Old age has never killed anyone! The fact is that getting old alone is not enough to kill you off, it’s the effects of disease or trauma that prevent your body from working properly.
Modern medicine has helped people to live longer, as have less stressful lifestyles. However, while the average Australian will no live into their eighties, the last ten years of your life can often be fraught with disease and other difficulties.
Research shows that people who adopt at least four of the following five healthy habits dramatically increase their chance of staying disease-free. Of course, it’s not a crystal ball that can tell your future. But, the research showed that adhering to these habits meant that women could expect to live disease-free until 84, men until 81. Not adopting the habits changed the likelihood of disease to 73 for women and men!
So, what are these habits that can add 10 healthy years to your life?
1. What You Eat
It won’t be a surprise to you to discover that eating right can make a big difference in the quality and length of your life. In short, you should be aiming to avoid processed foods and maintain a healthy diet. That means eating a balanced meal of carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, and healthy fats.
In addition, you should consider talking to this specialist in water filters Sydney. Tap water is treated to kill bacteria and remove debris. However, during the process, chlorine and fluoride are added, both of which have been linked with an increased risk of cancer.
Removing these compounds with a water filter is a good idea.
The old adage of “you are what you eat”, is surprisingly true. Eating highly-processed food prevents your body from functioning naturally, effectively shortening your life. Switching to organic food and drink can make a huge difference, adding as much as 10 years to the average person’s life.
2. Exercise
The official guideline is thirty minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. This doesn’t mean exercising until you’re ready to drop, simply enough to get your heart pumping.
You can choose to walk briskly with friends or your dog, to run, cycle, lift weights, or swim. The options are almost limitless but they all get your heart racing, which is essential if you want to use exercise to add a decade to your life.
This boosts cardiovascular health, lowering blood pressure, which can be extremely beneficial in warding off disease.
The secret to sticking to this habit is to make sure you choose exercises you enjoy and mix it up occasionally.
3. Alcohol Consumption
Over the years there has been conflicting advice regarding the consumption of alcohol. The latest research suggests that 1-2 glasses of alcohol a day for men, and just 1 for women, is enough to help you add ten years to your life.
Interestingly, drinking in exercise reduces your lifespan by approximately the same as those that don’t drink!
4. BMI
A healthy BMI is between 19 and 24.5. Maintaining this means monitoring your overall weight and ensuring you stay within the correct range. In fact, adopting the right approach to diet and exercise will take care of this for you.
All you’ll need to do is monitor your BLI regularly to ensure it is within the desired range.
5. Smoking
Smoking is a no, if you’re currently a smoker it’s time to quit. It won’t just increase your risk of lung cancer, it will also decrease the length of your healthy life. It may be hard to quit but you’ll be grateful in your senior years.
Living longer isn’t all about the age you reach, it’s about the quality of life you have in your winter years, these habits will help to ensure your life quality is great for as long as possible.
Instigating These Habits
The trick to changing your habits and integrating new habits into your life is to start slow and accept that moderation is important.
It can take between 3-6 months to create a habit. During that time you simply have to find a way to remain motivated to apply these habits to your life. After 6 months have passed you’ll find you are more inclined to follow your new habits.
Introduce changes slowly, even if this means changing one habit at a time. You should also indulge occasionally. Life is to be enjoyed and indulging helps you to stay on track with your habits. If you’re not prepared to cut yourself some slack you’ll find that the habit can become tedious or even a point of contention.
Of course, if you have a friend or loved one that wants to change their habits you’ll find it easier to support each other and succeed.