Healthy Habits For Longevity And Mental Health

Written By Sheryl Wright / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Taking care of your body is more than just getting in a workout in the morning or eating a salad over lunch. Good physical health requires us to build smart habits related to our daily nutrition and exercise choices. Additionally, regular mental exercise and a spiritual focus can also extend our lives.

Eat Small and Healthy Meals

The British Medical Journal has published a long-term study that indicates that you can protect your heart by eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Since a standard serving is about the size of a tennis ball, this is actually quite simple if you work at it each day.

For example, you can enjoy

• an apple for part of your breakfast
• grapes for an afternoon snack
• a small salad for lunch
• a salad and a cooked veggie with dinner
• carrots and celery sticks for a morning snack

Such a diet would deliver regular fiber and plenty of roughage to your gut, as well as reducing your exposure to excessively salty snack foods.

Move Your Body Through Space

Instead of worrying about getting to the gym, try to work movement throughout your day. A daily walk, some gardening, a daily swim, and other simple choices can do more for a long life than hitting the weights hard each day.

During your daily movement, do your best to put your brain to use. Many times, getting out and going for a walk can make a troublesome problem easier to manage. As your body gets into the habitual movement of walking, you can more easily engage your creative brain and make connections that you may not have been able to see sitting in a chair.

Stretch Body, Brain, and Spirit

Whether or not you subscribe to a particular religion, spending part of each day in meditation or some form of spiritual focus can do a great deal to soothe your mind, relax your body and protect your heart.

In addition, combining a spiritual practice with a social connection, whether in person or online, can also extend the length and quality of your life. Look for ways to give back and help those who are struggling. Finally, sit down and read something that stimulates your imagination. Readers not only live longer, but they tend to be problem solvers and feel a stronger sense of control over their lives.

Supplement Wisely

Even the healthiest diets can leave you lacking in some vital nutrients. For long life, consider adding NMN supplements to your routine. While nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN, is naturally found in our tissues, increasing your levels of this organic molecule may help you increase your metabolism and your energy levels.

Of course, boosting your metabolism can make it easier to lose weight. If that is a goal as you age, give it time. Rapid weight loss is hard on the heart and gut, and your body will lose the ability to tolerate these jolts as time passes.

Cut Back on Meat

If you are working hard to stay healthy and live to a ripe old age, consider the Blue Zone example. Of the longest-lived people in communities around the world, one of the commonalities is that they eat wonderful food, generally locally grown, and avoid meat.

In the communities that do consume meat, it is either served during a celebratory meal or as a flavorful supplement. There is no meat or protein serving on their plate, and if there is, it is no bigger than a deck of playing cards.

Keep Learning

Like exercise stretches your body, new skills and puzzles will stretch your mind. When possible, try to learn new skills that connect the body to the mind. For example, you can learn to

• paint, quilt, or crochet
• play an instrument
• speak a new language

The act of learning to shape the tongue into a German umlaut is quite subtle, but it is a new experience. Determining where to place your fingers on a flute or piano while you review a piece of sheet music for volume and rhythm actually requires a lot of coordination.

Finally, pay special attention to what you consume. If you notice that your news consumption is determined to frighten you into relying on them for the next round of what to worry about, find a new source. Build problem-solving skills by considering new perspectives.

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Written By:

Sheryl Wright is a freelance writer who specializes in digital marketing, inclusive business, and interior design. If she is not at home reading, she is at a farmers market or climbing in the Rockies. She currently lives in Nashville, TN, with her cat, Saturn.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Photo by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash