Is there a time to start with healthy habits? Well, No!! You can actually begin it at this moment. This can even help you to turn you Biological clock and live longer. However, there are certain things that you need to stop doing in order to live longer.
1 Stop Eating Mainly Processed Foods
There has been a tremendous shift in the way of eating and the types of foods being consumed over the past 30 years. People have started consuming processed food on a daily basis and along with this processed foods comes an increase in added sodium, saturated fat, less fibre and more sugar. This, in turn, will result in cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension or even diabetes.
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So, all you need to do is try to consume foods that are clean and is loaded with fibre, which is associated with greater longevity and other ingredients you purchase and prepare yourself. Some might not find time in their busy schedule to cook every day. So, you can cook ahead in huge quantities, or splurge on readymade salads and other frozen or fresh vegetables. But, even when you do so, you should keep a watch on the amount of sodium and sugar content on the label.
2 Stop Smoking
This is one difficult thing to do. Only smokers will know how hard it is to quit smoking, especially if you are a chain smoker. But, here is some inspiration for you: The NIH states that tobacco use remains the most preventable reason of death. Some surveys hint that smoking can rob you of a decade of life. How precious would that be for you?
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Your body actually is not very stubborn. It forgives you very easily. So, if you quit some of those “unwanted” things from your life, your body starts reacting positively. The blood pressure and the circulation will begin to improve the moment you quit smoking, and your chances of getting cancer reduce every year after that. It is not just ‘you’ who gets benefitted from staying tobacco-free, your family members will also benefit since they’ll no longer be exposed to deadly second-hand smoke.
3 Stop Sitting Still
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As per the global recommendations, people need to workout 30 minutes a day, five or more times per week. However, you don’t have to do all that in order to extend your life. A study issued in 2011 in ‘The Lancet’, monitoring the activity practices of more than 416,000 men and women in Taiwan, observed that getting just 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day helped members to live three extra years. The longevity hike went up to four years of longer life for those reaching the threshold of 30 minutes per day. The results held valid even for those with health issues like cardiovascular disease and for overweight people who didn’t drop any pounds through their exercise.
4 Stop Holding a Grudge
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Anger can be a terrible emotion to release, particularly if you think justified in your outrage. Levels of Cortisone, which is a stress hormone go up when you’re stressed or angry, with adverse effects on your heart, metabolism, and also your immune system. High cortisol has been linked to greater mortality in many studies.
5 Stop Keeping to Yourself
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If you stay social, it can be a real longevity booster. But how? By staying social, it will help you to manage your stress and also thereby strengthens the immune system. Healthy relationships keep you strong, active and healthy. On the other hand, bad relationships can abandon you in a negative frame of mind, and later on, put you at risk of mental illness (say depression) or even heart attacks.
6 Stop Thinking That Only Big Changes Count
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Do you often think that only big things count? Then you need to change that attitude since radical changes in lifestyle though it may be inspiring, it might be daunting too. And hence, this is never going to bring a positive impact in your life. So, the next time you decide to consume healthier or exercise more, try targeting low! Try picking just one small change at a time, such as waking up 10 minutes earlier in the morning to make yourself a healthy lunch for work, rather than a significant life makeover.
Small changes can fly under your own radar, thus totalling to enormous benefits over time without creating stress. Consistency is more valuable than a short-term gesture.
7 Stop Letting Fear (or Denial) Keep You From Being Healthy
Of all the personality characteristics that could influence your longevity, conscientiousness consistently rates as an important one, maybe the most important one. That is mainly because the conscientious people tend to involve in healthy behaviours such as eating well, exercising, and following the advice of their doctor while avoiding unhealthy behaviours like smoking or rash driving.
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However, don’t mix being conscientious or diligent with being neurotic about your health, a trait that may be associated with negative emotions such as stress, anger, or depression.
8 Stop Cheating Your Night’s Sleep
Most of us know the importance of sleep in our lives. But did you know that it can also affect your lifespan? In epidemiological studies, sleeping too little, say less than six hours, or considerably more, say more than nine hours, has been proven to put people at higher risk of death. The quality of life is also on the list: A good night’s sleep can aid you to ward off anxiety or stress, depression, or even heart disease.
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You can learn to fall asleep more fast and take steps that can improve, such as keeping your bedroom dark and or perhaps distraction-free and holding the temperature on the cold side. Meditation exercises can produce the stage for a good night’s sleep, and a low-priced noise machine can aid with relaxing sounds. If you’re still having difficulty in going to sleep or perhaps staying asleep, then you need to see your health provider and seek help.
9 Stop Stressing
Just like anger, stress also takes its toll on your body and may gradually shorten your life. By trying to decrease the stress, you can enhance your health in the long-term, and quality of life in the meantime.
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10 Stop Relying on—or Blaming—Your Genes
Most of them feel that since their parents and grandparents lived into their nineties, they will also have the same. However, it may not be entirely correct. Hence, it is not good to rely entirely on your family history. Studies made on twins in Scandinavia recommend that genetics may be the reason for only about a third of your longevity potential.
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The Environmental and lifestyle factors such as diet, the amount of exercise you get, how much anxiety you experience, how conscientious you are about medical tests and screenings or the strength of your social relationships all play a significant role in how fast you age and how long you may live. Moreover, you just need to focus more on these factors that will help you in extending your lifespan rather than concentrating on the genetics; wherein you don’t have control.
