Who among us would not like to live a long and healthy life? I would venture to say not many would forego that blessing. We are always seeking the secret to longevity when there really is no secret. The answer is right in front of our eyes. We only need to look at those who live a long and healthy life. I have found that long livers drink lots of water, but most of all did a lot of walking in the earlier years of their life and continue to remain active walkers later in life. (Have you noticed how mail carriers tend to live longer than most people do?)  

A few years ago, I published an article titled “The Secret to Long Life” in that article I shared with you my observation of several older friends. I concluded that it appeared that drinking one ounce of water for every pound of body weight  plus one and one half additional ounces of water for every ounce of beverage consumed containing caffeine, carbonation or alcohol every day kept them living longer and healthier. I continue to recommend that practice and believe that water is a medicinal miracle. However, two years later I have further concluded that the most effective pathway to a long and healthy life is “walking”. I believe that if you do nothing else, but walk you will live a longer time than sedentary people. Walking is the only exercise you will ever need. 

Mrs. Fannie Bingham, once Tuskegee University’s oldest living graduate told me while we cruised on my pontoon boat on Lake Martin years before her death at age 101, “I have two doctors, my left foot and my right foot”. “Get up and walk! I guarantee you that any physician worth their keep would tell you that walking is the best exercise to improve your health.

If when you grow older you become sedentary, you will die early!” 

I personally walk seven days a week. Sometimes I walk eight miles a day and sometimes I walk four miles a day. Now I am walking four miles a day. As a result, I often tease my secretary and say, “I have to go to the emergency room so that I can find out why I feel so good! 

Doctors now know that walking on a regular schedule will protect the aging brain against memory loss and dementia, cut the risk of heart disease, and reduce the chance of developing type two diabetes in those at high risk by sixty percent. Just 30 minutes a day several times a week will do the trick. 

According to the National Institute on Aging, only 30 percent of people age 45 to 64 engage in leisure time exercise. Only 25% of those 65 to 74 engage in exercise. I encourage you to start walking, but check with your doctor first to make sure you are healthy enough to walk. I promise you if you start walking, it will add years to your life.