Do You Want to Live a Long and Healthy Life?

Do you want to live a long and healthy life?

Here are five tips that will help to extend your lifespan:

Enjoy Time With Your Friends

Many studies have shown that having a strong network of friends, acquaintances and community can help you live a longer and happier life.Active Seniors

Having companions around you will help reduce your stress and give you a sense of belonging. This powerful feeling has numerous effects on your health and mood.

Move Somewhere Else

Did you know that where you live can actually affect your longevity? All of the subtle environmental influences of a particular location such as air and water quality, climate, and other health factors can have an effect on your body over time.

A recent study conducted in St. Louis, Missouri found that low air quality and dirty streets tripled the amount of disabilities that elderly residents suffered later in life.

Keep Your Brain Active

Your brain is a muscle, and you can keep it active and youthful throughout your life span by continuing to use it and challenge it.

If you never stop learning and continue to fill your life with mentally challenging activity this can have very positive effects on your longevity and can help prevent degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Don’t Retire!

Ok, you can quit your 9-5 job if you really want to, but don’t let old age stop you from contributing to the community in some way.

Start volunteering or become involved in some sort of project or organization. Older people who are involved in their community in this way tend to live longer and retain their health and mental function for longer.

The feeling of taking part in this way brings happiness, vitality, and a sense of purpose.

Stop Smoking

It is common knowledge that smoking is bad for your health, but did you know that non-smokers are twice as likely to live past the age of 90 as those who smoke?

Even if you are already hooked on the habit, quitting will still improve your health and the longer you stay off smoker the more your body will repair the damage done.  

These are just a few ways that you can keep yourself healthier and live a long and happy life!

 

Need to Exercise? Use These Quick Tips to Fit Exercise into Your Busy Workday

Do you get frustrated because you want to live a healthier lifestyle but your job keeps you sitting at a desk all day? quick exercise tips

Sedentary work can cause us to gain weight and suffer from eye strain, back pain, and lack of energy. However, it is a lot easier than you think to add physical activity to your workday, even if you are chained to a desk.

Adding in small bursts of exercise to your daily routine will not only help you keep fit, slim and healthy, it will also give you more energy to take on the day and boost your mood.

Here are a few ideas to get a little exercise even if you’re super busy:

  • Wake up 10 or 15 minutes earlier than you normally would and try going for a jog around the block or doing some yoga stretches. It will be difficult at first, but once you get into this habit you will feel strange without it.
  • If it is possible, ride your bike or walk to work rather than driving. This is a super easy way to fit exercise into your routine, and you will save money on gas!
  • If you work on a high floor of an office building, take the stars instead of the elevator. It makes a little bit of difference, and it is one of the easiest ways to grab 5 minutes of exercise in your busy day.
  • Replace your chair with an exercise ball. By sitting on this large ball, you will be forced to keep your abdominal muscles and back muscles flexed, which will strengthen your inner core. You will burn more calories just sitting there, and it will also help to avoid back strain.
  • Instead of eating at your desk, use your lunch break to get some fresh air and walk to a nearby park to enjoy a picnic instead.
  • Throughout your day, whenever you finish a project or a report reward yourself with a short break and do some stretches, pushups, or calisthenics in your office. This will invigorate you and clear your mind for the next project.

These are just a few ways that you can fit exercise into your busy workday. Have fun keeping fit!

If you have good ideas of your own, please share them! I’d be interested in hearing how you fit fitness into your daily routine.

Sometimes the Best Thing You Can Do for Your Health is to Learn to Say No

 

“I know you have a day off, but can you cover this shift for me?”
“Can you help us sew all of the costumes for the school play?”
“Why don’t you come out to my party? Everyone will be there!”
Sometimes in life we feel ourselves overwhelmed by demands on us from all sides. Our bosses and coworkers expect a lot at work, our friends expect us always to go out and have fun, and our families need us to support them. Eager to please and to avoid disappointing anyone we care about, we push ourselves to the limit to say “yes” to every request. 
However, being a superhero and meeting everyone else’s needs is an exhausting task that can only be kept up for so long. Soon you feel yourself missing sleep, getting overwhelming, and not remembering the last time that you took care of your own needs. 
It’s Not Selfish to Take Care of Yourself
Of course you want to help others, and you might even feel guilty if you say no to requests to give yourself some time off. However, if you cannot help yourself and keep yourself healthy and energized, you will not be able to take care of others at all. Overwork and lack of sleep weakens your immune system, and makes you more likely to get sick. You can’t attend your child’s school play, do overtime at work, or help a friend move if you have the flu! When you run yourself into the ground and then have to spend several days in bed recovering, you are simply no help to anyone!
If this sounds all too familiar to you, it’s time to practice saying “No” to some of the requests upon you in your life so that you still have enough time to meet your own needs. Politely decline and let people know that you would love to help but you just have too much on your plate at the moment. Take some time off each week to enjoy a hobby, get some exercise, sleep late, and pamper yourself a little. You will find yourself much less stressed and once you have recharged your batteries you will be full of energy and ready to do more good in the world. 

“I know you have a day off, but can you cover this shift for me?”

“Can you help us sew all of the costumes for the school play?”

“Why don’t you come out to my party? Everyone will be there!”

Sometimes in life we feel ourselves overwhelmed by demands on us from all sides. Our bosses and coworkers expect a lot at work, our friends expect us always to go out and have fun, and our families need us to support them. Eager to please and to avoid disappointing anyone we care about, we push ourselves to the limit to say “yes” to every request. However, being a superhero and meeting everyone else’s needs is an exhausting task that can only be kept up for so long. Soon you feel yourself missing sleep, getting overwhelmed, and not remembering the last time that you took care of your own needs. 

It’s Not Selfish to Take Care of Yourself

Of course you want to help others, and you might even feel guilty if you say no to requests to give yourself some time off. However, if you cannot help yourself and keep yourself healthy and energized, you will not be able to take care of others at all. Overwork and lack of sleep weakens your immune system, and makes you more likely to get sick. You can’t attend your child’s school play, do overtime at work, or help a friend move if you have the flu! When you run yourself into the ground and then have to spend several days in bed recovering, you are simply no help to anyone!

If this sounds all too familiar to you, it’s time to practice saying “No” to some of the requests upon you in your life so that you still have enough time to meet your own needs. Politely decline and let people know that you would love to help but you just have too much on your plate at the moment. Take some time off each week to enjoy a hobby, get some exercise, sleep late, and pamper yourself a little. You will find yourself much less stressed and once you have recharged your batteries you will be full of energy and ready to do more good in the world.