A recent research article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that some simple steps can help increase longevity AND quality of life. These include:
- Not smoking – non-smokers have more than twice the likelihood of living to 90 than smokers
- Not being diabetic – people with healthy blood sugar have nearly twice the likelihood of living to 90 than diabetics
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Having healthy blood pressure
- Regular physical activity – vigorous exercisers have over 20% increased chance of living to 90.
At age 70, the men studied who had the five characteristics listed above had 14 times the chance of living to 90 than men without these characteristics! These men also reported feeling better and having a better quality of life. What is best about all of this information is that all of the factors are controllable by you and can be summarized in the following way:
- Don’t smoke
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits
- Eat lean meats and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Eat whole grains
- Eat some raw nuts
- Exercise regularly
The exercise and dietary recommendations all help control blood sugar, maintain or get to a health weight, and control blood pressure. Being healthy is pretty easy – our bodies already know what to do if we can just get out of the way.
This post is a reprint of another blog posting.
Be well,
Richard