The secret of enjoying a long and happy life is not that secret. You can add quality and years to your life and live them to the fullest in many small ways. Keep reading to find out 20 simple ways to live well and longer.
1. Don’t Sit for a Long Time
Everybody needs to take a rest sometimes, but that doesn’t mean that staying on the couch for hours and hours straight is healthy. In fact, experts say that spending 3 or more hours sitting during the day could reduce your life expectancy by 2 years.
2. Eat Less Calories
Less calories and grease in your daily food intake not only will help you live longer, it can also help you have less elderly-related diseases. People with a low-calorie diet have a delayed aging process, and they’re also less prone to senile diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
3. Eat Broccoli
Everyone has been told to eat broccoli as kids, but what does it really do for your body and how can it help you live longer? Broccoli has great cancer-preventing action, and it also cleans up your lung cells resulting in healthy lungs.
4. Sing
Singing is an activity that instantly brightens up people, even when they don’t sing well and only dare to do it in the shower. There are studies that show opera singers have a better heart function, probably due to the constant movement of the thorax which “exercises” your heart.
5. Drink Some Tea
Drinking tea regularly (at least one cup a day) can help you delay aging and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and strokes. Just try to stick to herbal teas, which have low levels of sugar and no caffeine.
Related: 8 Things To Stop Doing If You Want To Live Longer
6. Keep Calm
There’s a striking study that found that just 2 hours after a burst of rage, a person increases the risk of heart attack by 5 times and the risk of stroke by 3 times. This means that leading a calm and chilled life is the key to living longer.
7. Eat Less Sugar
Sugar is one of the world’s most dangerous ingredients. Not only because it slowly makes your body fail and slow down, but also because it’s highly addictive and it’s widely available in all foods. Eating less sugar will help you to avoid gastrointestinal and heart problems, thus letting you live well.
8. Run
Running, or even walking, can have wondrous benefits on your body. Walking, jogging or running for at least 30 minutes a day could greatly reduce the risk of heart disease, lower your cholesterol and help you lose weight. You can also strengthen your muscles and bones to prevent osteoporosis.
9. Be Happier
This might sound odd, but a happier life is actually one with longer life expectancy. How does this happen? Several studies have shown that people who suffer from chronic depression or anxiety and other emotional struggles are 29% more likely to suffer from fatal heart disease.
10. Eat Garlic
Garlic is one of those secret super foods that have great benefits and provide great health tips, and can help you live well. Garlic can lower cholesterol, reduce thrombosis, regulate blood sugar, prevent cancer and prevent coronary artery blockage. Try to include it in your diet as juice, tea or even as seasoning.
Related: The Best Tips for Healthy Living
11. Hug People
Are you a particularly loving person? This tip could really make you happy. According to medical college studies, giving and receiving hugs every day could lower your blood pressure, reduce anxiety and improve your mood. So, go and hug your loved ones.
12. Sleep Better
When we sleep, the body reboots, renews cells and regulates all bodily functions. Having a good night of sleep could reduce the risk of cancer and facilitate many other health benefits or conditions that end up increasing your life expectancy.
13. Eat Turmeric
Turmeric is an Asian root that comes from the ginger family, and is a bright yellow powder. Turmeric has amazing health tips and properties such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and it can prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and even heart diseases. You can prepare turmeric as a hot beverage and combine it with cayenne pepper.
14. Watch Less TV
Since watching TV is linked to a sedentary and passive lifestyle, it is only natural that studies show watching a couple of hours of TV a day has been linked to high blood pressure, becoming overweight and experiencing cardiovascular incidents. Try to stick to an hour of TV a day if you want to live longer.
15. Eat Leafy Greens
Leafy vegetables have many benefits to keep your body balanced and ultimately help you prevent osteoporosis, digestive problems and even serious heart conditions.
Related: Ways to Become Healthy in 14 days
16. Laugh More
Laughter is undoubtedly the best medicine, so if you want to live a long and happy life you might want to try and laugh every day. There have been studies conducted in Japan that show people who laugh more show significantly lower blood pressure.
17. Eat More Apples
You know the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? It might not be wrong at all. Eating apples will keep you in top shape and your bodily functions working like a clock. A healthy digestive system usually describes someone who will live a long life. Apples are actually linked to lower risk of diabetes and they even promote good gut bacteria.
18. Dance
Dancing, just like any other kind of physical activity, will instantly speed up your heart beat and blood flow, which sends more blood to the brain and ultimately helps you prevent mental conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
19. Eat Nuts
Nuts are not only delicious, they also have the right amount of healthy fats and nutrients to feed you well. They also help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease; two conditions we all know that take most lives in the world these days.
20. Care for Your Teeth
If you let your teeth decay and your gums swell up, eventually this could lead to arteriosclerosis and several cardiovascular diseases. So make sure to brush your teeth and go to the dentist regularly.
Related: 14 Incredible Dental Hygiene Tips to Keep Your Teeth Healthy
Now you know the many, many little secrets of a long and happy life. What are you waiting for to start changing your habits?
