Great thread. I am about 3 months from being on the wrong side of 50 and I have finally started taking my health and longevity seriously. I am now in what Im calling my "body preservation" stage of life. I am probably doing what most would consider beneficial to not only live longer but also have more quality of life years. Ill start with the more common sense things I am doing and move towards more....non traditional things. For me I ask myself, what can I die from before my body gives out and then I try to prevent those things from happening to me as best as I can.
1. I am eating the best I ever have. Oatmeal, bananas, avocados, chicken breast, beans. I have cut out most fast food but I still splurge from time to time. As far as vitamins go, if I dont eat enough fruits, vegetables and whole grains the day before, Ill take 1 multi vitamin that next day. If I do eat all of those things, I dont take one. If Im getting what I need nutrient wise, why add it artificially as well.
2. I am sleeping at least 4 sleep cycles per night and usually 5. That translates to 6-7.5 hours of sleep. Sleep is mostly sound and uneventful. If I drink a bunch of water closer to bed, Ill most likely get up in the middle of the night and sometimes it can be hard to go back to bed. So I avoid late night drinks as much as possible.
3. I dont drink or smoke and havent done either in a long long time. I may have a glass of wine every 6 months with my wife but she knows I dont do those things and there are no issues. Its been that way for about 20 years now.
4. I meditate and work out as much as I can. This one is still a work in progress but Im trying to improve on both. This would include stretching and cardio. And just being outside for my morning coffee and relaxing for about 30 minutes each morning.
5. I walk my dog at least twice a day for about 30 minutes a go. And while Im out with him, each morning I ask myself "why am I happy today" and then I go about listing everything that I am happy about whether its days off from work, my good health, my family's good health, Texas finally being good again, my wife and I getting along, my morning coffee and breakfast choice etc. I list about 8-10 things a day I am happy about for that day.
6. I keep my stress levels super low if at all possible which for the most part are about 10% of where they used to be which leads to and is because of my next thing....
7. I work part time now and most of that is for living longer and creating less stress in my life. It has helped more than I ever thought possible.
8. I read a book every day I am not working and have specific goals in my life which keep me motivated such as learning spanish and making a video game. I am a goal oriented person and I feel having goals later in life are important and are most overlooked by people when it comes to happiness and living longer.
9. I will be getting yearly full body MRIs here in dallas moving forward at the cost of about 2500 a year to minimize cancer risks. (yes I know. Its a little crazy but I see no downsides except cost.) Specifically for the shitty cancers like pancreatic which 1 relative died from.
10. There have been a couple of studies now showing people age at a faster pace at specific years in their lives. Both studies have shown cells degrade faster at ages 44, 60 and 75. You can probably extrapolate that out to 90 too. Therefore, Im taking those upcoming years off work and stress wise. I will be acutely aware of those years and plan to really focus on my body and mind, almost to a fault.
All of this to say, while I cant eliminate getting cancer, getting hit by a bus, having a heart attack etc, I can certainly minimize those chances and that is what I have been doing and what I will continue to do. I am actively working to live as long as I can and be as healthy as I can. Its not bad at all actually. Working part time I will tell you helps the most as I sleep better because of it, eat better because of it, have less stress because of it, and it all ends in a positive snowball effect for me.