June 7, 2010
Doyoueatbreakfasteveryday? Doyoualwaystakethestairs? Whateveryourdailyhabitsare, there''snodenyingthattheyimpactyourhealth. Eventhoughthethingswedoaspartofourdailyroutinesmightseemsmall, overtimethesmallthingscanaddup.So, bykeepingyourdailyhabitshealthy, youcanliterallyaddyearstoyourlife.
Herearesixdailyhabitsforlivinglonger.1-Alwaysoptforexercise
Technologyexiststomakeourliveseasier, butitdoesn''talwaysmakeushealthier. Dailyexercise, however, isadefiniteboontohealth.Infact, studiessuggestthatdailyexercisecanadduptothreeyearstoyourlife.Althoughfindingtimeforstructuredexercisecanbeprettymuchimpossibleformanyguys, thegoodnewsisthatopportunityforexerciseiseverywhere – justbecreative.Wheneveryoucan, walktowork.Youdon''tevenhavetowalkthewholeway.Ifyoutakepublictransit, justgetoffafewblockssoonerandenjoyastroll.Ifyouliveorworkinahigh-risebuilding, justtakethestairs.It''sreallythatsimple.2- Eatahealthybreakfast
Includingbreakfastinyourdailyroutineisagreathealthyhabitforlivinglonger.Overtheyears, researchershavefoundthatthosewhoeatanearlymorningmealarelesslikelytobeobeseandgetdiabetescomparedwiththosewhodon''t. Breakfast-eatersalsoreportfeelingbetterbothmentallyandphysically.Allinall, itseemsthateatingbreakfastisagreatandhealthywaytostartyourday.Togetthefullbenefitsofbreakfast, though, theMayoClinicrecommendsamealwithcarbs, proteinandasmallamountoffat.Thekeyistokeepyourmealsvariedtoensureyougetagoodmixofnutrients, sospiceupyourbreakfastdieteveryonceinawhile.3-Getenoughsleep
Alackofqualityslee电脑anshortenyourlife.Atleastthat''stheconclusiondrawnfromanumberofstudiesconductedoverthepastdecade.Althoughit''snotentirelyclearhowmanyhoursofsleepwereallyneed, failingtogetatleastsevenhoursofsleeporonlysleepingatoddhoursappearstoheightentheriskofmajorillnessesincludingcancer, heartdisease, diabetes, andobesity.Butit''snotjustalackofsleepthatcanbedangerous; alackofrelaxationcanleavealastingmarkaswell.Weallknowthatstressandanxietyarekillers, andsoitfollowsthatfindingwaystorelaxeachdaycanbealifesaver.Whetherit''sclassicalmusic, massagetherapyormeditation, whateveryouusetorelaxwillmostcertainlyaddyearstoyourlife.Itmayevenhelpyousleepbetter.4-Brushandflossdaily
Flossingcanadd6.4yearstoyourlife, saysDr.MichaelRoizeninhisbookTheRealAgeMakeover.Althoughthatestimatemightbealittlefar-fetched, thethinkingbehinditisprobablyprettysound.Therealityisthatpoororalhygienecanleadtonastygumdiseaseslikegingivitisandperiodontitis.Theseinflammatorydiseasescanactuallyleadtoanarrowingofthearteries, acommoncauseofcardiovasculardisease.Bysimplybrushingandflossingdaily, weridourmouthsofthebacteriathatcauseinflammatorygumdiseaseandsaveourheartalittlebitoftrouble.5-Stayintouchwithfriends
There''sanoldsayingthatsaysagoodfriendischeaperthantherapy. Oddlyenough, researchersnowholdthistobetrue, thoughit''snotjustaboutfriends; anysocialnetwork, whetheritbethroughchurch, asportscluborcookingclass, canpositivelyimpactyourphysicalandmentalwell-being.Socialnetworkscanprovideuswithusefulinformation, likeencouragementtogoseeadoctor; theycangivephysicalsupport, likehelpingusrunerrands; andtheycanprovideemotionalsupport, likelisteningtoourproblemstohelpusovercomedepressionandanxiety.Alloftheseseeminglyminorperkscanliterallyaddyearstoourlives.6-Stayhydrated
Ourbodiesarenearly70% water, soitshouldcomeasnosurprisethatwaterisessentialtomaintaininghealthandprolonginglife.Weusewatertoregulatebodytemperature, protectourjointsandorgans, andtohelptransportoxygentocells.Butinorderforwatertokeepourbodiesincheck, weneedtomakesurethatitslevelsareconstantlyreplenished.Thesolutionissimple: hydrate.Althoughthecommonprescriptionofdrinkingeighteight-ounceglassesofwaterperdayhasbeencalledamyth, themessageisn''tnecessarilyabadone. Aslongasyouhydratefrequently, fromvarioussources, notjustwater, you''reprobablyintheclear. Letyourthirstbeyourguideanddrinktolife! MakingdailyhabitscountManyofusaresetinourdailyroutines.Weeatthesamemeal, wearthesameclothes, takethesameroutetowork, andworkthesameoldjob.Butwhatwesometimesfailtorecognizeisthehugeimpactthatourdailyroutinescanhaveonourhealth.Bymakingjustafewsmallchangeshereandthere – andstickingtothem – youcanaddasignificantnumberofyearstoyourlife.Althoughchangeisn''talwayseasy, itcanbedone.Setsmallgoals, easeinchangesoneatatimeanditwon''tbelongbeforeyounoticeapositivechangetoyourhealthandmood.