Here is an amazing article that starts out by saying:
A new study has linked vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of death, especially from cardiovascular disease, in the latest evidence of the important role the vitamin plays in human health.
Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. An, if you do not get enough Vitamin D, you will die sooner. The amazing deal is that it does not take much to increase your bodies Vitamin D production:
The chief source for vitamin D is sun exposure, since the ultraviolet rays of the sun trigger vitamin D synthesis within the human body. Ten to fifteen minutes a day in the sun is sufficient.
I have read that people who garden live longer than people who do not. I always figured that was because people who garden get more exercise and they are right in amongst all those oxygen generating plants. That is all probably true, but this study shows that the act of being out in the sunlight, all by itself, is a huge contributor to a longer and healthier life. This surely seems like some good information to have. I am going to return this to my daily program. When I worked at ATS in Corvallis, I took a half an hour walk almost every day down to the Subway for lunch (You will remember that is where I met the famous Jared.). Not that I am lifting weights more and aerobicizing less, I plan to start walking in the afternoons for a half an hour or so. If I do not get to it during a break at work, I can take a walk in the neighborhood with the family when I get home.
A special note to Christian: This is the cell phone/PDA you should get. You can even program it in Python.
A second special note to Christian: Here is a book available online that will teach you Python.