Karen Restivo
In Other Words....
Time and health are precious commodities.
Research suggests learning to prioritize both is essential in maximizing our longevity.
In his article “30-Year Harvard Study Reveals 5 Daily Habits Can Add 12 to 14 Years to Your Life,” Jeff Hagen, contributing editor of INC.com, highlights the research revelations for us.
Hagen says, “You give your all to building your business, and you’re in it for the long haul…that premise should extend to making sure you do things to take care of yourself - physically and mentally – as you’re building your business.
It should be easy due to advances in science, medicine, nutrition and the availability of quality healthcare.
Except, if you live in the U.S., it’s not.”
Studies indicate that the U.S. ranks 43rdout of 195 countries in life expectancy with the average age at 76. Monaco ranks number one, with Japan coming in at number two.)
In our accelerated-paced world, it’s easy to set aside our mental and physical health while chasing career performance goals to the point of striking the match and burning the candle at both ends.
According to Hagen, it’s all the more reason to educate yourself on Harvard University’s 34-year study of over 123,000 people and its findings.
“…Adopting 5 simple habits can dramatically increase your lifespan by as much as an extra 14 years for women and 12 years for men.
“And it gets better: Just released research shows that adopting 4 out of 5 of those habits will also decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 60 percent compared to people who follow none or one.”
Here are the 5 habits for living a longer life:
Don’t smoke. Or vape. Or chew. Or dip.
Drink in moderation. No more than one glass of wine for women, two for men.
Exercise regularly. On average, 30 minutes per day.
Eat healthy. Think “Mediterranean” diet: Plenty of vegetables, poultry and fish for protein, grains and nuts… with a limited amount of red meat and fried food.
Maintain a healthy bodyweight.
Generally speaking, a BMI that falls between 18.5 and 25.
Hagen notes, “Compared to people who don’t meet any of those criteria, (you) do those 5 things - if you’re a woman your life expectancy will increase from 79 to 93.1 years old and if you’re a man, from 75.5 to 87.6.
(The list of 5 for avoiding Alzheimer’s and dementia includes the first four on the longevity list with the 5thon its list as Engage in late-life cognitive activities.)
It’s all well and good to read this information and take it into consideration, but meaningful change occurs when we take action to achieve such a life-giving performance goal.
In other words, our payoff: precious commodities of good health and years added on to our life; and you can take that to the bank.
Karenrestivo57@gmail.com