Go ahead, make me over

I love those makeover shows so prevalent on television these days. A new homeowner, I'm inspired by the do-it-yourself weekend renovations, the whole-house overhauls and the won't-bust-your-budget bedroom re-do's.

When I've had my fill of jackhammers and Spackle, I peruse my way-too-many cable channels for makeover shows of a different kind. Before I know it, I've passed an hour or more on a nose job, a tummy rock and a life-altering eyelid lift.

I'm particularly intrigued by a show I saw on Discovery called Ten Years Younger. The premise: "Five residents of Miami, Florida, are attempting to lose 10 years in 10 weeks. This means changing what goes into their bodies. Can they survive detox, go cold turkey and then stick to their rejuvenating new diets for the whole 10 weeks?" These five people were a sorry lot to begin with, I'll say. One of the women abused ephedra-based diet pills. One of the men smoked a pack or cigarettes and drank a pot or black coffee every morning. One of the women--a vegetarian--craved and ate sugar all day. She didn't get her pear shape by eating fruit, that's for sure.

The detox directive was simple: Give up the junk, the bad habits and the excesses, and you'll look and feel better. It worked. The most dramatic change after just two weeks was seen in the chain-smoking, coffee-guzzling, 50-something TV producer. Despite his buddies' best efforts to sabotage his new mung bean-and-miso diet, he persevered and lost both his chain-smoker's ashy pallor and a few inches around his waist. What he did--or didn't--put into his mouth had something, if not everything, to do with the stunning results.

I'm reminded of the Okinawa Centenarian Study. Since 1976, doctors from several American and Japanese universities have examined more than 600 Okinawan centenarians to determine what, if any, scientific reasons there are for their good health and longevity. Okinawans have the longest life expectancy of any Japanese, at 85.1 years for women and 77.2 years for men, and likely the longest life expectancy of any people, anywhere in the world. Their diet, doctors found, plays a significant role. Elderly Okinawans are lean and stay lean by eating a low-calorie diet of unrefined complex carbohydrates. They stave off cancer with frequent consumption of vegetables, fruits, and foods rich in fiber and flavonoids. And the women manage menopause not with hormone replacement therapy but with a high intake of natural estrogens through a diet rich in soy.

I urge you to visit www.okinawaprogram.com. Who knows? Maybe you'll be inspired to commit to a lifestyle makeover yourself. TV cameras are optional.

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