If you’re on the quest to increase your longevity (which should be everyone), then you’re going to need routines and practices to help you achieve that goal. Luckily, these healthy habits are proven to increase your chances of boosting your longevity. If that isn’t enough for you, being healthier typically means feeling better too. So why not live longer and feel better while doing so?
Consider adding these healthy habits to your diet.
When it comes to longevity, diet plays a big role.* The following tips are backed by studies that suggest an increased life expectancy, provided they become regular habits.
Go nuts and eat more plants.
If you’re one of the lucky people who does not have a nut allergy, consider adding more nuts to your diet. This Healthline™ article claims that assorted nuts are full of essential vitamins and minerals. It also states that eating a wide variety of plant foods (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and beans) could decrease your risk for disease!
Drink more water.
We know you hear this all the time but it’s for good reason. Staying hydrated is essential to good health. It improves organ health, brain health, skin health—it’s just healthy, okay? So, treat yourself to more water. And if you get bored of plain old water, add something to it to improve the flavor. Cut up and add slices of citrus fruits, berries, or cucumbers to your water. It’s not *insert your favorite energy drink here* but it’s necessary.
Eat slower.
Everybody leads busy lives, which makes it completely understandable that so many of us rush through meals. However, if we take a little more time eating our meals, we might find that the portions we eat regularly are more than enough. Some of us eat so quickly that we dismiss or don’t even recognize that we aren’t hungry anymore.
If you pay closer attention to both your hunger cues and when your hunger has been satisfied, you’ll eat portions that are more accurate to what your body needs.
Make these healthy habits part of your regular physical activity.
Another big part of increasing longevity is moving. That’s right, you’ve got to use your body regularly if you want to keep it functioning properly. There are many different studies and opinions on what types of movement increase longevity (and mobility). But these healthy habits are a no-brainer.
General physical activity.
Outside of purposeful and planned exercise, it’s also good practice to start moving more often. Even if you live an active life, it never hurts to move around a little more. For folks who currently do a lot of their work from the seated position, stand up, walk around, and get your blood flowing. If you need to make phone calls, go for a walk outside to do so. Other great ways to increase your physical activity are as follows:
- Stand up or do some stretching while you read or watch TV.
- Park further away from the entrances of buildings.
- Opt to take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator.
- Listen to some music and have a quick dance party.
Get in the zone.
The zone that we’re talking about is called “zone 2 cardio “. To hear some of the many benefits and see some examples of zone 2 cardio, read this article from Lifehacker™.
Pump some iron.
Okay, “pumping iron” sounds a bit intense. Really, we’re just talking about getting into the habit of lifting weights. It will increase your strength, and endurance, and boost your metabolism. This article from VerywellFit™ explains in detail the many ways that weight training/resistance training is highly beneficial to your body, especially as you get older.
Get some rest.
This one goes for anyone who isn’t getting a quality 7-9 hours of sleep every night. We emphasize quality because it’s important to enter REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is when your brain is most active, analyzing and going over what it has learned throughout the day. In fact, according to this Whoop™ article, you should be getting 90 minutes of REM sleep each night.
Follow these tips to get more REM sleep:
- Limit caffeine in the afternoon.
- Create a sleep schedule.
- Find ways to relax before bed.
- Make your sleep environment right for your comfort.
For more REM sleep tips, check out this Healthline™ article.
These healthy habits will change your life.
If you commit to diet changes, exercise, and getting better sleep, you will see improvements in your day-to-day life. And if you don’t think you can commit to these healthy habits all at once (we get it, that’s a lot of big changes to make), then ease your way into one of them and gradually pick up the others.
Whichever new habit you decide to pick up, it will be well worth the time and effort. Your body and mind will thank you by feeling better and performing better.
Making significant changes to your lifestyle and sticking to them requires a lot of self-control. Read our blog for new ways to improve your self-control so that you can stick to your new health goals.
*This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website, or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This blog does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing, or other professional healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We cannot diagnose conditions, provide second opinions or make specific treatment recommendations through this blog or website.*
