The Secret to Living Longer & Better
Eat Less
Leanne Redman, associate professor of clinical sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research in Baton Rouge, La., said, “People who reduced their caloric intake by just 15 percent over two years experienced a significant decrease in their metabolism, according to a small clinical trial.”
Studies in animals, where food intake was restricted, have shown that improvement in metabolism and in biomarkers results in aging slower and living longer, up to 40% longer in some animals. Humans who share these characteristics with animals, lower metabolism and better biomarkers, whether they have a reduced diet or not, live longer.
According to researchers, “People who live longer lives generally have lower core body temperature, lower blood sugar and insulin levels, and significant drops in hormones that moderate metabolism.” These are things which are normally found in animal research where calories are restricted.
Eating less is not starving yourself. It is refraining from overeating, eating far more than your body needs. Overeating in America has become common place. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 66 percent of American adults are overweight or obese. Obesity is when you have too much body fat. Seventy million Americans are in this condition. It is caused by consistently eating more calories than your body needs, which is turned into fat and stored in the body.
You don’t necessarily have to count calories; you can eat less by cutting out eating between meals and having bedtime snacks. Also, eat less by refraining yourself to eating just one plate and avoiding refills. Reducing the amounts of deserts and sweets and foods that are high in calories can greatly reduce calorie intake. Doing all the above may be too much at one time, but doing it one step at a time over an extended period of time might be easier.
It really is a matter of forming better eating habits. Expect it to take three weeks on the average to form new habits. We know that weight control is in the interest of better health. According to scientific research on rodents and animals, eating less means longer life. New research on humans has also indicated that eating less could extend life. More research is needed before we can know for sure how much eating less can add to the life span.
Eat Better
Eating better does not mean living a miserable life, starving yourself and always being hungry. It means finding the foods you like that have fewer calories, are healthy, and higher in food value. You can decide if the effort is worth it:
• Living a longer lifespan
• Having a smaller waistline
• Living a happier, healthier life
What is a good definition of healthy food? Foods that supply the bodies’ daily need of vitamins and minerals, which supply adequate energy to make it through the day without being hungry and miserable. Dieticians and health care professionals usually have the same list of healthy foods:
• Protein like beans and meat
• Fresh vegetables and fruits
• Healthy carbohydrates including rice and quinoa
• Healthy fats like olive oil and tree nuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans
• Some dairy and cheese
The problem we encounter most often is that it is more convenient and cheaper to live on fast food. Eating better does not entirely rule out all fast food; it means striving to include more nutritious food into our diet like more fruits and vegetables. Another problem is we often eat far more than we need. Therefore, eating less is also eating better.
Live Better
I’ve included more in this section than all the above because living a better lifestyle is extremely important and in fact includes all the above. Living a better lifestyle is something to be greatly desired, but many fail to make it come true, mainly because it requires change. Think about it, bringing about change only requires one day at a time. Focus on what you can change today; yesterday is behind you, and tomorrow may never come.
If you don’t like the life you are now living, why not change it? Changing your life for the better is a positive step in the right direction. The following 50 suggestions are just a few changes to consider in order to get started:
1. Get your life right with God. This is the first step to a brand new you and the purpose that makes life worth living. CLICK HERE to learn how to get started.
2. Eliminate bad habits: smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, drugs etc. This one thing can add years to your life, improve your health and save you a lot of money.
3. Create some good habits: eating better, exercise etc. It takes about three weeks to form new habits, but it is worth the effort.
4. Build self- discipline. Self-discipline is the highway to the person you would like to become.
5. Be more sociable; make new friends. Relationships are one of the most important things in life.
6. If your present job is a drag, get a new Job. Look for a new job before you quit your old one.
7. Start a new, healthy diet. There are plenty of websites dedicated to helping you find the healthy diet best for you.
8. Learn to Take intelligent risks. One of the greatest regrets of people at the end of life is they wished they had been willing to take the risks to do what they wanted to do.
9. Start your own business. If being your own boss is something that appeals to you, you can make it happen.
10. Learn to better manage your money. It is not how much money you make that determines a better life style, it is how you manage the money you make.
11. Pay God first and yourself second. Give 10% of your income back to God who blesses our giving to His kingdom work far above what we give to Him. Also, by saving at least 10% of your income and investing it wisely, you will secure a good retirement.
12. Become a better person through personal development. This website includes many articles to help you grow through personal development.
13. Learn how to be thankful for what you have. Discontentment will lead you into a miserable existence.
14. Learn to show gratitude. One of the rarest qualities among humans is showing gratitude. Do that one thing and be miles ahead of most.
15. Set some goals and decide how to work toward them. Someone said if you don’t aim at the target you will likely shoot in the mud. Having no goals is like being lost and not knowing where you are going.
16. Quit putting yourself and others down. You are God’s creation and that is no small thing. Putting others down is a big waste of your time and reflects poorly on you.
17. Learn new skills. You have more potential skills than you can imagine, but they are useless until developed.
18. Start an exercise routine and stick with it. About 60% of those joining a gym eventually drop out or do not go. Actually, you don’t have to join a gym to have an effective exercise routine. Walking is one of the best kind of exercises. Also, there are plenty of exercises you can do at home even without equipment.
19. If you have a family, determine to be a better parent. One of the greatest responsibilities in life is being a good parent. Planning more time with your family is a wise first step. Plan at least one meal together per day.
20. Get rid of the clutter in your life. Take a tour through your home and see all the things you never use that are just cluttering your life and begin to clear them out one at a time.
21. Take up reading beginning with the Bible. The Bible is God’s manual on creating a lifestyle of purpose. Read books to increase your knowledge and enjoyment.
22. Be more forgiving of yourself and others. We all make mistakes or do things we wish we hadn’t, so don’t let it get you down. Also, forgiving others opens the way for God to forgive you.
23. Eximine your priorities. Set your priorities on the most important things in life instead of wasting a lot of time on the trivial.
24. Drop acquaintances who are pulling you down. We become our best 5 friends. Therefore, it is crucial to choose friends who make us better, not worse.
25. Quit holding grudges. Nelson Mandell said, “Holding grudges is like drinking poison hoping it will kill someone else.”
26. Quit being judgmental. “Judge not less you be judged,” says the Bible. Judging others is another big waste of your time.
27. Improve your appearance. The first thing others do to estimate you as a person concerns your appearance. If it is important to you that others think the best of you, improve how you look.
28. Smile more often. It takes less effort to smile than to frown, and it relieves stress and makes you feel better.
29. If you are not content where you live, move. However, keep in mind that your troubles move with you, so don’t expect moving to solve everything.
30. Cut back on the amount TV you are watching. The average American spends 5 hours per day watching TV, 7 hours if over 65, then spends another 32 minutes a day on time-shifted television, an hour using the Internet on a computer, an hour and seven minutes on a smartphone and two hours, 46 minutes listening to the radio. That leaves little time for quality living.
31. Learn the power of complementing others. It is not hard to find plenty of ways to complement others, but sadly, rather than attempting to make others feel good about themselves, we rather empress others by what we do, when in fact, they are seldom impressed.
32. Remove your facades and be your real self. Trying to be something you are not ultimately fails leaving you looking rather ridiculous. You are a unique person so let it shine.
33. Help others when you can. A secret that many have not learned, according to the Bible, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Helping others is giving of your time and sometimes resources to help others in need, which in turn adds value to your life.
34. Create value; a person is paid for the value they contribute. If you create no value, expect no return.
35. Be positive and stop being a complainer. Most people complain but no one enjoys listing to complaints.
36. Learn to say no when appropriate. Saying no is hard to do for most, but it is in your best interest at times.
37. Don’t be afraid to reject what you don’t want. Some often do things they really don’t want to do because it is the popular thing to do or others are doing it.
38. Listen to Your critics but don’t always believe what they say. Criticism is a good way to learn things about yourself you might have overlooked, but it can also lower your self-esteem if you allow it, and also, it may not be true. 39. Find things to Laugh about. Laughing can relieve stress and lift your mood.
40. Live every day like it is your last. Don’t put off happiness and joy. Find it each day for tomorrow is uncertain.
41. Learn how to be a leader. Leaders are often in short supply. Become one and fill an important and needed place in society.
42. Be sure about what you believe. Many have been led into harmful cults and false teachings because they did not take the time to study and learn to discern lies from truth.
43. Determine to be truthful about everything. Telling lies may seem to be in your best interest at times, but in the end being a liar with come back to bit you and bring you harm and disreputation.
44. Stop reacting to everything you hear. Instead of reacting, take the appropriate action.
45. Stop worrying. Worrying about the events of yesterday and being stressed about tomorrow will pull you down. The Bible teaches us, “In nothing be anxious/worried but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be known unto God, and the peace which passeth all understanding shall keep your heart and thoughts in Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:6-7.
46. Find ways to enjoy your life. Life is not just about working; it is about enjoying your life, so look for things you like to do and make time for them. 47. Set down some rules for yourself. For example, one of my rules is to never make a promise unless I know for certain I will be able to fulfill it.
48. Learn the value of relationships. Since relationships are one of the things that adds the most to our lives, shouldn’t we also value them and build them?
49. Determine what is right from what is wrong. Most of the time there is no doubt as to what is right and what is wrong, however, we can fool ourselves into believing a lie.
50. Continue learning. The most important time for learning is after our formal education is completed. Many have failed to take advantage of it.
The above are just a few of the ways you can improve your lifestyle and live better. However, there is only one person who can make it come true and that is you. Tomorrow you will have to decide whether to go about the day in the same old way or begin a journey to a brand new you. It is your choice; what will you do?
Written by Jimmie Burroughs