A long and healthy life is something we all desire. Being with your loved ones, seeing them being successful in life, watching their children grow up — these are all perks that come with a long life. However, if you want to ensure a long life that has not been tainted by any illness, you need to sit up and work on it from a much younger age.
If you turn 60 and suddenly realize you need to eat supplements and run every day, it might be a little too late because who knows how much beating your body has gotten into over the years — did you smoke? Did you eat a lot of fried food? This is exactly the reason why it’s better to start living a healthy life early on. So, here are a few secrets that help us live a long life. Read on and satiate your curiosity!
Take Care Of Your Chromosomes
It has been found that with old age, the ends of chromosomes become shorter. This can be the reason we tend to fall ill easily during that period of our lives. But research has shown that taking good care of your health and switching over to a healthy lifestyle helps in protecting the ends of the chromosomes. Apparently, a better lifestyle boosts a certain enzyme which is responsible for protecting the chromosomes. In fact, a healthy lifestyle helps in slowing down aging at the cellular level.
Make Friends Who Help You Be Your Better Version
Socializing and communicating well during old age is one of the main secrets of a healthy brain and life overall. It has been found that making friends and talking to them even helps in reducing risks of dementia-based diseases. However, research also says that when you make friends, choose them wisely. Find people who already have a great lifestyle and always maintain a positive vibe. They will uplift you and make you better than before. Think about it, would you rather be friends with someone who smokes all the time and prefers eating fatty food or be with someone who walks daily, helps everyone, and eats right?
Learn The Art Of Napping
Finding old people napping at all odd hours is a common scene. If you have seen them too, these seniors definitely have a good heart. Scientists have found a link between a good heart and napping regularly. Those who sleep well have lower levels of stress and are less likely to develop any stress-related diseases like blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart diseases.
Learn To Eat Like An Okinawan
Japanese people are often known for their longevity. The people from Okinawa were once known as the longest living group of people. The diet that these people followed consisted of mostly yellow and green vegetables. Also, they ate only 80% of the food from their plate. Since the next generation, Okinawans do not follow their ancestors, and it has been found that they are not living as long.
Get Married
Another science-backed reason that many do not know is that getting married helps us live longer. A study showed that single people died earlier than those who were married. Even widowed or divorced people lived very long. Hence, it must have something to do with the fact of having a partner. Scientists say that the social and economic support that marriage gives us help us stay well mentally and physically.
Turn Spiritual
Usually, old age is the time most people turn spiritual. Whether it is the realization that they have reached the last few years of their lives or the wisdom that they gain from aging, we do not know. But turning spiritual can have huge health benefits. It has been found that people over 65 who visit religious centers more than once a week had a higher immunity that protected them from diseases.
Learn To Forgive
It is very important to have mental peace when you are aging. Stress is not good at any age and more so during the final years of our life. Mental peace can be achieved when you can forgive people who have done you wrong at some point in time. Anger leads to anxiety and brings about several diseases like stroke, high blood pressure, poor lung health, and a few others. When you can forgive people and let go, it will reduce anxiety and blood pressure, among other things.
As you can see, these are not secrets at all — we’ve known them all along. But we don’t implement them as often as we should. Staying healthy and treating others well should be our priority in life and to do that, we need to follow healthy habits.