10 unhealthy habits to stop doing if you want to live at 100
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Certain lifestyle habits can negatively affect your physical and mental health, shortening your potential lifespan.
Jump at the main dishes to remember.
1. eat mainly processed foods
One of the most important food changes that has taken place in many countries in the past 30 years has been a transfer to the consumption of processed food. In addition to the treatment, an increase in sodium, more saturated fats, more sugar and less fiber. The result? More cardiovascular, hypertension, cancer and diabetes diseases.
What to do instead: Aim to eat more whole foods. Opt for fiber-rich foods (linked to greater longevity) and use ingredients you buy and prepare. If you run out of time, cook in advance in large lots or folies on ready -to -use salads and other fresh or frozen vegetables while looking at the contents of sodium and sugar on the label.
2. Smoking
If you smoke, you know how difficult you can be. But here is an inspiration: the NIH says that the use of tobacco remains the most preventable cause of death. Some estimates suggest that smoking can deprive you of a decade of life.
What to do instead: Stop smoking. When you leave, your blood pressure and circulation improve and your risk of cancer decreases each year. In addition, you will look younger too.
3. Sitting motionless
A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk for various chronic diseases. If you don’t think you have time to exercise, consider this: you may not need to hit the minimum recommendations for the world 30 minutes a day, five times or more per week, to prolong your life.
What to do instead: Engage 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous activity. A 2022 study revealed that 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous activity per week, accumulated in short gusts, was linked to a lower risk of dying prematurely. These results suggest that health risk reduction may be possible thanks to relatively modest quantities of exercise, as long as this exercise sufficiently increases your heart rate.
4. Hold a grudge
Anger can be a difficult emotion to release, especially if you feel justified your outrage. Maybe the best question to ask you is: Is it worth my health?
What to do instead: Let go. When you are stressed or angry, your stress hormone levels increase, which has harmful effects on your heart, your metabolism and your immune system. In a number of studies, high cortisol has been associated with greater mortality.
5. Keep for you
Social isolation can harm your physical and mental health and increase your risk of premature death.
What to do instead: Socialize. Staying social can be a good longevity booster, helping you manage stress and strengthen your immune system. Good relations keep you strong, while bad relationships can leave you in a negative state of mind and put you at the risk of depression and even heart attacks.
6. Thinking that only big changes count
Radical and radical changes in lifestyle can be inspiring, but they can also be too intimidating – and therefore short -lived – for ordinary mortals. The next time you decide to eat healthier or do more exercise, try to target weak.
What to do instead: Start small. Choose a small change at a time, as you get up 10 minutes earlier to prepare a healthy lunch for work, instead of a major youthful treatment.
7. Leave fear (or denial) prevents you from being healthy
Ignoring health problems will not make them disappear.
What to do instead: See a health care provider regularly. People who are conscientious to their health tend to adopt healthy behavior like eating, exercising and following the advice of their health care provider while avoiding risky behavior such as smoking or driving too quickly.
8. Cheat your night at night
The amount of sleep you get can affect your lifespan. According to a meta-analysis of 2017, it has been shown that sleep sleeping much more or less that the optimum of seven hours would put people at a greater risk of death. A good night’s sleep can also help you keep stress, depression and heart disease, affecting your longevity.
What to do instead: Prioritize healthy sleep habits. You can learn to fall asleep faster and take measures that help, like keeping your dark room without distraction and maintaining a cool room temperature. Meditation exercises can prepare the ground for a good night’s sleep, and a cheap noise machine can help with relaxing sounds. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, see a health care provider to get help.
9. Stressful
Stress weighs on your body and can speed up aging.
What to do instead: Reduce stress. Stress management will help improve your quality of life and your long -term health. Journalization or writing in a newspaper, meditating (a practice with multiple advantages of longevity) and the learning of relaxation techniques are excellent means of de -stretch.
10. Building your genes on (or blame)
The fact that parents, grandparents or other family members live in the 90 years and beyond could suggest that you too, but do not count too much on this family story. Family studies have shown that only about 25% of the variation in human longevity is due to genetic factors.
What to do instead: Change your health habits. Environmental factors and lifestyle such as diet, exercise, exposure to toxins, stress, regular medical tests and even your social relationships play a role in duration. Why focus on genetics you cannot control when other factors can benefit from your attention?
Main to remember
- Predictable fixes like eating better, quitting smoking, being conscientious to your health and sleeping better are some ways to extend your life.
- That said, it is essential not to ignore your social and emotional health by remaining connected to friends and family and abandoning stress and anger.
- Do not count on your genes to do the bulk of the work, and don’t forget that small changes can lead to big gains for your longevity.