To Live or Not To Live...Longer

As we were watching tv this evening, a commercial (No, sorry, this was PBS and they don't have commercials.) for one of their sponsors, my health care provider, filled space between two British comedies.  In this commercial, they were saying exercising an hour a day can add two years to your life.  Seriously, "two years" for an hour of exercise - a day?  That's just insane.

Aren't health care providers, insurance companies, and the government already telling us one of the reasons for higher insurance rates is people (you and me) are living longer?  Yes.  And, as I'm sure I've pointed out before, don't the same people blame a portion of those high insurance rates on the obese (me) population and our never-ending health problems?  Yes.  And do not those same obese people die earlier, according to many studies?  Yes.  And now I'm told exercising an hour a day can add two years to my life. Yes?  Rock on!

So walking an hour a day, by my calculations, I will live to be 785 years old.  No, wait.  Clear the calculator. I'm going to live forever, providing I diligently take that hour-long walk around the neighborhood beginning tomorrow.  Even better, that hour-long walk will shorten up as the years go by, making a trip to the bathroom add yet another two years.  Take that, insurance company.  Instead of  dying young because I'm obese and costing you tons of money, I'm going to fix your wagon and live forever.  What's that going to cost you?

OK.  Enough of that.  It's time to enjoy my 16 almonds, two cups of coffee, evening cocktail, and chunk of dark chocolate.  I didn't get my walk in today.