How to live to be one hundred years old?

Longevity in a sober mind and a good memory is real. It is not achieved with the help of any restrictions. The road to the centenary is full of pleasures and joys of life. We, together with medical brand names, have studied the lifestyles of famous long-livers and compiled a list of habits that prolong our stay on this beautiful earth.

The first rule – do not overeat

Everyone knows about good nutrition and that there are useful products that saturate the body and harmful products that destroy it and contribute to the development of serious diseases. In addition to a healthy diet, it is important not to overeat. That is, you need to consume the number of calories that your body needs. Such a bad habit as overeating leads to many serious problems. First of all, it is one of the key factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, it is a proven factor in malignant diseases.

The second rule is to be physically active.

The next most important principle of a healthy lifestyle and overall health and longevity is regular physical activity. There is a gold standard, according to which it is necessary to perform at least 150 minutes of non-intensive physical activity or 75 minutes of intensive physical activity. Let’s look at examples and see what this means.

Intensive exercise can include a walk in the park. However, walking should not be slow, but fast. In this way, we can maintain our pulse rate at least 150 beats per minute. There should be at least three such walks a week.  

Intense exercise, such as going to the gym, running, swimming, cycling. In other words, those situations when your pulse rate rises above 120 beats per minute.

The third rule is proper sleep

It has been proven that an adult needs at least seven hours of sleep, but no more than nine. Sleeping too much is just as bad as not getting enough sleep. Poor sleep leads to a huge number of problems, including decreased cognitive function, problems with remembering information, decreased immunity, and increased levels of stress hormones.

Rule number four – don’t be nervous

Of course, everyone’s life situations are different. Sometimes it’s simply impossible not to be stressed. In that case, you just need to know how to adapt to the situation: do not worry, do not get worked up, minimize the impact of stress, stay away from toxic people, look at things easier.

If we consider the characters of people who are long-lived, we can come to the conclusion that these are people who are always optimistic and do not worry about nothing. That is, they will never wind themselves up and experience unnecessary stress. They accept life’s circumstances as they are and enjoy the moment.

When we are stressed, hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) are released into the bloodstream, negatively affecting our health. As a result, this condition leads to high blood pressure, which in turn leads to increased blood clots and causes heart attacks and strokes.

Rule Five – Monitor Your Cardiovascular Health

Heart and vascular disease is one of the most common causes of death. It is important to watch your diet, not to overeat, to be physically active, and to monitor your blood pressure. In 90% of cases, cardiovascular disease is correctable and treatable. That is, if we have any problems with our heart, we can change it if we want to.  

Rule Six – We Are What We Eat

We’ve already talked about not consuming more calories than we should. Now it’s time to talk about the quality of your diet. First of all, eliminate sugar, salt and flour from your diet. However, it is probably impossible to do this in practice. But at least everyone can minimize the consumption of these products. Remember that the intake of salt should be no more than 5 grams per day, sugar – up to 30 grams. Avoid trans fats. It is found in those products that have gone through a whole process before reaching our shelves. These include sausages, frankfurters, cakes, pastries, etc. Trans fats, especially when mixed with sugar, are a direct pathway to the grave.

Rule Seven – Quality of Life

Of course, we don’t just want to live long, but also to be happy and satisfied with it. It is extremely important to be fulfilled in all areas: to do only what we like, to live with the person we love, to be satisfied financially, etc. If a person gets up every morning in a great mood with a charge of energy, feeling confident and cheerful, he automatically prolongs his life.

Having studied long-livers, we came to the conclusion that they have hobbies. Someone loves traveling, someone embroiders icons, someone dances, etc. In addition, such people maintain warm relationships with friends. It is proved that sociable people are less likely to suffer from senile dementia. All long-livers retain the necessary number of neurons. Accordingly, the more you socialize and make new friends, the more neurons and the lower the chances of neurological problems.

Rule eight – don’t forget about mental exercise

Reading literature with a fascinating plot, learning foreign languages, solving crossword puzzles, playing chess and other intellectual games are all habits of long-livers. When retirement age arrives, their life does not stop there, but on the contrary, they begin to learn something new. Such activities have a positive effect on the condition of the brain, because with their help you can keep your mind sharp for years to come.

Rule nine – drink water and don’t forget about coffee

For your body to work well, it needs hydration. It is useful to replenish fluids not only with water. It is necessary to consume liquid soups, teas and coffee. For example, it is proved that coffee consumption prevents the development of such diseases as diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Rule Ten – Treat Your Teeth and Take Care of Your Beautiful Smile

It is not for nothing that doctors recommend women to have their teeth taken care of before conceiving a child. The circulatory system and therefore the condition of the whole body depends on oral hygiene. Therefore, visit the dentist every six months, pay attention to oral hygiene, and do not abuse sweets.