7 Secrets to Living Longer

We all want to bask in the fountain of youth for as long as we can, but both men and women shouldn't resort to anti-aging products as the first line of defense. Life expectancy is a statistical measure of how long a person or organism may live, based on the year of their birth, their current age and other demographic factors including gender. Foods are not just the only option to help you living longer. Here are 7 secrets to living a long and healthy life. 

1. Blueberries: Antioxidants are everything. 

These blue gems are loaded with antioxidants and just one serving delivers more than you get from most other fruits or vegetables. 

2. Two words: Portion control. Portion control is arguably the simplest and easiest habit you could adopt as part of a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight, especially soon after you've lost weight. Here's tips to trick your brain into embracing portion control once and for all. 

3. Tomatoes: Certain red fruits -- including tomatoes -- contain lycopene, an antioxidant compound called carotenoids that helps maintain youthful skin texture.  Studies have shown it protects the skin from sun damage. It also keeps your teeth and gums healthy. Lycopene may reduce the risk of some types of cancer (especially prostate, lung, and stomach cancers) and heart disease. Tomatoes can also protect our bodies from toxins in the air likely from cigarette smoke and air pollution.

4. Don't exercise, just focus on being active as often as you can throughout the week.

5. Focus on good posture: In addition to exercise, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D are essential for good bone health. Calcium can be found in dairy products and dark leafy green vegetables, as well as supplements. Vitamin D aids in calcium absorption and bone health. This vitamin is normally made by the body through sunlight exposure, it can also be found in foods such as egg yolks, liver and fish. In general salmon is known to be a bone health power house. It is rich in vitamin D, calcium, and omega 3 fatty acids which have also been shown to improve bone density.

6. Get a second opinion for any diseases you've been diagnosed with or told you're at risk for. 

7. Get rid of stress: 

A. Get Active

As far as lifestyle remedies, go exercise!  Exercise is the best way to reduce stress and cortisol levels.  This is especially attractive now that summer is upon us and the warm weather beckons us outdoors. Some fresh air, a change of scenery, and physical activity

B. Eat Healthy

Eating a healthy diet, packed with fruits and vegetables, fiber rich foods, and clean proteins can nourish your body and better prepare you to cope with stress and its effects on the body. Foods high in caffeine and sugar only keep you energized for a short period of time and can leave you feeling tired and moody after you crash.

C. Take breaks throughout the day

You can’t always avoid stressors, especially they are part of your daily routine.  But what you can do is make time for breaks in your work or day. Taking breaks, even short ones, can help keep your mind fresh, and de-stress from the work you are facing. Think of these breaks as mini vacations from your daily grind.

D. Take time to breathe

Sometimes, relieving stress is as easy as breathing deeply and trying to slow down you heart rate.  Deep breaths can help calm the nerves and combat the “fight or flight” response happening in your body as you stress. Breathing deeply sends a message to the brain notifying it to chill out, reducing blood pressure, slowing down breathing, and lowering the heart rate.

E. Take a vacation

While eliminating stress completely is probably impossible for most of us, taking a vacation could eliminate stressors for a period of time.  Sometimes a break from what is stressing is out, and use the time to relax and recharge.  With stress, out of sight really can be out of mind!

F. Organize your day

Many people get stressed or overwhelmed by the amount of tasks they need to have completed in a day.  Being able to manage your time efficiently can minimize the effect that this stress has on you. Scheduling your work day, and dedicating specific time to each task can help you get more done throughout the day without feeling as though you wasted too much time on any one thing.