The 7 Things to Do If You Want to Live Longer
To be healthy and live long, it’s important to focus on your quality of life.
Most of us want to live a lengthy and prosperous life. But not all of us maintain healthy habits.
Those that don’t have a higher risk of passing away prematurely. This is because they may neglect their bodies and often make poor life decisions.
Of course, maintaining healthy habits means that you’re also likely to live longer. But in the world of life insurance, your habits may make all of the difference between getting an affordable policy and feeling like you’re being priced out.
Simply put, maintaining healthy habits will help you gain access to better and more affordable policies.
So, isn’t it about time that you made a few changes? Here are seven habits that may help you live longer and get the policy that you want. And as an added bonus, you’ll make drastic improvements to your health!
#1 – Avoid Processed Food
Processed foods usually taste delicious. They consist of various additives that enhance the taste. But too many additives can hamper your health. Highly processed foods lack essential nutrients. So if you want to remain healthy, you should avoid processed foods as much as possible. Try the following instead:
- Eat natural food – fruit and vegetables can replace processed food from your diet.
- Buy from a local market – if there’s a farmer’s market nearby, you may find produce that’s in season. These should have far less artificial chemicals and additives.
- Eat whole-grain food – whole-grain foods have higher nutritional value and lower calories. You can eat pasta or cereal, but check if it’s made from 100% whole grains.
- Pay attention to ingredients – you can find all that you need on the nutrition facts label. Highly-processed food always has more than 5 ingredients. It may also contains a bunch of strange ingredients that you’ve never heard of.
#2 – Eat More Nuts
Nuts are a welcome addition to any diet.
According to studies, nuts significantly reduce the risk of mortality. They even have a positive effect on cardiovascular and cancer patients.
They contain various nutrients and are particularly low on carbs. Although they are high in fat, they can help you lose weight. Especially since your body doesn’t absorb all of their calories.
As long as you don’t go overboard, you should include nuts in your meals. These tiny snacks will help keep you in shape.
#3 – Slow but Steady Wins the Race
“It’s time to make big changes to my lifestyle !”
How many times have you thought that? Has it worked?
Don’t worry. Radical changes are hard or sometimes impossible to achieve. You can start out heavy, but the motivation is going to be short-lived. The point is to go slow and make small changes’ .
Apply minor changes in your daily routine. Something that won’t put you off rhythm. Like adding a 10-minute exercise session or getting up and going to bed earlier.
Slowly make changes in your diet. Do one more thing than yesterday.
Talk to someone that you haven’t heard from in a long time.
Slowly changing your habits will benefit your quality of life in the long run.
#4 – Maintain a Healthy Social Circle
Keeping your friends close can benefit you both mentally and physically. Reports say that it’s easier to manage or relieve stress with friends. It may also boost your immune system and hormonal levels.
But, be careful. Not all relationships are healthy.
A bad relationship can harm you in many ways. So, think about the people that you want in your life. People who share support and mutual goals with you.
Likewise, you should return the favour. Case in point, some studies show that providing support can benefit you more than receiving it.
#5 – Be Active
Low physical activity leads to depression and stress. It also increases the risk of premature death and chronic diseases.
But you don’t need to spend hours in the gym to improve your health.
You can start with a short exercise of moderate intensity. This way you can split them into shorter sessions and fill the gaps in your day.
Studies show that exercising for 15 minutes every day can extend your life by 3 years.
You’ve got to start somewhere.
#6 – Sleep Well
Plenty of studies relate the risk of early death with sleeping patterns.
Sleeping too much is equally as harmful as sleeping too little. Little sleep causes inflammation and increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
If you sleep too much you can develop depression and low activity. These conditions are also in correlation with early death.
The ideal sleep range should be between 7 and 8 hours, alongside a regular sleeping pattern. So, look to fall asleep and get up at around the same time each day.
Sleeping well will improve your focus and energy, too. This will allow you to do more during the day and relieve your stress levels.
#7 – Quit Smoking
If you’re an avid smoker, stop before it’s too late.
Some will try to tell you that smoking is not that harmful. Don’t believe them. Remember, health warnings on cigarette pack labels are there for a reason.
Smoking is a catalyst for numerous diseases and bodily dysfunctions. Even second-hand exposure to smoke can have fatal consequences.
According to research, smoking causes over 7 million deaths every year.
If you can quit the habit, you’ll make a massive improvement to your quality of life. That’s exactly what Lauren, from Victoria discovered.
Before she made the decision to quit, she had a cigarette with almost every activity. When she woke up, she’d have a smoke. She’d make her morning coffee and have another. A third cigarette followed after having her morning shower.
That routine of action followed by cigarette lasted for the entire day!
Finally, she made the decision to quit in 2011. And though she found it immensely difficult at first, she now wouldn’t change the decision for anything. As she puts it:
“I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from years as a heavy smoker. At this stage I only need a puffer occasionally. I feel so much better. My oxygen levels have increased. I very rarely cough. I am financially better off. I no longer smell of cigarettes. I’m 55 this year. Just wish I’d given up years ago.”
Lauren’s life is so much better now that she’s no longer smoking.
You Are Your Most Valuable Asset
In our busy world today, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy habits. That’s why it’s so important to make the extra effort.
And people who neglect themselves early may find it harder to get life insurance. If you don’t care about yourself, an insurance company will notice. And they’ll likely adjust your policy accordingly.
Some may charge higher premiums because they see you as a high-risk case. Others may not even grant you the policy to begin with.
This places you at a major disadvantage because having a good life insurance policy means that you have a lot less to worry about.
And you’ll find it much easier to get the right insurance policy when you can show that you don’t present a lot of risk.
If you are interested in looking at Life Insurance today check with us – get a quote from NobleOak right away. If you treat yourself well, we’ll treat you even better.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlOUVU-0CNY
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm
https://www.sharecare.com/health/food-production-and-health/why-avoid-processed-foods
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-tips-8-ways-to-avoid-processed-food/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-benefits-of-nuts#section2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23866098
https://www.verywellhealth.com/things-to-stop-if-you-want-to-live-longer-2223866
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-habits-linked-to-a-long-life#section13
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/tips-for-a-longer-life