Ten Easy Secrets to Staying Young and Living Longer.

Want to live longer and stay younger as you age?

LOS ANGELES CA (Rise Above Health Blog) - Here are ten easy ways to stay young, add years to your life and boost the quality of those years.

1. Exercise a minimum total of 2 hours a week of physical activity will increase your life expectancy and helps keep you looking younger.

2. Maintaining a healthy weight. You can cut your mortality risk of up to 23 percent with a healthy weight. Along with a healthy weight is a body-mass index (BMI) below 25.  Having a BMI below 25 reduces you risk for cancer and heart disease.

3. Keeping your cholesterol level less than 200 mg/dl. Increased cholesterol level greater than 240 mg/dl is linked to increased rates of stroke and heart disease.

4.  A diet high in fiber will reduce your for coronary disease and death. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that for every 10 grams of fiber you add to your diet, your risk of death decreases by 17 percent.

5. Keep your blood pressure below 120/80. If your blood pressure is higher than 120/80 but less than 139/89, you have pre-hypertension and this can be treated with diet and exercise, but if your blood pressure is greater than 140/90, this is hypertension which will lead to heart disease and stroke, and you should talk to your doctor about treatment and monitoring.

6. Having a pet is healthy for your heart. Cat and dog owners reduce their risk of dying from a heart attach by 40 percent over non-owners. Owning a cat or a dog will reduce depression and loneliness that are linked to early mortality.

7.  If your smoke, quit. Smoking leads to cancer, diabetes and lung disease, and makes you look years older than you are.

8.  Eat foods rich in anti-oxidants to decrease your risk of cancer, Alzheimer's and age related diseases like cataracts, macular-degeneration and heart disease.

9.  Moderate your alcohol intake. Moderate alcohol intake reduces plaque deposits in your arteries, which lowers your risk of heart disease. But drinking too much will damage your liver, and in women increases your risk of developing breast cancer.  Moderation is the key, one 5-ounce glass of wine, one 12-ounce beer or 1.5 ounces of liquor a day.

10. Get a good night sleep. It has been found that sleeping less than 6 hours a night increases your risk of dying early by 12 percent. Interestingly, getting less than  7 hours of sleep causes weight gain and health consequences by disrupting hunger-regulating hormones.

My Tip of the Day.  Drink plenty of water. Water hydrates your skin and keeps you looking youthful. Water is key for weight loss, preventing heart disease, it gives you energy, prevents headaches and heartburn. If you feel thirsty, you are dehydrated, Drink enough water to prevent you from feeling thirsty.

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