Living a Long and Healthy Life
As science continues to advance in the world of health care people
are starting to live longer at a higher quality of life although. this is an
amazing feat for science and society we're going to take a step back from the world
of technology and pharmaceuticals to take a deeper dive into what changes the
average person can implement today to live a longer and healthier life all links
used for research in this blog are available in the description below be sure
to check them out now let's jump into our five tips to live a long and healthy
life first. we're going to take a look at hydration an estimated 75 of
americans suffer from chronic dehydration.
so i think it might be time for you to re-evaluate your
personal levels of water consumption according to a research paper from harvard
university experts recommend that everyone should be drinking between 11 and 16
cups of water a day drinking enough water each day is vital for an abundance of
reasons it helps keep your joints lubricated delivers essential nutrients to
cells. all over your body keeps organs operating efficiently prevents infection
sand helps regulate body temperature that's why a cold glass of water on a hot
day feels like heaven.
you could also see additional benefits such as improved
sleep quality cognition and mood next we're going to take a look at nutrition
and supplements well we all know to eat our greens and that mc donald's isn't
the best food for us but there's so much more to optimal nutrition than just
eating right the vast majority of us assume that the same healthy food choices
are applicable for every body and for the most part it is true but everyone
should take a customized approach a simple blood test can tell you about your
current baselines for nutrients within your body and where changes can be made
the average american diet finds a number of essential nutrients to be lacking.
these areas include calcium potassium magnesium and vitamins
a c and d let's take vitamin d as an example it is arguably one of the most
important nutrients necessary for health according to a 2011 study one billion people
worldwide and 41.6 of americans are vitamin d deficient if you are lacking the
vitamin you could very well be lacking the benefits as well vitamin d helps
your body fight disease resulting in a reduced risk of multiples cleros is heart
disease and the likelihood of developing the flu it has also been found to have
an impact on mood regulation and potentially improving the symptoms of
depression.
this is just an example from one nutrient in the body there
are so many more that can affect the way your body operates you can add these
nutrients into your diet by eating the right foods with ahigh concentration of
the nutrient or look to take supplements that you can find in the drug store before
deciding if you want to take any supplements or making drastic changes please
consult a doctor as i am not one just like the previous two points on this list
a large percentage of adults also lack sleep according to the cdc one in three
adults don't sleep enough the recommendation is that everyone should be getting
between seven to nine hours of sleep a night having a consistent lack of sleep
could lead to potentially the most drastic changes in health versus any other
tip in this blog a lack of sleep contributes to a wide array of health
complications and includes obesity diabetes high blood pressureheart disease
and mental distress.
we've all had a bad night of sleep before and i'm sure you
remember how miserable and difficult it was to operate throughout the day versus
one where you get a good night's sleep the culminating effect of these long
nights and lost hours is referred to as sleep death a term that neuroscientist
mat thew walker often refers tow hen sleep debt is incurred it is extremely
difficult to make back for every hour of sleep lost it can take up to 4 days to
fully recover from its effects. when you have night after night of bad sleep
your sleep debt works up a tap where it continues to accumulate and gets away
from you dr walker believes that this conundrum can shave years off of your
life.
the best way to prepare for a good night's sleep is to put
away screens two hours before bed and develop a routine that helps you relax unwinding
and disconnecting from your daily activities is important forgetting high
quality sleep feel free to experiment and find out what works best for you
before bed tip number four is to get exercise and stay active. we broke this
segment down into two sections and first we're going to talk about
cardiovascular exercise a lot of people have a misconception that cardio is
limited to activities similar to running and cycling.
when in fact almost any kind of movement can be classified
as cardio that means activities such as walking playing sports dancing and even
jumping up and down on a trampoline count what these activities all have in common
is that they trigger your body to take in more oxygen to maintain energy levels
which in turn increases your heart rate among several other reactions within
the body getting your heart rate up is essential for strengthening your heart
and overall health according to the cdc one in four deaths is caused by heart
disease which is why maintaining the health of your heart should be a priority
for every body on top of that it can improve your memory protect your brain
against the decline that comes with aging and it also triggers the release of endorphins
within your body endorphins are a natural hormone produced within your nervous
system.
they are often referred to as the happy hormone because it
is known to make people happier it naturally lifts your mood and is the hormone
behind the phenomena of the runner's heart the next segment we're going to look
at in exercise is resistance training when it comes to resistance training It turns
out that there's more than meets the eye that is not just for building strength
and looking fit or muscular a study done by way. l we scott states that it may
help prevent and manage certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes by reducing visceral
fat and improving insulin sensitivity it also offers many of the same benefits that
cardio offers as well his research also proposes that.
it can increase bone density and help reduce pain associated
with back problem sarthrit is and fibromyalgia on top of all that it can also
reverse other skeletal muscular problems associated with aging the us
department of health and human services state that you should do at least 150
minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week to stay healthy the last
tip on our list is the importance of personal relationships a review of 148
studies regarding social interactions found that people with strong and developed
social circles are 50 percent less likely to die prematurely and interestingly
enough. it has been found that those who have committed to a life partner on
average live three years longer than those who don't.
when you have people in your life that you can discuss problems
with you don't have to internalize the stress the science states that even just
thinking about the people that you care about after going through a stressful
event or task can lead to quicker recovery from the symptoms of stress as well in
turn this keeps stress levels lower over time and reduces its long-term impact
on your health on the flip side loneliness is often a significant predictor of
poor health for a long time it has been commonly associated with depression and
is now even being reported to have an impact on pain tolerance and immune
system dysregulation what a lot of people overlook is the preparation and
changes influenced by being social being around people can promote several changes
to your health such as personal hygiene unintentional peer pressure is another
influence.
When it comes to other health habits such as exercise dietary
choices and certain activities that can have both a positive or a negative impact
on your health there are so many different factors that come into play when it
comes to determining what a healthy life looks like for you the items on this
list and the research that the scientists did on these topics are just a few of
the most popular health choices of today.
