4 TIPS TO LIVE TO BE A HUNDRED

‘Long life is something some people are blessed with. But these people also do a few things differently to those who don’t live as long. Today we try and unlock four of those habits that we can all implement in our lives.’
We all want to live long lives. Generally speaking, with a few exceptions, the longer our life, the better it is, we think. Surprisingly enough, it doesn’t take much in our daily lives to put simple strategies into place so that we stand the best chance of keeping old age at bay. Of course, one cannot help genetic diseases and diseases caused by infection that is out of our control, but we can keep circulatory diseases at bay by choosing a healthy lifestyle.
Here are four things that we can all do starting today.
1. Eat fresh. Eat right.
People in general overestimate the amount of food they need. Much of our physiological hunger responses have evolved for times of scarcity, so we’re biologically wired to eat as much as we can. Evolution wants us to stuff ourselves every time we eat. But now that we’re fortunate enough to pace ourselves and have three regular meals every day, we need to eat the right amount of food, and also the right kinds of food. That means less fat and sugar, more protein and fibre. Also, the fresher the food that you eat, the better it is.
2. Exercise.
This doesn’t have to be sweating out in the gym. Nor do you need to build and maintain a six-pack (though it would be nice). All you need is to make a habit out of exercise, and give 30-40 minutes of your daily time to moderate exercise. In today’s world, there are so many options to choose from: you could jog, do pilates or yoga, go swimming, or head for the gym. Anything that gets your heart pumping is excellent.
3. Manage your time well.
Have you noticed how everyone these days are on the run, and how they seem always busy? The reason for that is not because we’re doing more, but because we’re not managing our time well. Learn to prioritise tasks correctly and to appreciate that you only have 16 waking hours in a day. Sixteen hours for work, family, eating, exercise, friends and some solitude. Use colour coded pens for each of those categories and plan ahead. You will find that you’re a lot less stressed that way.
4. Make and keep friends.
No man is an island. Study after study has shown that companionship and social bonding elevates our sense of well-being like nothing else. If you don’t have friends, there is nothing you can replace that hole with – at least not until caring robots become ubiquitous. So make time for your friends, cherish their friendship, and have some good times with them. Don’t look at ‘hanging out’ as a waste of time. Recreating and relaxation is as important as being productive at all times.