Who doesn’t want to live a little bit longer? Just making a few changes in your life, here and there, can make it very much possible. These seven unusual secrets will not only make you healthier but increase your life expectancy too!
Laugh…A lot
Daily laughter is the perfect prescription for a long and happy life. The science behind laughter as a health benefit is fascinating. According to an article from Psychology Today, laughter can reduce pain and blood sugar levels, restore emotional stability between people and, remarkably, help your blood vessels function better; which is good for your head and your heart. Good sources of laughter include playing with children, reading humorous books, watching comedies and playing party games. People who laugh are happier, making life more enjoyable.
Own A Pet
Scientists are now discovering that being an animal lover lowers the stress hormone cortisol and increases the feel-good hormone oxytocin, and reduces blood pressure and cardiovascular risk. Dogs also encourage exercise which helps us be fit and healthy with age.
Don’t Retire
“Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement,” says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. “After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables,” he says. “They’re never really inactive.” Farming isn’t for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps, a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.
Indulge In Some Chocolate
Like you need to be convinced, right? Studies show that eating dark chocolate in moderation (like two servings a week) is associated with a lower risk of heart failure.
Stay Hydrated
The advice varies—while some suggest drinking the classic eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, others say to take your body weight, divide it in half and drink that many ounces. What we do agree on is that drinking water—lots of water—is a must-have healthy habit. Because water is our body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 perfect of our body weight according to the Mayo Clinic, water should be our drink of choice over sugary, calorie-laden drinks. Yes, Coca-Cola can provide a temporary caffeine boost, but it falls short in all other benefits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that water helps your body maintain a normal temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, protects the spinal cord and other sensitive tissues, and gets rid of waste. Make a water bottle your fifth limb and continually refill it to hydrate your body the entire day.
Floss It!
It’s weird advice, but flossing isn’t just helpful for keeping that brilliant white smile of yours, it turns out that by flossing, we can clear out some of the more harmful bacteria that linger in our mouth and keep them from flowing into our bloodstream or causing gum infections, both scenarios being harmful to our wellbeing and longevity. The mouth is an important part of the body, and research shows that dental health is intrinsically linked to our overall health: Inflammation in the gums inhibits insulin production, promotes chronic diseases, and causes a number of issues that can shorten your lifespan.
Enjoy Your Beauty Sleep
Looking young isn’t just a matter of eating right and exercising, but also a matter of rest. The psychological detriment that a lack of sleep can cause has been linked to physical dangers: heart attacks, diabetes, and obesity among them. Even for the sturdiest, a lack of sleep can accumulate into health problems over the years, and if that won’t do you in, then the stress will. Sleep isn’t just a time for the brain to rest, however, research shows that sleep can replace medication in some instances of pain relief, helping the body heal injuries and prevent chronic pain.
Have A Glass Of Wine
In a review of 24 studies, researchers found that women with low-to-moderate alcohol consumption had a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Keep in mind: Moderate drinking is defined as up to one drink per day for women.
Move and groove
Not everyone is an Olympic athlete, but everyone does need to exercise. A good rule of thumb is 30 minutes a daywhich can be broken into smaller chunks. We’ve all heard the advice to take the stairs, park farther away from buildings and take a quick walk after lunch or dinner. If you can’t make it to the gym or don’t have time to go for a run, those tips are practical and helpful.
The secret to enjoying exercise is to choose something you enjoy. For example, a friend of mine loves to hike with her dogs, but you’d never find her in a spin class. I love to run and lift weights, and my husband prefers team sports. Whatever regimen you choose, try to include exercises that promote endurance, balance, flexibility, and strength.
Pack Some Nuts
People who eat nuts significantly reduce their risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, lung diseases, and just about every scary illness. In fact, nut-eaters were 20 percent less likely to die, period, over non-nut-eaters in one study. Check out some ideas for incorporating more nuts into your meals.
Toss Out The Makeup
It’s not much of a secret that makeup is a bad idea in the long run. Most commercially-available cosmetics directly contribute to deteriorating the wearer’s skin, from irritating a case of acne to causing oily or dry skin. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and it’s also an absorbing one; so make sure you know exactly what’s in your foundation and blush before you cover yourself in formaldehyde and worse things. There are plenty of makeup options available today that do their best to keep toxin-free and succeed. Go for water-based rather than oil-based, use loose powders and check out mineral-based and cruelty-free products.
Clean Your House
This is not as unusual as it sounds. Frequent housework has been linked to living a longer life, especially when it comes frequent walking. Taking care of your living space is not only a good form of added exercise, but it also keeps your house clean and free of germs and harmful bacteria which helps us against infections.
Be One With The Sun
This is not as unusual as it sounds. Frequent housework has been linked to living a longer life, especially when it comes frequent walking. Taking care of your living space is not only a good form of added exercise, but it also keeps your house clean and free of germs and harmful bacteria which helps us against infections.
Think Positive
Thoughts are powerful, so be sure to pay attention to yours. Do you encourage yourself with positivity or hold yourself back with negativity? The Mayo Clinic reports a number of health benefits associated with positive thinking, including increased life span, lower rates of depression, greater resistance to the common cold and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, among many other things. Hang your favorite uplifting quotes on your fridge or bathroom mirror. Come up with a positive mantra that you repeat to yourself when you feel negativity swirling in your head. Make it a goal each day to be more positive than the day before. A happier life is a longer one. One of my favorite quotes is byRalph Waldo Emerson: “For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
Quit Smoking
No brainer right? There are millions of reasons to ditch the cigarettes, but just in case you think it might be too late for you and the bad effects are already there, research finds that women who quit before age 40 live a decade longer than those who quit later on.
Eat Healthy
If you take a close look at a carrot, you’ll notice a lack of an ingredient list on its back. Just pure carrot. When you eat food that comes out of a box, a can or a take-out container, “pure” is instantly thrown out of the window. Instead of fueling your body with preservatives, chemically altered fats, extra sodium and artificial flavors courtesy of ingredients that you can’t pronounce, eat foods that are closest to their natural state as possible. Aim to get the majority of your daily calories from fresh fruits and vegetables, minimally processed whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and fish. A body that is fueled operates better (and longer!) than a body that is just fed.
Life should be enjoyable, and good health is an important factor in a happy life. As you make these five habits part of each day, you’ll live a longer, more fulfilling life
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