We hear a lot these days about the “graying” of America. What the black and white statistics miss, however, is just how vibrant “gray” can be. (I prefer to think of us as a rich vein of gleaming silver wisdom illuminating the bedrock of society.) Many of us in the baby-boomer generation have spent our lives refusing to live by the old rules; now we simply defy age. With Americans living longer, the important life question becomes one of quality over quantity –– just how much fun do you want to have? It turns out the answer to that question is very much up to us.

Life, as every fun-loving RVer knows, is a journey. And the measure of adventure lies in how much fun you have on the way. When taking off for parts known or unknown in your motorcoach a lot of that fun depends on having the coach in tip-top condition. In life, the same is true of the other vehicle that we all travel in: our body. With a little proper maintenance these recreational vehicles are good for a very long haul indeed.

The great news is: It is never too late to get –– and stay –– in shape. Recent research points to the fact that our bodies are ever ready to rebound, improve, even reverse some of the effects of getting older –– with a little help from their owners. Where to start? With the principle of the thing. Five principles, in fact.

Why five? While it’s fun to compare the body to a vehicle, even as complex a vehicle as a modern motorcoach does not begin to approach the body’s sophistication. Our bodies are not things. Really, they are quite a collection of things, from mitochondria to the mind, which work together in synergy. They are more like ecological systems than machines and to keep them healthy requires raising the level of the whole system, not just one of its parts. This is the basic reasoning behind the holistic health movement. Our bodies are quite practiced healers it turns out, if we give them the chance to perform at their best.

Two quick caveats before I dive in. One: the greatest enemy of health plans is an all or nothing attitude. We tend to look at a big pile of life changes and think, “Tomorrow.” The fact is, with health, doing anything good is far better than nothing. Eating a little better is a lot better. Taking a short walk is way better than not exercising. So, since all or nothing usually ends up being nothing, I recommend that you take these five principles as five suggestions and do those parts of them that feel right. The sole reason to do these things is to have more energy and more energy equals more fun. Okay, second caveat. In one article, I cannot begin to cover these steps in detail. The point here is to start you on a fun health adventure.

The Five Steps To Total Health

1. Detoxify your body.
2. Eat well for health and energy.
3. Supplement your natural energy.
4. Stay in shape with regular exercise.
5. Mental ways to stay calm, sharp
and healthy.

Cleaning Up

If you are determined to put better stuff into your body it stands to reason that you have put some questionable stuff into it in years past. You’re not alone; our modern industrial environment has contributed its share of water and air pollution, pesticides, heavy metals and very non-food-like ingredients found in heavily processed “foods.” Since our bodies are built to process a flow of natural foods high in roughage and nutrients, our systems work overtime trying to clean out these extras. Energy spent battling these invaders is energy unavailable for other activities, like staying healthy. Our organs most taxed with custodial responsibilities –– the colon, kidneys, liver and blood –– could use a vacation from time to time. That’s where you can help.

When natural healers say that health starts in the colon they mean that a smoothly flowing intestinal tract that readily performs its two functions –– passing nutrients on to the body and quickly eliminating the bad stuff –– builds the base for optimal health. Unfortunately, a lot of colons do not work like this. Instead, the invaders stick around, clogging up the works, preventing nutrients from easily entering your system and passing off unhealthy toxins.

Hardliners recommend a cleansing fast one or two times a year, but if this sounds as appealing as doing your taxes, there is an alternative: colon-cleansing kits. It will take you about a week to complete a simple program of taking a few capsules a day of these combined herbs, psyllium, apple pectin and, often, fine clay. (Yes, you heard that last one right.) To find a good colon cleanser amidst the mob of candidates, talk to a naturopath, health food store, or search the web. Once you’ve cleaned house, maintain a healthy digestive track by adding a heaping tablespoon of psyllium husks and milled flax seed –– for fiber and omega 3 fatty acids –– to your juice every morning.

After you’ve cleared the pipes you can help that other detoxifying workhorse, your liver. This stalwart strainer in charge of cleaning your blood becomes strained itself over the years. While a liver cleansing may sound daunting, it actually involves a simple one-week regimen of diet and teas. Blood cleansing can be equally simple. Although you can spend a mint on chelating injections, there are several oral options available — the simplest is a tincture of cilantro and chlorella. Just add a dropper full to your juice in the morning. You will be pleasantly surprised at the added buoyancy you feel.

Eating for Wellness

I was standing by the bananas in Whole Foods listening to a fellow explain to his wife –– in the authoritative manner we men use when we don’t know what we’re talking about –– that it wasn’t that important to buy organic bananas because you didn’t actually eat any poison. While it’s rather odd to have conversation about how much poison on your food is okay, that’s just one of many reasons for eating organic food. Here’s my quick pitch. Aside from the fact that ingesting pesticides, chemical residues, growth hormones and antibiotics is something your body would rather you did not do, our “conventionally” grown foods are becoming deficient in nutrients. That’s because they are grown in soil that is no longer living; it is more like an inert substrate into which farmers dump nitrogen and other chemicals to force the growth of beautiful but increasingly empty produce.

Natural soil is a busy biological community, with millions of helpful organisms per gram, all eager to help break down organic materials and assist plants in uptaking nutrients. Organic farming nourishes and replenishes it by mimicking the natural process of nutrient recycling. You could say that organic farming feeds the earth while it feeds us more nourishing foods –– a big win-win! No poisons in you or the earth, a living soil that provides us with the nutrients our bodies need, that’s a lot to gain for a small price: eating organic will add about twenty percent to your food budget. For me, it’s easily worth it.

Your body needs whole foods. It needs a balance of proteins, complete carbohydrates and, yes, fats –– good fats such as olive oil. (Avoid all trans fats.) It needs a complete set of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and roughage, in the form of plenty of fruits, nuts and vegetables –– the latter eaten raw, or very lightly steamed.

So much of health has to do with attitude. So it stands to reason that if negative thoughts and self images can drag down a body, positive thoughts can help lift it up.

Fad diets that ace out one of these major categories can never be healthy in the long run. In case you’re worried that my next suggestion is to stop eating meat, relax. I’m an avowed omnivore. However, I don’t eat meat at all meals, and when I do I eat organically raised, pasture-fed meat in smaller doses. Surprisingly, even red meat is not the absolute no-no that simplistic diets recommend. What matters more is how it is raised –– organic, pasture-fed beef is far better.

We live in a golden age of dietary information. While whole, natural foods form the indispensable foundation of health, all our bodies are different. For a fascinating look at how different they can be, read Eat Right For Your Blood Type, the book that popularized the notion that what’s good for type A is not as good for type B, and vice versa. There are diets that literally cure, or at least reduce the debilitating effects of, diabetes, arthritis, MS, asthma, Alzheimer’s and a host of other “inevitable” ailments –– without drugs. As it turns out, the age-old dictum is true: we are what we eat. Whole, healthy foods make whole healthy bodies with lots of energy.

Supplements

In a perfect world, our bodies would get everything they need from a healthy diet, pristine air and pure water. There would be no pollutants in the environment and much less stress. However, we’re in luck; we can make up a lot of the difference with supplements, a catchall term that covers vitamins, anti-oxidants, amino acids and, importantly, enzymes and protobiotics. Where to start?

The best vitamins are those natural ones that come with fresh, wholesome foods; still, it’s a good idea to add extra doses of vitamins C and E (all eight trocopherols and tocotrienols) plus 20 minutes of mild sun for vitamin D. Who started this nonsense about staying entirely out of the sun? We need it. Anti-oxidants are exactly what the name implies –– they fight the nefarious products of oxidation, known as free radicals. Free radicals, which contribute mightily to the aging process, are cellular thugs that damage DNA, alter essential biochemicals, attack cell membranes and destroy cells. Although they occur naturally, their numbers are greatly increased by pollution and stress. Your body makes a host of antioxidants to fight off this assault, but its ability to do so is diminished with age. Help it out with a broad-spectrum anti-oxidant every day. I add Co-Q-10 enzyme for energy, gingko bilboa for circulation and a brain boost, and a complete set of amino acids, with emphasis on L-carnosine for cell rejuvenation.

Digestive enzymes are a must. Too much of our food is over-processed or over-cooked and arrives in our stomachs without the natural enzymes to help digestion, thus taxing our system. Look for one that contains amylase (to digest starches and carbohydrates) lipase (to digest fats) cellulase (to break down cellulose) lactase (for dairy products) and bromelain –– a miracle enzyme from pineapples that digest proteins, burns fat and helps with inflammation of joints. A natural digestive track should be full of friendly bacteria that help us digest. Antibiotics in our meat and chlorine in our water can wipe them out. Take probiotics to restore these natural allies, and drink purified water.

Exercise

“Nothing happens till something moves,” said Einstein, and that is the secret of life. Move. Yet the word exercise is often followed by the word, “Ugh!” All that sweat and toil, and for what? Well, here are 11 “for whats.” Live longer, improve your memory and cognition, improve your immune system, improve your sex life, reduce muscle and joint pain, maintain muscle and build bone (through strength training), find help with the effects of menopause, reduce stress, increase your energy, be thinner and more limber, and (drum roll) save money on health care. Yes, studies have shown that regular exercisers over 50 averaged savings of $2,000 per year on medical bills.

“Nothing happens till something moves,” said Einstein, and that is the secret of life. Move.

Use Your Head

Recent brain studies have debunked all the old, debilitating myths. Turns out, the brain is built to be sharp and active for a long time. It keeps adding new cells, it remains flexible so long as you do. You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but, hey, we’re the dog trainers –– we can teach ourselves new tricks indefinitely.

So much of health has to do with attitude. So it stands to reason that if negative thoughts and self images can drag down a body, positive thoughts can help lift it up. This has been proven many times over. The brain controls the body, but who controls the brain? That would be where you come in. Just as there are techniques to build the body you want, so there are many ways to shape your mind.

I have been a meditator for most of my life, and I can’t recommend it enough. Meditation benefits your nerves, heart, blood pressure and youthful appearance. Part of this benefit comes from simple deep breathing. If you’d like to combine meditation with exercise, take a Tai Chi class.

The Flip Effect

The happy results of a clean body, healthy diet, supplements and exercise accrue so quickly that any initial avoidance will soon turn into headlong enthusiasm. Honest. I call it the Flip Effect. I don’t know how it happens, or exactly when, but there comes a moment when, instead of looking at these newfangled ways of living as oddities, they become normal and fun. You find yourself saying, “Let’s head to the gym!” Raw broccoli is suddenly much better tasting than the cooked stuff –– or even potato chips. Supplements kick in and you wake up saying, “Wow!” People say “No way!” when you tell them your age.

And, not to worry, you do not become something so boring as a health nut; you become a vibrantly vital fun nut. Your recreational vehicle is humming and ready to go –– and the only question is, “Where to next?”

Peter Herring is a freelance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He writes articles on travel, food, wine and assorted lifestyle topics.