While it’s true that how we age and the diseases we are prone to are affected by our genetics, it is more helpful to focus on the factors that are within your control. Read our tips on how to live longer and better.
Every day, we are exposed to factors that negatively impact our health and wellbeing, including:
- Stress from work and family
- unhealthy environmental conditions
- Hectic schedules
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8 Tips For Living A Longer And Healthier Life
1. Learn to Manage Stress
After genetics, stress has the greatest negative effect on length telomeres. This is important because telomeres are the best markers of biological age in the body. The shorter the telomeres, the higher the risk of serious disease. Everyone experiences stress, but chronic ongoing stress has a huge impact on your overall health and may be a factor in you getting several types of cancer or type 2 diabetes.
2. Meditate
A practice of meditation can help to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. It can lift your mood and give you the space you need to see a challenge more clearly. It can also help increase your attention span and improve memory. Include gratitude in your daily meditation – it helps us appreciate what we already have and primes us to look for more of what we want in our lives.
3. Move Your Body
20-45 minutes of high-intensity exercise done 3-5 times weekly has been shown to have an overall positive effect on maintaining the length of telomeres. You can determine high intensity with this equation: 220 – (your age) = maximum heart rate. If you are just beginning, aim for 50% of the maximum. A week or two later increase it to 60% and then to 70%. You can sustain at 70% for a time until you find it easier to talk while you exercise. You then know it’s time to step it up again. Be patient. Building new skills takes time.
4. Nutrition
Telomere length is positively associated with:
- Whole grains
- Dietary fiber
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Seaweed
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Coffee.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory diets help to protect our health. This would include diets high in vitamin C, polyphenols, cerumen, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Alcohol, red meat, processed foods, and sugar, in particular, sugary drinks including soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and diet soda are found to negatively impact the length of the telomeres.
5. Fasting
Periods of fasting help to reduce inflammation in the body and delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
6. Prioritize Happiness
It’s true that our mindset has a great effect on our overall health. We feel more like getting up and moving on days when we are happy and feeling good. Choose to focus your time involved in activities that bring you true happiness.
7. Be Social
Spending time with others and creating a good social network can help to prolong your life. Loneliness and a lack of social support can cause depression and make you more susceptible to illness.
8. Sleep Well
Adequate amounts of quality sleep boost the immune system. Studies show that sleeping well increases the natural immune response by up to 5 times. It helps to regulate hormones, reduces stress and inflammation and helps you to lose weight. If you are looking to establishing ONE daily habit that will have the greatest impact on your ability to implement others, start here. Create good sleep habits and all other habit formations will be easier to achieve.
Live Your Best and Healthiest Life with You 2.0 Wellness App
Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life but wanting it isn’t enough. You will need healthy daily habits to keep yourself living your best life.
Find out how the You 2.0 Wellness APP can support you to do just that! Call us today at 403-460-69691 or fill in our online contact form.
