You have to deserve a long he althy life - we have been working for it since our youth. The key to longevity are not only good genes, but also he althy habits that pay off in the second half of life.
Contents:
- Recipe for a long life - take care of relationships
- Recipe for a long life - think positive
- Recipe for a long life - reduce stress
- Recipe for a long life - make a move
- Recipe for a long life - eat he althy
- Recipe for a long life - take care of your he alth
Recipe for a long life - take care of relationships
A human being is a social being - lonely it withers like a flower without water. It is especially visible in the elderly, and not only because those living alone are deprived of practical help on a daily basis. Seniors, who have no one to talk to, lose their ability to communicate much faster; deprived of close relationships, they "go wild" and lose their motivation to any activity, they succumb to old age and diseases faster.
We work much earlier to have something and whom to live for until an old age, for example taking care of our relationship. It's no wonder that loving couples live longer and are he althier than single people. In addition to emotional security and a sense of fulfillment, they gain from sexual closeness, which regenerates the spirit and body.
It is worth maintaining family contacts, fostering friendships, establishing new relationships with people from younger generations, being professionally active as long as possible. An extensive network of knowledge provokes all kinds of activity, which in turn forces the body and mind to exercise, keeping them in good condition. The TV set will not replace contact with a living person!
Recipe for a long life - think positive
The ancient sages of the East noticed that the way of thinking influences what happens to us. There is no magic to it. Nervousness, anxiety, anger, constantly experienced anxiety, anticipating the worst - cause excessive secretion of stress hormones, especially cortisol. This raises blood pressure, raises cholesterol, and contributes to inflammation.
The bad emotions that we experience every day waste a lot of energy that the body could use for our good, and meanwhile has to use it,to restore the emotional and hormonal balance disturbed by stress.
The daily stress load leads to the weakening of self-repair mechanisms, leaving us prey to diseases and accelerating degenerative processes. So let's look at your thoughts and reactions, develop a more optimistic approach to life.
Recipe for a long life - reduce stress
You can reduce unnecessary stress by planning your day so as to be on time with everything. Let's not get caught in the perfectionism trap - don't expect more from ourselves than we are able to do, because it generates tension.
It is important to go to bed and get up at the same time of the day, and take care of the balance between work and rest. Every day let's set aside some time just for our own pleasures, relaxation, meditation, sports or meeting friends.
Eat meals regularly, plan them in your daily schedule so that you can eat without rush. This will allow you to fill up with less food and make digestion easier. Let's not overeat, get up from the table with the thought: "I'd like to eat something else".
See the gallery of 8 photosDo you know that…
Life expectancy in 1/3 is determined by genes, but what about the rest? At the end of the chromosomes that make up genes are telomeres, which shorten as cells divide. This affects the rate of aging: some people shorten their telomeres more slowly, others this process is faster and they live shorter lives.
However, genes are not everything - specialists believe that up to 70% of life expectancy is determined by the environment and lifestyle. Proof? Okinawans who emigrated from Japan and began to live like people of the highly developed West, died much earlier than their peers at home. Due to the change in lifestyle, they were decimated by civilization diseases.
Recipe for a long life - make a move
The rolling stone is not covered with moss. The same can be said for a man. We were not designed to sit at a computer, but to hunt game. There is a reason why exercise is at the heart of the he althy eating pyramid. Without it, the he althiest menu will not give the desired effect.
The stillness to which we are condemned by modern technology, must be balanced with recreational activity - at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes of medium-intensity training. Plus taking every opportunity to start the body: stairs instead of elevator, bicycle instead of car.
The benefits are measurable: keeping a slim figure, lowering cholesterol, preventing osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and diabetes, relieving stress. Equally important is training your mind.
Brainyou have to exercise like a muscle to keep it fit. Activities that take you out of routine (e.g. traveling, learning a language, playing chess) protect against dementia by training memory and concentration.
Recipe for a long life - eat he althy
The proportions of a balanced menu are presented in the he althy eating pyramid. It contains the most plant products, the least - sweets and fatty meat. Four or five light meals a day should be composed in such a way that products rich in soluble fiber (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts) have the advantage, which will fill you up quickly and for a long time, avoid snacking and help get rid of excess cholesterol. It is important to eat as much local and unprocessed products as possible, preferably from organic farming and breeding. This ensures that you know what you are eating.
From processed products, choose those with a short list of ingredients. Delete ready-made dishes and "treats" consisting mainly of sugar, fat and wheat flour from your menu.
Read labels, check "light" or "natural" products and avoid those containing palm oil, hydrogenated vegetable oils (raise cholesterol levels), pork fat, mechanically separated meat (MSM), sugar and glucose-fructose syrup, as well as preservatives, dyes, flavor enhancers. These additives, marked with the symbol E, are harmless in small doses, eaten from time to time, but if eaten regularly, they can accumulate in the body and poison it.
Recipe for a long life - take care of your he alth
To achieve longevity, disease must be prevented. It is possible when irregularities are detected at an early stage. The point is not to force yourself to look for a disease, but not to ignore the alarm signals.
Pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, frequent digestive problems, skin changes - it is worth paying attention to unusual symptoms. Nobody can help us, because we know our body best. We also know which diseases most often appeared in the family - this may indicate a genetic predisposition to certain diseases.
The interview is usually conducted by the family doctor; it is worth agreeing with him which tests should be performed more often. Many diseases progress with no symptoms initially. Prophylactic examinations are used to detect them.
Particularly in the second half of life, you need to undergo regular basic tests: annual blood count and urine tests, every 2-3 years blood cholesterol and glucose levels, EKG, lung X-ray. It is a good idea to measure your blood pressure every few months.
We should visit the dentist at least once a yearcheck the eyes and hearing for 2-3 years, and after the age of 50, do a bone density test (densitometry). An annual visit to the gynecologist along with a cytological examination and ultrasound, as well as breast ultrasound or mammography every 2 years is a matter of course for a woman. Men over 50 should have their PSA tested once a year and have their prostate examined by a urologist.