Live Long and Prosper: Tips for Longer Life

For the most part, life is good in first world countries and, notably, the average life expectancy continues to improve. While life expectancy at birth, on average, is about 73.5 years for women and 68.5 for men, many people live well into their 80s and 90s.

While there are no fountains of youth to fall back on, there are things we can do for ourselves to increase our chances of living longer.

Stay Active

Apparently, being sedentary is as bad for your health as smoking. If you sit at a desk all day, get up at regular intervals to stretch and walk around, go for a walk during lunch break and work out at least 30 minutes every day. Doing everyday chores like washing dishes, climbing stairs, vacuuming the house and gardening help keep you active, too.

Don’t Smoke Tobacco

Tobacco, including the smokeless kind, is a known carcinogen. According to the CDC, mortality among smokers in the United States is around three times that of non-smokers. It’s no surprise, then, that tobacco is at the top of the list of preventable deaths in the U.S.

Pass on Hard Drugs and Too Much Alcohol

Overdoses, drug-related deaths and alcoholism are also leading causes of death. Deaths due to drug overdoses were the highest ever in 2014. Opioids are involved with most drug overdoses. In fact, the CDC reports that 78 people in the U.S. die ever day from overdosing on an opioid.

Don’t Stress

While you can’t avoid stress all the time, you can manage it. The more stressed you are the more likely you are to compromise your immune system and get sick. Being overstressed makes you feel tired and depressed. Chronic stress is linked to all kinds of health issues, from heart problems, cancer and obesity to diabetes, asthma and more. Staying active, eating right, sleeping well and slowing down with practices like meditation can help you live longer by lowering your stress level.

Keep Learning

As with your body, exercising your mind helps keep you healthy. Continue to try new things and feed your curious mind regularly to keep it young and sharp. By changing up your routine and learning new things can help you live longer.

There are a lot of ways to keep your mind and body healthy longer. Eat well, keep good friends around you and have a good attitude. Living right can also improve your life insurance costs. Want to find out more about life insurance? Learn more here.