Everyone would love to live a healthy and long life. When you get to live a long life, you’ll have more time to spend with your family, achieve your goals, and see your children have their own families soon. However, many people tend to say that the longevity of life is only determined by genetics. Some also wonder what the secret to living a long life is.
But, the truth is that there’s really no secret to long life. In fact, genetics only plays a smaller role in your life expectancy than most people believe. Don’t ever be discouraged if your late parents or grandparents died at a premature age because each person handles their life differently. The longevity of your life solely depends on your lifestyle choices and diet.
If you want to extend your life expectancy, there are various ways you can make it possible. Remember that no one is in control of your life and health but you. While a few lifestyle changes may not feel like much for you, they actually have a tremendous impact in the future.
Here are five habits that can help you live a longer life:
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Be Mindful Of What You Eat
Everything starts with what you eat. Your body solely depends on which food you eat for it to function properly. However, many people are having difficulty being mindful about what they eat due to prevalent changes in the food industry.
A few decades ago, people had a longer life expectancy because most of their food options were natural. Advanced technologies were not born yet, so no one could produce large quantities of processed foods. If there were processed foods, only wealthy people could afford them for themselves. But, for the rest of the population, they survived by planting their own food.
Nowadays, more people live by eating processed foods than those who live by planting their own food. More and more people are unknowingly consuming too much sodium, sugar, saturated fat, and acids. Unfortunately, these additives and chemicals are the main reasons for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other severe illnesses.
If you want a long life, do your body a favor by opting for more natural and clean food. Instead of eating out, prepare your own food and incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich food. It’s not too late to start changing your eating habits today.
If you want to be on the safer side, you can consult your doctor or other medical experts, like ezra.com, for an annual general body checkup.
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Always Be Proactive
A proactive person has a greater chance of living longer than a person who’s always lived a sedentary lifestyle. It’s already a well-known fact that being physically active brings many benefits to your overall health. Thus, it’s essential that you get regular exercise for at least 150 minutes every week. Exercise helps regulate your blood pressure and keep your BMI in a stable and healthy range.
Being proactive isn’t only limited to performing exercises. You can be proactive in every movement that you do every day. For instance, if you’re given a choice between taking the stairs or using the elevator to your apartment, you can use the stairs instead. If you’re washing the dishes, you can move your hips while listening to music. Even regularly cleaning your home is already an excellent physical activity.
The more movement you do in a day, the healthier you will be. Plus, you’ll always be in a good mood to take up more challenges.
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Drink More Water
While there may be numerous choices of beverages you can drink, water is the healthiest choice. Water is important to keep your body hydrated. After all, your body is made up of 60% water. So, it simply makes sense that water is essential for your body to function properly.
However, there may be occasions when you need to set aside water for a while and replace it with alcohol. That can be acceptable as long as you drink moderately. Everyone knows that too much alcohol consumption is only sending you to your grave earlier than you should. Alcohol is known to cause numerous health problems and diseases, including liver cancer, cirrhosis, or anemia.
Moreover, alcohol is also associated with being the root cause of most vehicular accidents. If you want to live longer, control your alcohol intake and remember never to drive when you’re intoxicated.
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Get Enough Sleep Every Night
Sleep is as vital as exercise and a healthy diet. When you sleep, that’s the time when your body repairs and rejuvenates itself to prepare it for the next day. A consistent good night’s sleep is also known to relieve stress, strengthen your immune system, and keep your weight healthy. Thus, make sure you get at least seven to nine hours of sleep every night so you’ll feel refreshed and energized every morning.
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Socialize
Life isn’t only about eating healthy, exercising regularly, or drinking moderately. It’s also about how you get along with the people around you. If you want to live longer as much as you can, you must strive to maintain good and meaningful connections with your friends and family. You may be confused about how your social life is related to the longevity of life. But, being surrounded by real people can actually boost your self-esteem and have a positive effect on your life.
You feel better and you’ll never feel alone. When you hang out with your family or friends, there’s a great chance you’ll get a good laugh, too. Everyone knows that laughing is good for your health. You’ll be far away from depression and anxiety, and it can help ease your stress levels, too. Lower stress levels reduce blood pressure and strengthen your immune system, thus, increasing your chances to live longer.
Bottom Line
You may think that the longevity of your life is out of your control. But, the truth is there’s no secret to a longer life because it’s all up to you. You control what you drink, eat, and how you choose to connect with people. You’re given the freedom to choose what you think is best for yourself. By following those habits above, you may soon find yourself dancing around your cake for your 90th birthday.