The average life expectancy in the US is about 70 years, but the basis of these figures is often past values and future projections for a group of people, called cohorts. In reality, this isn’t the case and your health plays a huge role in how long you live.
The things you need to live a long healthy life are surprisingly not complicated. They say it’s the simple things that count, and this applies here. Two major categories of things that have the most effect on our health are the things we eat, and the things we do. The things we eat and the things we do affect both our bodies and minds. Read on for these tips.
Eat Healthily
The effects food has on your health and longevity is unprecedented. The food you eat has direct effects on the state of your heart, bones, liver and even your brain. Dieting is not only for weight loss, but your diet also affects other areas of your health and life. And when we eat just as crucial as what we eat. The times we eat affects our circadian clock and could have implications for the development of cardiovascular diseases.
In this regard, the first rule is to not skip breakfast. Breakfast not only provides much-needed energy for the start of the day. It also improves heart health heart and boosts concentration. Consistently skipping breakfast could disrupt your circadian clock and cause you to overeat during lunch. The optimal time for breakfast is two hours after you wake, between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Lunch should follow three to four hours after breakfast and should be the largest meal of the day. Dinner should be light and should not be later than 8 p.m. This is because your body metabolizes the food, and if it hasn’t been digested before bedtime, it could cause problems with sleep. Also, avoid late-night snacking.
On the issue of what to eat, a rule you can stick to is the less processed it is, the better. There are six essential classes of nutrients, and your daily meals should contain all of them.
Quit Toxic Habits
Everyone has bad habits that are somewhat harmless, and that’s normal. But some habits get in the way of our wellbeing. Living a long and healthy life involves taking care of both our physical and mental health.
Just like bad habits like eating late does damage to your sleep, so also some other bad habits that we may not think are a big deal may be doing damage to our minds and bodies. Some of these habits include:
Smoking: Some of the negative effects of smoking include: Lung cancer, angina stroke, Rheumatoid Arthritis(which can lead to joint deformity), and more aesthetic challenges like yellow teeth.
Sleep deprivation: Studies have linked sleep deprivation with excessive tiredness, an inability to focus, and long term deprivation could lead to the development of chronic diseases.
Not drinking enough water: This may not seem like a bad habit but the standard American diet involves plenty of soda and other sugary drinks. Prolonged consumption of these less healthy alternatives could lead to diabetes, excess weight gain, leptin resistance.
Excessive alcohol intake could lead to liver disease including cancer, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal problems, blurred vision, memory lapses, etc. However, wine does have some health benefits. So, the next time you visit the liquor store you may want to try a glass of red wine.
Procrastinating medical checkups: Medical checkups are necessary to monitor the state of your health, and waiting to “feel sick” before going for a physical may be too late in some cases. There isn’t a specific number of times a year to see your doctor, but experts say you should get a full checkup at least once a year.
Ensuring your health is also one of the steps you can take to ensure that you’re covered if anything goes wrong. There are various insurance providers to choose from, but if you live in Georgia you can check health insurance quotes in Georgia for some of the best plans.