Healthy Habits for a Long Life That You Might Want to Adopt Sooner Than Later

Living a long healthy life is what we all hope to do, but our lifestyle and habits have a lot to do with it. However, we can be unknowingly sabotaging our chances of extending our futures by simply making some wrong choices through bad habits. By examining some our current habits that may lead to a shorter lifespan and replacing them with good habits can be all it takes to increase the time and quality of the life we have.

The first habit to address is diet. Though most of us try to eat our share of healthy foods, we can often fall short to fuel our bodies with the right type of nutrition due to time restraints or just falling in love with the wrong foods. Needless to say, concentrating on adding more vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts, and whole grains along with healthier fats such as olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil that are rich in good monosaturated fats and incredible antioxidants such as following a Mediterranean diet is one key to living longer.

Many of us sit too much whether at work or home, which really opens the door to health risks such as blood clots, weak bones, diabetes to heart disease. Instead, try making it a point to get up every 20 or 30 minutes to stretch your legs can help reduce the negative effects of prolonged sitting.

Speaking of prolonged sitting, you might want to start growing some basil for cooking. Besides the wonderful flavor it contributes to dishes, this particular herb that is easy to grow from a cutting to keep indoors all winter has powerful antioxidant power from its flavonoids and polyphenols that can help improve bone density.

Parsley is another herb that can strengthen bones and help counteract sitting too much. Rather than just using it as a garnish, you may want to start eating it since it has calcium, vitamin C and
ergosterol, a precursor of vitamin D for better absorption.

Though it pains me to say our memories and cognitive abilities do decline somewhat as we age. Therefore, exercising the brain is just as vital as exercising the body. Another of these healthy habits for a long life involves helping your brain stay sharp such as with reading more or working on puzzles, etc. Reading fiction taps into creativity envisioning the story and characters in your mind compared to nonfiction that already has those elements done for you. Research has shown that B vitamins also can help brain function.

Forcing yourself to exercise does not come naturally to a lot of people, especially if you’re getting older or are just too tired after a grueling day at work. Yet, exercise has several benefits for health, fitness, the mood as well as for your brain’s memory. Something as simple as taking a walk after dinner is another of these healthy habits for a long life that can make a difference, especially stepping at a faster pace if you can manage it.

A worthwhile habit to adopt is keeping track of the size of your waist. The reason that you might want to try getting that measuring tape out is because belly fat is proven to put you more at risk for a bounty of health problems. The ideal measurement for a woman should be less than 35 inches and 40 inches for men.
How many of us really drink enough water? The recommended amount is between six and eight glasses. Coffee, tea, soda, and juice are not the same thing according to my doctor. However, your doctor may feel differently.

Adopting just a few of these good habits to have a healthy life can help.