Ways to Live Longer

Since the holidays are coming up, people are more than ever pressed for time. The added stress of rushing around certainly doesn't help either. Here are some tips that will help you live a longer life.

Eat Better
You don't have to go all out and buy everything organic to have a longer life. Starting with small changes is the best way to go. When you cook anything with oil, switch to using canola oil. It is much healthier than corn or vegetable oil. It is healthy for the heart, low in saturated fat, and has omega-three fatty acids. Omega-three is very beneficial to the human body in many ways, such as lowering your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and much more. Lower your sodium intake. Most processed foods are high in sodium. This is basically salt, and is a preservative. It's good for making food last longer, but not good in your body. Almost all food in boxes or packages have a nutritional content label. Look under sodium percentage for each serving. It is best to stick in the range of 0% to 23%. You would be surprised as to how much sodium is in your favorite foods. Crackers, chips, cookies, processed meats, and salted snacks are notoriously high in sodium content. Too much salt in your body depletes it of fluids in your system. This means that your body has to work harder to stabilize itself so it can function at optimum levels.The best thing to do is lower your sodium intake, so your body works a little less harder.

Drink Fluids
The first thing everyone thinks of is water, which is a bad thing. It's bad because most people drink bottled water. This has no benefit other than quenching your thirst and flushing your body out. Bottled water has nothing in it but water. That really doesn't help your body any, because its missing a key element: electrolytes. This is very important to your body. Electrolytes are key in regulating your blood PH levels, nerve function and muscle function. If you don't replace your electrolytes on a regular basis, your body will work much harder. This results in your body overworking itself everyday, even in normal activities. Sport drinks are great to replenish electrolytes, but you also have to be aware of how much sugar is in it as well. A variety of drinks throughout the day can prove beneficial too. Cranberry juice cleans out your body of many impurities. A glass a day will work. Orange juice gives you natural energy. Try drinking a glass in the morning for a boost for your body. As far a juice goes, you want to look at how much juice content it really has. I always pick 70% or higher. You also want to look at how much juice is in each serving. These are two completely different things. Red wine promotes a healthy living as well. A five ounce glass of red wine a day has the benefits of: a healthy blood flow in the veins, which leads to a healthier heart, (since there is more blood), anti-oxidant properties, (since red wine is made grapes, which is high in anti-oxidants) and anti-bacterial properties from alcohol.

Rest Up
This doesn't mean to get eight hours of sleep every night. While eight hours of sleep is great to live longer, you have to make sure that you go to bed at a normal time all the time to get the benefits. This is very important, but there is much more to it than that. Let's start with your room. Every time you walk in to sleep, it has to be pleasing to the eye. There shouldn't be a pile of clothes and trash you have to wade through every time when you want to rest. (Unless you're that messy all the time.) If you generally have things in order in your room, it is easier to rest. Why? Because that is one less thing to have on your mind before you rest. Try painting the walls white or a soothing color like light blue. This will ease your mind even further, and calm you down. Get a bed that will be comfortable to sleep on. This may seem obvious, but some people get a bed simply because it was cheap, or use the mattress that was left in the room for whatever reason. Get a bed that fits your body type. Some like a firm mattress, some like a soft one. Also, before you go to bed, plan ahead one hour. If you go to sleep at ten at night start to get ready at nine. Why? Most people rush themselves before going to bed, remembering that something needs to be done before they turn in for the night. This is not good on the body, because you get your blood pressure up and get your body energized before bed. This is the last thing you want to do. So, to put your body in a relaxed, calm state before sleeping, start getting ready at nine. Sit down and think. Is there something I forgot to write down? What is my plan for tomorrow? Read something for 15 minutes. You can take a bath, then by the time it's ten o' clock your body is in a mode for sleeping. If you do these things at the last minute, your body will not rest peacefully, and you won't get your full night's sleep.

Be Active
An hour of moderate exercise a day is all it takes. You can briskly walk for an hour. Ride a bike. Go swimming. Keep in mind, you don't want to push your body too much. Exercise to the point that your body is sweating, but you don't want to be pouring sweat and your whole body is shaking. (Unless you sweat a lot.) Try to keep your mind sharp as well. Chess, crossword puzzles and sudoku puzzles are great for keeping the mind sharp.

Have a Laugh
Laughing regularly each day can help you live longer too. When you laugh, you feel good because of the endorphins released. Endorphins are the bodies natural painkiller. Laughter releases stress, and the less stress you have in your life, the longer you live.

Gecko Joe, Ways to Live Longer Associated Press