What’s the secret to loving life? These five tips will put you on the path to living longer and better:
1. Move more.
Instead of thinking of it as exercise, focus on making your lifestyle more active. Ride your bike instead of driving. Walk to the store. At work, take the stairs rather than the elevator, park at the far end of the parking lot, and go for walking breaks. Build activity into your lifestyle by doing what you enjoy.
2. Do something interesting.
Different people like to do different things. If you do something you find worthwhile, whether it’s focusing on your career, helping others, or raising a family, your days will take on more meaning.
3. Cut calories by 20 percent.
It’s easy to gain weight by eating just a little too much week after week. Eat enough so that you’re no longer hungry, but not so much that you’re full. Add more plants to your diet – they are full of fiber to fill you up and are low in calories.
4. Love and be loved.
Get together often with the ones you cherish. Having a strong social network of friends and family can enhance your sense of well-being and purpose.
5. Take time to downshift.
Make time to slow down and enjoy life’s simple pleasures — like a colorful sunset, a savory meal or a glass of wine with a good friend. Life is short. Don’t run so fast you miss it!
Test your smarts
By adopting the right lifestyle habits, you could add at least 10 years to your life and suffer from less chronic illnesses.
a. True b. False
The correct answer is:
a. True. Scientific studies suggest that only about 25 percent of how long you will live is dictated by your genes. The other 75 percent is determined by your lifestyle and the everyday choices you make. The small steps you take every day to improve your well-being can make a big difference in the way you feel now and down the road.
Our community will celebrate its one-year mark with a Blue Zones Project 1st Year Anniversary celebration on Oct. 29 from 2–5 p.m. at Kahilu Town Hall in Waimea. Please join us for the free, family-friendly event.
Blue Zones Project – North Hawaii involves dozens of community volunteers from Waimea, Waikoloa, North Kohala, Kawaihae, Puako and Hamakua who are dedicated to helping us all “Live Longer, Better.” Go to hawaii.bluezonesproject.com to learn more. Blue Zones Project by Healthways is brought to Hawaii by HMSA. Questions? Email CarolR.Ignacio@healthways.com or call 202-4958