Don’t be late for your own funeral, bank on a few years with these tips
In his monthly column, Dr Wilhelm von Ludwig weighs in on the topic of smoking and the effects cigarettes have on one's lifespan.
POLOKWANE – Would you like to be late for your own funeral?
What if you could bank some minutes or even days or years? Just a little bit of extra time with your loved ones.
The premise is simple: A scientific study published in the British Medical Journal showed that each cigarette smoked, shortened the smoker’s life with approximately 11 minutes.
But the average smoker does not only light up once a day. The study worked on an average of 15 cigarettes per day.
Hopeful that their results would lead to a mass cessation of the wretched habit, the authors thought it well to include a list of activities that the newly freed puffer could engage in:
| Amount smoked | Life lost | Opportunity gain |
| One cigarette | 11 minutes | Telephone call to friend; read a newspaper; brisk walk or fairly frantic sexual intercourse |
| Pack of 20 cigarettes | 3 hours, 40 minutes | Long film (for example, Titanic); two football matches; one shopping trip; Eurostar journey from London to Paris, including visit to cafe; running a marathon |
| Carton of 200 cigarettes | 1.5 days | Visit to friends or family; one very serious shopping trip; Wagner opera; flying round the world; or romantic night away |
To be fair, some people would consider sitting through Titanic or a Wagner opera equally detrimental to their health but we have to remember this is British scientists’ idea of having fun.
My non-smoking friends, however, are not off the hook.
Other studies have linked time benefits to activities as well. A 2014 study conducted in the USA, found that each minute of aerobic exercise adds 7 minutes to the individuals life expectancy and according to another study, each minute spent on eating a healthy well-balanced diet is a minute or two gained in life.
And I’ll end off with the gift that keeps on giving: Several studies have shown that spending time with loved ones leads to less stress. And stress, as we know, can lead to an early death. So logically it follows that spending time with friends and family will lead to more time to spend with friends and family which will make you extremely late for a very large funeral.
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