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REVEALED: 5 Longevity tricks that can boost your lifespan
Recently, scientists have begun to realise that longevity is not merely determined by inherited genes, but also by the sum of one's lifestyle choices and the luck of the draw.
If you want to live a long, healthy life, you will have to adopt healthy habits and lifestyle routines. Don't worry, folks, we're here to help!
Here, we're introducing you to a well-known doctor who is an expert on longevity – Doctor Michael Roizen, author of the Great Age Reboot and founder of the Reboot Your Age program.
Dr Michael Roizen has been in the medical field for over four decades, spending most of his time working with older people and trying to find ways they can feel and be the best they can be as they get older. His idea is to ‘reboot’ ageing and allows people to age in a way that isn’t necessarily negative but rather focuses on maintaining their quality of life for as long as possible.
Below are the five ways he believes you can increase your chances of living a longer life.
1. Change your attitude
Dr Roizen believes that many people fail to realise that their attitude and daily life choices can make a positive impact on their health and longevity.
'The largest error is thinking that your choices do not make a difference, but making healthy choices early and consistently allows you to enjoy good health and a longer life.’
He also added that your mindset can actually alter the genes in your body, stating: 'We know from much data since the Human Genome Project was completed that you control over 80% of whether your genes are on and making proteins, or are off and not making proteins.'
Dr Roizen suggested that to live a long and healthy life, you should be a 'genetic engineer' of your own body. In other words, you should strive to make your body function properly by making good lifestyle choices.
Spending time with the people you love is one of the best things you can do. Image Credit: Shutterstock
2. Only eat food you love and that loves you back
According to Dr Roizen, one of the most important factors in longevity is eating 'good food’, which he defines as food that is not only nutritious but that also ‘loves you back’.
'Food is a relationship like a marriage—you should only eat food that loves you back,' he says. He offers some more examples of great foods for longevity, such as: drinking your coffee black without milk or sugar, brewed through a filter, and eating extra virgin olive oil, avocados, salmon, and blueberries.
You should also eat whole foods rather than processed foods whenever possible. Limiting the amount of sugar and salt in your diet will help you reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
3. Try the fasting-mimicking diet
In recent times, people have become more and more aware of the benefits of intermittent fasting. A fasting-mimicking diet is a modified version of intermittent fasters, who are very strict with their diets.
While a fasting diet can be quite dangerous if not followed correctly, a modified version can be good for your health. But before attempting this method, you need to check with your doctor first.
Dr Michael explains the pros of applying the fasting-mimicking diet: 'You can help regenerate your telomeres (which are DNA structures vital to the cellular ageing process) with the fasting-mimicking diet for five days each month,' he says. 'This requires going on a low-protein, low-simple-carb diet of about 1,000 calories on day one, and 750 calories for the next four days, and then returning to a Mediterranean-style diet on day six.'
4. Train your brain for speed
As people get older, their thinking and reasoning can get slower and less agile, putting them at a higher risk for Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.
‘You want to train your brain for speed. Two studies found that 70- to 75-year-olds who played speed-of-processing games for just 18 hours over 10 years experienced more than a 25 per cent decreased risk of dementia over those 10 years,’ says Roizen.
Another study in the Scientific Reports journal used Cognitive Mobile Games (CMGs) to analyse scores of people ages 60 to 80 years old. Among the participants, those who played the CMGs improved their scores after 100 sessions.
Did you hear that? Candy Crush is good for you!
What’s that? Mobile games can improve our health? Image Credit: Shutterstock
5. Manage stress
Finally, managing your stress levels is crucial. He also notes that finding your purpose and being part of a community are important aspects of longevity. One study from Harvard even found that the happiness from living in a community may be more important to a long life span than your genes.
Managing stress can be done through meditation, moments of prayer, happy hour with friends (only if you drink responsibly), an afternoon nap, or even visiting your neighbours.
While chance always plays a role in life, it’s clear these five tips can help us live happier and longer lives.
Once again, we are not medical professionals (sorry mum and dad - we know we should have studied harder at school) so be sure to discuss any major lifestyle changes with your GP.
What do you think, members? Which is your favourite tip? PS What's your favourite mobile game? Looks like we'll have to download a few... for our health.
