22-05-2025
Want To Live Longer? Here Are The Tiny Little Habits Doctors Say To Do Every Day.
No matter how much you'd love to live longer, most people find the prospect of overhauling their lifestyle pretty daunting. Moreover, advice like 'eat a healthy diet' or 'get exercise' is often too vague to be helpful.
Fortunately, even small changes can add years to your life. And you don't need to give up chocolate cake, forgo alcohol entirely or get an expensive gym membership to increase your chances of living longer.
Here's what longevity experts say to do every day if you want to live to see a ripe old age.
Incorporating more movement into your day may be the key to living longer, and the good news is you don't need to spend an hour in the gym daily to reap the benefits.
A study found that hitting 7,000 steps a day slashes premature death risk by as much as 70% in midlife adults. And according to Dr. Tobias Dang, a psychiatrist and the medical director for mental health and wellness at Kaiser Permanente, finding ways to add steps to your day doesn't need to be complicated or involve a significant lifestyle change.
'When you go to the store, park farther away from the door. If you find you have five minutes between meetings, step outside and walk around the building or around your house if you work from home,' he said.
If you don't enjoy walking, don't worry. Keep looking for something you enjoy so that you will be motivated to stick with it, Dang explained. Incorporating more movement into your day could involve yoga, dancing, surfing or just about anything else that gets you moving. 'If it's fun, you'll return to it,' which will help in the long run, Dang said.
Finding time to slow down can be challenging, but recent studies show that meditation, yoga, mindfulness and slow breath work can help you live longer.
These practices can help lower the risk of heart disease, which accounts for 1 in 5 deaths, said Dr. Joseph Mercola, a board-certified family physician and author of 'Your Guide to Cellular Health.' He said engaging in one of these practices for just five minutes a day before bedtime may be enough to see results.
'Basic meditation is sitting still, closing your eyes, and breathing deeply for any length of time,' Dang explained. However, if that doesn't work for you, there are many other ways to meditate. Dang suggests taking the time to notice one item from every color in the rainbow, taking a walk to detach from your electronic devices, or using a meditation app for guided practice.
Making time for friends and family may seem like a luxury, but maintaining close social ties is essential to living a longer, healthier life.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy compared the health effects of loneliness and isolation to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Plus, 'strong relationships can improve survival odds by 50%,' Mercola said.
Dang recommends taking time every day to strengthen your social ties. Even small moments of connection can help, explained Dr. Rachel Marquez, a family medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente. Chatting with your barista, saying hello to a neighbor, or calling a friend all count as meaningful social interactions, she said.
'The keys to human connection are simple but extraordinarily powerful,' Dang added.
Almost everyone knows they should eat better, but not everyone can commit to changing their entire diet.
'If you want to add years to your life, start with what's on your plate,' Mercola said. This is so important because a Harvard study showed that improvement in diet over 12 years led to a significant decrease in mortality. Although eating better may seem daunting, it's OK to start with small steps that can have a big impact.
According to Dr. Michael Greger, a founding member and fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and author of 'How Not to Die,'a Global Burden of Diseasestudy found that five small changes to diet can lead to a longer life. Eating more beans, whole grains and nuts, and consuming less meat and soda can have a big impact on your lifespan, he said.
Focus on making healthy substitutions, such as drinking nonfat milk instead of whole milk or swapping your usual afternoon snack for nuts or fruit, recommends Dr. Wynnelena Canio, a geriatrician with Kaiser Permanente.
Greger emphasized that it's fine to eat whatever you like on your birthday or special occasions, 'but on a day-to-day basis, we really should try to center our diet around natural foods from fields, not factories,' he said.
One of the best ways to add more years to your life is by improving your sleep, said Dr. Florence Comite, an endocrinologist and founder and CEO of Comite Center for Precision Medicine and Healthy Longevity.
According to the Mayo Clinic, men who get enough sleep live five years longer than those who don't. 'Get six to eight hours of quality sleep every night to ensure you get enough deep sleep to rejuvenate your immune system and feel rested,' Comite said.
If you want to live longer, roll out of bed and get outside right after waking up instead of sitting in bed doomscrolling. Starting your day with a few moments of natural light can help you live longer.
'Step outside within the first hour of waking to get natural sunlight,' Marquez said. Just 5 to 10 minutes of sunlight shortly after waking up 'helps reset your body's internal clock, which regulates sleep, hormone balance, metabolism and immune function,' she explained.
If you want to live longer, there's no need to give up alcohol entirely. However, Dr. Naushira Pandya, professor and chair of the geriatrics department at Nova Southeastern University, said drinking responsibly can help.
'Excessive use of alcohol, more than one daily drink for women and two daily drinks for men, is detrimental and can lead to chronic liver disease, heart failure, falls or accidents, which may be fatal,' she said.
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