LG Electronics got their motto right – “Life is Good”.   While in fear of a disease that is stalking us and being locked down like inmates in a prison, that nice motto may seem far, far away.

But when this is over we can reclaim everything we ever wanted for a few hundred generations.  Most diseases that stole the lives of so many of our children are vanquished. Food is overabundant.  Most jobs safe and not back-breaking and dangerous, anymore.  Easy, fast, safe travel anywhere on this small planet in a few hours.  Night as light as day, warm in winter – cool in summer. These days will come again.

The world of our ancestors was challenging enough to maximize exercise, minimize over-eating – and over-thinking and worrying.

Ironically, the stress of the life-threatening challenges in our ancestor’s world was not as tough on the soul as our world.   Now that pure survival (beyond our pandemic) has gone the way of the plow-horse, our internal stress levels paradoxically go way beyond fending off Genghis Khan or not starving.

Ours is a faux-freedom from the fitness that nature imposed on us: eating moderately, sleeping adequately, and having our brains occupied externally.  That means that our fitness – physical and emotional – is now entirely what we choose within ourselves.  Motivation for fitness, the right diet, good sleep habits, and handling our worry and stress, must come from within.

True, it isn’t that easy – only 8% of Americans, for example, are consistent at all 5 of these keys to a healthy life-style.

However, we can do 5 things coming from within ourselves to do what a harsh life did in the past. We can CHOOSE to THRIVE.  It is not high-tech or new: changing our lifestyle even a bit can add 10 years to our lives – and we can start while locked down.  Science shows us the 6 keys to thriving:

  1. Not smoking.
  2. Eating healthy.
  3. Exercising regularly (even in your living room).
  4. Maintaining a normal weight.
  5. Drinking in moderation

There is huge truth for us in the old joke about the Zen Pizza Parlor: a lady comes in and pays 500,000d for a 300,000d pizza.  She asks the clerk for change, but he replies, “change can only come from within”.