Despite the medical advances made in the past century, preventable deaths still occur. Unfortunately, the average life expectancy in the United States has slightly decreased in recent years.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have the keys to longevity.
You need to do a few things to keep your mind and body strong. A quick review of your daily habits can keep your clock ticking strong.
Below are some of our best-kept secrets on how to live longer and feel better.
1. Mediterranean-Inspired Snacks
The Mediterranean diet has inspired countless articles on nutrition and how to live longer. Unhealthy snacking can make you overweight or increase your risk of numerous diseases. That said, you may not be able to completely transform your diet overnight.
Start by replacing a few snacks here and there. Nuts are one of the best snacks out there. Stick to fresh nuts over peanut butter when possible.
When you make your favorite recipes, incorporate spices like turmeric. Work your way towards balanced meals by lowering your intake of meat and processed foods. Within a few weeks, your body will begin to function better.
2. Plant-Based Foods
The best way to live longer is by managing what you eat. A plant-based diet prevents you from overeating.
Chronic overeating can cause weight gain, stress, and increase your risk for various diseases. Plant-based foods make it nearly impossible to overeat, especially if you start off each meal with them.
Plant-based foods are more likely to contain much-needed nutrients. Research shows time and again that nutrition is one of the keys to longevity.
Plants give you more energy, too. More energy leads to a better mood and more productivity. Your daily checklist will thank you.
3. Daily Physical Activity
You don’t have to be an athlete (or in shape) to enjoy an activity. Start with what you can. Twenty minutes of physical activity will keep your heart strong and stimulate your brain.
Doctors typically suggest activities that get your heart rate up. The better your brain and heart work together, the better your chances of living long and strong.
If you enjoy the outdoors, walking is a great way to get exercise. The extra vitamin D from the sun will also provide a boost to your physical health.
4. Avoid Smoking and Drinking
People who do either (drinking or smoking) are likely to imbibe daily or weekly. This may seem like a small habit, especially if you only drink or smoke socially, but it adds up.
Smoking and drinking can also disrupt your mood. It’s hard to regulate your health when you are focused on getting a regular fix.
If you have trouble taking the first steps, don’t put yourself down. Find an accountability partner. If you don’t know anyone else quitting or easing back, a support group will give you a warm welcome.
5. Home Healing
Even the happiest, healthiest people will face injury or disease at some point in their lives. Your healing process could extend (or shorten) your life measurably.
Brain injuries require specific approaches to healing, ones that may require healing outside hospital walls. Incorporating treatment into your daily life can be more draining than helpful.
The latest hyperbaric oxygen chamber for sale could be your answer to faster healing. Healing from the comfort of home can give you more time and energy to incorporate other lifestyle changes, too. Oxygen and increased pressure can treat anything from brain injuries to major infections.
6. Seek Personal Happiness
Now that we have moved on from smaller daily habits, we can look at the big picture of longevity. People who are happier live longer. Their happiness pushes them further in quality of life, as well.
Pursue something that makes you happy each day. This activity or ritual could be anything from dancing to reading your favorite book.
Every once in awhile, pursue something a little bigger. Find a day or two each month and devote it to something that brings joy or hope. Your happiness is too important to put off.
7. Those ZZZ’s Give You the Keys to Longevity
The only thing we do more than eat and hydrate is sleeping. Lack of sleep can almost immediately upset your physical health.
Similarly, getting enough sleep has an immediate positive impact. Your body is better able to deal with stress and anxiety, increasing the likelihood that you will live well into old age.
8. Focus on Friendships
Longevity is easier to achieve with a sense of purpose. As we move through phases of life, only a handful of friendships make it through intact. Those friendships will teach you more about how to live longer than any class could.
Our instincts to form tribes were passed down from generations past. Those tribes were built to protect people from vulnerability. Your ancestors had to live long enough to raise children, after all!
Don’t worry about spending all of your time with close friends: your inner circle can make you live longer just by existing!
9. Don’t Rush Through Life
The best way to live longer is to set clear goals that motivate you on a daily basis. Setting goals is easier when you have a strong vision of who you want to be.
Still, changing your lifestyle can be a lengthy, trying process. While setbacks happen, living long makes the extra effort worth it.
Your mindset can make change easier. Instead of focusing on everything you are “doing wrong” in life, make a list of everything you’re currently doing that means something to you. Journal about the things that move or inspire you.
The Bottom Line
The keys to longevity aren’t in pursuit; they are found in a lifestyle. You must also appreciate the many steps it takes to reach old age. This is why so many successful motivational speakers emphasize the “journey” over your exact destination.
To put it simply: living a long life shouldn’t distract you from enjoying the little moments.
Want more secrets on how to live a longer life? We post more articles daily on achieving health and happiness.