9 Healthy Habits

We don't yet have the perfect formula for long life,

happiness and physical health, but a little careful

distillation of the massive amount of research on

health and longevity reveals that cultivating nine

basic habits will significantly increase the odds of

your living long, well and happily, in a robust,

healthy, weight-appropriate body.


1.Eat your vegetables.

No kidding. And I'm talking at least 9 servings a

day.. Unless you're following the most stringent

first stage of the Atkins Diet, you should be able

to consume 60-120 grams of carbs a day

(depending on your weight and exercise level),

and you'd have to eat a stockyard full of spinach

to get to that amount. Every major study of

long-lived, healthy people shows that they eat a

ton of plant foods. Nothing delivers antioxidants,

fiber, flavonoids, indoles, and the entire

pharmacopia of disease fighting phytochemicals

like stuff that grows.

2.Eat fish and/or take fish oil.

The Omega-3's found in cold-water fish like

salmon deserve the title of "wellness molecule

of the century". They lower the risk of heart

disease, they lower blood pressure, they

improve mood and they're good for the brain.

And if you're pregnant, they may make

your kid smarter!

3.Connect.

And I'm not talking about the internet. In virtually

every study of people who are healthy and happy

into their 9th and 10th decade, social connections

are one of the "prime movers" in their life.

Whether church, family, volunteer work or community,

finding something you care about that's bigger than

you that you can connect with and that involves other

people (or animals) will extend your life, increase

your energy, and make you happier. Only always.

4.Get some sun.

At least 10-15 minutes three times a week.

Interestingly, a recent study of four places in

the globe where people lived the longest and

were the healthiest noted that all four places

were in sunny climates. Sun improves your

mood and boosts levels of cancer-fighting,

performance-enhancing, bone-strengthening

vitamin D, a vitamin most people don't get

nearly enough of.

5.Sleep Well.

If you're low in energy, gaining weight, grumpy

and looking haggard, guess what? - chances are

you're not sleeping nearly long enough nor well

enough. By sleeping "well", I mean uninterrupted

sleep, in the dark, without the television on, in a

relaxing environment. Nothing nourishes,

replenishes and restarts the system like 7-9 hours

sleep. Hint: start by going to bed an hour early.

And if you've got a computer in the bedroom,

banish it.

6.Exercise every day.

Forget this 20 minutes three times a week stuff.

Long lived people are doing things like farm

chores at 4:30 in the morning! Our Paleolithic

ancestors traveled an average of 20 miles per day.

Our bodies were designed to move on a regular

basis. New studies show that merely 30 minutes a

day of walking not only reduces the risk of most

serious diseases, but can even grow new brain cells!

7.Practise Gratitude.

By making a list of things you're grateful for, you

focus the brain on positive energy. Gratitude is

incompatable with anger and stress. Practise using

your under-utilized "right brain" and spread some

love. Focusing on what you're grateful for - even for

five minutes a day - has the added benefit of being

one of the best stress -reduction techniques on the

planet.

8. Eat red grapes.

The resveratrol in dark grapes is being studied for

its effect on extending life, which it seems to do for

almost every species studied. (So does eating about

1/3 less food, by the way.) If you've got a problem

with alcohol, you can get resveratrol from grapes,

peanuts or supplements. (And if you're a woman,

and you choose the alcohol option, make sure

you're getting folic acid every day.)

9.Get the sugar out.

The number one enemy of vitality, health and

longevity is not fat, it's sugar. Sugar's effect on

hormones, moods, immunity, weight and possibly

even cancer cells is enormous, and it's all negative.

To the extent that you can remove it from your diet,

you will be adding years to your life and life to your

years.

This list may not be perfect and it may not be

complete, but it's a start. As my dear grandmother

used to say, "Couldn't hurt". Not one of these"habits"

will hurt you, all will benefit you, and some may

make the difference between life and death.

And it's never too late to start cultivating them.

Enjoy the journey!