WHAT''S YOUR NUMBER?

We have friends and relatives with air mattresses that require establishing an individual “sleep number”. Our son checks his numbers to see if he has won the PowerBall lottery.
Our Drs. check our numbers to monitor our health. I check my IRA Rollover account daily online to see if that number is doing well. Now I have a new number to calculate.

Reading the magazine published by the ladies gym I joined left me reaching for a pen and pencil. Might even need a calculator. The article “How Long Will You Live?” gave a table of women’s life expectancies. My number is 84. The writer goes on to tell ways to extend our lives. Here is the list.

Keep blood pressure in normal range without medication. Add 8 years. Ooops. Not going to help me here. I am trying to lose weight and exercise and that will be a goal. (To get off the medication. Then I would have a potential 8 yr. gain= 92 yrs.)
Walk. Be active two to four hours a week. The gain is not in years but in likelihood of living to age 85 without disability. I think I like this idea better than hitting 92!
Maintain normal weight. They are generous here with the weight allowance but I don’t fit the profile yet. I am on my way. If I achieve the goal and walk 30 minutes a day, add 5 to 10 years. My number now is 84 + 5 or 10 = 89 or 94.
Go to church once a week. I might even get some bonus points because sometimes I go to church more than once. Add 9 to 14 years. My number now is 84 +5 or 10 = 89 or 94 plus the 9 – 14 yrs = so I could hit 102 or 108 years longevity!
Get the recommended health screenings. This will increase your chances of cancer survival and could add 40 or more years. After enduring a colonoscopy, mammogram and Pap test this year, I’m claiming this too. My new number is 84 +5 or 10= 89 or 94, plus the 9 or 14 = 102 or 108 plus the 40 for screenings=148.
Now if I could get my blood pressure in normal range without pills… I think I should have used a calculator. And I think I should have saved more money for the golden years of retirement. Perhaps if I backslide I could console myself with the idea of just attending church and living to be 98.