What Is The Key To Increasing Your Longevity
Only in the last fifty years or so, have we seen an incline in people becoming fatter and dying younger. Within this time, heart disease has become a daily topic, so has obesity, and other related health conditions such as Type 1 Diabetes. In this lens we will look at the key factors YOU need to apply today, so you can live a longer, healthier life.
Don't Get Caught in the Law of Familiarity
You are what you eat. It's that simple. But this near cliche is often lost in the law of familiarity, and people get so used to hearing it, they don't adhere to the fundamental rules of life. If you want to live to a ripe old age, and stay as healthy as you can, for as long as you can - you must follow a healthy way of life.
This is a way of living that allows you to enjoy more aspects of your life in a more fulfilling way. It is not just about trying to avoid one illness after another like the majority of the population, or trying not to feel as bad as you normally do. It is about feeling and being well physically, mentally and socially. It is about making specific choices that give you the opportunity to feel your best, for as long as you can.
Making healthy choices will increase both the length and quality of your life, by boosting your immunity to disease and keeping you emotionally healthy. Every system of the human body relies on a healthy lifestyle to function properly. The cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, immune and other body systems depend on a steady supply of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fat to fuel metabolism and cell development.
Many factors affect your health. Some you cannot control, such as your genetic makeup or your age, but you can make changes to your lifestyle. By taking steps toward healthy living, you can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and other serious diseases.
Adequate sleep allows the human body time to repair damage and rejuvenate cellular tissue. Sleep is important for memory consolidation and appetite regulation. Inadequate sleep can inhibit productivity, reduce an individual’s ability to remember and consolidate information and can have profound effects on health, including increased body mass, higher risk for diabetes or high blood pressure.
Adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity every week (or a combination of the two). Kids and teens who engage in an hour of moderate or vigorous activity each day improve physical fitness and cardiovascular health. Limit sedentary activities like watching television, working on the computer or playing video games. Regular exercise not only prevents many health conditions and chronic illnesses, but also improves mood, helps to fight depression and can improve sleep.
Eat Healthy Foods - Bad Foods Will Eventually Kill You!
Do you feel like you can't keep up with the latest nutrition news because it's always changing? While it's true that what is known about nutrition and diet is evolving, there are some nutrition basics that will never change. This implies a sufficient intake of omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients for health. We need omega-3 fatty acids for normal body functions, such as controlling blood clotting and building cell membranes in the brain, and since our bodies cannot make omega-3 fats, we must get them through food. Omega-3 fatty acids are also associated with many health benefits, including protection against heart disease and possibly stroke. You can find out more about the best types of omega-3 fats at our website (address in the sidebar above), which is a site we have built to explore the positives and any negatives of taking omega-3's as part of your daily nutrition plan. You will be surprised to learn that there are some negatives with taking high doses of omega-3's.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and it is necessary in over 300 reactions within the body. Every single cell in the human body demands adequate magnesium to function, or it will perish. Strong bones and teeth, balanced hormones, a healthy nervous and cardiovascular system, depend upon cellular magnesium sufficiency. Soft tissue containing the highest concentrations of magnesium in the body include the brain and the heart, two organs that produce a large amount of electrical activity, and which can be especially vulnerable to magnesium insufficiency.
Did you know that your body is approximately 60, your brain 70 and your lungs are nearly 90 percent water? Each day, your body must replace 2.4 liters. Water is more important for your body's survival than food. You can live without water for approximately one week, but you can survive without food for more than a month. Drink six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. This doesn’t including coffee, juices, soda or other beverages. Water prevents dehydration, aids kidney function and keeps the digestive system running smoothly.
Don't Smoke - You know its bad for you!
Tobacco causes more deaths each year than illegal drug use, HIV, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined. Smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes increases the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus and lungs. Smokeless tobacco is associated with oral, oesophageal and pancreatic cancer, along with potentially fatal heart arrhythmia. So, if you want to live longer, don`t smoke!
Limit your alcohol intake
A large number of studies have shown that moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Moderate drinking means one drink per day for women and one to two for men.
1½ ounces of spirits (hard liquor such as gin or whiskey, 80-proof)
Unfortunately, some people can’t stop at just one or two drinks. Too much alcohol can result in serious health consequences. Heavy alcohol intake can damage the liver, causing cirrhosis, a fatal disease. Excessive drinking also can raise blood pressure and damage the heart, and is linked to many different cancers, including mouth, oesophagus, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
Stress happens when your life becomes out of balance physically, mentally or emotionally. This imbalance can be caused by internal stress like worrying too much, environmental stress like pressure from work, family or friends, or by stress from being fatigued or overworked. Being stressed out has the potential to affect your health in a variety of ways. You can become tired, sick, tense, irritable, and unable to think clearly. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you will need to manage the stress in your life so that it does not overtake you. This means taking charge of your thoughts, emotions, tasks and environment to get your body back in balance.
It is no secret that an active lifestyle and proper nutrition can help you lead a longer, healthier and more fulfilling life. A well-balanced diet of nutritious foods combined with regular physical activity can decrease your risk of developing certain chronic illnesses and can prevent many diseases.
Choose a diet and exercise plan that keeps you at optimal weight. Stay away from tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption, get enough sleep and reduce your stress. Making these simple choices you will improve your energy level, reduces pain, decreases your risk for cancer and other serious diseases while increasing energy levels and improving your mood. Your health and well-being are in your hands. What are you going to do?
References for this article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_system
http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookMUSSKEL.html
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/body/the-immune-system