We all know you can’t live forever. Certain ailments later in life are simply unavoidable. Still, there are definitely things you can do now to deter those ailments and possibly even avoid the early onset of an illness you’re predisposed to.
If you plan on growing into old age with a strong body and mind, don’t go autopilot and “hope for the best” when it comes to your health. Instead, start establishing these 15 habits now.
1. Eat a Healthy, Well-Balanced Diet
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You knew this would be first, right? Eating a well-balanced diet will ensure smooth operating systems in your body and the best foundation possible for a long and healthy life.
Most experts agree that a Mediterranean diet is hard to beat in this regard. That means lots of veggies and fruits, healthy fats, whole grains, limited lean protein (mostly fish and poultry), the occasional red wine, and limited sugar. Sure, the occasional ice cream sundae or extra cheese pizza won’t kill you. But do try to home in on the good stuff.
2. Keep Your Weight Under Control
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Even if you eat a well-balanced diet, it’s not impossible to still struggle with obesity. And if these are problems for you, you’ll want to nip them in the bud as soon as possible by dieting and exercising to shed unwanted fat.
Staying at a healthy weight will ensure that you avoid risks for heart disease, diabetes, and other high-weight-related health issues. It can also help your joints and other organs stay healthy.
3. Drink Enough Water
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With a body that’s made up mostly of water, it’s no wonder that you need to replenish your supply daily to maintain optimal health.
Not sure how much to drink? As a general rule, experts say you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you should aim to drink 80 ounces of water a day. That seems like a lot, but remember that you can include non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic beverages (like milk and tea) in your total as well.
4. Limit Your Alcohol Intake
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In moderation, feel free to have a few alcoholic drinks here and there. Some drinks like certain beers and red wine even have known health benefits. But it should go without saying that overindulging in alcohol on a regular basis can have serious health ramifications — often those related to diseases of your filtering organs: the liver and kidneys. Heart disease related to alcoholism isn’t uncommon either.
5. Don’t Smoke
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Hopefully, you already know that smoking’s bad for literally all aspects of your health. Yet, we also know that 20 percent of Americans are still doing it.
If you smoke now, figure out a way to quit, and make it a priority. In fact, if you’re a smoker and can only do one thing on this whole list, quitting will probably add the most time to your life.
6. Get Consistent Cardio Exercise
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Exercise is paramount to a long and healthy life. Not only will consistent cardio (running, jogging, swimming, biking, or playing a rigorous sport) help you stay fit and trim, but it will also keep those endorphins pumping, and endorphins make you happy.
Furthermore, cardio is great at getting you outside, helping you socialize, and keeping you looking fit and trim for added self-confidence and physical attraction from the opposite sex (never hurts, right?)
7. Strength Train
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Another big part of your exercise routine should be strength training. It’s essential for a sleek and healthy-looking physique. Plus, improving your body’s muscle mass will ensure the protection of your bones and joints. In fact, this is an important point that many people don’t realize: if you want to avoid osteoarthritis in your joints as you age, strength training now is the answer.
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8. Take Care of Your Joints
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Speaking of joints … pay extra attention to them because joint osteoarthritis is nearly ubiquitous eventually. Strength training will go a long way in helping you avoid this for as long as possible, but stretching, Pilates or yoga, massage, and taking joint supplements where necessary can also help.
You should also start paying attention to how you use your joints as well. If you sit at a desk, use proper form. Avoid sitting on your knees, and don’t put extra stress on your joints whenever possible.
9. Don’t “Let Yourself Go”
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As the phrase implied, “letting yourself go” means not thinking about your physical appearance and attractiveness anymore. Naturally, your attractiveness will be somewhat affected by what and how you eat and whether you exercise, but other steps to improving your appearance (makeup, styling your hair, having nice clothes, etc.) shouldn’t be ignored. These are things we do for ourselves to improve our self-confidence and self-worth, and they shouldn’t go by the wayside.
10. Get Enough Sleep
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When you’re a busy adult with kids and a full-time job, trying to “get enough sleep” can seem like a cruel joke. It seems like every time you might have extra time to go to bed early or sleep in, there’s something “more important” to do or a crisis arises.
But sleep is an essential function of the body. Missing it consistently can make you fatigued, less effective in your everyday life, grouchy, and prone to sickness. It can also catch up to you over time. Aim for at least 7 or 8 hours every night, and you’ll notice a positive difference.
11. Socialize
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With all the work, sleep, exercise, and food-prep you need to do, you may not feel like there’s any time left to socialize. Still, if you can at least get together with friends or co-workers once a week, it can do a world of good for you and them!
Humans are simply social creatures. And when you get together with others, it allows you time to relax, chit chat, have a laugh, and help each other with life’s problems and stressors. Empathy, compassion, and kindness are all motivated and strengthened by socializing. These are feelings that can improve your mindset about life and even your physical well-being.
12. Set Goals for Yourself
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As you age, it’s essential to keep yourself busy and to consistently be working on some sort of self-improvement. To do this, remember to keep setting goals for yourself — even if they’re small. Make resolutions at the New Year, set new goals on each birthday, push yourself to master something like a craft or a language. All of this will encourage you to keep striving to be better.
13. Meditate
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Meditation has been proven to help with anxiety, stress, depression, and even physical ailments like full-blown disease and chronic pain. You don’t have to be a monk to meditate either. Pick up a book on meditation or go online to learn the basics. Then, just focus on doing five minutes every morning. For many people, this can do a world of good for the mind and body.
14. Practice Mindfulness
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Mindfulness is not a single act like meditation is. Instead, it’s a way of being. It’s always with you.
To be mindful means to live in the present moment and not to occupy your mind with thoughts of the past and future (it’s harder than you think!). When you consistently think about the past and future, the truth is you aren’t actually living, but instead are always lost in thought. Kind of a crummy way to spend your life, huh? Mindfulness helps solve this by encouraging you to live every moment to the fullest.
15. Always Be Learning
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Finally, never stop learning. You’ve gone through school and finished job training, so there’s nothing to learn left, right?
Wrong, actually. You should continue to learn new things up until your final days. Not only does learning a new skill, language, or set of facts help your mind “workout” just like your body needs to, but it also keeps you connected with the world. And this becomes even more essential for your mind and physical health as you age.
You may not be able to establish all of these habits immediately right now. And that’s okay. But do make an effort to work on them. Study after study shows that doing these 15 things will not only improve your life now, but they’ll also help you stay young, healthy, and vibrant into your advanced years. So why not try it out? You’ll thank yourself later.
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