Inspirational Tips For A Longer Life

 

The following tips are reprinted from www.RealAge.com.  It is a website devoted to healthier living.  The RealAge Tip of the Day, a daily health tip, provides Grow Younger™ strategies based on the latest scientific research in nutrition, fitness, medication, supplements, and more! Forest Witch is dedicated to a holistic approach when it comes to those seeking relief, growth, and understanding and so wanted to share these with you.  Taking care of your mind, body, and spirit is essential to realizing your true potential.

Think on These Things

 Developing your spiritual side may help keep you out of the hospital.

In a study of older adults, the study participants who had an interest in cultivating their spiritual lives tended to experience fewer hospitalizations and require less long-term care compared to peers who weren't spiritual. Develop your spirit in the manner that fits your beliefs, be it attending religious services, meditating, or spending quiet time in nature.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.
 
While the exact connection between spirituality and health remains unknown, evidence suggests that participating in certain activities that develop the interior life may lead to better physical and mental health and contribute to longevity. Exercising, resolving psychological issues, and engaging in social activities are other ways to nurture your emotional health and well-being. It may be the stress-reduction benefits of such activities that help preserve your physical health.



 
Religion, spirituality, and acute care hospitalization and long-term care use by older patients. Koenig, H. G., George, L. K., Titus, P., Meador, K. G., Archives of Internal Medicine 2004 Jul 26;164(14):1579-1585.

We've Got Spirit

 If you're feeling spiritual these days, you may start feeling better about your health, too.

Taking time to nurture your spirit may be a path to better health, according to some researchers. An assessment of the health perceptions of older adults revealed that the people who reported being the most spiritual also tended to rate their health more highly compared to people who did not consider themselves to be spiritual.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.


Being spiritual can mean many different things to different people.  People may feel spiritual when they meditate, when they contemplate the meaning of life, when they commune with nature, or when they attend services at their chosen religious institution. Find a pastime, activity, or social or religious group that encourages development of your inner life.

Reference:

Religion, spirituality, and health status in geriatric outpatients. Daaleman, T. P., Perera, S., Studenski, S. A., Annals of Family Medicine 2004;2:49-53

 
A Positive Heart

 Staying positive may help protect your heart from needless aging.

In a study of men, those who had a tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anxiety, pessimism, and hostility, had a higher risk of heart disease compared to their peers who possessed more positive emotional outlooks. Catch yourself when your mood turns dark and try focusing on positive thoughts.

RealAge Benefit: Recovering from emotional trauma can make your RealAge as much as 16 years younger.


Negative people may be able to undo the damage of negative emotions by fostering a more positive frame of mind.  However, more research into this dynamic is needed before such a relationship can be confirmed. The reasons that negative people may have an increased risk of heart disease are unclear. It may be that these emotions affect heart rate variability or promote inflammatory proteins tied to heart disease. Or, people with negative outlooks may be less likely to follow medical advice or stick with treatment regimens.

 
Fun in the Sun

 Getting outside on your lunch hour could help keep winter blues away.

Whether you walk to the store, have lunch on a heated balcony, or simply walk around the outside of your office building a few times, spending your lunchtime outdoors could help boost your mood. Research suggests that blood levels of mood-boosting serotonin may increase with increased exposure to sunlight.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.


Be safe when spending time outdoors by protecting yourself from ultraviolet radiation.  Sunscreen, sunglasses, and protective clothing are still appropriate in cold weather, especially at high altitudes and in snowy areas that tend to reflect a great deal of sunlight. Spending time outside in the sun also may help combat jetlag.

 
Dreamy Ideas

 Have you got a problem to solve? Try sleeping on it.

Our brains appear to continue working on problems even after we have gone to sleep. In one study, a group of people was allowed to sleep for eight hours before tackling a problem that had been described to them. Upon returning to the problem, the sleepers were almost three times as likely as the non-sleepers to find a solution to the problem.

RealAge Benefit: Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger.


Sleep may help restructure your memories before they are stored.  This restructuring may enhance creativity, researchers speculate. The restructuring of memories occurs during deep sleep, making the quality of sleep experienced as important as the quantity of sleep achieved.

Stress Changes Things

 Finding ways to keep your calm could help reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Early research into Alzheimer's disease and stress levels revealed that there may be a relationship between them. In a study of older adults, the people who reported themselves to be the most stressed, tensed, or jittery of the group also were most likely to develop the disease.

RealAge Benefit: Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.


In addition to potentially increasing Alzheimer's disease risk, stress also appears to inhibit memory skills.  In a study of older adults, the people who were the most stressed had the sharpest declines in their episodic memory skills, such as their ability to recall words from a list. Beat stress on the cheap by practicing meditation or deep breathing exercises and by exercising regularly.

Think About It
Could you boost your immunity with your own brainpower? Researchers say maybe so.

A study involving mindfulness meditation revealed that the practice boosted immune system function in participants. Mindfulness meditation is the practice of becoming deeply aware of the present moment through meditation. The stress-reduction qualities of this practice may be the source of its immune-boosting powers.

For a quick start to mindfulness meditation, sit quietly for 10 to 20 minutes, clearing all thoughts from your head. Breathe deeply and evenly. Focus your eyes softly on an object or close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Note any thoughts or sensations as they occur, but then return to your original focus. Mindfulness meditation also has been called moment-to-moment non-judgmental attention.