Add Healthy Years to Your Life

How a positive and purpose-driven attitude can affect your health

From the LifeMinute.TV Team
 

December 22, 2023

Living longer is influenced by lifestyle choices. Here are strategies that may increase your lifespan.

Exercise Daily

Regular physical activity reduces several mortality risk factors, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Ideally, aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise weekly and two days per week of strength training. Research shows that even about 11 minutes a day can improve health. Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator and scheduling daily short breaks to walk or jog in place, for example, can be beneficial.

Limit Alcohol and Nix Smoking

If you don’t drink alcohol, there’s no reason to start. If drinking, do so in moderation. For women, that’s one drink or less per day. For men, that’s two drinks or less daily. If you’re still smoking and using tobacco, it’s never too late to stop. In addition to lowering your risk of 12 types of cancer, quitting smoking can add as much as ten years to your life expectancy.

Consume Fewer Calories

Eating fewer calories may slow down aging. One study indicated that healthy adults who cut caloric intake by 12 percent daily (or 240 calories a day on a 2,000-calorie diet) across two years increased longevity. Fewer calories lowered inflammation, commonly linked to medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.

Forgive

Letting go of bitterness and grudges can reap noticeable rewards, such as improved heart health and self-esteem, fewer symptoms of depression, lower blood pressure, and a more robust immune system. These rewards likely increase as you get older.

Hang Out With Friends

Data shows that older adults with meaningful, positive relationships are likely to live longer and have better cognitive function than their peers with fewer connections. Surrounding yourself with active and healthy people can encourage and motivate you to make similar healthy choices.

Limit Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods like pizza, deli meats, chips, and candies have been linked to increased risk of early death from illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Read food labels when shopping and choose products with shorter lists of ingredients and few or no additives.

Adjust Your Outlook

Research shows younger adults with negative stereotypes of aging were significantly more likely to experience a heart-related event later in life than those with positive ones. Find aging role models that can help you see growing older is a time full of opportunities rather than limitations. Also, living with a sense of purpose can help you live a longer and healthier life. One study found adults with the highest levels of purpose had the lowest risk of death compared to people with the lowest sense of purpose.