10 Things I Do To Help Me Stay Healthy and Live Longer

Although there are no guarantees, of course.

I’ve been interested in staying fit and healthy for as long as I can remember. I don’t get it that so many people don’t seem to care about this. But, if you do care, you may be interested in what I do to help maintain good health, and hopefully live longer too. So, here are my top 10 recommendations for a long and healthy life.

1. I Maintain a Good Level of Physical Activity

I go for a walk most days, usually for at least 20 minutes, and at a fairly brisk pace. I take the stairs rather than using an elevator. And I run sometimes if I feel up to it. But issues with my lower back prevent me from doing this as much as I’d like.

Physical fitness is the number 1 factor associated with reducing all-cause mortality, so don’t neglect this.

2. I Lift Weights Regularly

This is another form of physical activity, of course, but maintaining a good level of muscular strength is also important. You don’t want to become frail in your later years, as this is also associated with a reduced lifespan.

I train four days per week, using an upper/lower body split routine. But there have been times when I’ve only trained three days per week, and that is perfectly fine, too.

But, if you don’t want to go to a gym, that’s OK. You can just do some calisthenics at home, or buy a set of dumbbells to train with. But doing some sort of resistance training is essential.

3. I Eat a Healthy Diet

I’m not perfect in this area, by any means, but I generally eat a good amount of fruit, vegetables, and legumes, and I don’t eat a lot of sugar or saturated fat. I usually eat whole grains, rather than refined, and I rarely eat ultra-processed food. Though, occasionally it’s nice to just get a pizza and not bother with cooking.

Most people eat far too much processed and sugary food, and if you do this, it will have a detrimental effect on your health over time and will shorten your potential lifespan. Stick mostly to natural, whole foods, with the majority of it coming from plant sources. For more information on what constitutes a good, healthy diet, take a look at this article.

4. I Don’t Smoke

I’ve never smoked. I tried it once when I was a kid, and it made me cough so badly that I’ve never wanted to bother with it again. Also, I became convinced from an early age, that it was a bad idea. It’s better if you’ve never smoked, but if you do smoke, quitting at any time will still have a very positive effect on your health and potential lifespan going forward.

5. I Don’t Binge Drink

I drink alcohol occasionally, but not a lot. Having a couple of drinks two or three times per week is not a problem, and may even be slightly beneficial. But, if you regularly have over four drinks per day, it will significantly increase your risk of early death.

6. I Keep My Weight Down

I have let myself get overweight at least a couple of times in my life, but when I came to my senses, I quickly addressed the problem. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of almost every degenerative disease there is. It will reduce your quality of life and can drastically shorten your life expectancy.

So, make sure you only eat enough calories to maintain your ideal weight, and if you do binge out occasionally, make up for it by cutting back a bit for the next few days.

7. I Get 8–9 Hours of Sleep Every Night

I have a problem with fatigue, so I need more sleep than most people. I’m usually in bed by 10.30 p.m., and I get up around 7.30 a.m., most days. I would sleep in longer if I didn’t have things to do in the morning. I also take a nap for about an hour before lunch. Sometimes, however, I need a lot more than an hour.

That’s just me, though, and many people don’t need quite that much sleep. But, it is important to get 7–8 hours of sleep every night to promote good health and reduce your chances of early death. If you think you can “get by” on six hours, you are probably kidding yourself, and you may well be suffering as a result of that.

8. I Practice Time-Restricted Feeding

At one time I practiced 16:8 intermittent fasting, by skipping breakfast and eating only in the afternoons and evenings. But I don’t do that now, as, although this is great for helping to manage your weight, it does not have any additional health benefits beyond that. The reason for this is that skipping breakfast works against your body’s natural circadian rhythms, so it’s not a good way to approach it.

Eating in the morning is important, so what I do now is simply make sure I finish eating and drinking at least three hours before bedtime. And I just delay breakfast for an hour or two after getting up. This gives me an eating window of around 10–11 hours and a fasting window of 13–14 hours.

Most people eat from the moment they get up to just before going to bed, and this is not a good idea, as your digestive system needs time to rest, so that it can repair itself and function properly. Also, if you go to bed with food in your stomach, your sleep will not be as good as it could be. So, reducing your daily eating window is very beneficial to your long-term health, providing you do it in the right way.

9. I Take Measures To Manage Stress

I’m not good at handling stress, I must admit. And often I get stressed when there’s simply no reason for it. Some stress can be a good thing, however, because it helps us to accomplish more. But chronic stress is a killer, and it needs to be reduced, or managed well if that’s not possible.

Calming meditation, listening to music, sitting in the garden, enjoying nature, or spending time with friends and family all help to combat stress. But, I have a deep-breathing technique that helps me to stay calm, as well. It goes like this:

• Make yourself comfortable, either sitting or lying down is fine.
• Close your eyes.
• Inhale deeply, through your nose, filling up your abdomen with air first.
• Pause for 3–4 seconds.
• Exhale, through your mouth, as if you were sighing.
• Pause for a couple of seconds and repeat.

Do this a few times, and you should feel much more relaxed. It’s great for helping you to fall asleep at night, too.

10. I Take a Sauna 3–4 Times per Week

This is something I’ve only recently started doing, but the health benefits of regular sauna bathing are well-documented, and the practice significantly reduces all-cause mortality. So, after my weight-training workouts, I usually sit in the sauna for 15–20 minutes. At my previous gym, I did not have access to a sauna, so I switched to a different gym to allow me to do this — even though it is more expensive.

These, then, are the 10 things I do to help me stay healthy, and hopefully live longer, too. There are no guarantees, though, and none of us can be certain of tomorrow. But, if you follow these practices, you’ll have a much better chance than most of living to a good age, while still enjoying a high quality of life. Thanks for reading.