In a detailed review by Dr. Stephen Bezruchka of the University of Washington and published in the nonprofit science journal Annual Reviews, the research apparently shows that poor diets and unhealthy lifestyles are the main cause of health problems in America.
In the Annual Reviews, the US ranks 34 out of 35 industrialized nations in life expectancy. Japanese have the longest life expectancy of 83 years old among these 35 nations. This figure shows that maybe Japanese live a healthier life than people live in other countries. Some people believe that is because what they eat is healthier than those western foods.
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In this article, there are 22 tips for how to live a longer life.
1. Do not sleep too much or too little.
According to a research in the Archives of General Psychiatry, USA, found that people who get only six to seven hours sleep a night live longer. People who sleep less than four hours, or more than eight hours, a night were shown to have a significantly higher death rate.
2. Laugh every day
Laugh lowers levels of stress hormones and heightens the activity of the body’s natural defensive killer cells and antibodies, according to a research. 100-200 laughs are equivalent to ten minutes of jogging or rowing.
3. Offer six hugs to others every day
A study has shown that giving six people hugs every day can boost happiness level 25% higher. Holding each hug for at least six seconds is more effective. It will boost your production of oxytocins, and reduce anxiety & strengthening connection with others.
4. Have a close relationship with your mother
A study by the Harvard Medical School indicated that 91% of people who weren’t close to their mothers suffered from a serious disease – high blood pressure, alcoholism and cardiovascular diseases- by midlife. There are only 45% of the people who said they were close to their mothers developed these serious illnesses.
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5. Watch your patterns of consumption
-Drink plenty of water
-Avoid simple carbohydrates. They can cause your insulin levels to rise, which has been associated with increased incidence of breast cancer in menopausal women.
-Avoid overindulging. With anything you intake, moderation is key. Read nutrition labels and research to know what is good for your health. Keep in mind that alcohol and tobacco are among the worst drugs. Do not forget that caffeine is also a drug.
-Balance your Omega-3: Omega-6 ratio. A diet high in omega-6 fatty acids (fats) increases your chance of cardiovascular disease and cancer. So reduce your intake of omega-6 (corn and canola oil, and many nut oils) and increase your intake of omega-3 fats from fatty fish, especially salmon.
6. Know your purpose
Know your values, passions and gifts is fairly important as people who know these things and share these things could live up to seven years longer than those who do not.
7. Have a happy marriage or a happy relationship
A happy marriage will bring you more benefits than you think. (See related articles: The benefits of Marriage & how to maintain a wonderful marriage)
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8. Find God
According to a study in the International Journal for Psychiatry and Medicine, going to church regularly increases life expectancy. It’s especially good at helping people’s stress and emotional problems, and appears to protect diseases such as heart, respiratory or digestive problems.
9. Stop watching TV and talk to family during eating
Eat with family, remove the TV from your dining room and talk with family. Sharing things with family will also help people’s stress and emotional problems and so it’s good for your health.
10. Fast monthly or every two month
Scientific evidence has shown that regular fasting will benefit your digestive system and your whole body as fasting can clean your body.
11. Educate yourself
Research shows that the more education you get, the longer you may live. That is because you have a bigger chance to take care of yourself by doing regular exercise, eating healthy foods and not smoking.
12. Write a gratitude list
When you write a gratitude list, you will always think about what you have already had and feel grateful to good things in your life. You won’t think about what you don’t have. That makes you think you are happy and consequently you will live longer.
13. Use your mind
The more you use your mind, the slower your aging process will be. Three simple ways to use your mind: first, you can pick up a good book that forces you think, second, do puzzles-daily crossword, Sudoko or something very complicated. Third, try to learn a 2nd language other than your mother language. People who exercise their mind a lot tend to be less prone to Alzheimer’s.
Learn Japanese, slow down your ageing process or just for fun
14. Reduce stress
Find out all the causes that make you stressed and try your best to solve those problems that you can solve so that you can lower your stress level. ( Test my stress level)
15. Watch your weight
According to the British Heart Foundation, coronary heart disease causes 270,000 heart attacks each year, and of these 28,000 are due to obesity. Keep your BMI (Body Mass Index) in a safe range; you can use this BMI calculator to see where you are and what you need to do to keep your BMI between18.50-24.99 (Healthy Weight Range).
16. Consume antioxidants
-Eat Dark Chocolate, dark chocolate makes you happy since it will protect you against heart disease and cancer.
-Drink lots of tea, both black or green tea are good for you.
-Drink a glass of wine each day, but not too much
-Eat fruits and vegetables (broccoli, strawberries, citrus fruit, red pepper, tomatoes, kale, and melon)
17. Learn to Relax，have various hobbies
-Do medication
-Look at the bright side of things
-Deep breath
-Reading, fishing, gardening, photographing and so on
18. Squatting to defecate may be considered
This may greatly reduce your chance of getting colorectal cancer which is potentially fatal or haemorrhoids which are mostly just unpleasant.
19. Quit smoking
Smoke is bad for you, no matter how little you take in. Smoking is very harmful to your health and can usually cause premature death. It is also important to avoid second-hand somke.
20. Wear Sunblock
The UVA and UVB rays hitting the Earth from the sun pose a threat to anyone and everyone who spends more than 15 minutes a day outdoor. However, sunlight helps your body synthesize Vitamin D, which is essential for your health (like your mood), so don’t stop going outside completely.
21. Intake Vitamin C supplement
According to the research, you have to drink 25 glasses of orange juice to meet your body’s need of Vitamin C. It seems impossible to do that. So intake a Vitamin C tablet each day will help you look younger. Especially for women, , according to a British study of 4,025 women ages 40 to 74, women with higher intakes of vitamin C had fewer wrinkles and less dry skin.
22. Learn to play an instrument.
Your brain cells work together. When you are learning new skills, your brain function will generally be improved. It doesn’t matter what your age is, start to learn something new. It will also slow down your ageing process.
