If you’re like most people, you want to live as long as possible. While many factors contribute to your lifespan, diet and exercise can have a significant influence on how long you live. In fact, studies have shown that eating healthy foods can add years to your life. Here are five easy steps for living longer.
Maintain a balanced and nutritious diet
Your diet is arguably an essential part of your life. It’s what sustains you and determines how long you live. A good diet can help lower your risk for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke—all of which can take years of your life. And if that wasn’t enough reason to take eating right seriously, there are also plenty of studies that show how specific foods impact longevity in humans (and other animals). For instance, research shows that increasing the amount of potassium in the American diet could significantly lower blood pressure and increase life expectancy by 5.1 years.
A balanced diet is one where you get all the nutrients needed to function correctly throughout the day without overeating unhealthy foods or depriving yourself unnecessarily. If you want to live longer and feel better while doing so, try incorporating these diet suggestions into your daily routine:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Limit refined grains (i.e., bread)
- Drink lots of water
- Limit your consumption of processed food (i.e., chips, soda, etc.)
- Eat more whole grains (i.e., brown rice)
- Eat fish at least twice per week
Exercise has many mental health benefits, as well as improving mood, reducing stress levels, and boosting self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even improve cognitive function in older adults who have dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In addition to these benefits, there is evidence suggesting that regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise may increase lifespan by 3-4 years when compared with no physical activity at all.
Refrain from any smoking habits
One of the most dangerous aspects of smoking is that it can cause cancer, and many people don’t realize this. Smoking can cause lung cancer, esophageal cancer, mouth and throat cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and stomach cancer. It can also cause coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Smoking also causes vision problems such as cataracts that affect both eyes after years of exposure to tobacco smoke. Cigarette chemicals also affect gum tissue resulting in periodontitis, which can lead to tooth loss if left untreated over time. Thus, smoking is not just dangerous to your health, but it can also have devastating effects on your appearance.
Drink in moderation
Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the world. It can be enjoyed in moderation, but drinking too much can increase your risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Drinking alcohol also has several other adverse side effects on your health.
When you drink alcohol, it may interfere with the absorption of vitamin B and folic acid, reducing their ability to protect against heart disease and stroke as well as increasing blood pressure. Alcohol reduces your body’s ability to fight infection and increases your risk of developing severe conditions such as liver cirrhosis or stomach cancer. It may also increase the severity of colds, worsen symptoms for some people with asthma, and cause headaches.
Manage your gadget consumption
The average American spends four hours a day on their phone, according to a study by eMarketer. That’s more time than most people spend sleeping. If you constantly need to check your phone or laptop for updates or alerts, it may indicate that you have an addiction. Also, the over consumption of gadgets affects your lifespan, as the light from these devices has been shown to disrupt your circadian rhythm, making it harder for you to fall asleep. PeaceHealth recommends limiting your screen time to two hours per day, and experts say that adults should get at least seven hours of sleep every night.
Some tips for managing your gadget consumption are to use a timer to limit your screen time, take breaks from the computer, and get outside for fresh air. There is also various software that can benefit your health accordingly. For instance, you can use the wake on LAN feature for windows 10, so you don’t have to keep your desktop or devices turned on 24/7. This means that if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, you can remotely control your desktop and keep it turned off until you need to use it again. In the meantime, you could get some sleep or do something productive that will significantly lengthen your life.
Another example is the Moment app, which allows you to track your screen time and set limits. This is a great way to ensure you’re not spending too much time on your devices and missing out on life experiences. It’s also important to get outside for some fresh air every once in a while, like when you take a walk or go camping with the family!
In Closing
It’s not always easy to make the right decisions regarding how you live your life. However, you must do what you can to ensure you live longer and healthier lives. By following these five simple steps, you’ll be on your way toward living longer!
