The lifespan of the average American seems to be lengthening, with average life expectancies far greater than they were even a few decades prior to now. You might be able to thank more health-conscious thinking for this change, but there’s still a lot more we can do to extend our health.
If you want to live a longer life, what habits can you try to integrate into your life? There are a number of steps each one of us can take to try to live longer, happier lives.
What do you need to include in your daily routine if you want to keep going for many more years? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
1. Try a Mediterranean Diet
Where in the world has the longest life expectancy? It’s none other than Monaco, off the coast of the Mediterranean. The high net worths, beautiful sunshine, and fresh sea air probably don’t hurt when it comes to aging.
However, many Monaco residents point to their diet as one of the reasons they live so well for so long.
The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish. There’s an emphasis on nuts and whole grains as well, and a complete lack of red meat and refined, sugary foods.
This balanced diet lends itself to living longer as it provides the exact kind of nutrients the body needs and strays away from the more damaging ones. If you can match your diet to this kind of output, you’ll find that you’ll live much longer (and probably feel much better day to day) as well.
2. Start Going to Therapy
Mental health plays a huge role in the length of your life as well. It’s certainly not something to be undervalued. In fact, studies have shown that people who suffer from mental health conditions may live as much as a decade less than their mentally healthier companions.
It’s important to take your mental health seriously. If you visit a doctor and they are able to help you to feel your best, you’ll find that you might come out the other side of this mental health issue with a long life ahead of you.
Mental health also tends to contribute to physical health. A person struggling with depression is much less likely to engage in regular exercise, eat right, get proper sleep, and make their own health a priority.
While fitting a therapist into your monthly budget may be a difficult cost, it’s something well worth looking into if you care about living a long and healthy life.
3. Drink a Little Wine
You may have heard the pervasive myth being passed around the internet that wine is actually good for you. While you can’t believe everything you read online, this one actually is mostly true.
Red wine, specifically, is actually quite high in anti-oxidants. This makes sense as it comes from fermented whole red grapes. Anything with this many anti-oxidants packed in can help to prevent heart disease and a number of other health issues.
Now, everything is good in moderation. If you’re packing a whole bottle away by yourself every night, you might find that you’ll be doing more harm to your body than good.
However, a glass alongside dinner in the evening? It’s enjoyable to you and it will be a benefit to your body as well.
4. Keep Physically Active
This one should come as no surprise to most people. The more physically active you can be in your later years, the more you’ll be able to live a long and healthy life.
How much physical activity might you need to work into your still busy life? A mere fifteen minutes might be enough to achieve the health benefits that you need to keep you healthy and happy.
That being said, the more the better remains true here. If you can work out for a total of 150 minutes per week, that would be the most advisable outcome for your overall health.
The more you exercise weekly, the higher your chance of living longer rises, according to studies by medical experts.
Obviously, as you age, you’ll want to keep to low-stress and low-risk physical activities as compared to more intensive workouts.
5. Don’t Skip Doctor Visits
A fatal mistake that leads many to an earlier death than they might otherwise need to face? A failure to regularly visit the doctor. Many people don’t like visiting the doctor and may even be in something of denial about their own age and the problems they may begin to face.
While this is sympathetic behavior, it’s certainly not the kind of behavior you’ll want to exhibit as a person who is approaching more serious health concerns.
The more you can visit a doctor, the more likely they’ll be able to catch potential problems early. You can adjust your daily routine ahead of an issue instead of in response to one.
If you’re feeling certain pains and aches, they may be a sign of more serious trouble, trouble that could shorten your lifespan. You can read this article to learn more about these kinds of threats to your mortality.
Living a Happier and Longer Life
What’s the secret to a longer life? A mix of habits, behaviors, and routines can help you obtain an overall healthier lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key to a long and prosperous life overall.
Need more health tips and tricks? Keep scrolling our blog for much more.
