What’s the secret of long life?

As you look ahead, what do you envision? If you’re like most people, you are probably eager to stay healthy and enjoy your life in the most vibrant, vigorous way possible. No magic pill or secret potion can deliver a long, healthy life. While that rests partly with the genes you’ve inherited, abundant research shows that the actions you take today matter. Simple lifestyle choices — what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke — have an enormous impact on your longevity and quality of life. Most people who live to old age do so not because they have beaten cancer, heart disease, depression or diabetes. Instead, the long-lived avoid serious ailments altogether through a series of steps that often rely on long-lasting, meaningful connections with others Below we describe some tips to help you to live a vibrantly happy and healthy life:

1) If you move toward something, it will move toward you. The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. Don’t worry too much about how you’re going to get from A to B, just start walking in the direction of your goal or dream. Get started by doing whatever you can, however small, and then do the next thing. Watch for it: Providence will show up and will come to your assistance.

2) Manage your stress and you’ll fix almost everything Stress is the cause of a staggering number of health problems and worsens any medical condition. Stress causes us to age faster, throws our hormones out of whack, and makes us feel anxious, fearful and irritable. . Learn to recognize the signs of stress in your own body and mind, and counteract them actively (yoga, breathing breaks, mini-meditations throughout the day, exercise, play, prayer, positive self-talk, etc.).

3) Sleep is ground zero If you don’t get enough sleep, everything else will suffer. Sleep deprivation (which most of us suffer from) puts you in a pre-diabetic state, messes with your metabolism, makes you dramatically more likely to be overweight, increases your appetite, decreases your productivity, hampers your immune system, and makes you tired, moody, anxious and likely to be depressed. If you’re struggling with any of the things on this list and you’re not getting enough sleep (less than 8 hours a night), aim for improved sleep first before trying any other life strategies. 

4) If you respect your own boundaries, people will respect you Historically I have been a terrible people-pleaser and spent way too much time and effort trying to make everyone happy. Practice building self-awareness, discover what you are willing to do and what you don’t want to do. Start putting this into practice by saying no when something doesn’t resonate or align with who you really are. People might get mad at first, but eventually most will come to respect you. And you won’t secretly (or not so secretly) resent them anymore. Oh the peace. 

5) Be yourself, unapologetically This expands on the people-pleasing piece. So many of us grew up focusing on what other people or society thought we should do. So many people are in careers, places or situations that depress them or make them feel hopeless. Yes, sometimes you just have to work to put food on the table, but many people are in a position where they could transition into something much more suitable to who they are. Start checking in with yourself about who you really are, despite your circumstances and outside influences. What do you really love? What do you long to do? How would you love to live? In whatever way you can, start shifting your life towards living more authentically – and watch what happens (see Tip #1).

6) Be childlike Who said you had to grow up and be so serious? Cultivate the very best of the child within you. Practice childlike awe for majestic things, childlike silliness, childlike faith, childlike hope, childlike play and creativity. When it comes to certain things, children do them way better than we do. Recapture it – it’s still inside you. 

7) Don’t wait Don’t put off life, don’t wait until things are perfect. Figure out how you can start now, start small. Just start. You’ll be so glad you did.

8) Give your heart priority over your head Yes, it’s important to have a realistic plan, and a back-up plan, but start the plan in your heart first. Ask yourself what you’d love to experience if anything were possible. Then use your head to figure out how you might get there. Don’t let your head rule the show, it loves to make silly pronouncements like “you’re too old”, “that will never work” , “who do you think you are” and “what will people think”. Your heart’s much kinder and more optimistic.

9) Have faith The spiritual practice and faith will be the core of the personal and professional life. We need to believe that there is something greater helping us out in life. There are endless studies that show the benefits of faith and spiritual practice on physical health, mental health and happiness. Everything just goes better. 

10) When your body says stop, listen to it Learning to listen to your body is a major ingredient for lasting success in life. Drink water when you’re thirsty. Eat good food when you’re hungry and stop when your body says it’s full. Sleep when your body wants to. Stop pushing when you feel tired. Take a vacation when every cell in your body and mind is screaming for it. Take a break when your shoulders creep up around your ears or your neck starts aching. Take really good care of your body, and listen to it. In turn, it will take really good care of you. Do you want to suggest another tip? Contact us. Natural Leigh wishes you a long and healthy life. See you soon!!