Some boffin has found that men alive now may have a life expectancy of 87, well according to research (and we all know how reliable that can be). We may soon be living as long as women which will throw a number of pension estimations into chaos! Over the last decade at least we men have been closing the longevity gap on women.

It doesn’t surprise me that men are starting to live linger, after all we have seen a decline in heavy industry that finished a lot off before retirement and also medical advancements also help. Plus I do think men are becoming a lot more health conscious than they used to be, take me for example I no longer smoke and the amount I drink has reduced since I was young (however that’s more or less down to stupid amounts of taxation).

I would hazard a guess that the number of people my age will probably have fairly long lifespans however younger generations may not. The boffin who did this research Professor Leslie Mayhew, a statistician at City University calculated that a boy born in 2000, who reaches the age of 30, is likely to live as long as his female contemporaries. Although it may be the fact that women are unhealthier?

There is also a good chance younger generations are unhealthier than previous after all we are constantly told obesity is on the rise amongst youngsters and there is also a massive binge drinking epidemic too oh and kids are taking lots of dodgy drugs now.

I do often think that these sort of reports are thrown together to help the governments point about us all living longer, so we have to work longer, however you can’t prove that it will always increase.

Picture courtesy of Pete Ashton

I have decided to quit smoking cigarettes, now I don’t have a bad habit as I only really smoke on a night out however I thought I am better off stopping smoking altogether, well normal cigarettes. When I enjoy the herbal stuff I sometimes smoke them in roll up but when I go out I tend to just buy a normal packet of cigs as it’s easier than rolling them on the go.

Although smoking roll-ups still is bad it’s not as bad as smoking standard cigarettes which, is why I am looking to stop. There are numerous hidden dangers of smoking, we all know about the various cancers which have been linked to smoking, as well as heart disease but it just doesn’t have an effect on the inside of your body, it also has an effect on the outside of your body too.

I already have wrinkles but smoking will be making them worse, add on to that yellowing teeth and bad breath. Plus I read that smoking can also contribute to hair loss which is not something I want as I get older. Sexual problems also come from smoking, in a study carried out by the University of New Orleans, men who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day had a 60% higher risk of erectile dysfunction than men who never smoked. It’s bad enough that my hash habit affects the General but I don’t want smoking making him completely defunct.

I really think the wife would be happy too if I quit, she’s never been a smoker so doesn’t really like me smoking, but puts up with it because I only really do it when I’m out with the lads. But I think she will be grateful that I don’t come home stinking of smoke.

Plus then there are the benefits of giving up cigarettes; better sex, less stress and improved smell and taste and not only that according to researchers within 24 hours of giving up, your risk of heart attack begins to decline and within weeks your breathing is better!

Picture courtsey of Super Fantasic