On April 30th 2018, Harvard researchers published the results of a massive longitudinal study on the impact of adopting healthy daily habits on mortality risk. It encompassed 34 years of data from 78,865 women and 27 years of data from 44,354 men.
Following these 5 healthy, daily habits leads to a longer life
The results were able to quantify what we health and wellness professionals have known for a long time…Following healthy, daily habits leads to a longer, more vital life.
While this may make intuitive sense, people often fail to take the necessary steps in their lives because they believe the process of adopting these daily habits is more complicated than it actually is.
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Here’s a summary of the results
As mentioned, the researchers looked at how 5 low-risk daily habits might impact mortality (death). These 5 factors were:
- Not smoking
- Low body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m2)
- At least 30 minutes or more per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity
- Moderate alcohol intake (Up to one 5-ounce glass of wine per day for women, or up to two glasses for men)
- A healthy diet
In case you weren’t sure how much of an impact this made, here’s what’s at stake for you. Compared with those who didn’t maintain healthy daily habits:
- Women who maintained all 5 healthy daily habits gained, on average, 14 years of life
- Men who did so gained 12 years
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The combination of all 5 daily habits made the largest impact
The researchers also found that while each individual area was important on its own, the largest impact came from a synergistic combination of following all 5 lifestyle daily habits.
This is a pretty darn good trade-off if you ask me. Adding more than a decade of high-quality life by following 5 simple guidelines.
Then again, I’ve already bought in. Have you?
Are you doing these things consistently?
If these results seem simple…it’s because they ARE!
It’s just a matter of focusing on the right things…and getting them done…consistently!
Living a healthy life with these 5 daily habits isn’t rocket science
According to Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School and senior author of the study, “This study underscores the importance of following healthy lifestyle habits for improving longevity. However, adherence to healthy lifestyle habits is very low. Therefore, public policies should put more emphasis on creating healthy food, and building social environments to support and promote healthy diets and lifestyles.”
The great news is that’s what we do with our clients at FRESH!. We help you to develop and maintain all of these 5 healthy daily habits.
We provide the tools, inspiration, accountability, and social support network to make measurable, meaningful, and sustainable positive transformations in health, fitness, happiness, and performance in life.
Just book your FREE Success Coaching Session with a FRESH! personal trainer and let’s start implementing these 5 healthy daily habits into your lifestyle!
What we do isn’t rocket science…we just help you get it done! 🙂
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Comments
I excel at every tip, except I need to lose some weight. Working on that.
Good luck Richard and thanks for the feedback!
I feel like I do pretty good with this. The one I can really work on is 30 minutes of exercise every day. Right now I get that in about 4-5 days per week.
Keep trying Stephanie. You will get there!
That is an educative post. Gold health is very critical and your healthy tips are great advice.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting!
Great advice! I do try to eat healthy and exercise within my limits and within reason, lest I fall back into the trap of going overboard with both.
Great to hear that Nyxie. Thanks for commenting!
Great tips and information! This is a good reminder that I need to get back into doing a small daily workout.
Its all about small steps! Thanks for the feedback Luna and good luck!
These are great tips! I do all except eat healthy all the time. I love to snack and this is where it really gets me into trouble. I am working on a better way to limit my snacking but it is a work in progress. I can also tell that I want to eat more sweets when my mind has things going on. 🙁
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Ah, how doent love to eat sweets. Moderation is the key! Thanks for commenting Maureen.
Fabulous tips on five daily habits to improve health and live a better life. This is a great reminder for me to step up my healthy eating game!
We are glad to be your reminder Debbie 🙂 and good luck!
Hhhhmmm…..thank you for this study. I am certain I will last longer since I don’t drink or smoke, either.
Thats good to hear Edgar! You can greatly improve your health by drinking two glasses of good, organic vine every day.
Incredible insights! Your piece about healthy daily habits and their impact on longevity is eye-opening. I love how you’ve broken down essential factors in a relatable way. Simple steps, big gains. This info is pure gold for a better life. Keep spreading the wellness wisdom!
Thank you for your motivational words. It is our pleasure to play a role as eye-openers in the wellness industry.
Great healthy habits to develop here to help us live longer. I need to rearrange my priorities.
Good luck Beth!
Thank you for this. I was just inspired to give my own lifestyle a boost.
Glad to hear that Leanne! And thanks for commenting!
These are great tips that I needed a refresher on! One of my health goals is to lower my BMI. I will def. try to put some of these tips to use.
Good luck with weight loss Ebony and let us know if we can help!
This is definitely a sign that I should lose some weight. Will also try to be more consistent with exercise. Thank you for these tips. Appreciate it.
You are most welcome Clarice! Glad we can help. Thanks for the feedback!
These daily points are really important. Smoking has zero benefits, and it’s essential to get out and move daily!
Exactly Jennifer. Human beings are meant to move for miles daily. Thanks for the feedback!
Developing healthy habits is very important and we need to make sure to stay consistent with it. This is a very important post. Thank you for sharing!
And thank you Fransic for commenting!
All good advice. The trick I guess is to sustain the lifestyle. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the feedback Maryanne!
Working on the healthy diet part!! Definitely takes some time haha
Ah, yes it does. But be consistent and you will see great changes.
Our daily habits can change our lives—even the smallest ones.
In the end, our lives are just summaries of our daily habits, good or bad 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
I didn’t realize the power of this combo! Will try
You will when you try 🙂
Healthy habits are definitely essential to have a good quality of life. Certain health issues have got in my way recently but I am intent to get back to it. Very good read!
We are glad you liked the post Victoria! Thanks for the feedback!
These are great tips! I already follow all these tips except working out or getting involved in moderate or vigorous physical activities. Will def work on that aspect.
Glad you liked the post! Find a fun way for working out and a strong community. Thanks for the feedback!
So informational! Thank you
Thank you for your feedback!
A healthy lifestyle is simple, but it takes more mental work than we think. This is where millions of Americans get stuck. This blog post is inspiring and is a great reminder to continue or to start living a healthy life with the health pointers from the longitidnal study
Exactly Kevin. Thanks for the feedback!
I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!
Thanks for the feedback!