Have a Long and Happy Life!

A lot has happened in medicine in the 30 years I've been covering health issues for ABC News. Incredible new drugs, amazing machines that can see deeper into the human body than ever, the mapping of the human genome—as important a journey of discovery as we humans have ever undertaken. Treatments have turned many cancer sufferers into cancer survivors. Revolutionary surgical procedures prolong our lives. 

A century ago the average life expectancy was slightly more than half of what it is today. And yet when I think about the basis for a healthy and happy life, the underlying principles don't seem so new. In fact, most have been around for thousands of years, at least since Hippocrates and Moses. 

Let's start with this medical fact: Research shows that people who attend religious services regularly—it doesn't matter your faith—live longer, healthier lives. Such people are less likely to indulge in self-destructive behavior. (Think of the greatest risks to health: smoking, drug abuse, unsafe sexual practices.) They remember what I learned as a boy: "The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit."

Before I became a doctor I went to seminary. One of my classes was in pastoral education. I was required to visit people in the hospital. I was fascinated by the similarities between the way a good pastor ministers to his parishioners and the way a good doctor ministers to his patients. Could I do both? I felt called to try, so after seminary, I went to medical school and became a doctor. Maybe this gives me a unique perspective on healing. What I've found is this: Body and soul are a single entity, and what's good for one is usually good for the other. 

Here are six ways to nurture body and soul:

Move It. 
Take a guess at what the second biggest killer in America is (after smoking). It's obesity. The Surgeon General's office estimates that obesity is responsible for some 300,000 deaths a year! Of course, there are sometimes underlying physiological and genetic reasons for being overweight, but there are two things almost anyone can do: diet and exercise. If I had to choose between the two I'd go for exercise.

Surprised? Sure, cutting back makes sense. And yet it's almost impossible to maintain a weight loss if you don't also walk, run, swim, dance, lift weights or do something—anything—vigorous several times a week. Consistency, that's the key. Statistics on long-term weight loss back me up. God did not create us to sit in front of the TV stuffing our faces. That's why, once you get into an exercise routine, you will naturally feel renewed and more at peace.

What do I do? I walk. Thirty minutes a day. I even walked from our ABC studios in New York City's Times Square to the GUIDEPOSTS offices on 34th Street for this interview. It felt great!