Want A Longer,Healthier Life? 10 Habits To Stop Right Now

      

There are a number of things you can decide to do in order to "slow down" your biological clock and live longer,healthier, whether you’re in your 20s or 30s, all the way to your 60s, 70s, and beyond. In fact, research has found it's never too late to start healthy habits.

But what about the things you should stop doing in the sake of your longevity?

1. Stop Eating Too Much Processed Foods 

One of the major dietary changes that have taken place in many countries over the last 30 years has been a shift to eating much more processed foods. This processing leads to an increase in added sodium, more saturated fat, more sugar, and less fiber. The result? More cardiovascular disease,  hypertension, cancer, and diabetes.

For example, the American National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends consuming no more than 2,300 mg (less than 2.4g) of sodium each day—less for many aged and other people with certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure. Still, in a survey of more than 7,000 Americans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  showed people consume an average of 3,300 mg of sodium per day. Most of the salt comes from restaurant and convenience foods, including baked goods, cured meats, and soup.

Do your body a favor, and try to eat "clean" more often, like foods high in fiber (which are linked to greater longevity) and other ingredients you purchase and prepare yourself. If you’re short on time (and who isn’t?), prepare ahead in big batches, or splurge on ready-made salads and other fresh or frozen vegetables and  pay attention to the sodium and sugar contents on the label.

2.  Stop Smoking

If you’re a smoker, you know how hard quitting could be.

But here’s some inspiration: The NIH says tobacco use remains the most avoidable cause of death. Some estimates suggest smoking could rob you of a decade of life.

Whether you quit cold-turkey or phase out your habit, your body is surprisingly forgiving; blood pressure and circulation will improve as soon as you quit, and your risk of getting cancer decreases every year thereafter. Keep in mind that your family members would also benefit from your staying tobacco-free because they'll no longer be exposed to risks of secondhand smoke. You'll look younger, too.

3.  Stop Sitting Still

If you don’t feel you have time to exercise, consider this: You could not be able to hit the global minimum recommendations of 30 minutes a day, five or more times per week, but just a little time,to extend your life.

A study published in 2011 in The Lancet, examining the activity habits of more than 416,000 men and women in Taiwan, showed that getting just 15 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each day allowed subjects live three extra years. The longevity boost went up to four years of longer life for people achieving the threshold of 30 minutes a day. The results held true even for those with health problems such as cardiovascular disease—and for overweight people who couldn’t lose any pounds through their activity.

Brisk walking was one of the "moderate intensity" exercises mentioned in the Taiwanese research. You may have to make a conscious effort to work it into your daily routine, but 15 minutes of activity for an extra three years of life looks like a longevity bargain.

4.  Stop Keeping a Grudge

Anger can be a tough emotion to release, especially when you feel justified in your outrage.Perhaps, the best question to ask yourself is this—is it worth the cortisol? Levels of this stress hormone rise when you’re stressed or angry, with negative effects on your heart, metabolism, and immune system. High cortisol has been linked with greater mortality in a number of studies.

5.  Stop Keeping to Yourself

Staying social could be a good longevity booster, mostly by allowing you manage stress and by strengthening your immune system. Good relationships keep you strong, while bad relationships might leave you in a negative frame of mind, and expose you ​at risk of depression and even heart attacks.

Staying connected could be a tough one if you are feeling down, have lost someone close to you, or live far away from extended family and friends. There are ways to re-engage and meet new people even when you are in a new city, like volunteering and reaching out to others with similar interests through networks such as business groups and book clubs.

6.  Stop Believing That Only Big Changes Count

Sweeping, radical changes in lifestyle could be inspiring, but they may also be too daunting—and therefore, short-lived—for ordinary mortals. The next time you decide to eat healthier or exercise more, try aiming low! Try choosing just one small change at a time, like getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning to make yourself a healthy lunch for work, instead of a major life makeover. Like the exercise advice above shows, even short spurts of activity each day can yield big benefits for your lifespan.

Small shifts can fly under your own radar, adding up to big benefits over time without causing stress in your busy schedule. Consistency is more important than a short-term, grand gesture. Besides, looking at what’s already working in your day-to-day routine may help you feel energized and motivated to shift a little more in a healthy direction.

7.  Stop Letting Fear Keep Compromising your Health 

Of all the personality traits that may  affect your longevity, conscientiousness consistently ranks as a major one, perhaps the most important one. Why? Well, conscientious people tend to engage in healthy behaviors such as eating well, exercising, and following their doctors’ advice, while avoiding risky behaviors like smoking and driving too fast.

However, don’t confuse being conscientious or diligent with being neurotic about your health, a trait that could be attributed to negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, and depression. A simple example might be that a neurotic person worries he might have cancer, and fearing the worst, doesn’t go to his doctor. By contrast, a conscientious person could still worry, but gets screened or tested, learns about the disease, and seeks treatement,timely.

8.  Stop Abusing On Your Night's Sleep

The amount of sleep you get may affect your lifespan, and not just because a sleepy driver is at risk of a car accident. In epidemiological studies, sleeping too little (fewer than six hours) or substantially more (over nine hours) has been found to put people at greater risk of death.

Quality of life is also on the line: A good night’s sleep can allow you reduce stress, depression, and heart disease risks.

You can learn to fall asleep more quickly and take measures that could help, such as keeping your bedroom dark and distraction-free and having the temperature on the cool side. Meditation exercises may set the stage for a good night’s sleep, and an inexpensive noise machine might help with relaxing sounds. If you’re still having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, see your health provider for further advice.

9.  Stop Stressing

Like anger, stress takes its toll on your body and can actually shorten your life. By trying to reduce stress, you might improve your health in the long-term, and quality of life in the meantime.

Journaling or writing in a diary, meditating (a practice with multiple longevity benefits), and learning to relax are wonderful approaches to de-stress. Working in just a few minutes of meditation a day—even at your desk—may give your brain the mini-vacation from anxiety and tension it needs.

10.  Stop Relying on (or Blaming) Your Genes

Having parents, grandparents, or other family members live into their nineties and beyond could suggest that you will too, but don’t rely too heavily on that family history. Studies conducted on twins in Scandinavia suggest that genetics could be responsible for only about a third of your longevity potential.

This is, of course, good news for those of us without that exceptional ancestry. Environmental and lifestyle factors such as diet, how much exercise you get (what researchers call modifiable risk factors), whether you’re exposed to workplace toxins, how much stress you experience, how conscientious you are about medical tests and screenings, and even the strength of your social relationships, all play a significant role in how fast you age and how long you might live. Besides, why focus on the genetics you can’t control when there are factors you can benefit from if simply put in the right perspective?