How to Live a Long, Healthy Life

People who live to 95 or older are no more virtuous than the rest of us in terms of their diet, exercise routine or smoking and drinking habits.centenarians may possess additional longevity genes that help to buffer them against the harmful effects of an unhealthy lifestyle.

The lack of any increase in people living past 110 is surprising. Demographers are so used to rising average longevity that they might expect to see more of us pushing the boundaries of extreme old age as well. Instead there is an enormous increase in 100-year-olds and not much change in 110-year-olds.

 The smidgin of good news for the pension industry, therefore, is that it seems that human lifespan comes with some sort of a sell-by date.

But what would that really be like?

Mortals seeking to live beyond a “natural” lifespan usually don’t come out well in myths and stories across cultures and history all projecting the theme that immortality is for the gods, and mortals should remain mortal.

What We Can Do

Aging is inevitable. But when you “get old” can vary dramatically.

 People age at such vastly different rates that by the time they reach 80 or 90, the differences are so marked that birth dates are entirely irrelevant. In fact, there seems to be widespread agreement that after age 35 or 40, the date on your birth certificate is one of the least accurate indications of how old you are. 

Yes: Every day you get older. But the pace at which you grow older varies enormously. We don’t have control over the former. We do have far more control than we think over the latter.

People who look young for their age live longer. Making an effort to look young and act young can help you stay young.

Relationships Are The Most Important Thing

There is a single question that best predicts whether you’ll be alive at age 80:

“Is there someone in your life whom you would feel comfortable phoning at four in the morning to tell your troubles to?”

No desserts. No sweets. No potatoes. No rice. No bread. No pasta.“Instead, eat green vegetables. Eat the fruits that aren’t the sweet fruits, like melon.” Bananas? “Bananas are a little sweet.

you should be a little more concerned about your friends than your body:it’s your relationships that can determine whether or not you succeed.

The groups you associate with often determine the type of person you become. For people who want improved health, association with other healthy people is usually the strongest and most direct path of change.

Be A Good Person

  Participant sincerely felt that he or she had friends and relatives to count on when having a hard time then that person would be healthier. Those who felt very loved and cared for, we predicted, would live the longest. Surprise: our prediction was wrong.

Beyond social network size, the clearest benefit of social relationships came from helping others. Those who helped their friends and neighbors, advising and caring for others, tended to live to old age

In fact, although there are always some exceptions (which are therefore notable), generally speaking, it’s the good ones who can actually help shape their fate; the bad die early, and the good do great.

Get Your Act Together

Conscientiousness, which was the best predictor of longevity when measured in childhood, also turned out to be the best personality predictor of long life when measured in adulthood

Conscientiousness was a better predictor of improvement than the medication itself.

Being conscientious enough— adherent enough— to fully cooperate with treatment, even if with a placebo, emerged as a more important predictor of mortality risk than the medication itself.

Stress Isn’t Always A Bad Thing

There is a terrible misunderstanding about stress. Chronic physiological disturbance is not at all the same thing as hard work, social challenges or demanding careers. People are being given rotten advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying and retire

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 Those who worked the hardest lived the longest. The responsible and successful achievers thrived in every way, especially if they were dedicated to things and people beyond themselves

Want To Live A Long Time? Make Yourself Happy

We associate health with having to do things that make us unhappy: don’t eat that, go jogging, etc.

Many (but not all) of the recommendations for happiness are nearly identical to recommendations for maintaining health.

 Trying to improve their happiness are advised to do the following things:

Watch less TV

• Improve social relations— spend time with friends

• Increase levels of physical activity— go for a long walk

• Help others and express gratitude to those who have helped you

• Take on new challenges to remain fresh and in-the-moment

Laugh a lot, Be happy, Be optimistic, Have lots a good sex, Get enough sleep, Stay out of debt, Forgive.

We may not be able to live forever, but we can live well.