How to Live Longer and Healthierby jrdiaz
Many people today don’t realize that a long healthy life is chiefly up to them. This is the reason why people don’t care much about the food they eat or the beverage they drink. And they don’t even think about what they should do with their bodies to become healthy and have longevity.
If you are not a health conscious person, the above observations will perhaps prompt you to find ways to prolong your life and take better care of yourself.
On the other hand, if you want to keep in top condition and have been searching for a set of health guides that can be depended on, you will be interested in the following tips on how to live longer and healthier:
1. Have a periodic medical check-up.
This is our first investment in future health. We need to see our doctors, our dentists and our opticians for a thorough and complete medical check-up. If we do this, we can take preventive action at once for any findings on our physical examinations. The old saying says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
But a lot of people are not doing this check-up. Instead, they take self-medication and ignore symptoms. People, especially in the crucial age group from 40 to 50, should not ignore symptoms because it is in this group that today’s killer diseases creep in. We find that if you weather this dangerous decade and continue to take care of yourself, there can be many years of smooth sailing to the 70’s and beyond.
2. Have plenty of fresh air.
In our daily lives, we need plenty of fresh air. We need to breathe clean and fresh air slowly and deeply. Quick shallow breathing results in oxygen starvation which leads to reduced vitality, premature ageing, and poor immune system. Animals which breathe slowly live the longest; the elephant is a good example.
Furthermore, we need to avoid inhaling polluted air because it decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.
If you are a smoker, you have to stop it now because excessive smoking is bad not only to the heart and brain but also to the respiratory system. Stopping smoking is one thing millions of individuals can do to protect their health and prolong their lives. Tobacco is not going to be outlawed. You alone can save yourself from its lethal effects.
3. Drink plenty of water.
The best water to drink is pure filtered water to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. A good rule of thumb is to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day in addition to our food. We can live weeks without food, but only days without water. Without water, we would be poisoned to death by our own waste products.
Actually, water is exactly what the body needs to carry out the chemical reactions for all its life processes. It is the perfect beverage and one of life’s greatest blessings.
Now if you are a drinker, you must avoid excessive intake of alcohol because liquor carries a lot of calories. When the body’s fuel supply exceeds man’s total requirement, fat accumulates in the liver and leads to cirrhosis. Your liver can be damaged over a period of time without causing pain. And you may not realize how quickly alcohol creeps in for the kill.
4. Eat the right foods.
We need to eat natural foods as much as possible because sickness or disease is most often a violation of God’s natural laws and dietary laws. Remember, we are what we eat, digest and absorb. So eat the right foods to live longer and healthier.
A healthy diet is generally rich in fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains and fiber. Raw foods are usually better than cooked foods because plant or food enzymes are essential in proper digestion. Frequent eating of cooked or processed foods can result in enzyme deficiencies because enzymes are destroyed by heat during cooking. Therefore, eat food items as the way they were created. Processed food will not extend your life; food is processed to extend its shelf life.
When we eat the right foods, we can keep our weight fairly normal and therefore, avert the danger of carrying hazardous excess fat.
5. Exercise regularly.
People who are active on the job and those who regularly exercise in off-hours show best results in physical examinations. So if your occupation gives you little chance to move around, you need to cultivate a hobby or pastime that will strengthen your body.
It is said that the younger you are, the more you should indulge in vigorous physical exercise. Your body vitally needs it to stay strong and elastic. So start now to avoid depreciation of your body by having more walks than rides, more strolls than auto tours, and more sports participation than sports watching.
6. Observe rest, relaxation, and sleep.
We need rest and relaxation to refresh ourselves and enjoy what we work for. Aside from relaxing and taking a day off every week, we need seven to eight hours of sleep each night to be fully rested.
We should not neglect these essentials because they are vital for a long life and personal effectiveness. We will be far more productive if we observe these essentials than neglecting and forgetting them. They are the great restorers of our bodies.
7. Enjoy your work.
We may retire from a specific organization or job, but we can never retire from life and work. The minute you quit working, you begin to die, because work is a necessary part of life. Your body might live for a while, but your potential—the real you—would die from lack of use. The joy of life would be gone.
Work is the energy that keeps you alive. It is the stuff that gives life meaning. So let us enjoy our work while we are still living.
In conclusion, we can say that the purpose of a long healthy life is not just to feel good and enjoy life; it is necessary to complete your purpose—your work—before you die.
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