Five things you can do to live longer – and how to make them work
A long-term study on more than 100,000 people has shown that following five low-risk lifestyle steps will help women live an average of 14 years longer and men an extra 12 years
There seems to always be a mad dash toward the next new thing in nutrition and fitness, whether it’s the latest exercise craze, superfood or diet regimen. But leaping from fad to fad isn’t exactly a well-reasoned strategy for improving health. Nor is it a way to create changes that stick, which are the only ones that will have an impact.
If we’re going to generate enough motivation to create sustainable change, we need to have clear objectives and understand how and why our habits fulfil those objectives. That way, when relapses or difficult moments arise – and they always do – our deeper motivation and plan keep us anchored.
If your objective is to live a longer, healthier life, a new study conducted by Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health lays out five practices, none of which needs to involve a fad, that can help you meet that objective.
The study, which appeared in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, analysed data on more than 100,000 people, who were followed for up to 34 years.
Researchers looked at life expectancy among those who engaged in five “low-risk lifestyle factors,” such as not smoking.