How to live a longer, healthier life: 6 expert tips and tricks, from being happy and getting enough sleep to exercising more and not stressing out
- By adopting better habits and taking control of your mental and physical well-being, you are more likely to feel and function better as you age
- Try eating less meat and more plant foods, catch at least seven hours of sleep every night, be more optimistic (it might never happen!) and do more exercise
More of us are living until we are well into our 80s – in Hong Kong in 2021, men’s life expectancy was 83.2 years and women’s 87.9 years. But that does not mean we are healthy – or that we are even living a good life.
Health and medical experts say that by adopting better habits and taking control of our mental and physical well-being, we not only stand a better chance of staving off potentially life-shortening illnesses, but are also more likely to feel better, and function better and more independently, as we age.
In the new year, introduce these habits to your lifestyle if you have not done so already, to gift yourself a longer, healthier life.
1. Eat more plant foods
Veganuary – an annual challenge encouraging people to go vegan for a month – happens in January, and there is no better time to remind ourselves of the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet.
Eating a diet of mostly plants has been proven to reduce our risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer, says dietitian Dr Anna Herby, the nutrition education programme manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in the United States.
“There’s actually a dose-response relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and longevity,” she says. “Eating around four to five servings of fruits and veggies each day is associated with an extra three to four years of life.
“Plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes provide anti-inflammatory nutrients, antioxidants and fibre, which all help to keep cells in the body functioning optimally.