Tips For Extending Your Health Span
Living a long, happy life was once considered an ideal achievement. The tough lateral years in old age force you to change your opinion. Global research states that people spend an average of 9.6 years in poor health at the end of their lives. So, living a long life is not necessarily a great thing if you are unhealthy for most of it. Here emerges the concept of healthspan, something vastly different from the commonly used term lifespan.
Let’s explore this unique concept of healthspan and how you can effectively extend it.
What Is Healthspan?
As lifespan refers to the length of one's life, the term healthspan describes the duration of one's life lived healthily, i.e., without illness or disability. Thus, living into your 80s or 90s sounds great. However, if it is accompanied by a serious disease, mental decline, or severe mobility issues, it takes the fun out of such longevity. This sparks a significant debate over the healthspan vs. lifespan comparison. Longevity with a short health span is ultimately useless for achieving an excellent quality of life.
6 Tips To Extend Your Healthspan
Adopting practical tips can help promote an anti-aging lifestyle, improving your healthspan. Below are the seven most valuable tips for extending your healthspan.
- Healthy Eating
Adopt a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, healthy protein, and other essential nutrients. Reduce the use of highly processed foods that are high in preservatives and unhealthy fats. It is necessary not to overeat, as it can have a negative impact on your health. You start eating more than your body needs. Over time, this can result in a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.
- Exercising Regularly
Instead of sitting unhealthily for long, you should opt for regular exercise. Spending time without engaging in any healthy physical activity can decrease your quality of life and overall health span. Try to exercise regularly. It can be as simple as a walk or as intense as strength training at the gym. Therefore, exercise for longevity is associated with excellent health.
- Actively Monitor Your Health
Always keep a close eye on your health statistics, including cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. This will help you avoid getting chronic diseases in the long run. Prepare now to stay healthy for tomorrow in the long run. You may use longevity supplements, such as edibles and other multivitamins, to achieve an active improvement in your current and future health.
- Shun Bad habits
Bad habits can reduce your healthspan faster than any other action that causes long-term harm to your body and mind. Don’t smoke or take drugs for fun. Furthermore, avoid alcohol consumption altogether to keep your health intact. If you can’t let go of bad habits instantly, try to ease off slowly initially. With time, you will see the benefits of such a painstaking endeavour in the form of a healthier you.
- Stress Management
Stress is a part of every individual’s life, in some form, whether professional or personal. The key is to find a way to overcome your stress in a meaningful way that improves your life and keeps stressful things far from your mind. This will automatically enhance your healthspan.
- Good Sleeping Routine
The relationship between sleep quality and healthspan is closely intertwined. Getting ample sleep, approximately 7 to 9 hours, is essential for optimal performance and health. A study suggests that a healthy sleep quality reduces the risk of premature ending of the health span. In other words, a great sleeping routine may even extend your healthspan.
Bottom Line
Change is always challenging, even if it leads to better outcomes. You should embrace the concept of an ideal healthspan, rather than focusing solely on your expected lifespan. To achieve this, start turning your life around by adopting healthier habits and actively following the tips mentioned earlier. What are you waiting for? Add more healthy years to your life by steadily increasing your healthspan with each small step in the right direction.
