At 88, The Healthy Routine That Works For Me

In my previous blogs, I've talked about what I eat to remain healthy and energetic at 88 years of age. In this blog I will provide some examples.

My day begins a little before 6 a.m. I never set an alarm clock. First stop is my home gym for an hour of cardio, then some strength training, working about eight to 10 machines, increasing the resistance until exhaustion is reached. My routine includes between 20 and 30 push-ups. I drink coffee in the morning and a few cups throughout the day. Among coffee's health benefits are lower risk of Parkinson's,Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and dementia.

Maybe some people will not agree but I like to eat sardines in the morning for breakfast. I think some people will have a hard time eating sardines in olive oil or pickled sardines for breakfast. I guess that is why I am still single.

Here's a sample breakfast from my diet:

BREAKFAST

Steel cut oatmeal with:
pineapple, bananas, raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries and sliced almonds

Egg white omelet with
tomatoes, broccoli, red bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms and onions

Sardines (2)

Pineapple juice

Morning reading includes the many faxes that arrive overnight from my office and all around the world, as well as four newspapers, which is exercise for the brain that runs the entire body. Then it's time to be dressed and out the door.

People always ask me what I like to eat and my three favorite fish to get my Omega-3s are John Dory, Dover sole and salmon. For lunch and/or dinner, I will eat a small piece of salmon with a green salad and vegetable soup. I also like to eat pickled herring. Did you know that six ounces of pickled herring provides 270 percent of vitamin B12? I was surprised to learn it also contains 7 grams of saturated fat - 35 percent of the daily value.

I try to eat as near perfect as possible but once in a while I eat for my taste buds. For example, I occasionally like to treat myself to a small cup of chocolate frozen yogurt -- plus toppings. I also enjoy a little bar of dark chocolate (70 percent cacao), which has heart healthy compounds, even though it has quite a bit of saturated fat. I try to limit myself to one or two. People ask, "How do you eat so much?" The answer is that I expend a lot of energy.

Here's a sample lunch and dinner from my diet:

LUNCH

Vegetable soup
Baby spinach salad with:
sliced apple, pecans

DINNER

Broccoli soup
Grilled halibut
Roasted tomatoes with olives and capers
Barley risotto
Roasted pear halves in port

To those people who want to lose weight and maybe have tried different diets without success -- I would say the following: When you eat a diet that is primarily fruit and vegetables, the high water and fiber content really fills you up. Plus, by eating good quantities of fruit and vegetables every day, you're essentially getting all your nutrient needs met, and that helps you feel satisfied.

I built and created the North Carolina Research Campus to do research on obesity, among other nutrition related studies. According to Professor Mary Ann Lila, who holds the David H. Murdock Chair for Nutrition at North Carolina State University, "People tend to eat the same volume of food every day." If you eat mostly fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish, whole grains and beans -- you will never be hungry, and you will be protecting your body through great nutrition. If you eat high calorie snacks, junk food and fast food, that same volume of food will add up to thousands more calories than you need, and will leave you hungry at the end of the day.

MURDOCK'S SHOPPING LIST:

Bananas, Apples, Pineapple, Cherries
Blueberries, Peaches, Strawberries, Kale
Papaya, Spinach, Pomegranate, Broccoli
Guava, Sweet Potatoes, Kiwi, Red Bell Pepper
Prunes, Cauliflower, Oranges, Arugula
Blackberries, Asparagus, Raspberries
Butternut Squash, Figs, Carrots, Cantaloupe
Tomatoes, Mango, Brussels Sprouts, Grapefruit
Cabbage, Watermelon, Artichokes, Cranberries, Pumpkin

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Comments

[IrishgirlsUSA]

01:44 AM on 08/19/2011

He is a very good spokes-model for his company, especially the fresh fruit and vegetable side of the business. I also like his honesty about his health maintenance which takes quite a lot of self discipline to pull off. He rises at about 5.50 a.m every day, exercises pretty intensively for more than an hour and eats only organic, whole food with the occasional treat of a chocolate yogurt. It looks like alcohol is out of the picture and he is single - so no spouse to distract or tempt him away with junk food etc. He can concentrate on his diet and exercise without distractions. That being said - I personally would not enjoy living this highly disciplined and strictly regimented lifestyle. For me the payoff of being a perfect weight and living well into the eighties is not enough although I greatly admire and respect this man's devotion to living this lifestyle.

[hartsmart]

11:55 AM on 08/12/2011

For two guys, Mr. Murdock, born in the twenties one cannot imagine two more diverse people.You are designing your future while I go with the flow. You put trust into higher education I submit to instinct. Circumstances kept me out of universities, lucky me. I discovered not one but two causes of obesity, and the how-to to avoid weight gain. Highly critical of recent food advice it is generously supportive of my gut designed selections. You shopping list? Fish---yes greens occasionally.
I have never changed my childhood meat and potatoes (In Germany) intake. It allows small portions.
My curios doctor put me through annuals to fathom my wellness. 2005,06,07. All clean. I have not seen him since. Medical expenses? Next to nothing. Physical comfort, simply great.-------
Aging? 100+ no problem-----
hartsmart Oldenburg------

[rehmgdboy]

04:10 AM on 08/10/2011

Get a Jack LeLane Juicer . It is different than a blender as it separates the pulp from the juice, and drink your way to good health. Do a Juice Fast once in a while where you don't eat any solid food for a few days to cleanse your system. You will slim down and feel great, believe me!

[AmosKnows]

01:34 AM on 08/10/2011

The biggest part. I think, is routine exercise for one hour a day. Of course a healthy diet helps but any 88 year old man who can work out (I guess) 7 days a week for an hour a day is living to 100.

[sloLes]

07:00 PM on 08/09/2011

Good comments. Money does make a huge difference. Those of us without money need to be more dedicated to find ways that they can workout and eat well. Personally, I bicycle and do my own healthy cooking. Instead of eating halibut, which cost more than steak, I buy frozen fillets of much cheaper species. And I cook Chinese greens with almost everything that's simmered or sauteed. I also add beans or split peas to anything with water that's being stewed. And I eat a lot of noodles/pasta and grains.

Everyhone here, including Mr. Murdock deserves congratulations for being conscious of their own health and doing positive actions to preserve and improve it.

[Sheriff J W Pepper]

05:18 PM on 08/09/2011

Not as good as the Dr. Phil diet book, . . but you're getting there.

[darquelourd]

04:00 PM on 08/09/2011

it has nothing to do with being a millionaire of course. big elephant in the room that everyone is too polite to mention as though you live a life similar to ours.

[SeenItBefore]

04:34 PM on 08/09/2011

Yep, when I had money, before cancer and the stock market, I was hale and hearty, weighted 178, and ate only the best So. California had to offer.

Now I eat what my SSI can afford me (no cat food, YET) and am 35 pounds overweight.

[Tickyul Tickyul]

01:07 AM on 08/15/2011

Really, must not know how to shop or just make excuses for poor eating habits. I am low income and can eat very well. Chickens on sale, liver, cabbage......wow, pretty easy and cheap to eat good.

[LeanLeftAmerica]

02:47 PM on 08/09/2011

Thank you sir -

The details are much welcomed... with all the contradictory information out there, it's tough to know which way to go with one's dietary needs.

A real life example goes a long way!!!!!

[AJT]

02:44 PM on 08/09/2011

Thanks. I like John Dory, but I have not seen it in a fish department since I started looking for it after I got back from living in Australia. You would like it there, they are huge sardine and beet fans!

[BigWave940]

02:01 PM on 08/09/2011

Me thinks eating less to include almost any variety of foods works best.

[sean alphonse]

12:25 PM on 08/09/2011

Thank you Mr. Murdock. We need more people like you, especially CEOs, standing up for nutrition. Since your last post, I've added sardines and beets to my daily regime of fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. Please keep posting.

[sobe123]

03:35 PM on 08/09/2011

Also if this country is ever going to solve its health care crisis it is going to mean that people start to take care of themselves. We are a fast food nation and then by age 50 we need tons of drugs, surgeries, and doctor's visit just to get us alive, which of course takes huge sums of money.

Too many people at age 40 are already looking and moving like a 70 year old. I see it on the streets of Manhattan where people 15 years younger than me can't walk up a flight of subway stairs without being winded.

[Sheriff J W Pepper]

05:21 PM on 08/09/2011

Too many people and corporations are getting rich as hell because of this and they have intention of giving it up.

[Sheriff J W Pepper]

05:22 PM on 08/09/2011

mistake :
they have NO intention of giving it up.