Little Things to Live Longer
Whether it’s adding two servings of juice to your diet or flossing your teeth daily, small things can make a big impact on your health. Here are some easy habits to start today
If there existed an equation for longevity, it might look something like this: daily physical activity + reading the newspaper + laughter = longevity.
Harrison Bloom, M.D., a senior associate at the New York City-based International Longevity Center and an associate clinical professor in the department of geriatrics at Mt. Sinai Medical School, says the best thing any person can do to increase their life span – and quality of life – is to get some sort of physical activity every day.
“There is solid scientific research behind the correlation between physical activity and longevity. Not to mention that it’s good for your muscles, heart and blood pressure.” Bloom stresses that daily physical activity doesn’t mean hitting the treadmill for an hour a day; it’s more about taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking instead of driving those six blocks to your friend’s house and keeping up with your gardening.
And don’t stop at daily physical activity, Bloom says.
Keep Up with Your Interests
While the research on keeping your brain active and challenged has not shown as much of a correlation with longevity as keeping physically active, nothing can be lost by reading the newspaper, doing a crossword puzzle or watching an interesting TV show, Bloom says.
“Overall, it’s just important to keep feeding your curiosity. So take up an instrument, or learn a new a language, no matter what age you are. It will keep you feeling alive.”
Floss, Floss, Floss
In the book, “Real Age” by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Dr. Roizen calculates how old a person really is, not just in years, but by taking into account a person’s lifestyle, eating habits and fitness level. According to Roizen, daily flossing can add 6.3 years to your life.
He writes, “These studies show that the presence of periodontal diseases, diseases most common in people with tooth loss, actually affects longevity. The best of these studies done at Emory University with the Centers for Disease Control, indicated that people with gingivitis and periodontitis have a mortality rate that is 23 percent to 46 percent higher than those who don’t … why? They are linked to increased rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke, as well as to an increase in mortality from other causes, such as infections. ‘
Tickle the Funny Bone
Bloom says more evidence is emerging that laughter is a tonic for everything. Bloom advises people to take life a little less seriously. “You’ll not only live longer, but you’ll have a less anxious life.”
Get Juiced
In a study by Clarissa Gerhäuser, Ph.D., a researcher with the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, tests on lab mice revealed that drinking two glasses of unfiltered apple juice generated a 40-percent reduction in colon cancer – the third leading cause of cancer in males, and the fourth leading cause in females.
Eat in Moderation
While Bloom says that studies done on humans don’t show any significant correlation between diet and longevity, it’s still critical to exercise portion control.
“There is too much emphasis on all of these fads. It’s really all about moderation.” Maintaining your weight, Bloom says, will help you stave off potentially life-threatening conditions and illness such as obesity and adult-onset diabetes. Moderation, which in a super-sized nation is hard to gauge, Bloom pins down as eating enough to maintain a healthy weight for your height and age.
Keep up your Rolodex
“Simply put,” Bloom says, “socializing helps you live longer.”
Have a Glass of Wine
Recent research has shown that moderate amounts of alcohol – one ounce for a women and two for a man – is good for your heart and circulatory system. Bloom cautions, however, that this isn’t license to chug bottles of wine. “An ounce is one shot of hard alcohol, a glass of wine or a beer. Drinking more than that has the opposite effect: it cuts your life span,” he says.
Hannah Seligson is a writer based in New York and the author of “New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches” (Citadel Press, 2007).
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