It seems as though there are 3 types of people in the world. The first is the kind of person who actively strives to live the longest life they possibly can. The second is someone who proudly proclaims being here for a ‘fun time, not a long time. The third is somewhere between, although few people are between the two extremes. Wherever you stand on this spectrum, there is some reason why you clicked on this article in the first place.
In this blog, I will be sharing super simple ways to increase longevity that anyone can follow, whether you are the first, second or third type of person. Personally, I am all for living a long and happy life, however, my life can get pretty hectic! That being said, I have had a lot more success following simple protocols. Additionally, you will earn greater results through one key aspect: consistency! Since staying consistent is crucial, simple steps are best as they are more realistic when practiced with consistency.
We’ll be going over 5 easy ways that can help you a lot in the long run. But first, as always, we will begin with the basics.
What is longevity?
In some cases, longevity is used as a synonym for ‘‘life expectancy’’ in demography. Longevity can be seen as a term to symbolize a life span, specifically long life spans. Those who strive for longevity strive to extend the natural length of their life.
If you are an active and somewhat healthy individual, then you will most likely have a longer life expectancy than an individual who is very unhealthy and regularly inactive. On the other hand, there are methods that an already healthy individual can incorporate into their routine that can put them way ahead in the strive for longevity.
Different cultures have their own approach to longevity. For example, Japanese culture has had longevity as a priority for centuries. They have ancient traditions and systems that allow their people to more easily obtain longevity. In fact, the Japanese are famously known for living long, healthy, and happy lives!
There are a number of factors that go into this goal. Activity, exposure, hormones, diet, hobbies, socializing, and much more. Either way, this article is aimed at someone who is new to the world of longevity. So let’s move on to the simple steps that you can incorporate into your life right away!
5 easy steps in increasing your lifespan
1) Activities
Remaining active is a vital step toward longevity. Here are a few areas in which you can prioritise that will increase longevity.
Fitness – You do not necessarily need to do intensive workouts for hours each day in order to increase your lifespan. Although going to the gym every day is amazing if you can manage that, it isn’t required. However, a study displayed that those who exercised for around 3 hours a week had DNA and cells that were 9 years younger than individuals who did not exercise at all. To put it into perspective, 3 hours a week is roughly 30 minutes a day. Whether you are doing vigorous workouts or you simply ensure you are getting a sweat on for 30 minutes a day, you are winning!
Sex – Have more sex! Period. Do you really need an explanation? Having more sex increases your lifespan. While there are a lot of studies backing this fact, we are still unsure of exactly what it is about sex that promotes longevity. It is likely a mixture of things that have a collective effect on our lifespan.
Hobbies – Maintaining a hobby that you are passionate about will not only bring you joy but will also have a lasting effect on your mental and physical well-being. If your hobby so happens to revolve around physical activity, then you are doubling up on the benefits! There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that a few key factors of having a hobby (passion, purpose, flow state, hormones, brain health/plasticity, etc) improve longevity because it can decrease the chances of some diseases. A lot of causes of disease can be a mixture of both mental and physical attributes.
2) Nature
We come from nature, so it is no surprise that spending time outside encourages longevity. When you spend time outside, you are exposed to sunlight. This triggers cells in your skin to reproduce vitamin D. There are estimates of nearly 50% of adults have low levels of vitamin D simply because they do not spend enough time outside. Not only are sun rays (in moderation) good for the skin, it allows promote a healthy circadian rhythm, which improves sleep, mood and so much more.
If you live near a forest, I highly suggest you spend more time there. Spending time in a green forest is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Walking in forests regularly does so much for the mind and body. It reduces blood pressure, increases energy, strengthens our immune system, boosts our mood and helps us maintain better focus, even outside of a green environment. Not only that but it also allows natural and healthy stimulation to all 5 senses! Allowing the 5 senses to naturally stimulate at the same time can have an amazing overall effect on you as a whole.
Go outside and thank me later!
3) Diet and supplements
You know what they say… You are what you eat! Cliche, yet it rings true. Everything that we consume will either work for us or against us. If you want to live a long life, it begins with what you put on your plate. Unhealthy foods and consumables can decrease your life span by an alarming amount and make the chances of you catching a deadly disease skyrocket! Everyone requires different foods in order to thrive. Just do your best and make sure you are eating lots of vegetables every day!
Aside from whole foods, supplements are a fantastic longevity weapon. Most diets do not provide us with enough nutrients. Whether you are a vegan, a vegetarian or a meat eater, supplements will only increase your longevity. It is important to check in with yourself and see how you feel, then take a look at your diet and see where some adjustments can be made. Optimization is key and never ending when it comes to diet.
While dietary supplements are a super easy step toward longevity, you may want to consider brain supplements (nootropics) as well. There are a number of supplements that increase brain health, which ultimately will lead to a longer life. Here are a few longevity nootropics I can suggest:
- Ashwagandha (Naturally occurring adaptogen)
- DHM (Dihydromyricetin)
- Ginkgo Biloba (Naturally occurring supplement)
- L-Theanine (Naturally occurring supplement)
- Lions Mane Mushroom (Naturally occurring adaptogen)
- CBD (Cannabidiol – naturally occurring)
Happy brain = happy life!
4) Stress
Stress ages you… This is a fact! They say that smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and stress age you at the most rapid rate. Essentially, there are two major ways that stress can decrease life expectancy.
The first way that it can affect you is via the unhealthy effects that stress puts directly onto the body. Stress can have an extremely long-lasting negative effect on the physical body. Even if you can mentally cope with stress, perhaps your body cannot. Stress is a rather physical experience. Extensive stress over a long period of time will result in a decline in health.
The second way that stress may shorten your life is through the negative behaviours that being stressed out can cause. If you cannot manage to mentally cope with the stress you are experiencing, a default mode inside of you will be active, making you look for ways to soothe yourself. This can show up in the form of unhealthy eating habits, over-sleeping and, in some cases, even addiction. This is ultimately where all addiction stems from. When we feel powerless and tell ourselves that we are totally incapable of processing the events in our lives, we desperately reach for things that will soothe us.
The truth is that life is full of unexpected hardships. This is 100% unavoidable. If you can learn to manage symptoms of stress and let it affect you less and less over time then you will expand the span of your life by miles and miles.
5) Screen time
I could go on and on about how doom scrolling on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok is horrible for the brain. Some social media platforms are worse than others, however, it massively depends on how you use these platforms. Since that is a pretty complex thing to get into, we will use watching TV as our example instead.
While there are no actual studies comparing the life expectancy of TV watchers and non-TV watchers, we know that the act of watching TV negatively affects your brain and body. Here are a few ways that watching TV impacts us negatively:
- You are inactive when you watch TV. If you watch TV for extended periods, then your body goes into an inactive state which is detrimental to your health.
- Statistics tell us that those who watch TV tend to eat junk food when they are in front of the screen, rather than something healthy. It could be that watching TV promotes unhealthy eating habits or that those who watch TV have a pre-existing unhealthy relationship with food.
- TV makes you anti-social. You are at home and totally zoned into the screen like a zombie instead of engaging in something more interactive.
- TV causes stress. Many of us watch TV in order to ‘shut off with the motive of decreasing stress. Some studies suggest that when we turn to TV to rid of our stress, our minds are soothed, however, our bodies are not and the physical stress remains without us realizing it.
- TV is distracting and gets in the way of things that you need to do. Screen addiction is a slippery slope and is very hard to get out of considering how normalized the ‘activity’ is.
Turn off your screens more often. Even consciously decreasing your screen time by a few hours a week is a step forward.
Final thoughts
I think the most important thing to remember here above all else, is that in order to extend your life expectancy, you need to learn about habit-building. Analyse your current habits, and see which ones no longer serve you and your path to longevity. This isn’t an overnight process, either. It will probably take a long time to make things come more automatically. Start small and stay consistent. If you struggle for the first while, don’t beat yourself up. If you fall, just get right back onto the horse!
