Introduction
It’s safe to say, everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. Of course, sometimes what we do and eat can determine how well we are able to meet that goal. Perhaps you’re already reaping the results of what you’ve done in the past, but these health tips for a longer and healthier life can still make the life you have left more enjoyable.
Chances are you haven’t always done everything possible to ensure your good health. Nearly everyone is guilty of eating the wrong things, eating too much, or not exercising as much as they could. Perhaps you’ve begun a bad habit such as drinking too much alcohol or have taken up smoking. These activities may adversely affect your health but there’s still time to make changes which will lead to a longer and happier, healthier life.
Many people consider their health in these three areas: physical, mental, and emotional. There’s much anyone can do to improve each of these areas. In fact, depending upon how serious you are about having a happier and longer life, these health tips might be what you need to turn your life around.
Take care of your physical health.
It is true many people in the United States do not have access to proper health care. However, if you do have health insurance, it’s important to get regular medical check-ups. This one action can help you catch illnesses while there is still time to treat them and before they reach the point they can’t be treated.
Discuss with your doctor when you might need to take certain tests. Previously the medical profession recommended that women have baseline mammograms when they’re 40 with additional mammograms every two years following that. Recently the recommendation has been changed to having the baseline mammogram at age 50. There are other tests which doctors prefer to perform at certain ages such as yearly pap exams for women starting the age they become sexually active and prostate and colonoscopy tests for men when they reach a certain age.
There is so much you can do to take care of your physical health. This could be as simple as exercising or eating better or it could be more complicated such as changing your entire lifestyle. What are some ways you can take care of and improve your physical health?
Get enough sleep each night, but try not to oversleep. Doctors have determined the importance of getting between 6 and 8 hours of sleep per night for adults. Some studies indicate that sleeping more than 9 hours in a 24-hour period may actually shorten your lifespan. Those who get less than 4 hours also seem to have increased death rates than those who slept the optimum hours of 6 to 7 hours per night.
Why is sleep so important? Most people don’t realize how the body tries to self-heal during the hours of sleep. By cutting short the amount of sleep you get, you’re reducing the body’s ability to heal itself. But how much sleep does a person need? You’d be surprised how the amount of sleep you need each night changes as you age.
Newborns need the most sleep, between 10.5 and 18.5 hours a day. Infants 2-12 months need between 14 and 15 hours. Those between 12-18 months require 13-15 hours per day. When babies start toddling well, between 18 months and 3 years, they need 12-14 hours. Preschoolers, 3-5 years old, need 11-13. Elementary age children, between 5 and 12 years of age, require only 9-11 hours per night. Adolescents need 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep; adults require 7-9 hours according to some studies.
When you do get sleep, try to ensure your sleep is uninterrupted. You can unplug your telephone or turn the ringer off and allow the answering machine to pick up the call. Don’t have a television in your bedroom. This will guarantee you don’t allow watching television to keep you awake when you need your sleep.
Benefits of getting adequate sleep include releasing anti-aging hormones which help you maintain your youth, maximizing your metabolism, enabling you to control your appetite better, allowing you to relax, and keeping your mind and memory sharp. Getting the sleep you need also increases the feel good hormones released by your brain which makes you feel happier.
As you can tell, there are ample reasons for getting enough sleep each night. However, there’s more to obtaining a longer and healthier life than simply sleeping. Another way to improve your physical health is to eat healthy foods in healthy amounts.
Diet does more than many people think toward helping you live a longer and happier life. Choosing to eat a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables is very important. When you eat fresh foods you will get the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you need in the purest form. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also full of antioxidants which fight free radicals which are said to cause aging, cell damage, and possibly cancer.
Fruits and vegetables also contain quite a bit of fiber which cleanses the bowels. Some experts recommend eating raw foods every day rather than merely cooked foods. Others recommend eating a strictly vegetarian diet believing the animal fat is not good for you. Of course, if you do decide to stop eating meats, you’ll want to find another good source of protein such as beans and nuts. Protein is important to stabilize your mood and help you sleep.
Staying hydrated is something else you can do to directly affect your health. Hydration is important for your liver to flush toxins out of your system, to reduce fatigue, and to reduce cramping. Since your body loses fluids all day long through breathing, urinating, and perspiration it is important to replace those fluids.
Do you need the eight cups of water you always hear you should drink? Some experts say yes, but others say you need more. In fact, some believe the average adult may actually need up to 9 to 13 cups (8 ounces each) which is considerably more than is normally suggested. The best liquid to drink is water, buy you may also want to drink non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages. Don’t forget you also can get fluids from fruits, vegetables, soups, and other food.
Then, of course, there is the need for the body to be physically active. Exercise is simply getting up out of your seat and moving enough to bring your heartbeat up for a sustained amount of time. Exercise helps you increase or maintain muscle tone, lose or sustain your weight, and improves your heart and breathing. Your body also releases endorphins while exercising which makes you happier, gives you energy, and may help you fight off stress or illness.
Exercising can help you lose enough weight that it can reverse health issues you may be experiencing. Some people, because they are overweight and sedentary, develop Type 2 Diabetes. Become physically active now before you develop this or any number of other diseases such as heart disease or some types of cancer.
Many people think exercising has to be boring but that’s not the case. Why not purchase a Wii Fit or other physical games which will make exercising seem more like playing. Your whole family can be involved in a sport or physical activity such as hiking, biking, roller skating, or ice skating. When the whole family is involved, there will be someone to share the fun with.
Encourage your children and teens to be physically active by being a team mom. This will also show your support for your children and their school. With so many children being involved in sports, it’s amazing how many parents aren’t involved. As a team parent, you can support not only your own child but can provide support for those children whose parents aren’t there.
There is much more to consider in these physical health tips for a longer and healthier life. Taking proper vitamins such as Vitamin B Complex, calcium, Vitamin C, and others can promote a healthier life. So can taking care of your dental and visual health. Stopping unhealthy habits such as smoking or drinking too much alcohol can also directly affect your health and happiness.
Take care of your mental health.
Your physical health isn’t the only area to be concerned about; being healthy mentally can also can determine how happy you are. Unfortunately, when many people think of mental health they consider what is not healthy. They think of people with mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, or paranoia. Even though these conditions are something to be aware of and concerned about, there is so much you can do to improve your mental health.
One way to greatly improve your mental health is to learn about stress, the many ways it can affect you, and how you can handle stress effectively. Stress is the reaction your body naturally experiences when your survival is perceived to be in jeopardy. It is also the thing which causes us to react with the “fight or flight” mechanism. Prolonged stress can suppress our immune system which can cause us to be overcome by illness or disease.
What many people don’t realize is that not all stress is bad. Good stress, also called Eustress, is experienced when you are in a situation that is motivating or inspiring. Athletes feel Eustress as they experience an adrenaline rush. A sense of excitement when trying something new that you’ve always wanted to do can also be seen as good stress.
Bad stress, on the other hand, is called distress and can adversely affect your health and your body. Found in two forms – acute and chronic – distress is something we all need to learn to handle.
Acute stress generally happens very quickly. You may experience acute stress as you hear a dog barking at you walk down the street. It can also occur any time you’re nearly in an accident. The experience is quick and intense and elicits a degree of distress which will pass as soon as the perceived threat has passed.
Chronic stress is that distress which occurs for a longer period of time. This could be caused by family problems, dealing with the illness and death of a loved one, working in a difficult situation, or being depressed. It is this chronic stress which can have a detrimental effect on your body which may lead you to experience frequent colds or flu, higher cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, development of certain cancers, weight gain, and much more.
How do you learn to handle stress so it won’t cause mental or physical harm? You can use these ideas to help you manage stress effectively:
* Determine what it is that is causing the stress. Are there certain people in your life you consistently feel stress around? Does your working atmosphere cause you to feel distressed? Are you going through a particularly stressful time in your life such as a divorce or death in the family?
* Take breaks when you need them. Sometimes you can work so hard at something that it causes you stress. If you feel yourself becoming irritable or defensive, it may be time to take a break, get away from your work, and get a fresh perspective on what you’re doing.
* Build a support team with whom you can talk freely. Whether it be family or friends, it is important to be able to vent when things get to be too much for you to handle. Having a network of friends and family you can turn to when you’re stressed can help you cope with stress in a way you may not imagine.
* Don’t hold back. Open up when someone in your support network offers to listen. Learn to express your feelings and your frustrations. They want to help you, so let them!
* Learn to say “no.” No one can do everything for everyone in their life at all times. Sometimes something has to give. This means your child may not be able to be involved in 15 activities each school year, your husband may not be able to bring friends home for dinner without advance notice, or you can’t work late on the same night that your child has a sporting event. Learning to say “no” can do more for reducing stress than you may realize.
* Do what you can to simplify your life. Determine what your family’s priorities are and which activities your family enjoys fit within those priorities. Cut out the activities which conflict with the family’s priorities. Not only will you have more time to enjoy with your entire family, but you may notice that the stress caused by disagreements also lessens.
* Change things which will affect your lifestyle such as exercising, eating healthy foods, removing those things from your life which you know are unhealthy such as taking drugs, smoking, or alcohol use. These activities or unhealthy habits can cause undue stress.
* Spend time each day laughing. Laughter is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce stress. Laughing reduces tension and makes even the worst situations seem to be not so bad. Try to spend time with children who are masters at making people laugh. Find a favorite comedy television show or movie that brings you a chuckle or smile.
* Learn to exercise both your mind and your body by learning yoga. This form of exercise helps you establish a calm mind, steady breathing, and to center your thoughts. As you stretch to move into different positions, keeping your movements slow and purposed, you’re able to exercise your body and your mind at the same time. Yoga as an exercise is very calming which can make your entire body less stressed.
* Do what you can to reduce the amount of stress you experience at work. Find someone you can trust to talk about problems or ask to be moved to a different department if there it simply isn’t possible to get along with someone in your area. Communicate what you need by being non-confrontational.
* Turn off the television or at least avoid watching the evening news. Research shows those watching news programs regularly have more instances of depression and sadness than those who don’t. Even though you want and need to know what’s going on in the world, a steady diet of nothing by emotionally stressing news isn’t a good thing.
* Pay attention to how you react to situations around you. Are you easily frustrated by even the smallest inconveniences? When you allow anger or frustration to control you, you’re more likely to feel stressed. You may not be able to control the situations around you or what happens in your day, but you can choose how you react or respond to each one. Try to find the good in every situation, be a little more patient when you’re stuck in traffic, and you’ll feel less stress.
* Have sex more often. This may seem like a simple solution but it’s one many people often overlook. Sexual release does wonders for reducing stress. It also makes you happier, better rested, and reduces blood pressure which leads to protection against heart disease and stroke.
* Get a dog or other family pet. Research has shown how owning a pet can help reduce stress. Something about stroking the fur of a dog or cat reduces stress and lowers blood pressure. Owning a pet can reduce the effects of depression, encourages you to get more exercise, and gives you many reasons to laugh. Who knew a furry little animal could do so much good for you, your physical, and your mental health?
Of course, some people do develop mental health issues which require more than simply making changes to your lifestyle. If someone is depressed for a long period of time it is important for them to seek medical help. Mental health professionals who are trained to diagnose and treat more serious conditions can do much to improve your mental health and help you life a longer and happier life.
Take care of your emotional health
In addition to physical and mental health, everyone needs the support of family and friends to buoy their emotional health. As humans, we are social beings, and those who have this support lead longer, happier, and often healthier lives. How can you improve this area of your life?
Those who are young are generally more social and more outgoing than those who are older. It’s important for them to stay connected with their friends. Remaining in contact with family is also important; those close relationships can make a big difference in how a young person views themselves and their place in the world.
As a person ages, they may begin to notice their relationships changing. People they once counted on for support are no longer available either due to physical distance or death. They begin to lose the connections they once had which can take its toll on a person’s emotional health. They may think they no longer have a purpose in life and that more and more loved ones will be lost in time.
Finally, as a person reaches their senior years, the emotional support they once had may be all but gone. Perhaps they are experiencing empty nest syndrome where their children have moved away taking any grandchildren with them. Or perhaps they’ve lost their life’s partner and feel all alone. Seniors often feel isolated and notice the loss of connection more so than someone younger.
There is plenty you can do to maintain the support you need no matter what age or stage you are in life. Here are some ideas you can use depending upon where you are in life.
Have cheerful friends. Establish strong friendships with people who are cheerful and emotionally stable. Having friends who are happy may increase your own happiness. Studies have proven that people who are around others who are happy are 6 to 15% more likely to be happy themselves. This means the mood of the people you’re around can directly affect your own mood.
Live close to friends. Having close friends who live nearby can increase your mood by as much as 25%. Does this mean that all your friends have to be located within your neighborhood in order for you to be happy? Of course not! However, if you have friends who live nearby, you’ll be more likely to spend time with them on a regular basis which can do much to improve your life.
Many people consider the friendships and communication with family they have over the telephone or the internet to be extremely important to maintaining that sense of connectedness they need. Research, however, shows that this type of communication, while it was important, was not as effective in cheering you up as much as having friends who live nearby and whom you can turn when you need to feel their support and love.
Take time to get away. Even if you can’t take a full week vacation for whatever reason, it is vitally important to get time away from your day-to-day life. Taking a break can do much to improve your emotional well-being.
Does this mean you have to go to Florida or some other distant location in order to feel like you’ve taken a much-needed break? No, sometimes the only thing you need to do is break from your normal routine. Try a new activity different from what you’re used to doing, find a different environment nearby rather than traveling long distance, or do something you wouldn’t usually do such as sleeping in if you’re used to getting up early every day or finding a place of solitude if you’re normally around a lot of people each day.
Stop and smell the roses. This is a phrase people often hear when they find themselves too busy to enjoy what life has to offer. Why not take the suggestion seriously and spend time outside working in a flower garden? Being outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air may be enough to rejuvenate you, make you feel rested, and help your emotional health.
Make new friends. If you’re older, you may find that many of your friends are no longer in your life. Why not take the opportunity to make new friends? You can become involved with a local senior citizen group and make friends there.
Senior citizen groups often take trips together, offer to “foster grandparent” needy local children, or help children struggling with reading. Contact the senior citizen group nearest you; find out when they meet, what types of activities they are involved in, and what you can do to become involved. Having new friendships and new activities will bolster your emotional health and can improve your outlook.
The whole idea concerning emotional health is to reach out to those around you. Humans are social beings and we need that interaction with others. To help you maintain emotional health and live a longer and happier life, stay connected with those in your family or make new connections which will provide the support you need.
Conclusion
This report has focused on the physical, mental, and emotional areas of your life and how improving each of those areas which can greatly influence how happy or long your life will be. Are there more areas than these to be concerned about? Probably so, however these are the areas which seem to be ones in which you can do the most to change for the better.
Within this report have been various health tips for a longer and happier life. Will using these tips guarantee your life will be longer and happier? No, there’s no way anyone could, in good conscience, guarantee something like that. However, you may be surprised at how much your life does improve if you do try some of these health tips.
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