As a fitness trainer in Ajax, I often think about the question… would you rather live well or live long? I recently conducted an online survey. Given a choice of living to the age of 25, but living a great life or living to 95 but having serious health problems, which would you choose. 98% of those who answered said that they would prefer to live to age 25. That is, most people would rather live a shorter great life. The most interesting aspect of this survey is that most of us do not have to make that choice.
Advice from Fitness Trainer Ajax
The solution in right in front of our noses. We can both live well and live long. One thing that we know for sure is that we don’t know what our life is going to look like. But just think, if I sent you to the casino with $100 and special tips how to increase your chances of winning, I am sure that you would use these tips to maximize your win. If winning in life is living both well and long, then I can’t promise that you will live well and long, but following them will surely maximize your chances.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
Walk, run, join a gym, paddle a canoe, go shopping, just keep moving. There are ways to save on Personal Training. Consider these and set up a program for 3 months.
Eat Well
A recent Harvard study found that people who had a lot of processed meats like sausage and hot dogs in their diet were at a higher risk of death. In the same study people who ate alot of plant protein had a lower risk,of heart disease-related deaths. The relationship is so strong that “for every 3 percent increase in calories from plant protein there was a reduction in risk of death by 10 percent,” The study concluded that “Plant-based proteins can help lower blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease, and decrease risk of cancer.” A study from Harvard found eating nuts daily resulted in participants being 20 percent less likely to die during the study. The rates of death from cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease were reduced.
Don’t Smoke
This is an obvious one. If you smoke, there is nothing more important for your health that stopping smoking. It’s the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC, and the cause of almost every severe health issue.
Reduce Stress
Stress affects us in serious ways. Reducing our stress reduces our risks to many diseases like cancer and heart disease. Study after study has confirmed that high levels of stress increases the risk of these diseases. There is a University of California study that found that women with higher levels of a hormone that regulates the process of aging. A study from the University of California found that chronically stressed women had significantly lower levels of klotho, a hormone that regulates the aging process.
Life Weights or Do Strength Training
According to the Harvard Medical School, you can add quality and quantity to your life by doing strength training. A study from Penn State suggest that older adults can reduce the risk of death by doing strength training once per week.
Believe in Karma
Think about being nice to other people. Believe it or not being nice to other people can extend your life. A recent study of the elderly population found that people who helped other people and supported others ended up living longer lives. What goes around comes around.
Irina Marchenkova is a Fitness Trainer in Ajax at Life Time Athletic
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