Ways to Live Longer

In Justin Timberlake's 2011 movie, entitled "In Time," the life spans of all people were determined by the government — a world in which people were terminated and not permitted to live beyond 26 years. People went through extreme measures to buy more time, to live longer … theft, murder, whatever it took.

Outside the fantasies of Hollywood, however, our choices for living longer don't require such extremes. A good diet, proper sleep and exercise — yes, exercise — can positively impact not only the quality of your life, but also how long you live.

Numerous studies, including those completed at the University Medical Center in Rotterdam, have proven that people who exercise regularly really do live longer. Researcher Oscar Franco was quoted in The Washington Post explaining, "Being more physically active can give you more time.
It reduces the risk of being overweight and of developing many illnesses, improves overall quality of life, and lowers the mortality rate."

Franco's study — the first to actually quantify the impact of physical activity — went a bit beyond the routine assertions that if you exercise you live longer by actually quantifying physical activity's impact on life spans.

The study showed that you can add nearly four years to their life spans with moderate to high levels of activity; living 1.3 to 3.7 years longer than those who got little exercise; largely because they put off developing heart disease — the nation's leading killer.

You can start experiencing these benefits, too, by first simply increasing your physical activity every day. Next, begin to add in 30-minute daily periods that you commit to exercise. Do some strength, balance and stretching work such as:

Cardiovascular work … by walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or any continuous movement activity that uses your large muscles for a sustained period of time. You'll burn fat, control weight gain, keep your cardiovascular system in shape, lower your blood pressure, and bad cholesterol levels, eliminate emotional blues, lift your spirits and elevate your self-esteem.

Resistance work ... 8-12 exercises that hit your major muscle groups will do the trick as well as reshape your body, make you stronger, protect against muscle tissue loss, increase your metabolism, protect bone density, and enhance your cardiovascular workout ability.

Flexibility work ... stretch your muscles, 20 seconds or more of static lengthening will improve your ability to move freely through a complete range of motion and protect you from the muscular pulls and strains associated with tight, restrictive muscles.

Find a time every day and commit to consistency. No murder or theft required, but the gains of an improved quality of life and an extended life span, definitely make it worth the effort.
Now go be great!