Adding More Life

Sometimes living longer can be something that can be adjusted by simple health habits and lifestyle practices. According to Men’s Health there is study that has been done to help anyone to live longer.

            Making relationships last longer, living at higher altitude, brushing teeth frequently, breathing cleaning air, and being accepting towards your age were all listed as ideas that could help someone to live longer. Though some of these ideas seem un-relatable, their results are mentioned to help affect anyone in a positive manner.

            The most random topic of the five I saw was living in higher altitude helping to add to a longer life. The article said that many people who live in the altitude region of Switzerland have a 22% less chance of getting Coronary Hearth Disease. On the other hand, I think there is the trade-off of health defects when people live in high altitudes. People in high altitudes have a higher chance of obtaining Hypoxia, a disorder the body gets when the body is deprived of enough oxygen.

            As opposed to the prior, brushing teeth and breathing clean air seem like obvious picks that could help someone live longer. They are both related to one’s physical health. These both can seem as such little things when they are ignored every so often. In a fast paced lifestyle, these can both be rushed so very often. Most big cities lack the proper clean air. Many people who live in big cities live fast and forget to do the little things such as brushing one’s teeth.

            Not taking care of teeth can lead to plaque build up in arteries as well as contribute to bigger consequences. When breathing polluted air, bacteria and other pollutants can add to contribute to cardiovascular disease. These little things that we tend to disregard can contribute to a bigger danger. Living in Riverside has added to faster lifestyle as well as breathing the dirty air. Being from Oceanside, I live a more low-key lifestyle and breath cleaner air near the beach. In Riverside at school I’m always on the go. Both of these environments have contributed to changing the outcome of my health. Though I cannot change the Riverside air, I can still adjust the amount of time I spend outside.

            Acceptance of age and keeping lasting relationships can contribute to the emotional state of health as much as physical. Many people can find ways to neglect these ideas, since they are not completely intertwined with the physical health side of people.

            Making relationships last, including keeping involvement in a community is said to add up 3.7 years in life expectancy. I can see this being true, since being psychologically healthy leads to less stress. Many people in our culture value their life upon how many friends they have. Maintaining the true friendships helps many feel that they are wanted by others.

            Acceptance of age is the last tip to cite that can contribute to a good life expectancy. We live in a world that consistently put value in those that are young. They forget that many with the most experience wisdom are older. People learning to understand that their age is normal were studied and seen to live 2 years longer.

            It is the little things that can make life expectancy go up. Being psychologically, emotionally, and physically healthy can give one many years on life’s journey.

http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/MH/5-ways-to-cheat-death

Extinction of the East Cougar

Throughout settlement and colonization, many animal's habitats have been threatened. Just recently, the Eastern Cougar was declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since it has been an endangered species since the 1970’s, the species has been struggling to survive its habitat.

            According to the article, researchers have been trying to find out whether or not the cougar had been making its home in the Eastern U.S. It can be easy to say that many official declaration of the species extinction was long overdue. Many have found that it has been hard to find sighting of the creature since 1973.

            In the article, there is a picture of the last known researched cougar from 1938 along with a biologist. The article does not give an exact reason why it has gone extinct. Theories can be speculated. When I took a Biological Anthropology class at my former junior college, I learned from my professor that over 95% of animals that have ever lived have gone extinct. This is natural in many cases. Some animals have a harder time adapting to changing environments that occur. Some have an easier time doing so.

            On the other hand, it is up to us as followers of Christ to take care of the Earth. Adam was given the task to name every animal. Like Adam, we must learn to take care of the animals. God gave us the earth to live on as well as take care of. We were never meant to neglect and forget about God’s creation.

            The problem today leads to ignorance of the matter. Many Christians tend to overlook the idea of taking care of our planet as well as shaking heads at theories that the earth is hurting. Sometimes they may grow even apathetic and believe there is no reason to take care, due to ideas of Jesus Coming back. Yes, Jesus may come back, but he will come like a thief in the night, just as the second letter of Peter said. This is something we as Christians should not worry about.

            I truthfully think that the extinction of the Eastern Cougar is halfway caused by industrialization as well failure of adaptation to a changing environment. Lately I have been seeing post of many other species that are becoming extinct.  The extinctions affect a chain of events as well. When species goes, its predators and prey are affected as well.

            Though it has been declared extinct, the other animals of the same subspecies  have been a subject of research. Some researchers claim to say that are about 120-160 Florida Panthers in the region of south Florida are on the verge of extinction. There is a trend to see that many of these creatures are facing pressure in their own habitat as they only live in 5% of what used to be their normal habitat.

            Let’s be honest, we live in a fallen world. Many things that live are going to face harsh trials. We need to take action though. Donate to wildlife cause. There are many options out there to help. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41871301/ns/us_news-environment/