Fun fact: We humans are living longer than ever before! In the last century (20th century in case you’re curious) our average life expectancy jumped to 30 years longer. That’s unprecedented considering in the 5,000 year history of humanity we were only living, on average, for 18-25 years (50 if you were lucky). People are now living well into the 100s range and it has been speculated that it’s the way we live our lives which has contributed to this leap in life expectancy. According to a slide-show article on MSN Health & Fitness titled, Surprising Signs You’ll Live Longer Than You Think, there are 13 reasons why (besides the usually reasons – advances in health, education, and disease prevention/treatments) this is occurring and the article offers ways to stay happy, healthy, and wise. I figured I’d pick a few listed to talk about in my blog today. 13 slides is a bunch of information I’d have to talk about, but my hope is that this little blog peeks your interest and you check out the slide-show yourself. Why? Because it’s fascinating to think about how we’ve come so far as a species and that our life choices are the determining factor in how long we will live. No longer do the elements, a predator, or a rapidly spreading disease (i.e. the plague, polio, small pox) affect our length of life, but actually how we live life…that’s HUGE considering we’re all about free-will and choice these days. Okay, on to the reasons…
1) Tea Time Anyone? A study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women, who drank five or more cups of green tea each day, had a lower risk of experiencing heart disease or a stroke. The same results were found with black tea. Why you may wonder? Apparently fresh brewed tea such as green or black tea, contain something called catechins which helps your blood vessels relax and protects your heart. The best part? If you’re not a big green/black tea drinker, you only need about two cups of these types of tea to do your heart some good. However, remember that it needs to be freshly brewed tea. The prepackaged kind (though better for you than coffee or a soda) has lost some of its rejuvenating powers during the manufacturing process and doesn’t work as efficiently as the freshly brewed kind. Also, avoid milk for your tea…it tends to eliminate the tea’s protective cardiovascular powers and it’s recommend that you just stick to honey or lemon if flavor is needed.
2) Soda (Yes, even diet) is a Major No-No: So we all know our dentist griped at us if we drank soda regularly. “It destroys the enamel on your teeth little Susie, so stay away from pop!” he would say and when he was out of sight we’d promptly rolled our eyes and carry on with our soda popping ways. But, I’m afraid your dentist has a point in warning you against soda. It does much more than just destroy your pearly whites, it also doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome – a nasty cluster of problems including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat about your waist which increases your chances of becoming diabetic or heart disease. Thanks to the artificial flavors and caramel coloring in soda our taste buds tend to become addicted to the taste of ‘sweet’ things therefore we seek out the less than healthy snacks. So basically, lay off the one or more regular/diet sodas you have daily, and start drinking some of that tea I mentioned above for your caffeine jolt or if you just love the bubbles, try some sparkling water with a splash of lemon or lime juice (it’s good! I should know, I love drinking that stuff!)
3) Walk this Way! Woohoo, I knew walking would someday be recognized as worthy exercise! It’s an excellent way to stay fit and it doesn’t put too much wear and tear on your body. The term “Fit People” is defined as those of you who walk at least 30 minutes a day and you’re more likely to live longer than those who walk less. The beauty of this? It’s regardless of how much body fat you have, according to a study done on 2,603 men and women. All you have to do is walk for a half hour each day and you’ll be well on your way to A) losing weight and B) living longer. Basically, just move more each day and you’ll improve the longevity of your life by ten.
4) Don’t Flounder, Flourish – Who knew the positive person on the train this morning is healthier than their scowling seat-mate? But apparently, they are. About 17% of Americans are ‘Flourishers’ – people who have a positive outlook on their lives and live with a sense of community and purpose, 10% are ‘Languishers’ – people who don’t feel good about themselves or their lives, and the rest of us? Well, we’re somewhere in the middle. Basically, if you are a generally happy person who has a bad day every now and then, you’ll live longer than the person who constantly complains about themselves or their lives. Scoreboard says: Positive outlook 1, Negative outlook 0…I say, reevaluate and choose to be a little more positive about yourself and the life you lead.
5) Housework…It’s good for the body? Okay, so yeah…housework is actually good for you? Apparently so. People who do not have a maid but scrub, mop, sweep, and sweat bullets cleaning the caked on grease from the stove for a little more than an hour can burn, on average, 285 calories and lowers their risk of death by 30%. Whoa now, you mean, I can live longer AND lose weight if I just clean my apartment?! *starts to scrub floor*
Personally, I just think number five is funny and had to include it…but in all honesty, really think about what the slide-show is presenting. We, as humans, generally love living in this world and the longer we can live in it, the longer we can make our mark. So stay healthy, laugh as much as possible, and just enjoy every minute you spend on this earth. It’s bound to produce some rather interesting stories.
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