Recently, we all heard the news that the actor, Ray Liotta passed away suddenly at age 67. Mr. Liotta was well known for movies such as Goodfellas and Field Of Dreams. Many times each year, we learn of the passing of a famous actor, ex-athlete, well known politician and other celebrities that die prematurely. On the person side, we also have all experienced the loss of family friends and other loved ones that leave us mourning.
When death occurs in the later 80’s or 90’s, we all still mourn for the loss but we also celebrate the long, fulfilled life of the person that died. However, when a person dies prematurely, this becomes a much more difficult situation for their loved ones or fans to accept. There are many more situations and things in life that the deceased could have enjoyed prior to passing. The sentiment we feel is that the person was “done too soon”.
To a extent, genetics will play a large role in our life expectancies. For those unfortunate people that have pretty much every family member dying from cancer by the age of 75, the chances of living healthy into their 80’s-90’s are not so high. However, there are lifestyle choices we make that can dramatically impact our life expectancy.
First and foremost, long term weight control will markedly enhance the chances of living a longer/fuller life. The many co-morbidities of obesity, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and vascular disease will very much lower life expectancy. Additionally, the quality of life is so much better as well when we are able to keep that weight under control.
None of us want to be “done too soon”. Stay steadfast and focused on your weight control efforts and you will not be one of those people that others lament as being “done too soon”.
And here is Neil Diamond singing “Done Too Soon”. Sadly, Parkinson’s Disease caused Neil’s performing to be done too soon.
