Long Lived

Most people try hard to live a little longer. They want to extend their life to spend more time with family, friends, and doing the things they love. Staying healthy and active can play a huge role in extending one's life, but so can a few other things. Here's a list of things you can do to add a few years on to your life to help maximize your time and enjoyment.

Building strong social networks has proven to be a great way to extend lives. In fact, some research shows that people with a large group of friends outlive those who don't by a substantial margin! Australian researchers looked at a group of males in their 70s and noticed that the ones with more people in their lives lived longer. So what can you do? Go out and try to meet more people. Introduce yourself to neighbors you've yet to meet, say "hi" to the people you always see at the grocery store or stick around to talk to the people in class after yoga.

It's very clear that what you eat has an important impact on your longevity as well. The healthier you eat, the less likely you are to develop the wide array of diseases that are associated with being overweight or obese. Furthermore, a nutrient dense diet provides your body with the defense mechanisms to protect it from viruses and other infections.

Some studies, shown that eating specific foods in certain forms and quantities can extend life. For example, an Italian study found people who eat one cup of raw vegetables every day can extend their lives by up to two years. Additionally, they learned that eating a two ounce serving of nuts five times per week could greatly reduce the chance of suffering fatal disease.

To get your raw veggies, simply cut up some raw peppers, carrots, or broccoli and put them in a salad or plastic bag for a quick snack at work. It really couldn't be any easier. When you're selecting your nuts, make sure they are raw, unsalted, and not covered in chocolate or any other kind of coating! The more stuff that's added, the less nutritious they are!

These are only a few things that can help you extend your life. Keeping active, healthy, and maintaining a positive attitude are also helpful in living a longer, happier, and more fulfilling life. Ultimately, the key is to find ways to feel good and enjoy yourself. After all, when you're feeling good you have more reason to stick around!

Have a healthy day.