Longevity experts have all kinds of amazing pieces of advice to help us start living longer. These tips might seem small and obvious, but they are very effective and show just how much of a difference even small things can make. Just a few changes to your day-to-day life could add years to your life expectancy if done right.

Expert Tips for Living Longer

Between work, family, and play it is easy to lose sight of the important things. We all want to live as long as we can and have an abundant life, but you must take steps towards securing that for yourself.

1. Prioritize Sleep

Source: Mayo Clinic/YouTube

If you want to be able to start living longer, you need to prioritize your sleep. Ask any longevity expert, and they will tell you to get your rest! Sleep is the backbone of our health, so if it is neglected, our health will be neglected as well.

Make sure to go to bed at a decent time and get up at a decent time. Try to avoid overly stimulating activities before bed, like games, loud music, flashing screens, and electronics.

Make sure that your bedroom stays the place where you sleep. Keep it relaxing, calming, and cool. Create a cozy place where you can quickly drift off to sleep every night.

2. Your Body Needs Movement

In our modern-day way of living, it can be too easy to stop moving and just stay stationary. Many modern jobs don’t require much movement and have us sitting down for long periods. However, it is vitally important to stay active and move often.

This isn’t just going to keep your weight under control, it also helps you to age better and avoids all kinds of health conditions that can come with a sedentary lifestyle.

Try to exercise multiple times a week and get your body moving frequently. Take frequent breaks at work and walk around if you can. Take advantage of any spare moment to take a brisk walk or do a few jumping jacks.

3. Be Proactive with Your Health

It is very common for us to take a reactive stance when it comes to our health. But being proactive is the way to go. 

You want to prevent health problems before they ever occur instead of simply springing to action once it is too late to prevent them.

Proactive steps you can take for better health are to get enough rest, exercise often, eat healthy foods, and make sure you are getting your vitamins and minerals. These are just a few things you can do to have better control over your health.

4. Prioritize Self-Care

Source: 1News/YouTube

Mental health is something that can affect longevity. This is because not taking care of yourself can have very bad side effects. Even our mental state can have a huge impact on our physical health, either giving us a boost or weighing us down.

Make sure to prioritize your self-care and mental health. Make time for yourself and take care of yourself often.

5. Eat Whole Foods

Eating a healthy diet that is dominated by whole foods is an amazing way to help you start living longer.

It has been well documented that those living mainly off of whole foods live longer. This is widely due to the lack of processed foods like salt and sugar in their diet. Try to eat as clean of a diet as you can, prioritizing plant-based whole foods like good grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes.

Limit processed foods to just treats and learn how to cook good and healthy whole foods. They will make you feel better long-term, and you won’t even miss all of the packaged stuff!

6. Focus on Breathing

Source: Every Mind Matters/YouTube

Breathing is a lost art that many of us do not do nearly often enough. Breathing has the power to slow down your heart rate, ground you, and remove stress. It is the best way to practice self-care if you are short on time and high on stress.

Just a few minutes of practicing simple breathing exercises can make a huge difference. This is a great thing to do if you often feel overwhelmed and worried, as these negative emotions can have a serious impact on your health over time.

7. Go Outside Every Day

Nature is an amazing healer and has a special way of grounding us and bringing us back to reality. We don’t get nearly enough of it in our day-to-day life, especially if we live in an apartment or a city.

It is very important for our mental well-being to come into contact with nature. That is why you should try to spend time in nature daily. Go for a walk, take a hike, or go swimming. If these aren’t realistic options for you, try growing some indoor plants.

8. Create Meaningful Connections

It is a well-known fact that having deep and meaningful connections with other humans can help with living longer.

We are social creatures, and we need to spend time together. We were never meant to be secluded and left by ourselves.

It is important to try to make meaningful connections with others. Keep in contact with your family, reach out to your childhood friends, or reach out to neighbors. Any kind of connection counts.

9. Laugh a Lot

Laughter is often as good as a medicine when it comes to living longer. It can instantly elevate your mood, clear your mind, and make you feel lighter.

Laughter has a positive effect on the body and can help you to shed away that coating of fear and anxiety. It will also help you take a deep breath and let go of those overwhelming feelings.

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