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Top 12 Ways to Live a Longer, Happier Life
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No matter our differences, at our most basic level, we all want the same things. Everyone wants to live a long, happy, stress free and healthy life. Although Western medicine has helped us to live longer, it’s fairly safe to say that the quality of life leaves something to be desired. Although some of us have a great quality to our lives, we won’t live very long for various reasons, usually of our doing.
So how do we capture both? How do we live the long life but keep ourselves feeling as young as possible? We have a list of the top 12 ways you can manage both.
1. Find Ways to Reduce Stress
Stress is a word that everyone loves to throw around but it doesn’t get taken all that seriously until someone has a meltdown. Stress is perhaps to blame for as much as 80 percent of all visits to doctors. It can be the real underlying cause to some of our worst ailments. Stress will usurp our body’s regulatory systems, which will lead to almost every single age related problem you can think of. Stress plays a vital role in heart problems, skin issues, neurological problems, emotional issues, and gastrointestinal problems, according to the National Stress Institute. Do whatever it takes to manage your stress issues. Change jobs, change your family life, get therapy, practice meditation or take up yoga. Take care of stress before it takes a toll on you.
2. Get a Furry BFF
It’s a well-known fact that those who have pets (goldfish and tarantulas don’t count, sorry) have lower stress levels and are much less likely to develop depression that those who don’t. If you have a pet, spend more time with them. If you don’t, consider adopting from your local shelter. Even if you don’t have much space, almost everyone has room in their life for a cat, ferret, toy breed of dog, or even a pet rat or hamster.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
Eating a proper diet is one of the main things we can do to ensure a long and healthy life, free from disease. Unfortunately, due to our polluted environment, eating healthy isn’t as simple to do as it used to be.
For the healthiest diet, choose foods that are raw, clean, and organic. Eat plenty of raw, organic fruits and vegetables of all colors. Eat plenty of naturally fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi. Eat unrefined, whole grains. Add some nuts, seeds, and legumes. Eat only grass fed organic chicken and beef, along with wild caught, cold water fish. Eat raw dairy products. Read more about worst mistakes of the modern day diet.
4. Take a Hike
Or go for a walk. Even if you are 50 years of age and have never done much, if any, physical activity, walking for about 30 minutes, three times a week will reverse your physiological age by at least 10 years. In a three year study of more than 220 retirement age men, half of which did not exercise and the other half were told to take brisk walks 30 minutes per day, three times per week. After one year, the group that exercised showed a 12 percent increase in their aerobic power and a 10 percent increase in strength and flexibility. This is the same amount they would have lost over a 10 year period had they not done any exercise. So, get moving. Even just taking Fido for a walk will keep you young. So, go get that leash!
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