A recent New York Times article listed 5 healthy habits that prove to help people live at least 12 – 14 years longer.
Intriguing, yes?
A quick summary here in case you don’t have time to jump over to the article. The 5 healthy habits include:
- Eating a healthy diet
- Not smoking
- Regular physical activity
- Moderate alcohol consumption
- Maintaining normal weight
These sounds pretty straight forward, and yet, most people can’t follow these 5 habits consistently.
Why?
Besides smoking and drinking, two habits that you may not practice anyway, the other three are easier talked about than implemented consistently.
#1 and #5 go hand in hand, while #3 helps with both.
The secret to all these 5 habits?
Making a plan, and following it.
Why is that so hard to do?
Because we, biologically, don’t like doing things that create discomfort. Eating, smoking, and drinking alcohol are activities and habits that help distract us from feeling the discomfort.
Especially when we add “over” in front of each activity.
Overeating and over-drinking are, for sure, habits that nobody needs to practice.
The first step to mastering these 5 habits is awareness.
Today, notice where you are over-doing these things. Ask yourself why and notice when you are doing it. Just this small step can help you change your habits and patterns.
I think living 12-14 years longer is worth the effort.
Ready to move forward in your health and wellness journey? Contact me today! I look forward to hearing from you.
