11 Keys to Good Health and Longevity

For Health and Longevity

Below is a fantastic infographic and article from Dr. Mercola covering 11 keys for great health and longevity. If you want to live a long and healthy life, follow these simple tips!

 

The Secret to Great Health

When it comes to health and longevity, there is no quick fix and no “fountain of youth” that will help you become healthy overnight. Being fit and healthy in order to reach a ripe old age takes effort and attention – this is something that Dr. Mercola repeatedly tell his readers – the key to longevity.

But here’s the good news: there are a few simple lifestyle changes you can make to improve not only the quantity, but also the quality of your years. These keys to good health are pretty basic but can have a profound effect on your overall health once implemented.

A Healthy Diet Is Essential to Longevity

One of the most basic health principles (and, sadly, the one people most often ignore) is eating a diet of whole, nutritious foods rather than unhealthy processed foods. Keep in mind that processed and junk foods are loaded with grains, sugar, and unhealthy calories that increase your insulin levels, which not only accelerates the aging process but also increases your risk of obesity and chronic disease.

Dr. Mercola also highly advise against consuming genetically engineered (GE) foods. Not only are GE foods less nutritious than organically-grown foods but they also pose many health risks. In fact, most processed foods today contain GE ingredients – regardless of the fact that these GE components have NOT undergone long-term safety studies.

For optimal health and longevity, Dr. Mercola recommends a diet that’s focused on whole, unprocessed foods – preferably organic vegetables, grass-fed meats, raw dairy, and nuts – acquired from healthy, sustainable, local sources. He also recommends consuming a good portion of your food raw, as well as adding naturally fermented foods to meals.

By implementing these basic diet changes, you can make a big leap toward longevity and optimal health.

Another Risk Factor of Early Death: Living a Sedentary Lifestyle

Equally important to consuming a healthy diet is being physically active. According to studies, people who are sedentary are found to have a shorter lifespan. In fact, one study shows that reducing the average time you spend sitting down to less than three hours a day may increase your life expectancy by two years and reducing the time you spend watching TV to less than two hours a day could increase it by 1.4 years.

It is understandable how difficult it is to avoid sitting down for prolonged periods, as computer work is very predominant today. We are all guilty of spending a significant portion of our day sitting down. But to make up for it, make sure you get enough exercise daily. It is also important to take frequent breaks every hour to stand up at your desk. We highly recommend Foundation Exercises, developed by chiropractor Dr. Eric Goodman, as well as short-burst high-intensity exercises.

Exercise also has some anti-aging effects, as proven by many studies. One study published in the American Journal of Physiology says that exercise triggers mitochondrial biogenesis, a decline of which is common in aging. This means that exercise can reverse significant age-associated declines in mitochondrial mass and, in effect, stop aging in its tracks.

Basic Guidelines for Optimal Health and Longevity: Try Them Today!

Keep in mind that modifying your diet and exercising are not the only important factors of health and longevity. There are many other things that you need to implement to ensure that you will be optimally healthy.

Dr. Mercola created this infographic, “11 Basic Guidelines for General Health and Longevity,” to summarize all the components that need to be addressed if you want to live a long and healthy life. Here, you learn:

• Timeless tips that will help improve your quality of health
• Healthy anti-aging foods that you can add to your diet
• GE crops found mostly in processed foods that contribute most to disease and early aging
• Why getting enough sun exposure is essential for optimal wellbeing

These guidelines form the basic tenets of optimal health. They are tried and tested foundational strategies that will not change no matter what improvements modern science comes up with.

Follow these tips to significantly decrease your likelihood of disease and premature aging. Use these as the foundation of your overall wellness plan and you will surely succeed in improving your health.