Ask a centenarian the secret ingredients to a long and healthy life and you aren’t likely to hear “doctors, drugs, and fad diets.” We all know that there’s more to our overall well-being than treating symptoms or the occasional replacement of a part. The good news is that scientists in various fields are discovering ever more ways we can keep ourselves healthy without expensive medication and complicated workout regimens. Here are nine simple, scientifically proven—and sometimes surprising—ways to empower yourself to make the right choices for your body and health.
“Laughter might be one of the only things in life that can be done outside of moderation and still reap the benefits,” muses Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. If you ever LOL you don’t need proof of the healing powers of a good belly laugh. Dr. Miller’s studies show that laughter expands blood vessels, and endorphins released in response to laughter activate the chemical nitric oxide in the inner lining of our blood vessels to promote vascular health. Seriously.|
STUDY: “Inverse association between sense of humor and coronary heart disease”
Digging the old paint brush or the dusty guitar out of the closet is always a good idea. However, for aging baby boomers, getting back into the creative swing of the rockin’ ’60s is a matter of health insurance. Research shows that seniors engaged in activities like singing, creative writing, or painting are healthier and happier than those who aren’t. Whether this boost in the immune system is from a heightened sense of personal growth or from feeling more socially engaged, it’s clear that the body likes it when the imagination roams freely.
STUDY: “The Creativity and Aging Study”
When you’re shopping around for a job with great health benefits, pay attention to the office vibe. Israeli researchers found that people who get along with their co-workers in a friendly and supportive work environment live longer. Note: Similar support from the boss had no effect on mortality, so get acquainted with your peers before accepting the job.
STUDY: “Work-Based Predictors of Mortality”
You can never go wrong with a massage, but research shows significant benefits for overall health. Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute says massage therapy slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure and stress hormones. The decrease in stress hormones increases your body’s natural killer cells, which ward off viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells. “We’re finding biological changes associated with a single massage session,” says Mark Rapaport, Chief of Psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine. Added bonus for massages from loved ones: good for body, mind, relationship, and wallet.
STUDY: “A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Single Session of Swedish Massage…”
It’s no secret that people feel good when they look good. New evidence suggests that fruits and vegetables, in addition to their many other benefits, give our skin a healthful glow. Scottish researchers found that eating lots of carotenoid-rich fruits and veggies like kale, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, or peaches gives our skin a slightly yellower tone, making us look—and feel—healthier and more attractive. If it works for pallid Scots, you know it’ll work for the rest of us.
People are healthier when they have a strong, localized community. A 50-year study centered around Roseto, Penn., a close-knit community of Italian-Americans, showed the lowest rates of heart disease in the nation—until the town became more “suburbanized” in the 1960s. Many people living in housing cooperatives report improved emotional and physical health. As social animals, having playmates is part of our survival strategy.
6 Ways Communities Put Health First
From play space for kids to AIDS activism: the fight against disease goes grassroots.
Become a dream catcher and stop being a weight watcher. According to researcher William Killgore, when people get less sleep they tend to feel more hungry and to crave carbohydrates, particularly sweets. “If a person feels excessively sleepy,” says Killgore, “it’s likely that they haven’t been getting adequate sleep and may be prone toward eating more than they want to.” If you’re plagued by frequent snack attacks, cure them with a good night’s sleep.
STUDY: Preliminary findings, Killgore, et al., Harvard Medical School
There are alternatives to toxic household products like bleach. A University of Florida study found that a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda significantly reduces bacteria. Good Housekeeping microbiologist Gina Marino put it to the test and was impressed with how well vinegar worked in fighting germs and mold. Adding a little elbow grease on the tough spots helps keep your gym dues low.
STUDY: “Bacterial Reduction Test on Food Surfaces”
We know enough about anxiety and depression to drag us down for several lifetimes, but a truly uplifting new study by Harvard’s School of Public Health gives reasons to rejoice. “Happy and optimistic people with a purpose in life tend to have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease,” says researcher Julia K. Boehm. So keep hope alive, but remember that in the words of the late, great Vaclav Havel, “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.”
YES! Magazine is a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. This article is shared here with permission.
These are excellent and simple tips, yet most people overlooked it. You should have included a daily short meditation. I do this once in the morning right after waking up and one in the evening prior to go sleep. In reality, these will not only help maintain good health but prevent early aging as well. Happy and healthy people tend to look younger even in their older days.
Excellent suggestions. Each item has significance in its own right, but together they make a much happier, optimistic, healthier, and more sociable person.
In the world of Gym-o-holics (Guess I tapped a new word), this is a amazing article..
I always wondered there should be more to out health than just working out on the weights.
Thank You for a simple and senseible article.
Excellent advice on health! You´re absolutely right especially with the sleeping part. Not only lack of sleep make us feel hungry but we´re also not that productive as if we would spent 7-8 hours in bed. For me it´s absolutely essential to get a good sleep to achieve my daily goals.
Doesn't Plato have it reversed when he says the part cannot be well unless the whole is?
When every part is healthy, then the whole is....not the reverse. If one part is sick, then one is not whole. Just what was Plato referring to??
excellent advice, especially #1 and #9. Laughter and JOY go a long way to improving health! thank you for sharing! And HUGS help too. Releasing brain chemicals that bring us JOY. So go out there and HUG someone and enjoy 5 minutes of a lil JOY: http://talentsearch.ted.com...
On Mar 31, 2015 Pam Driscoll wrote:
I'd add movement and being in nature to the list: dancing, biking, walking, hiking, swimming, and taking time to be in nature; listening to the natural world always makes me feel more relaxed and peaceful and exercise helps me sleep better, too.
Post Your Reply