Genes and environment can’t be changed, but lifestyle choices can, and they have a significant impact on your health. It is possible to improve your health and possibly live longer if you make informed choices about how you exercise, what you eat, how you sleep, and whether you smoke.
You can achieve or maintain good mental and physical health by leading a healthy lifestyle. Taking care of yourself involves making numerous small decisions daily about what you drink, how you live, what you eat, and how much movement you do.
There are many benefits of leading an active lifestyle. Initially, it helps you feel better. Ultimately, it prolongs your life. On the other hand, unhealthy lifestyles can negatively impact your health, increasing your chances of developing serious medical conditions.
With this in mind, to help you make an informed choice, we’ll analyze different lifestyle factors linked to good long-term health. By learning more about them, you can begin making positive life changes. Let’s take a look at them:
Taking time to exercise
Exercising for 30 minutes daily can protect your heart. Additionally, it reduces the risk of osteoporosis by slowing down bone loss during aging. Researchers in 2021 reported that residing in a “sustainable“ community that encourages exercise significantly reduced the likelihood of dying from colon cancer.
Likewise, exercising also helps people fight addiction and maintain their sobriety. Due to this reason, numerous rehab centers such as PBI exclusively mention outdoor activities as part of their recovery plan. You can check it out here pbinstitute.com on their website.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is that physical activity is a cost-effective method of boosting health while saving money. Mowing your lawn, cleaning your windows, and sweeping your sidewalk are examples of basic exercises that you can continue to do despite your health problems.
When you reach 65, your body may benefit from strength, endurance, and flexibility exercises, and you should continue to move. Choose an activity you will enjoy, whether it is dancing, gardening, swimming, or biking. The key is to keep moving.
Maintaining Healthy Diets
A balanced diet boosts energy levels and reduces the likelihood of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases caused by an unhealthy diet. Nutrition and food have been linked to some conditions, such as colon cancer and red meat consumption.
It is more beneficial to make long-term changes in your diet than to jump on the newest diet trend. If you want to be healthy, eat mostly plants. If you want a rainbow of colors, choose a variety of plants.
The Mediterranean diet is the perfect place to start. Several healthy foods can be found in it, and it naturally limits the choice of less healthy foods. A Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of many diseases.
After all, as the maxim goes, you’re what you eat. So, with every bite, you are impacting your health positively or negatively. Having treats in moderation is fine, but it’s easy to include unhealthy foods in your regular diet without even realizing it.
Sleeping Enough
Likewise, getting enough sleep regularly should be your top priority. Researchers have found a connection between sleep and life expectancy, but it is often overlooked due to people’s focus on diet and exercise.
The U-shaped curve of the relationship surprises some people. You may live a shorter or longer life depending on how much or how little sleep you get. Both the body and mind benefit from a good night of sleep. The body uses it to repair cells and eliminate waste. Depriving yourself of sleep will lead to forgetfulness. Sleep is also important in making memories.
Despite your best efforts, health issues can interfere with your sleep schedule. As an example, sleep apnea can significantly increase health risks. Despite its prevalence, sleep apnea is believed to be underdiagnosed in millions of people. The main reason is that loud snores or gasping for air aren’t always present. Sleep apnea symptoms can include teeth grinding and depression, among others.
Avoiding tobacco use or snorting
Each year, nearly 500,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses. Additionally, sixteen million individuals suffer from smoking-related illnesses. Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco if you wish to live a healthy and long life.
Smoking is linked to several cancers and diseases. If you’re having trouble quitting or believe illness occurs when you’re older, you may find it helpful to set more immediate goals. You may not go out socially because the cost is too high or because smoke-free indoor areas limit your options.
If you’re concerned about midlife issues, maybe they’ll be helpful. Skin wrinkles more quickly when you smoke. Men who smoke are also at risk of developing erectile dysfunction. Getting rid of tobacco, or avoiding it altogether, is a great way to save lives and improve their quality.
Obesity and Weight Management
People who are obese live shorter lives and are more likely to contract a wide range of diseases. It is good news that being slightly overweight does not shorten your lifespan. People over 65 should aim for the higher end of the normal range rather than the lower end.
An analysis of BMI and mortality over 24 years was conducted in 2018. An average BMI of 19 to 24 is considered normal. Mortality increased by 27% for obese people with a BMI of 30 to 35. It was found that an increase of 93% was linked to a BMI of 35 to 40.
Is there an ideal weight? Mortality was higher among overweight but not obese (BMI 25-30) smokers. Death risks were lowest among people with a BMI higher than normal (BMI 24, for example).
The Takeaway!
To live a long and healthy life, getting sufficient sleep, eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, and not smoking are important. There’s a reason for these factors, even if they seem like advice you heard before. The data backs them all up, and new scientific research corroborates what they already know.