Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol increases the rate of aging due to its negative effects on the brain, liver, immune system, quality of sleep, etc. Alcoholic drinks should be consumed in moderation, ideally no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.
Prioritize Your Physical Health
Regular Taking positive steps toward maintaining your physical health through routine check-ups, early detection of health concerns, etc., will help significantly increase the chances of living a long and healthy life. These positive steps include:
- Monitoring blood pressure
- Hormonal imbalances
- Bone density tests
- Cardiovascular assessments
- Vaccinations and screening
Being proactive about your health means taking steps to detect problems or treat problems before they become more severe and require more intensive interventions.
Care for Your Mental Health
Maintaining mental health is essential for a successful aging process. Researchers have documented a relationship between chronic stress or anxiety, depression, and the association of these factors with chronic inflammation or poor health habits, which result in premature aging.
- Mental health for aging may be bolstered through mindfulness
- meditation/breathing techniques
- and seeking help/support from trained professionals if necessary.
- Practicing self-compassion or developing stress management skills
Emotional balance can help build resilience and support longevity.
Nurture Your Relationships
Social connection is a major predictor of longer lifespan. People with strong relationships experience:
- Lower stress levels
- Reduced risk of depression
- Enhanced immune strength
- Better cognitive function
Investing in friendships, family bonds, and community engagement promotes emotional and physical well-being.
Engage Your Mind
Continuing to learn and mentally stimulate your mind through activities such as reading, problem-solving, learning a new language, music, or hobbies will help keep your brain healthy and help you maintain your memory and process speed. Doing so for just 10 to 20 minutes each day can help preserve cognitive health.
Stay Optimistic
Investigators have found that maintaining a positive attitude can improve health and prolong life. Studies have shown that optimistic individuals appear to live longer and are less likely to develop heart disease or experience cognitive decline than pessimistic individuals. By using techniques like gratitude journals, affirmations, and living with a sense of purpose, you can build emotional strength and motivation to pursue life's goals.
Prioritize Good Sleep
Sleep is crucial for maintaining cellular repair, memory, metabolic processes, and immunity. It is important for adults to get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night.
- To help you attain good sleep:
- Try to keep a regular sleep schedule.
- Use an environment that is dark, cool, and free from electronic devices.
- Steer clear of caffeine and heavy meals in the hours leading up to sleep.
- Create a relaxing nighttime routine.
Sleeping well helps slow down biological aging and provides you with additional energy throughout your day, as well as enhancing your ability to think clearly.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Having excess weight, particularly visceral fat, places you at high risk for developing chronic disease due to hormones that are produced by fat cells that lead to inflammation and hormone imbalances.
Instead of extreme dieting, focus on:
- Adopting Meal Patterns that you can continue for life
- Eating whole, nutrient-dense foods
- Incorporating physical movement into your daily activities.
By maintaining a healthy body weight, you will have less risk of losing mobility, have health for your internal organs, and also provide longevity to your metabolic function.
Be Proactive: Track Health Markers
Modern technologies allow individuals to monitor biological age, nutrient levels, inflammation markers of disease, hormone production, and how efficiently one's metabolism is functioning. By closely monitoring these health markers, people will have a better understanding of how to improve their diet, exercise, and overall lifestyle for optimal health and well-being.
Some examples of health markers that can be monitored include:
- Glucose (blood sugar) and insulin resistance
- Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Omega-3s
- Thyroid hormones and Sex hormones
- LDL, HDL, triglycerides and inflammation markers
Tracking health markers allows individuals to have the information necessary to make the appropriate changes they need to experience a longer, healthier life.
Join a Clinical Study
By being part of a clinical study related to longevity or health research, participants can access the latest scientific findings and contribute to better understanding how we can age longer. Many of these clinical studies are for healthy people interested in becoming the best they can be as they age rather than those who are trying to manage their illnesses.
