Surely most of us want to be happy, wealthy, loved by those surrounding us, and live as long as possible. But it’s not always feasible, unfortunately. In fact, it can take a huge amount of work and learning to achieve such a level of prosperity in all areas of life.
CNN reveals nine life habits that you can embrace in order to have a good chance of living a happier and longer life:
Eating well
You may have guessed even after reading the title of the article that nutrition is a very important aspect to take into account if you want to live a long and happy life. But what exactly does “eating well” mean in this case? You can consider consuming more plant-based foods, as they are rich in antioxidants. Another good idea is to focus on eating more fruits and fewer red and processed meats.
Being physically active
There are tons of studies out there confirming that physical exercise as often as possible can boost your health. A person who’s physically active has fewer chances of dealing with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. On the other side, not being physically active at all would be a big mistake.
Dr. Nieca Goldberg, who is medical director of Atria New York City, explained as CNN quotes:
There’s an overwhelming body of research that supports regular aerobic exercise for not only living longer but also to maintain cognitive function longer.
Getting enough sleep
People can run into serious health problems if they lack enough sleep, as many studies show. Apart from that, researchers now raise awareness in the case of those who have less than 7 hours of sleep per night.
Engage in strong relationships
According to Havard Health, those individuals who have good relationships with their loved ones and friends can live longer and even without too many health problems. They can also deal with less cognitive decline and depression later in life.
Avoiding alcohol
While drinking alcohol from time to time may be ok, becoming the lord of the drinks is certainly a bad idea if you care about your health. Such behavior can damage the heart muscle. It can lead to awful conditions such as heart failure.
Watch out for mental wellness
Not everybody knows that anxiety or stress are able to affect functions such as sleep and blood pressure. That means that you should try to keep your mind relaxed and refreshed from time to time. You can opt for simple activities such as going for a walk, taking deep breaths, and so on.
Keeping an eye on the BMI
BMI refers to the body mass index, meaning a measurement of body fat that can asses the possible risk for health issues in a person. People should maintain a healthy BMI.
Not smoking
If you haven’t been on another planet until now, surely you’ve heard that smoking can lead to some serious health problems.
CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen explained as the famous publication quotes:
“Smoking is a major risk factor that increases the likelihood of multiple cancers — not just lung cancer but also things like breast cancer.”
The analyst said that smoking also “increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and other conditions that shorten people’s lives.”
Frequent screenings
Acting in a preventive way is also a good option when it comes to our health, even in the case of young people. Annual checkups represent a good idea.
The life expectancy in the US was situated somewhere at 79 years back in 2019. In Europe, the life expectancy is 80.4 years, while women have a life expectancy that’s 5.7 years higher compared to men.
