Jumpstart Your Fitness: With habits to help you live longer
Posted: Apr 7th 2008 6:00AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Healthy Habits, Jumpstart Your Fitness
Finding a way to thwart death and live forever is the stuff of movies and legends -- how many characters have gone in search of the fountain of youth? That's all just fiction and fun, of course, but in real life
there are real things you can do to help not only get the most years out of your life as possible but also the most quality years out of your life. A good start to a solid fitness plan is implementing healthy (i.e. life-extending) habits. So try these on for size:
- Get enough sleep, but not too much! Studies show that people who sleep too much (generally 8+ hours per night) have shorter life expectancies, but then again so do those who don't get enough sleep (less than 6 hours). It seems there's a magical number of just enough sleep, which for most people lands somewhere between 6 and 8 hours.
- Be an optimist. Think positively and you could decrease your risk of an early death by as much as 50%. It all has to do with how you respond to stress -- optimists generally have a better outlook on life, which makes them better able to handle stress and adapt to adversity. They usually have lower blood pressure and, yes, longer lives.
- Have more sex. I'm sure most people won't complain about this one! Studies show that people who have intimate relationships and sex more often lead longer, healthier lives than those who don't.
- Own, and love, a pet. People with pets, especially dogs, are generally happier, less stressed, and need fewer visits to the doctor. Pets help fight depression, encourage exercise, and promote laughter and nurturing.
- Get rich. Although money can't buy happiness it seems that it can buy a longer life. Being wealthy often comes with its own set of stresses, but it also means access to better medical care, safer neighborhoods and housing, and a better education. And all that adds up to a longer life.
- Stop smoking. Duh.
- Manage your anger. Angry people are at much higher risk of developing heart disease and suffering from heart attacks -- most likely because anger is directly connected to higher blood pressure and an increase in stress hormones.
- Get plenty of antioxidants in your diet. Free radicals are substances in our bodies that promote the aging of cells, and antioxidants (found in most fresh foods) fight free radicals and so help to keep us younger and healthier.
- Have the right genes. Obviously there's nothing any of us can do about our own personal genetic makeup, but you might be able to help your children live longer lives by marrying someone with long living relatives. Longevity can be inherited!
Tags: age, aging, antioxidants, habit, habits, jumpstart, jumptart your fitness, JumptartYourFitness, life, life span, LifeSpan, live, live longer, LiveLonger, longevity
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