Who isn’t interested in living a healthy and long life? Unfortunately, however, there are no silver bullets that guarantee it, but there are lifestyle choices, from exercise to maintaining strong relations, that can help boost the odds. A lot of Americans figure longevity is determined by genetics. That isn’t true. While genetics play a role in the longevity lottery, particularly for those living to 100 or beyond, how we live our lives is a more important factor for most people, scientists say.
According to the Genetics Society of America, Scientists used to think that genetics accounted for roughly a quarter of longevity. Some recent research has found that genetics account for less than 10% of how long we live.1 Dr. Stephen Schimpff, in his book Longevity Decoded: The 7 Keys to Healthy Aging, points to a study of nurses that found a 50-year-old woman who adopted healthy lifestyle changes (healthy diet, regular exercise, healthy weight, no smoking, and moderate alcohol intake) would extend her life by an average of 14 years while a 50-year-old man would extend his by 12 years compared with a person who did none of those five lifestyle factors.2 The younger you make these changes, the bigger the effect could be on your health and longevity. Schimpff, 83 himself, notes that even an 80-year-old who adopts healthy practices would extend his or her life by several years.
Here are four key things to practice that will improve our chances of a long, healthy life.
- Exercise Regularly- Exercise helps prevent heart disease; it helps ward off depression and dementia; it even helps prevent cancer by revving up our immune system. Cardiovascular fitness is so important that the American Heart Association now views it as a critical health metric. Cardiorespiratory fitness “is a potentially stronger predictor of mortality than established risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes,” the association said.
- Eat Healthy- We tend to eat too much processed foods, red meats, saturated fat, and refined carbohydrates. What should we be eating instead is the harder question? The Harvard school of public health has repeatedly found the Mediterranean diet—whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and fish—is healthier than the typical Western high-meat, high-fat diet. It is easier to lose weight through diet than exercise, though exercise will help you keep it off. That’s why these two go hand in hand.
- Get Enough Sleep- Not sleeping enough wreaks havoc on our immune systems, weight, brains, and general health. How can you tell if you’re getting enough sleep? If you wake up feeling refreshed on your own, have plenty of energy, and don’t fall asleep during the day, you’re probably getting adequate sleep. Want to improve your sleep? Practice good sleep hygiene. That means having a regular bedtime, avoiding computers and smartphones before bed, and sleeping in a cool dark room.
- Manage Stress- Stress is a natural part of life usually brought on by difficult situations. According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic stress, however, puts you at greater risk of anxiety, depression, memory problems, weight gain, digestive issues, muscle pains, heart disease, stroke, and sleep loss. You can’t avoid stress. The key then is learning how to manage it. Doing the above three will absolutely help with managing stress. The key is to find whatever works for you.
Allen Minassian
- https://academic.oup.com/genetics/article/210/3/1109/5931081
- https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/longevity-decoded-the-seven-keys-to-healthy-aging/