Tweet
Live A Healthy Life
Eat Less:
In animal studies, reducing calories increased life expectancy and delayed age-related disease.
While this hasn't been proven in humans, we do know that modest reductions in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol help maintain a healthy weight... and reduce the risks for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke -- three leading causes of premature death.
Helpful:
Eat several small meals during the day instead of three large ones... or eat from a smaller plate so that it appears you have more food.
Put your fork down after every bite. This encourages you to eat more slowly, giving your stomach time to signal your brain that you are full.
Boost Your Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables:
A diet rich in produce halves your risk of developing certain cancers.
But that doesn't mean you're restricted to broccoli and apples. Every week, try to buy at least one fruit or vegetable that you've never tried before and integrate it into your regular meals.
Examples: Mango salsa with fish or chicken... tomatillos in salad... or red, yellow and orange peppers mixed with cilantro and a bit of vinegar for an interesting salad.
Consume Less Fat:
Limit your total fat intake to 30% of the calories you get each day. Limit saturated fat -- from animal products, such as butter, eggs, meat and regular milk -- to 10%.
Quit Smoking And Drink Only Moderately:
One recent study of Kentucky centenarians found that none currently smoked, and only one had done so in the past. None of them used alcohol excessively.
Take a Daily Nutritional Supplement:
This is especially important for older people to ensure an adequate intake of calcium and vitamins B-6, B-12, D and E.
Take a Daily Aspirin Tablet:
One children's aspirin (81 mg) per day reduces your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Walk in the Sun:
Older people especially need regular sun exposure to get enough vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for strong bones and to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Avoid the sun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and wear sunscreen.
Get Regular Exercise:
It's critical not only for weight control and cardiovascular health, but also for building strong bones. Each year, about 250,000 older Americans suffer hip fractures. Forty percent of these patients die within one year of sustaining the injury.
Biggest Culprits:
Weak thighs, legs and ankles, which lead to falls. To avoid this.
Track Your Steps:
Wear an electronic pedometer to measure how many steps you take every day. You can purchase a pedometer at a sporting-goods store. Aim for 10,000 steps a day.
Use the bathroom on another floor, walk down the hall to talk to a coworker instead of E-mailing... and park your car in the farthest parking place at the mall.
Get Out The Weights:
Without resistance training, muscle mass decreases by 40% between ages 30 and 70. Consult a personal trainer for a customized weight-training routine.
Regularly using hand weights reduces flab and fragility and increases life expectancy. Ankle weights can help build up your thigh muscles.
Stand on One Foot:
Better yet, learn how to catch a ball while standing on one foot. It improves your balance, which reduces your risk of falling.
Get More Sleep:
Natures own fountain of youth -- human growth hormone -- is produced during sleep. We make less of it as we age, so get as much sleep as you can.
Relax:
Today's world is faster and more complex than ever. Excessive stimulation wreaks havoc on the immune system, setting the stage for such age-related diseases as cancer and hypertension.
Try Eastern relaxation methods -- yoga, tai chi or meditation.
Stay Connected:
People who live with someone else live longer. It may be because there's someone there to care for you if you get sick, to pick up prescriptions and call a doctor. But it also may be that the emotional connection strengthens your own resolution to survive.
Find A Purpose:
People who have goals for which they actively strive live longer and enjoy a better quality of life.
Exercise Your Brain:
Crossword puzzles, computer games, returning to school and writing your autobiography are all good ways to make sure that the most important "muscle" in your body gets exercised.
Eat Less:
In animal studies, reducing calories increased life expectancy and delayed age-related disease.
While this hasn't been proven in humans, we do know that modest reductions in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol help maintain a healthy weight... and reduce the risks for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke -- three leading causes of premature death.
Helpful:
Eat several small meals during the day instead of three large ones... or eat from a smaller plate so that it appears you have more food.
Put your fork down after every bite. This encourages you to eat more slowly, giving your stomach time to signal your brain that you are full.
Boost Your Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables:
A diet rich in produce halves your risk of developing certain cancers.
But that doesn't mean you're restricted to broccoli and apples. Every week, try to buy at least one fruit or vegetable that you've never tried before and integrate it into your regular meals.
Examples: Mango salsa with fish or chicken... tomatillos in salad... or red, yellow and orange peppers mixed with cilantro and a bit of vinegar for an interesting salad.
Consume Less Fat:
Limit your total fat intake to 30% of the calories you get each day. Limit saturated fat -- from animal products, such as butter, eggs, meat and regular milk -- to 10%.
Quit Smoking And Drink Only Moderately:
One recent study of Kentucky centenarians found that none currently smoked, and only one had done so in the past. None of them used alcohol excessively.
Take a Daily Nutritional Supplement:
This is especially important for older people to ensure an adequate intake of calcium and vitamins B-6, B-12, D and E.
Take a Daily Aspirin Tablet:
One children's aspirin (81 mg) per day reduces your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Walk in the Sun:
Older people especially need regular sun exposure to get enough vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for strong bones and to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Avoid the sun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and wear sunscreen.
Get Regular Exercise:
It's critical not only for weight control and cardiovascular health, but also for building strong bones. Each year, about 250,000 older Americans suffer hip fractures. Forty percent of these patients die within one year of sustaining the injury.
Biggest Culprits:
Weak thighs, legs and ankles, which lead to falls. To avoid this.
Track Your Steps:
Wear an electronic pedometer to measure how many steps you take every day. You can purchase a pedometer at a sporting-goods store. Aim for 10,000 steps a day.
Use the bathroom on another floor, walk down the hall to talk to a coworker instead of E-mailing... and park your car in the farthest parking place at the mall.
Get Out The Weights:
Without resistance training, muscle mass decreases by 40% between ages 30 and 70. Consult a personal trainer for a customized weight-training routine.
Regularly using hand weights reduces flab and fragility and increases life expectancy. Ankle weights can help build up your thigh muscles.
Stand on One Foot:
Better yet, learn how to catch a ball while standing on one foot. It improves your balance, which reduces your risk of falling.
Get More Sleep:
Natures own fountain of youth -- human growth hormone -- is produced during sleep. We make less of it as we age, so get as much sleep as you can.
Relax:
Today's world is faster and more complex than ever. Excessive stimulation wreaks havoc on the immune system, setting the stage for such age-related diseases as cancer and hypertension.
Try Eastern relaxation methods -- yoga, tai chi or meditation.
Stay Connected:
People who live with someone else live longer. It may be because there's someone there to care for you if you get sick, to pick up prescriptions and call a doctor. But it also may be that the emotional connection strengthens your own resolution to survive.
Find A Purpose:
People who have goals for which they actively strive live longer and enjoy a better quality of life.
Exercise Your Brain:
Crossword puzzles, computer games, returning to school and writing your autobiography are all good ways to make sure that the most important "muscle" in your body gets exercised.
Comment