What is the true definition of Healthy Living? It sounds silly that we need to define “healthy living”. Yet, most of us think that it means a disease-free life. However, “healthy living” has a more holistic concept associated with it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Interestingly enough, health is not simply defined as just the absence of disease. The actual definition of healthy living is the steps, actions and strategies one puts in place to achieve optimum health. Healthy Living is about taking responsibility and making smart health choices for today and for the future. Eating right, getting physically fit, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness and prevention are all for creating a healthy lifestyle. Since the entire YOU, meaning all aspects of one’s self, must work in harmony to achieve wellness, you need to put balanced energy into each aspect of yourself.
Balanced and healthy lifestyle is a life-long effort to saturate our life with healthy activities in all fields of our life like, physical, mental, professional and social, in order to enjoy life at every moment. A meaningful life, a life full of health, happiness, blissfulness and content; these are the secrets to enjoying a long, happy life.
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Some aspects of our health and vitality are governed by our genes and the routine of our mother during pregnancy but many lifestyle factors, including fitness, diet and weight, have an impact on our ability to live a long and a healthy life.
No matter what your age, you have the power to change many of the variables that influence how long you live, and how active and vital you feel in your later years. Actions that you can take to increase your odds of living a longer and a more satisfying life are quite simple. With that in mind, here are 10 tips to help maximize your longevity and quality of life:
1. Control stress
Very few things age us faster than stress, especially chronic stress. Have you ever noticed how quickly presidents age while in office? We all have stress in our lives and in small doses it can even be beneficial. But when stress is part of our everyday comings and goings, it begins to take its toll. While we will never eliminate stress, there are things we can do to reduce it — some included below.
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2. Manage your blood pressure
Hypertension is a very common problem in our society. High blood pressure can do real damage to your body and place you at increased risk for a stroke and vascular diseases. Think of your blood and its circulation through your body as the plumbing in your house. If the water pressure gets too high it can burst a pipe — the equivalent of a stroke in your body. If it remains high all the time, it will place undue wear and tear on the pipes, shortening their life — the equivalent of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in your body.
The good news is that high blood pressure is controllable if recognized and managed properly. It is important to check your blood pressure regularly and keep it under good control. A balanced diet, exercise and a healthy, low-salt diet can all help.
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3. Don’t smoke
This is a no-brainer. Almost all of us understand that smoking poses a significant risk to our heart and lungs. But did you know that it also accelerates aging, especially of the skin? Smoking is an enemy of longevity and a disease-free life. If you want to live a long, healthy life, make sure you’re among the non-smokers. Smoking contributes to heart diseases, osteoporosis, emphysema and other chronic lung problems and stroke. It makes breathing during exercise much harder and thus can render the activity less enticing. It appears to compromise memory, too.
The news does get better. People who quit smoking can repair some, if not all, of the damage done. After a smoker quits, the risk of heart disease begins to drop within a few months, and in five years, it matches that of someone who never smoked. Stroke risk drops to equal that of a nonsmoker within two to four years after a smoker quits, according to one study. The death rate from colorectal cancer also decreases each year after quitting. At any age, quitting progressively cuts your risk of dying from cancer related to smoking, although this drop is most marked in those who quit before age 50.
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4. Get your sleep
OK, wake up. This is really important. Sleep may be one of the most underappreciated aspects of good health. Why do we need sleep? Sleep in many ways has remained a scientific mystery. What has been discovered recently is its profound effect on overall health. Even more fascinating is its importance in maintaining a healthy memory — something many of us worry about as we get older. It is now known that sleep helps embed the things we learn during the day in our brain.
So, how much sleep do we need? At least seven to eight hours each night. That’s a challenge for many of us, but it should always be our goal. Sleep is not just important for memory. Having a lifestyle that lacks adequate sleep can increase blood pressure, cause depression and ultimately shorten life.
A good tip for getting better sleep is to cut out on the caffeine in the late afternoon and at night. Caffeine stays in our body for many hours after ingestion. So, eliminate that last cup of coffee after dinner or switch to decaf.
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5. Maintain good nutrition; foods to eat to live longer
Most of us know which foods are good and bad for us. The best advice about nutrition is not to make yourself miserable eating foods you don’t like just to lose weight or stay healthy. Plenty of research suggests that eating healthy foods can help extend your life and improve your health. Studies reveal that a healthy diet can help you sidestep ailments that plague people more as they age, including heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and cataracts.
There is no shortage of new and conflicting advice on diet and nutrition. Stick to the basics with more broad-based changes, such as cutting back on meat, eating more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and striking a healthy balance between calories in and calories out. Food is one of the basics joys of life. So, eat the foods you love but be smart about portions. Most importantly, eat a varied diet that includes lots of vegetables and fruits. Most of us eat the same food over and over again. Be honest, when you go grocery shopping, aren’t you putting the same things in your cart each visit? Be adventurous. Try something new every now and then. A varied diet is a healthy diet.
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6. Exercise your body
Move. Just move. If you want to keep your muscles and bones young, it means using them. Find an activity you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy the activity, you will not stay with it. If you hate running on a treadmill, don’t do it. If you love tennis, play tennis. It can even be just walking, but commit to doing it regularly. MOVE.
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7. Exercise your brain
Your brain is amazing; your brain is you. It defines who you are. Your brain holds every memory and emotion of your life. It gives you the ability to laugh, to cry, to create, to appreciate art and music and even the capacity to love. Every effort should be made to keep your brain young and healthy. Aside from the other recommendations listed here, the best way to keep your brain healthy is to use it. Keep your brain challenged, especially with new things. Replace routine with new learning. Seek out new experiences. Your brain thrives on challenges and learning. So be a student for life.
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8. Stay positive
There is a saying: “The me I see, is the me i’ll be”. If you choose to see yourself as old and failing, you’ll likely carry yourself that way. The key word is “choose”. You have a choice with how you see everything in life, including yourself. Even circumstances outside of your control can be managed positively with a proper attitude. If you are stuck in traffic, getting upset or angry will not help to get the traffic moving. Instead, can choose to accept the moment and perhaps think, pray or listen to some music. Allowing yourself to get stressed and increasing your blood pressure will not help in keeping you young and healthy. See tips one and two.
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9. Maintain close relationships
The hurt of loneliness and isolation goes beyond emotional pain — it is terrible for our health. It is so important to have others around us. Things, of course, change as we age — children move away, we sometimes lose friends. But we can go out and meet new people. Stay involved with others. Take classes. Volunteer. Take someone out to dinner at a new restaurant. Even get a pet. Studies have shown that people live longer and healthier with companionship. Many years ago I shared a fact with my dad that married people generally live longer than single people. He suggested humorously to me that when you’re married you don’t live longer — it just seems longer.
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10. Be spiritual
The 17th century philosopher, Pascal, once said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”. Our body, mind, and spirit need moments of quiet reflective peace — probably more so today than at any time. It can be prayer, meditation or just peaceful silence. The power of such moments should not be underestimated. They help to calm and comfort and clarify our busy lives.
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So, it looks like we can all expect to live a lot longer. Why not make that time count with the goal of quality and good health. Living long and living well is a choice — and it’s yours.
REFERENCES:
Outpatient Medicine and Center for Healthy Aging at Greenwich Hospital
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/tips-for-a-longer-life
World health organization: https://www.who.int/en/
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/longevity-foods#1
https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20366671,00.html#drink-in-moderation-0
https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/15-easy-ways-to-be-healthier
https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/secrets-long-life-25-simple-1494763
AMA Health Insight: www.ama-assn.org/consumer.htm
Mayo Health Oasis: www.mayohealth.org/mayo
Health finder: www.healthfinder.org
Health Information: www.planethealth.com
Wellness Interactive Network: www.stayhealthy.com
Healthy People 2010: www.health.gov/healthypeople
Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC): www.cdc.gov
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