8 Choices That Will Add 24 Years to Your Lifespan (& Have More Fun Too!)

Medical News Today came out with this great article that we wanted to share eight habits to adopt to add a quarter century to your lifespan! Men with these habits lived 24 years longer, and women lived 23 years longer than their respective counterparts.

The study also found that you’ll still add years even if you only use or implement a few of these habits. It’s okay not to be perfect! (And, you can tell your spouse that I said that! And, especially, your mother-in-law!) 

The habits are: 

Being Physically Active

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 150 “heart points” for each week. You get one heart point for every minute your heart is in an aerobic state. I don’t think watching scary movies counts, but you could always email them and ask. For more information on getting active, here’s the AHA’s guide. 

That works out to three or four days a week of moderate to advanced aerobic exercise. If you want to get fancy and track it, that should be about 60% of your target heart rate. Since the AHA can explain it better, here’s a link on how to calculate that. 

Managing Stress

Did you know there is actually such a thing as good stress? Good stress comes from factors like working out (stress on your muscles and tissues makes them stronger) or rising to new challenges (a new career opportunity, passing exams, or starting new hobbies.) 

Dr. Hans Selye first came up with the idea of “stress” as an “underpinning” medical condition. He also divided stress into two categories: eustress and distress. If you remember back to your Latin (or if you skipped it entirely) eu- is a positive prefix to a word, and dis- adds a negative property to a word: so good stress and bad stress.

But to manage the bad stress, the AHA once again has some great techniques, which you can check out on that link.  

Maintaining a Good Diet

The real question here is, “What does a good diet even look like?” Advice on what you are or are not supposed to eat seems to change every decade or so. But it’s good that medical science keeps advancing and making new discoveries. (But I don’t think a double Whopper with cheese is ever going to make the healthy diet list. Sorry. How disappointing!)

There’s no such thing as a perfect diet, but staying up to date with recent medical science can help us stay aware of dietary best practices. 

The American Heart Association has a great guide on eating smart, which helps cut through a lot of sensational diet media out there. 

Maintaining Good “Sleep Hygiene”

Sleep hygiene is not changing the sheets before they change color … although that’s also a good idea! It’s about getting good quality sleep and enough of it. 

Sometimes, there isn’t much choice when you have to stay up until the wee hours to finish deadlines. We’ve all been there. The key is not to make a habit out of it. For me, often, it is the result of not planning my time better … practicing my Duolingo Spanish longer than I should, or not getting my dental hygiene out of the way right after dinner. There are always ways we can improve our evening efficiencies to make going to bed at a reasonable hour a happy discipline. 

Here is more on getting good sleep again from our good friends at the AHA.

Maintaining Positive Social Relationships

Whether you’re a raving extrovert or quietly slip off from large groups to read in a corner, the truth is that humankind was made for connection. We all need positive social relationships for personal growth as well as good health. Even for you rugged individualists out there, isolation is not a healthy option. 

Avoiding Regular Excessive Consumption of Alcohol

I’m not one to turn away from a chilled moscato every once in a while. But unfortunately, doctors think low to moderate consumption of alcohol is best, if any at all. As my dear late mother always liked to say, “Moderation in everything, dear, except for love!” Awwww … thanks, Mom! 

Not Smoking

We’ve all seen the commercials, the articles, and media about how smoking causes all sorts of bodily disasters that can cut your life short or even make the quality of life a struggle. Need we say more?????

Not Developing an Opioid Addiction

This falls under the “Duh” category to my way of thinking. If you haven’t developed an opioid addiction, don’t start! It’s a struggle for your body to handle.

There are increasingly many good options and resources out there to help folks who struggle with opioids. Opioid addiction not only damages a person’s body but their family relationships and finances, too.

Here’s the number for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357.