Longevity and healthy aging are the result of factors such as lifestyle, genetic inheritance, and individual characteristics of the patient.
Having a long life. Who doesn’t want that? In simple terms, human longevity could be defined basically as the duration of a person’s existence, however, it’s not just that.
Longevity is not limited to the time lived but extends to the quality with which one lives. People don’t just want to live many years. In addition to living longer, they want to live better, with health, vitality, and happiness. That’s healthy longevity!
Aging is a natural and gradual process that involves continuous physiological and structural transformations in the body and mind of individuals over the years. While it is a consequence of the passage of time, the pursuit of longevity is one of the main goals of most people who wish to age in a healthy and quality manner.
Habits that increase longevity
The main care that should be adopted to age in a healthy way is to live a healthy lifestyle. Some measures are considered fundamental to ensure longevity and promote a controlled aging process. They are:
Eating Properly
Did you know that longevity has everything to do with what you put on your plate? That’s right. Nutrition plays a determining role in health and quality of life. Therefore, it is essential to eat in a balanced way, focus on consuming fruits, vegetables, and greens, as well as ingest appropriate amounts of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Speaking of proteins, protein intake effectively contributes to the repair of microlesions, nutrient transportation, muscle building, and regeneration.
Adopting a balanced diet with adequate nutrient intake is one of the main ways to ensure longevity and quality of life. This is because nutrition directly influences the functioning of the body, ensuring that it receives all the necessary nutrients to carry out its daily activities.
Managing Stress
Managing stress is essential for the prevention of psychological and emotional disorders, as well as clinical conditions such as changes in blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. Reducing daily stress, therefore, is an important guideline for promoting longevity and ensuring a happier aging process with quality of life and satisfaction.
In this sense, some essential care includes:
- Learning to manage one’s own time;
- Engaging in pleasurable activities;
- Recognizing what causes stress and finding ways to avoid those factors;
- Engaging in relaxing activities;
- If necessary, seeking psychological support.
Engaging in regular physical activities
According to the World Health Organization, sedentary behavior is among the leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide, as it is directly related to serious conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, regular exercise can increase longevity as it prevents diseases, improves body composition, prevents injuries, increases muscle strength, combats fatigue, and releases hormones associated with pleasure and well-being.
Getting a good night’s sleep
Sleep is an extremely important regulatory function for the body, not only allowing for physical recovery but also strengthening the immune system, hormone secretion, memory consolidation, and stress management. Therefore, getting a good night’s sleep promotes healthy aging and provides longevity to individuals.
Undergoing regular check-ups
Regularly undergoing medical examinations is an excellent way to monitor a person’s health status, identifying diseases early on and risk factors that may cause future harm. By doing so, preventive measures can be taken and illnesses can be treated in their early stages (when they usually have a higher chance of cure and have not yet caused any lasting damage to the patient), thereby increasing longevity.
Avoiding harmful habits
Recent studies indicate that 30% of longevity is attributed to genetics. The other 70% depends on a healthy lifestyle. In order to live longer and better, preserving physical and mental capacities, it is crucial to avoid harmful habits such as drinking, smoking, and getting insufficient sleep.
Healthy aging and longevity are directly linked to how a person has lived over the years, which primarily includes their lifestyle. In this sense, it is recommended to avoid habits considered detrimental to health, such as:
- Smoking;
- Consumption of processed foods high in sugar;
- Sedentary behavior;
- Alcohol and drug abuse;
- Excessive sun exposure without using sunscreen;
- Not using protection methods against sexually transmitted infections;
- Having a highly busy and stressful routine.
Have moments of pleasure
Work is important, but it’s not the only aspect of life that deserves attention. Set aside time to rest and experience enjoyable moments, whether alone or with loved ones. Take advantage of breaks, weekends, and holidays to relax, go for walks, have fun, learn new things, converse, engage in hobbies, and ultimately, enjoy the best that life has to offer. This is good for both the body and the mind, as it relieves tensions and prevents problems such as stress and depression.
Balance Your Hormones
Hormones play a crucial role in the body and have a significant impact on achieving longevity. Keeping the endocrine system in balance helps a person age well and can lead to positive physiological responses, such as improved appearance, increased libido, enhanced cognition, regulated sleep, and protection against diseases like osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
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