5 Most Important Ways to Lengthen Your Life
There are many ways to make yourself healthier, maybe hundreds. These are relatively easy and there are only five. You can do this. It will lengthen your life under normal circumstances. Of course when it comes to life, there are no guarantees. There’s only one who knows for sure how many days each one of us has!
#1 Don’t smoke
This one is not negotiable. No smoking of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or marijuana or anything else you can think of. None, nada.
#2 Eat fruits and vegetables
Find ways to pack them into your diet. Sneak them into dishes as ingredients whenever you can. If you don’t add butter, sugar, or oil, the calories are negligible and you can eat all you want for the most part. Even with a little butter or sugar, they are still good for you. There are very few that will actually add on a lot of weight if you eat too much. If you do this well, it will help you maintain a healthy weight (important for long life). Think about what you eat before every meal and load up your menu with fruits and vegetables. Mix up the variety that you eat. Go to the grocery store and try a new fruit or vegetable every week. When you run out, try another store. You would be amazed how many you haven’t tried. Each one has different medicinal properties, which do different things to your body and for your health. In time, you will learn to love them and appreciate their taste without a lot of additions. If you think they are too expensive, compare the cost to processed foods out of a box and they are much cheaper than doctor bills!
#3 Get plenty of sleep every night
Don’t just get by, get enough. Get enough to wake up refreshed. Enough to wake up on your own without an alarm clock! Has that ever happened?! If you have problems getting to sleep or staying asleep, experiment with natural sleep solutions. There are lots and lots of tips that might help you. Try some herbal sleep aids. Try them one at a time to see which ones work for you. Discuss it with a doctor, if need be, but this is important. Your body heals while you sleep. Adjust your schedule and adjust your life style to make sleep a priority. It will show in your health!
#4 Walk 30 minutes every day
If you don’t have a regular exercise, such as playing tennis or racquetball 3 or 4 days a week, walking is something almost everyone can do. I don’t mean walking 30 minutes during your regular routine, but adding 30 minutes of brisk walking outside or on a treadmill every day. If you can’t do “brisk”, start out with a slow walk and build up. In a few months you will notice a definite difference in your clothes! It will keep your body tuned, strong and regular and much, much healthier.
#5 Maintain a close friendship
Usually this is your spouse. If there is no spouse, or that’s not possible, then develop a close friendship with someone who will ask about your health and check up on you regularly. Social relationships extend your life and add quality to it also. So, if you don’t have a friend, find someone and work on developing a close friendship. It helps if you have a hobby or other passion in common. A friend from your past often works well as you have a long history together. If you are single, consider getting married! It’s a well-known fact that married people live longer. If you have difficulty making friends, do some volunteer work and help someone out. In time you will have plenty of friends.
Here are a few more suggestions that didn’t make the top five, but are worth mentioning:
Get a yearly checkup from your doctor
If you are over 50, get a colonoscopy
If you are female, get a mammogram (also do a self check of your breasts each month)
Avoid unhealthy fats in your diet
Take 
Maintain a healthy weight
Go to church
Laugh
Pray!
