Show me eight fingers.

You don't even need your thumbs.  Eight fingers are all you really need to count off the big ticket items to optimal health.

In upcoming weeks, we'll go over them individually, but let's start by putting our list together.

1.  Avoid environmental toxins. Quit smoking, wear a mask when around dust, wash food before eating, that kind of thing.

2.  Treat underlying medical conditions. Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure....whatever it is, take care of it.

3.  Exercise.  Every single day.  You don't have to run a marathon, walking counts.  But you have to move, stretch, loosen up the muscles, get the heart rate up.

4.  Eat well.  We're not going to get into all that organic or vegetarian stuff here, but eat a balanced diet of foods that don't come from factories.

5.  Keep mentally stimulated.  Don't spend all night watching tv or clicking "like" on facebook.  Learn something new.  Learn to play a musical instrument, memorize a poem, get a new hobby...something you're doing instead of something the people on tv are doing.

6.  Get quality sleep.  We posted a couple weeks ago....sleep restores you physically and mentally.  It's important.  

7.  Manage your stress.  Yoga, golf, bowling, workout, whatever.  Stress isn't just mental, it's hard on your body.

8.  Have an active social life.  The numbers are irrefutable, people with an active social life are happier, more engaged, more resistant to depression, live longer and hold off dementia better than their more isolated counterparts.

It's that easy.  It's not magic, there's no prescription or pill.  Just the same common sense stuff your grandmother probably told you.

Live long, my friends and please, live well.