your stress. In fact, while you're at it, eat well, exercise regularly, live a healthy lifestyle and laugh a lot too. If you don't already have a stress-management strategy, then now might be the time to make that happen. If you don't manage it, it will manage you.

老艺术家

一天晚上，我正兴致勃勃地看电视，一名记者正在采访一位90岁高龄还经营着自己的事业的家伙，衣着入时，依旧富有作为，幽默，快乐，富有创造性。他是一位雕刻，绘画艺术家，在年轻（65岁）妻子的帮助下，成功地经营着自己的艺廊。他还教授萌芽中的毕加索（也以此为乐）。

他积极乐观的态度和他的笑声很有感染力。他和女记者调情（没有恶意的），说话幽默机智。显然他是一个有魅力的人，迷人，富有魅力，热爱生活。他使那位女记者开怀大笑，以至于她不得不几次停下来，重新恢复镇定。

发现好的一面

采访中发现，我们的艺术家是一位永远的乐观主义者。他在发现事物好的一面和开心的理由方面有着惊人的能力。在他第一位夫人去世后不久，他就和他的一个性感年轻的学生喝咖啡(确切地说是茶)，12个月后这个学生成了他的第二任夫人。"我很爱我的前妻，但她也不想我整天无所事事，沉浸在哀痛里。"他说道。

还有一件引起我极大注意力的事情是，采访中我们的艺术家手指间或嘴里始终有一支烟。当记者问他关于他良好的健康状况时，他把这一切都归因于笑和开心过日子。"我的人生目标不是金钱或荣誉，"，他说，"而是尽可能地笑，和爱我的人做我爱的事，开开心心。当其他人对他们的身体做着各种各样奇怪的事情，把生命浪费在担心生病时，我的健康计划就是大笑，开心过日子。"

疑惑

所以他宾馆房间里有一位健康专家（我是洲际的）。这多少有些矛盾。竟然有个老家伙，抽了七十年(大约)的烟，比西方平均男性多活十多年，还是这么健康矍铄。这不可能。他不是早应该就死了吗？实际上，他每天吃肉（显然这个可能杀了你）,大部分时间里喝一两瓶啤酒，在他生命里，从来没去过附近的身房。你肯定有一些疑问。当然，专家会说，只是他该死的运气罢了，或是神奇的遗传因素，但如果不是呢？

除了他的生活方式，缺乏锻炼和喜爱吃烧焦的肉的嗜好，如果是因为他一直做着（自觉或不自觉的）可以让他在这个世界上健健康康地活到100岁的事情呢？

是的，他的确是这样。

压力杀手

还不知情地（可能他某些程度上知道），他避免了西方社会的最大健康杀手：压力（它产生一切破坏性，致癌荷尔蒙和化学物质）。当他的同龄人们都在担心自己陷入疾病，英年早逝时，这位开心的艺术家笑着活到了晚年。

考虑这些因素：

他对所做的事情怀有热情，开心度过每一天，经常笑，生活有意义有目的，他被崇拜被需要着，他爱别人也被人别人爱着，他富有创造力，并将它表现出来。他的思维被刺激着挑战着，他仍在在学习，他乐观，选择不去担心，过着轻松充实的生活。

现在，在你误解我的话之前，我并不是建议大家都出去买包万宝路和一些泥巴。当然，吸烟是有害的，因为这是一种不健康的饮食和静坐生活方式。我说的是，对有的人来说，影响他们健康的最大决定因素是她们有效掌控压力（害怕，焦虑，生气）的能力。记住，情景，环境是不会产生压力的，而是我们自己制造了压力。

最新研究

最新研究告诉我们，压力成为杀害我们最快的凶手，远远超过了其他因素。长期不断的压力承载于我们的身体，产生大量皮质醇（一种破坏性的激素），这种皮质醇和肥胖，高血压，心脏病，糖尿病，各种各样的癌症和其他大量慢性病有着密切的关系。具体的关系？压力产生皮质醇，皮质醇等于疾病，疾病等于早逝。

Sally贪吃却一个月都不运动，她的双胞胎姐姐Julie，一个月以来也处于情绪和精神压力中。将她们的健康状况作比较。Sally胖了2公斤，Julie10岁，她的健康状况急剧下降。

所以，我当然不是建议你去吸烟，而是建议你学着管理你的压力。实际上你已经做到了，饮食适当，适时锻炼，过一种健康的生活方式，经常笑。如果你还没有压力管理策略，现在是时候制定一个了。如果你不掌控他，他就会掌控你。
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