1. Watch What You Eat.

Studies have shown that mice with calorie-restricted diets live much longer than their counterparts who indulge more heartily. Practicing the Japanese habit of stopping eating when you are feeling about 80% full will help you to cut calories and add years onto your life. Eating less genuinely helps you age more slowly- limiting calories has proven to lower the production of T3, a thyroid hormone that makes you age quickly!

This explains why Japanese people live to be some of the oldest in the world!

2. Stay Out of the Sun.

Not only does the cell damage caused by overexposure to UV rays lead to increased signs of aging, it also correlates with increased risk of death. Sun damage often leads to skin cancer, due to the damage caused to your cells.

Avoid going in the sun at peak hours of the day, and wear sunscreen every day- even when you are indoors.

3. Make Meaningful Connections.

Believe it or not, research has proven that having a strong support base can reduce your risk of heart disease and depression. A network of friends and family who care about you fights the physical inflammation caused by loneliness.

In some people, being lonely can be just as dangerous for health as having high cholesterol or smoking!

4. Don’t Overdo the Drinking.

For women, drinking more than one drink per day can have disastrous effects on your weight and health. Similarly, men who have more than two drinks per day often run into health and relationship problems.

Funny enough, rather than stopping entirely, drinking alcohols like wine in quantities below the advised amount can actually serve to increase your longevity. A 2010 study from the “Journal of the American College of Cardiology” found a positive correlation between light drinking and heart benefits.

5. Load up on Fruits and Vegetables.

We already know that meeting our daily requirements of fruits and veggies is good for us, however many of us underestimate their enormous health benefits. The consumption of certain veggies, loaded with fiber and vitamins, can lower your risk of heart disease by 76%, and can even reduce your risk of acquiring certain kinds of cancer.

 Bear in mind that fruits and veggies also keep you looking young by boosting circulation and fighting inflammation.

6. Exercise.

High intensity exercises, when performed a few times per week, can add up to four years to your life. Even just walking briskly for 30 minutes every day can significantly lower your risk of heart problems.

Need we say any more?

7. Do NOT Smoke.

Most doctors agree that this is the number one best thing you can do for your body. Take this statistic for an example: Women who quit smoking by the age of 35 add up to six to eight years onto their lives!

Despite the fact that never having smoked at all is your best bet, quitting at any time can automatically make a difference for your body. Besides the benefits for your lungs and cardiovascular system, quitting smoking often leads to the adoption of healthier habits, which in turn help you to live longer.

By Destiny Kanu