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Small Changes To Impact Your Health And Increase Your Lifespan

By on October 17, 2012

Research has shown that no matter your age, it really is the little things that are important when it comes to your health. There are certain changes you can make in order to increase your natural lifespan as well as improve your health at the same time.

Keep It Moving

Whether you are in your 20s or your 50s, it is never too late to start being active or to increase your current level of activity. Studies have shown that people who are inactive are more likely to suffer from conditions down the road such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and stroke.

You should be exercising at least 25 minutes a day by doing exercises that increase your heart rate. If you are not the ‘exercise’ type or don’t have any exercise equipment, there are plenty of activities that you can do such as biking, intense swimming, speed walking, and hiking.

According to the CDC, you should also be doing strength training exercises at least two times a week. You don’t have to be a professional weightlifter, just do exercises and movements that work your muscles. TO avoid buying a lot of equipment or going to the gym, you can get dozens of effective strength training exercises out of a simple resistance band.

Get Rid of Your Bad Habits

It goes without saying that alcohol and cigarettes can be detrimental to your health. The sooner you stop these damaging habits, the better. It has been proven that both alcohol and cigarettes can cause certain types of cancers when used in excessive amounts.

It is acceptable, and likely even healthy, for men to have no more than two drinks a day, and women no more than one drink a day. Any more than that is doing more damage than good.

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you, but what a lot of people do not know is that even if you have been a smoker for 10 years, when you do quit it can add years onto your life than if you kept smoking. So just because you have been smoking for a long period of time, you should dismiss the myth that quitting now will do you no good, because it most certainly will.

Smoking cigarettes has not only been linked to many different types of cancers, but can also be a contributing factor to heart disease, stroke, and digestive issues.

Watch What You Eat

The most important factor in lengthening your lifetime is to be wary of the things you put into your body. Watching what you eat also goes hand-in-hand with maintaining your waistline. It has been proven that keeping a trim body with a low body fat percentage is a contributing factor to living longer.

Having excess weight can cause numerous health conditions that can cause you to live for a shorter period of time such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

You should eat a healthy balance of all foods, trying to eat as close to the recommended servings of each food group as possible. You should try to get in as many fruits and vegetables as possible each day. Other great foods to incorporate into a healthy diet include whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat foods. You should limit oils, fats, and carbohydrate intake.

Eating lean, white meats is also important. You should eat no more than 18 ounces of red meat each week since an excess of red meat has been linked to heart disease and certain types of cancer. The less you eat, the better.

Take Care of Your Skin

It is an unfortunate fact that most women do not start to worry about taking care of their skin until they begin to show signs of aging, such as wrinkles, and some men never worry about taking care of their skin.

Keeping your skin healthy is very important to your overall health and longevity. Though it is never too late to start, you should ideally begin taking care of your skin from the moment you start buying your own health care products.

Both women and men should always protect their skin by wearing sunscreen at all times when they are venturing outside. Sunscreen helps protect against UV rays that can cause skin cancer, premature aging, and can strip the skin of vital nutrients and vitamins that the skin needs.

Women should purchase beauty products such as makeup foundation that contains sunscreen or UV protection.

Everyone should always be wary of products they put onto their skin and their ingredients. Even some lotions and anti-aging products contain chemicals that can be ultimately unhealthy to use.

Other Tips:

Always take care of your teeth. Flossing and brushing is not only beneficial for preventing cavities, but also keeps the mouth free of certain bacteria that can be extremely harmful to your health. Bacteria that cause gum disease have also been linked to cause heart disease. This can be prevented by regularly brushing, flossing, and using a medicated mouthwash.

Protect against early brain deterioration, short-term memory loss, and overall fogginess by keeping your brain active. In your free time, try to exercise your brain by solving puzzles, doing math, reading, and playing games.

Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses when it is sunny outside. The UV rays from the sun have been proven to cause cataracts and vision deterioration over time.

Keep your ears hearing for longer by protecting them against loud noises that could cause permanent damage and hearing loss. Avoid going to areas and venues such as rock concerts that are excessively loud. Wear earbuds when you can to block out loud noises, and keep your music on your headphones turned down to a reasonable level.

Take a multivitamin. No matter the age or diet, it is very difficult to get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs each day. Search your local drugstore for a multi-vitamin that is right for your gender as well as your age and provides all of the vitamins you need.

Keep all of your medical appointments and go for an annual physical. Both men and women need to be seen each year for a physical. Even if you think you are in perfect health, visiting your doctor for a screening each year is a great type of preventative care and allows for early detection. Your doctor is able to catch signs and symptoms of things you may miss, which leads to earlier detection and treatment.

These are tips that are universal from men to women and that span all ages. It is always best to start a healthy lifestyle as early as possible, but it is never too late. When you start taking preventative measures, you will be able to add years onto your life that you would otherwise not have.