Everyone has habits; some are good, and some are bad. It can be difficult to break some of them and just as hard to develop new ones. Some bad habits may shorten your lifespan and rob you of good health.
If you are still in relatively good health, you can increase your longevity by eliminating some unhealthy habits and developing new healthy lifestyle habits. Not only will they help you live longer, but they will also help you feel better.
There are several unhealthy habits that you need to break because they are shortening your lifespan. They include drinking excessive alcohol, smoking, eating a lot of carbs, not exercising, and being a couch potato. Consuming too much sugar and salt in your regular diet is unhealthy. Processed foods are also harmful.
Diets that have few vegetables and fruit in them are also unhealthy. Many nutrients necessary for good health do not come in meat and carbs. A healthy diet needs to include more vegetables and fruit than meat. A healthy balance with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily reduces the risk of heart disease by 20% compared to those who do not eat much.
Fruits and vegetables also give you other ingredients for good health. They contain antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and strengthen your immune system. These ingredients and the vitamins they contain will also reduce the likelihood of cancer, digestive issues, depression, vision problems, and metabolic disorders.
The biggest enemy of developing a new habit is procrastination. The sooner you decide and start it, the sooner it becomes one of your new daily habits.
It was once said that developing a new habit would take about 21 days. Research now says that the time needed for a new habit to become a part of you could take much longer – depending on you. The reason you want to develop it and your environment also matters.
Starting healthy habits also requires you to learn more about the benefits of healthy eating. Once you grasp the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, you will likely want to eat more.
An excellent place to start is to follow the Mediterranean diet. People who live longer generally follow this diet, including those in Blue Zones – those pockets of people where many of them live longer than 90.
Along with a healthy diet, you also need regular exercise. When done as recommended – 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week – it can help reduce excess pounds and keep them off. Being overweight will also shorten your life, but regular exercise will also help you maintain good balance – which will help you stay mobile longer.
You can do many forms of exercise, but it is best if you find one you like. You can bike, swim, walk, jog, hike, work out in a gym, weightlift, do yoga, tai chi, etc. Having a friend with you will make it more exciting and may help them, too. If you are more energetic, try High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
The development of any habit requires a starting place. The benefits of healthy habits are more enhanced the sooner you get started, which means living even longer. Starting before you turn 40 could give you an extra 24 years.
