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By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS
For years, business and motivational gurus have
known that there are basic habits that seem to predict
professional success and excellence. Books like The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by
motivational speaker and business guru Stephen
Covey, which has sold over 15 million copies alone,
shows that people are hungry for the secrets of
success.
We don't yet have the perfect formula for long life,
happiness, and physical health, but a little careful
distillation of the massive amount of research on
health and longevity reveals that cultivating nine basic
habits will significantly increase the odds of your living
long, well, and happily -- in a robust, healthy,
weight-appropriate body.
Eat your vegetables. No kidding --and I'm talking at
least 9 servings a day. Unless you're following the
most stringent first stage of the Atkins Diet, you
should be able to consume 60-120 grams of carbs a
day (depending on your weight and exercise level),
and you'd have to eat a stockyard full of spinach to
get to that amount. Every major study of long-lived,
healthy people shows that they eat a ton of plant
foods. Nothing delivers antioxidants, fiber, flavonoids,
indoles, and the entire pharmacopeia of disease
fighting phytochemicals like stuff that grows in rich soil.
Eat fish and/or take fish oil. The omega-3's found in
cold-water fish like salmon deserve the title of
"wellness molecule of the century." They lower the risk
of heart disease, they lower blood pressure, they
improve mood, and they're good for the brain. And if
you're pregnant, they may make your kid smarter!
Connect. And I'm not talking about the internet. In
virtually every study of people who are healthy and
happy into their 9th and 10th decades, social
connections are one of the "prime movers" in their life.
Whether church, family, volunteer work, or community,
finding something you care about that's bigger than
you, that you can connect with and that involves other
people (or animals) -- will extend your life, increase
your energy, and make you happier -- always.
Get some sun. At least 10-15 minutes three times a
week. Interestingly, a recent study showed that the
four healthiest places on earth where the people were
longest-lived, were in sunny climates.1 Sun improves
your mood and boosts levels of cancer-fighting,
performance-enhancing, bone-strengthening vitamin D
-- a vitamin most people don't get nearly enough of.
Sleep well. If you're low in energy, gaining weight,
grumpy, and looking haggard, guess what? Chances
are you're not sleeping long enough or well enough. By
sleeping "well," I mean uninterrupted sleep, in the dark
-- without the television on, in a relaxing environment.
Nothing nourishes, replenishes, and restarts the
system like 7-9 hours sleep. Hint: start by going to bed
an hour early. And if you've got a computer in the
bedroom, banish it!
Exercise every day. Forget this 20 minutes three
times a week stuff. Long-lived people are doing things
like farm chores at 4:30 in the morning! Our Paleolithic
ancestors traveled an average of 20 miles per day.
Our bodies were designed to move on a regular basis.
New studies show that merely 30 minutes a day of
walking not only reduces the risk of most serious
diseases, but can even grow new brain cells!2
Practice gratitude. By making a list of things you're
grateful for, you focus the brain on positive energy.
Gratitude is incompatible with anger and stress.
Practice using your under-utilized "right brain" and
spread some love. Focusing on what you're grateful
for -- even for five minutes a day -- has the added
benefit of being one of the best stress-reduction
techniques on the planet.
Drink red wine or eat grapes. The resveratrol in dark
grapes is being studied for its effect on extending life,
which it seems to do for almost every species studied.
(So does eating about one third less food, by the
way.) If you've got a problem with alcohol, you can get
resveratrol from grapes, peanuts, or supplements.
(And if you're a woman, and you choose the alcohol
option, make sure you're getting folic acid every day.)
Get the sugar out. The number one enemy of vitality,
health, and longevity is not fat, it's sugar. Sugar's
effect on hormones, mood, immunity, weight, and
possibly even cancer cells is enormous -- and it's all
negative. To the extent that you can remove it from
your diet, you will be adding years to your life and life
to your years.
This list may not be perfect and it may not be
complete, but it's a start. As my dear grandmother
used to say, "Couldn't hurt." Not one of these "habits"
will hurt you, all will benefit you, and some may make
the difference between life and death.
And it's never too late to start cultivating them.
Enjoy the journey!
References
Buettner, D, The Blue Zones, National Geographic Books, 2008; ISBN
1426202741.
http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/11/1166.
[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and
health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master's degree in
psychology and the author of five books including The 150 Healthiest Foods on
Earth. His latest book is The Most Effective Cures on Earth.
For years, business and motivational gurus have
known that there are basic habits that seem to predict
professional success and excellence. Books like The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by
motivational speaker and business guru Stephen
Covey, which has sold over 15 million copies alone,
shows that people are hungry for the secrets of
success.
We don't yet have the perfect formula for long life,
happiness, and physical health, but a little careful
distillation of the massive amount of research on
health and longevity reveals that cultivating nine basic
habits will significantly increase the odds of your living
long, well, and happily -- in a robust, healthy,
weight-appropriate body.
Eat your vegetables. No kidding --and I'm talking at
least 9 servings a day. Unless you're following the
most stringent first stage of the Atkins Diet, you
should be able to consume 60-120 grams of carbs a
day (depending on your weight and exercise level),
and you'd have to eat a stockyard full of spinach to
get to that amount. Every major study of long-lived,
healthy people shows that they eat a ton of plant
foods. Nothing delivers antioxidants, fiber, flavonoids,
indoles, and the entire pharmacopeia of disease
fighting phytochemicals like stuff that grows in rich soil.
Eat fish and/or take fish oil. The omega-3's found in
cold-water fish like salmon deserve the title of
"wellness molecule of the century." They lower the risk
of heart disease, they lower blood pressure, they
improve mood, and they're good for the brain. And if
you're pregnant, they may make your kid smarter!
Connect. And I'm not talking about the internet. In
virtually every study of people who are healthy and
happy into their 9th and 10th decades, social
connections are one of the "prime movers" in their life.
Whether church, family, volunteer work, or community,
finding something you care about that's bigger than
you, that you can connect with and that involves other
people (or animals) -- will extend your life, increase
your energy, and make you happier -- always.
Get some sun. At least 10-15 minutes three times a
week. Interestingly, a recent study showed that the
four healthiest places on earth where the people were
longest-lived, were in sunny climates.1 Sun improves
your mood and boosts levels of cancer-fighting,
performance-enhancing, bone-strengthening vitamin D
-- a vitamin most people don't get nearly enough of.
Sleep well. If you're low in energy, gaining weight,
grumpy, and looking haggard, guess what? Chances
are you're not sleeping long enough or well enough. By
sleeping "well," I mean uninterrupted sleep, in the dark
-- without the television on, in a relaxing environment.
Nothing nourishes, replenishes, and restarts the
system like 7-9 hours sleep. Hint: start by going to bed
an hour early. And if you've got a computer in the
bedroom, banish it!
Exercise every day. Forget this 20 minutes three
times a week stuff. Long-lived people are doing things
like farm chores at 4:30 in the morning! Our Paleolithic
ancestors traveled an average of 20 miles per day.
Our bodies were designed to move on a regular basis.
New studies show that merely 30 minutes a day of
walking not only reduces the risk of most serious
diseases, but can even grow new brain cells!2
Practice gratitude. By making a list of things you're
grateful for, you focus the brain on positive energy.
Gratitude is incompatible with anger and stress.
Practice using your under-utilized "right brain" and
spread some love. Focusing on what you're grateful
for -- even for five minutes a day -- has the added
benefit of being one of the best stress-reduction
techniques on the planet.
Drink red wine or eat grapes. The resveratrol in dark
grapes is being studied for its effect on extending life,
which it seems to do for almost every species studied.
(So does eating about one third less food, by the
way.) If you've got a problem with alcohol, you can get
resveratrol from grapes, peanuts, or supplements.
(And if you're a woman, and you choose the alcohol
option, make sure you're getting folic acid every day.)
Get the sugar out. The number one enemy of vitality,
health, and longevity is not fat, it's sugar. Sugar's
effect on hormones, mood, immunity, weight, and
possibly even cancer cells is enormous -- and it's all
negative. To the extent that you can remove it from
your diet, you will be adding years to your life and life
to your years.
This list may not be perfect and it may not be
complete, but it's a start. As my dear grandmother
used to say, "Couldn't hurt." Not one of these "habits"
will hurt you, all will benefit you, and some may make
the difference between life and death.
And it's never too late to start cultivating them.
Enjoy the journey!
References
Buettner, D, The Blue Zones, National Geographic Books, 2008; ISBN
1426202741.
http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/11/1166.
[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and
health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master's degree in
psychology and the author of five books including The 150 Healthiest Foods on
Earth. His latest book is The Most Effective Cures on Earth.
| The Nine Habits of Highly Healthy People |
