Longevity Tip: Want to Live Longer? Try Happiness

Make Being Happy a Priority

Feeling happy can significantly increase your longevity. In fact, happier individuals had a 3.7% reduction in early death over a 5-year study period . A study of 180 Catholic nuns analyzed their self-reported levels of happiness when they first entered the monastery and later compared these levels to their longevity. Those who felt happiest at 22 years of age were 2.5 times more likely to still be alive six decades later. Finally, a review of 35 studies showed that happy people may live up to 18% longer than their less happy counterparts.

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Health Hack: You Can Do It! Turn the Corners Up & Smile

Turn That Frown Upside Down

You might notice that people more often gravitate to those with a sunnier disposition. However, the actual act of smiling emits serotonin (the happy hormone) and creates a, stimulating, positive environment. While frowning creates negative energy and drives people away.

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Longevity Tip: Family History Doesn’t Have to Determine Your History

What determines how healthy you will be as you get older?

The changes you’ll go through as you get older depend on a number of things. One is your family history (genetics). If your family members have diseases or ongoing (chronic) health problems like high blood pressure or diabetes, then you may have a greater chance of having those problems yourself. But just because your risk is higher, it doesn’t mean you will definitely have the same problems. In fact, the lifestyle choices you make can help reduce your chances of getting illnesses that run in your family. And even if you do get a family illness, choosing to be physically active, to eat healthy foods, and to learn how to deal with stress can keep the illness from destroying your ability to enjoy your golden years.

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Heath Hack: Give Your Friendly Bacteria an Assist

Did You Know Protecting Your Good Microbes Leads to a Healthier You?


Microscopic creatures—including bacteria, fungi, and viruses— can make you ill. But what you may not realize is that trillions of microbes are living in and on your body right now. Most don’t harm you at all. We tend to focus on destroying bad microbes. But taking care of good ones may be even more important.

TO PROTECT GOOD MICROBES:
o Don’t pressure your doctor to give you antibiotics. They may cause more harm than good.
o Know when to wash your hands—for example, when preparing food and before eating.
o Don’t use antibacterial products you don’t need. Antibacterial soaps have little or no health benefit. And antibacterial versions of household products have not been shown to reduce your risk of infection.
o Don’t go overboard with hand sanitizers. They’re useful
in health care settings, but hand washing is a better option in most situations.
o Experiment with different skin moisturizers to see which work best for you.

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Health Hack: Take Time to Strengthen Your Core

Did You Know Core exercises improve your balance and stability?

Core exercises are an important part of a well-rounded fitness program. Aside from occasional situps and pushups, however, core exercises are often neglected. Still, it pays to get your core muscles — the muscles around your trunk and pelvis — in better shape. Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles.

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Longevity Tip ~ Don’t Be Shy – Connect

The studies are in. An active social life is associated with faster rebound in the face of stress. It’s also linked to a longer life and a greater sense of wellbeing. So how do you reap the benefits of a good social life? First, focus on the people who mean the most to you. Quality trumps quantity. So reach out to your healthy supports — your closest family and friends — on the regular. Then, expand your social world. Faith groups, volunteer organizations and hobby groups are all ways to make new connections

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Longevity Tip: 5 of 5 To Go Beyond 90

Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating a healthy diet is really quite simple.  Eat real food. If there is an ingredient list, it probably isn’t real food.  Likewise, if it comes in a box, can, or jar it also probably isn’t real food.  Real food looks like something you would grow in your garden or bring back from a hunt. If you can just do these three things, then you are 90% of the way to a healthy diet. 1. Don’t eat sugar. (This includes fruit juice, honey, maple syrup, etc.) 2. Don’t eat flour.  (Flour, whether it be from wheat, rice, corn, or potatoes, is still just sugar). 3. Eat vegetables with every meal. (And by every meal I also mean breakfast!)

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Health Hack ~ Enjoy the Fats

Did You Know Fats Belong in a healthy diet?

Eating foods with fat is definitely part of a healthy diet. Just remember to choose foods that provide good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) and balance the amount of calories you eat from all foods with the amount of calories you burn. Aim to eat a dietary pattern that emphasizes intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains; includes low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, legumes, non-tropical vegetable oils and nuts; and limits intake of sodium, sweets, sugar sweetened beverages and red meats. Doing so means that your diet will be low in both saturated fats and trans fats.

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Health Hack: Are You Getting Enough B-12?

Did You Know if You’re Over 50 You Could Be at Risk for Not Having Enough B-12?

If you’re not getting enough from your diet (or you don’t eat animal foods), most experts recommend turning to a B12 supplement, since a deficiency (while rare) can be serious. Symptoms of a chronic, severe B12 deficiency can include serious side effects such as neurological damage, memory loss, and depression. If B12 deficiency progresses, it may lead to neurological disturbances, difficulty balancing, dementia, confusion, and irreversible neurological damage in severe cases.

Important vitamin B12 benefits

  1. It could help with your mood and mental health. 
  2. It can improve cognitive performance. 
  3. It can improve energy levels. 
  4. It supports healthy fetal development.

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Longevity Tip: 3 of 5 Tips To Go Beyond 90

Tip 3: At Least 30 Minutes of Exercise Every Day

With regards to this Harvard study, they don’t give you any days off. You have to be active every day. No excuses. What you do for exercise doesn’t matter. My only rule is that you enjoy doing it because if you don’t, it will never stick. That daily dose of physical activity can be anything provided you break a sweat and get your heart rate up.A quick disclaimer…if you haven’t been exercising regularly, please speak with your physician first before adopting this longevity hack or, for that matter, any other hack mentioned in this article.

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