Ways 11-20 to Live to 100 (Part 2 of 2)
Article Submitted by:
July 04, 2008
11. Share a Hug
Couples who had physical contact, such as a brief hug and ten minutes of hand holding, actually lowered their heart rates and blood pressure by 50 percent, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Plus, in a previous study it was determined that hugging and hand-holding reduces the negative effects of stress.
12. Limit Alcohol
Too much alcohol will shorten your life, while moderate imbibing may actually lengthen it, concluded researchers published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Generally men who drink up to four drinks on a daily basis and women who drink up to two drinks per day reduce the risk of death from any cause by roughly 18 percent. However, men and women who drink more than this amount curtail their lifespan and increase their risk of death.
13. Get Your Zzzz's
Getting less than six hours of sleep each night could have negative health effects. A study from the Sleep Health Centers in Boston reported that getting less than this amount of sleep each night increased the risk of dying. Plus, having too little sleep increases your risk of diabetes. Sleeping reduces the levels of leptin, which is the hormone that signals us to stop eating. A heavier weight equates to an increased diabetes risk. Experts recommend getting between six to nine hours of sleep each night for optimum health.
14. Stay Positive
If you always think the glass is half full, you're on the right track. Mayo Clinic research shows that people with a positive outlook typically live 19 percent longer than people who see the glass as half empty. Although it's questionable if this can be attributed to optimists being more likely to seek medical help when they're ill or their immune systems being stronger as a result of their sunny outlook, the result is that they live longer. Optimists are also less likely to suffer depression and helplessness than their pessimist counterparts.
15. Consume a Low-fat Diet
While you may have a Big Mac attack every now and then, experts say a low fat diet is the way to go for aspiring centenarians. One of the benefits, of course, is cutting calories. Health-conscious people tend to choose lower fat options such as light Italian salad dressing instead of oily, thick regular salad dressing. Low fat diets help lower risk of heart disease as well.
16. Go to the Dentist
As we age regular visits to the dentist may become less about flashing those pearly whites and more about preventing the onset of diseases like gingivitis. This mild form of periodontal disease causes the gums to become red, swollen and bleed easily. This is reversible with proper care, but other gum ailments may ensue if they're not treated. For instance, when left untreated advanced conditions such as tooth loss, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes can develop from severe gum ailments.
17. Manage Stress
Whether you manage stress by getting a massage, meditating or working out, as long as you're doing something to curtail the anxiety you're headed towards a healthier life. Stressful situations such as births, deaths, divorce and employment concerns often slow down the blood flow to the heart, raise cholesterol levels, decrease your mental well-being and weaken the immune system.
18. Go Back to School
If you want to live a longer life hit the books. A recent study from Harvard found a correlation between a longer lifespan and people with at least one year of college compared to people with a high school diploma or less. People with at least one year of college increased their lifespan by almost 1.6 years from 1990 to 2000, while the less educated remained flat.
19. Take Vitamins
If you stroll down the vitamin aisle in a store you may be overwhelmed and confused with the many options. A good multi-vitamin contains a full assortment of vitamins with minerals, amino acids, herbal extracts, and other specialty nutrients. The Journal of the American Medical Association recommended vitamins as a way to prevent heart disease, since their benefits were strong and significant. Coupled with the lack of vitamins in food, due to present day farming techniques and nutrients lost when storing, freezing or processing your food, the case for a vitamin is strong.
20. Drink Tea
Your taste buds may enjoy green tea, but what you may not know is that it's good for your health too. In a recent study, Japanese adults who consumed the most green tea during an eleven year duration were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease or other causes (except cancer) compared to the less frequent tea-drinkers. Essentially, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
