The Fountain of Youth Is Within Our Reach

Here at the Age of Grace, I’m all about staying healthy and aging gracefully. I believe we all have the same motivation: living as long and fulfilling a life as possible. Researchers identified certain behaviors that can increase longevity. The adoption of these lifestyle habits suggests the fountain of youth is within our reach.

The five science-backed ways will help you live longer, according to a study published in Circulation in 2018.  Adhering to these five healthy habits could extend your life span by roughly a decade.  Here’s what the researchers found;

1. Eating a healthy diet
2.  Exercising regularly
3.  Maintaining a healthy body weight
4.  Drinking in moderation
5.  No Smoking

It’s no secret that diet is strongly linked to longevity. According to clinicians, a Mediterranean diet, which includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, as well as healthy fats, not much sugar, red meat, or processed food, brings health benefits, including longer life.

There’s no escaping exercising regularly.  Working out improves everything from cardiovascular fitness to mood and energy, so it’s no surprise it can extend your life.  A 2019 study found that merely moving instead of sitting for 30 minutes daily could reduce early death risk by 17%.

It’s never too late to start if you don’t exercise now.  A recent study found longevity benefits associated with both lifelong exercise and exercise started only later in life.

Diet and exercise habits help people attain and keep a healthy body weight.  Obesity is associated with chronic conditions, including Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, all of which can shorten your life.

For years, moderate drinking was touted as a harmless habit.  But recently, scientific opinion has shifted toward a more cautious stance on alcohol. Limit alcohol, according to the U.S. federal dietary guidelines, means no more than a drink per day for women and no more than two per day for men.

In addition to causing lung cancer, cigarette smoking is associated with many other serious health problems, including heart attack, stroke, and mouth/throat cancers. Smoking is a significant threat to longevity. The best way to reduce your risk is never to smoke at all.  But if you do, experts advise quitting as soon as possible.

Anti-aging eye creams and serum products tout themselves as the fountain of youth. In reality, it’s the everyday choices we make in life that help us age gracefully. In addition to diet, exercise, body weight, drinking in moderation, and not smoking, I would add sleep as the real fountain of youth.

How about you? Would you add anything to the five science-based ways to live longer?  If so, please add your comment via Facebook or the Diskus app.

As always, thank you for reading.  Have a fabulous weekend.