Longevity Secrets
Secrets to a Long and Happy Life
Even if you spend your entire life eating greens, exercising regularly and making scheduled visits to doctors for your skin, teeth and bones, there is no guarantee that you will live any longer – or be any happier – than the person standing next to you. The best we can do is to prepare for the worst and enjoy the ride. However, data has shown that certain habits help people live healthier and happier lives.
Healthy Eating Habits
Often referred to as the “future of nutrition,” super-foods offer maximum health benefits. Try incorporating some super foods into your regular diet:
- Walnuts
- Tea (green, black)
- Avocados
- Goji berries
- Spinach
- Lemons
- Aai juice
- Flax seed
- Beans
- Wheat germ
- Garlic
It is obvious that eating healthy is a critical part of maintaining your health. When it comes to dieting and attempting to amp up your eating game, our PRO TIP is “everything in moderation.” Enjoying a bowl of ice cream every once in a while is good for you too (just in different ways).
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep!
By depriving yourself of sleep you become subject to weight gain, a decrease in productivity, changes in metabolism, a weak immune system and an irritable mood. According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting the right amount of sleep is just as essential to our body function as eating and drinking. This foundation reports that a person between the ages of 26 and 64 should get seven to nine hours a sleep a night.
Say No to Stress
Chronic stress can be a deadly killer. According to Deane Alban of Be Fit Brain, 90 percent of doctors’ visits are for stress-related health complaints. Stress hormones can make your body sick and negatively impact your brain by changing your brain’s function and structure. Make a point to regularly practice activities that are known to quiet your mind, such as yoga, breathing breaks, exercise, prayer, positive self-talk and meditations.
Other Tips for a Happy and Healthy Life
Sometimes science doesn’t give the best advice. If you’re looking to reboot your energy, mindfulness and health, try some of these other tips for improved longevity (as recorded by others):
- Take a walk outside once a day
- Make laughing and smiling a priority
- Never stop learning
- Limit your news intake (since it tends to be negative)
- Spend time in the sun increasing your vitamin D intake
- Celebrate every chance you get, no matter how small or silly the accomplishment
- Discover your family history/family tree
- Love what you do for a living
- Embrace positive thinking
- Unplug from technology on a regular basis
- Have faith in something (your spiritual place doesn’t have to be rooted in religion)
It often takes a lifetime to learn to incorporate these practices and more into your professional and personal life. By understanding that your happiness and health are related and one-in-the-same, you can more quickly come to understand the best ways to improve your wellbeing.
However, keep in mind that the goal should not be to live a long life, but to live a happy life.
Additional Resources
- Longevity-Control for Life extension, by longevitywatch.com
- Secrets from the Longest-Living Place on Earth, Japan, by Kirk Spitzer
- 9 Secrets to Living Longer, by Alexandra Sifferlin
- Secret of Longevity found in Chinese History, by Yan Jin
- Ancient Chinese Secrets for a Long Life, by Epoch Times
Videos
- Develop Three Healthy Habits to Live a Long Life, by Brian Tracy
- How to Live a Long Life, by Doug Batchelor
Education
- Interview with Leonid A. Gavrilov, Ph.D, by Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine
- Some Secrets of Longevity, by Harvard.edu/gazette
- The Surprising Secrets to a Long life, by articles.mercola.com
- Blue Zones: the Secrets to Longevity, by ohsu.edu
Books
- Secrets of Longevity, by Maoshing Ni
- Mao’s Secrets of Longevity Cookbook, by Maoshing Ni
- Perricone’s 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health and Longevity: The Miracle of Cellular Rejuvenation, by Nicholas Perricone
- Grow Younger, Live Longer: Ten Steps to Reverse aging, by Deepak Chopra
- Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth, by Peter Kelder and Bernie S. Siegel
Apps
- David Wolfe’s Official Podcast, by David Wolfe, available on iTunes for free
- Hey Hey Lighten Up!! Live Healthy, Live Longer, by Peter Kauhausen, available on iTunes for free