The dream of immortality is a common one and is evident in the human culture as seen in books, movies, and products being sold to make us look young. From the Ancient Greeks, Chinese and Romans we still see the hope of immortality in several pieces of evidence. Although humans might not be gods, science has found ways to promote longevity.
Here are some of the practical tips you can follow on how to increase your lifespan:
Tweak your diet
Eating fish, fiber-rich food, and veggies can reduce the risk of having a heart attack by about a third. Ensuring that you have omega fatty acids in your diet also lowers the risk of several cancers and helps ease arthritis. Omega fatty acids are scientifically known to modulate the production of powerful hormone-like substances known as eicosanoids. Foods rich in Omega 3 also lower blood triglycerides, thus, lowering the risk of atherosclerosis and strokes. Taking care of your diet also ensures that you do not gain unwanted weight and suffer obesity. Obesity is highly known to increase mortality rate.
Go for a walk
Physical activity knows no age so no matter how old you are, a brisk walk three times a week can help reverse your physiological age by about a decade. A three-year study conducted on retirement-age men concluded that the exercise group showed a significant increase in aerobic power and physical capacity, which also indicated the lower possibility for diseases and illnesses. The study also concluded that exercise improved life expectancy significantly.
Get a pet
Older people who have pets tend to have a lower risk of having depression compared to those who do not have pets. Pets give you a reason to enjoy and have fun and to feel joy. Playing with your pet makes the body release dopamine that makes the body feel good and feeling good is one of the secrets to naturally living longer. Having pets gives you a distraction from the stresses of normal day to day life.
Lift weights
Muscles naturally wither and decline its capacity with aging. It is nothing new that exercise is something that you need to benefit your health. However, exercise such as weight lifting is among the things you can do not only to increase the capacity of your muscles and be strong but also to increase your lifestyle. It is also known that exercise is the key to several health issues and studies acknowledge that athletes and weight lifters tend to have more physical capacity and immune response than non-athletes.
Quit smoking
Smoking is perhaps a habit that most people get hooked on to because of the convenience and the comfort it brings. But it is no secret that smoking kills a person in more ways than one. Adding this risk to your life can lower your lifespan. Smoking decreases bone mass and causes lung cancer as well as respiratory-related diseases. Being on your way to a long life surely does not entail a puff of a cigarette. Our cells need oxygen to promote immune response. Smoking can lower the oxygen in the cells making the body weaker. If you quit smoking by age 30, your survival rate can be higher compared to lifelong nonsmokers, according to the British Medical Journal.
Challenge your mind
Studies suggest that stimulating mental activities such as reading a challenging book, attending a lecture, learning a language, and attending school can lower your risk of dementia and may help keep you mentally alert. Activating the brain by playing crossword puzzles such as Sudoku helps keep the brain active and is a surefire way to keep it sharp.
Consume Tongkat Ali
Tongkat Ali, otherwise called Eurycoma longifolia or Longjack, can help improve lifespan because of its ability to increase testosterone levels among men and women. Testosterone affect our health positively because of our body’s need of testosterone. As we age, testosterone levels drop; this is especially accurate to men. When that happens, the body and most of its functions begin to decline. As a matter of fact testosterone levels are considered one of the biomarkers of aging. Thus, making sure that your levels of testosterone are the same as when you are at your optimum health is a good way to keep your body young and increase lifespan.
Spend time with friends
Friends are there for a reason. Not only are there to be a shoulder to lean on or to be your partners in crime, they are also there to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. You might ask how. Well, even playing poker with your friends can be psychologically beneficial for your health. It can increase the endorphins in your body that make you feel good and be in a constant level of happiness. Exercising or playing games with your friends are also good healthy measures. Your social life helps lower the levels of depression.
Live well and laugh much
A common trait that the majority of centenarians share is the ability to not take things seriously and not to dwell on the bad side. Stress provokes several physiological responses that take a toll on the body. When you get stressed, the body produces cortisol that helps you cope up, but it can be damaging to your immune system, heart, and brain when it is constantly at elevated levels. Making sure that you are not stressed often or that you do not dwell much on the difficulties give you an edge to those who are extremely pessimistic. We’re not saying that you don’t take life seriously and be a happy-go-lucky person with no direction. That’s not the point. The important thing is to take things in stride and if stressful things happen, look at it in an outside-the-box view. Don’t dwell on the emotion. Problems can be solved and with that try to solve it but always remember to focus on the good because it always brings in more advantage to your health.
A happy life, healthy habits, proper nutrition, and the urge to do more and enjoy life more can bring about a domino effect that will improve your health. These changes are not meant to be drastic. A gradual application of these practical tips can help you live a healthier, longer, and more fulfilled life.
Author Bio:
Sheila C. A freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. Sheila is an avid traveler and a gourmet-food aficionado. She loves preaching about health and fitness, especially when those two hobbies require a level of physical fitness and good metabolism.