Live Longer or Die: 10 No-Brainer Ways to Add a Decade to Your Life

0:08Hey, health warriors, welcome back to another tip Friday on the 2% solution, where we're all about small changes for massive gains. I'm your host, diamond Wall, and today we're talking longevity, specifically, 10 scientifically backed ways to add an extra decade, decade, 10 years to your life. Now, trust me, it's not just about adding years to your life, but life to your years. Now, longevity isn't just a buzzword. It's a field backed by extensive research, and today we're diving into some of the most compelling findings.

0:47These aren't just tips, they are life extenders, and I have personal stories and data to back them up. Let's start with number one stay active. You've heard me saying it before and I'll repeat it physical activity is crucial. You've heard me say it before and I'll repeat it Physical activity is crucial. According to the American Heart Association, regular, moderate to vigorous exercise can add up to four to seven years to your life.

1:15Remember when I started my daily 15-minute HIIT routine the whole life fitness manifesto. Not only did it help me shed a few extra pounds manifesto. Not only did it help me shed a few extra pounds we're all about weight release, not weight loss but it also boosted my mood and energy levels tremendously. Number two eat more plants. There's a mountain of evidence supporting a plant-based diet in enhancing longevity. A study from the National Institute of Health found that people who consumed higher amounts of plant based foods had a significantly lower risk of dying from any cause.

1:53Think colorful plates filled with fruits and vegetables, like my favorite, a big kale and berry salad with a bunch of other cool stuff on it. It basically looks like a big honking rainbow, usually on top, you know, some cedar plank salmon. Oh yeah, I tell you I could eat it every day, all day, love it. Moving on to number three, I'm hungry though, but anyways, number three, all right, cut down on stress. Chronic stress is a killer, quite literally.

2:25It can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Meditation and mindfulness have been my go-to strategies for years now, and research from Harvard shows that regular mindfulness can increase your lifespan by reducing stress and its harmful effects. And we know what the harmful effects of stress I mean I think we recognize it impedes our sleep, it affects our psychological energy or spiritual energy I mean every aspect of us, right Also leads into additional cortisol, which is a very important stress hormone.

3:00Mind, you have you recognized, but you got to understand. Mind, you have you recognized, but you got to understand it's when we don't regulate that said stress hormone, it creates all internal world of confusion inside our bodies, which leads to a whole pile of other symptoms that can be really a bummer. Okay, the easiest way to put it, they're just a bummer. And so this sort of leads into number four, because stress is important, because it affects our sleep.

3:27And number four is getting enough sleep. Never underestimate the power of a good night's rest. According to the National Sleep Foundation, getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night can significantly improve your longevity by aiding in recovery but also hormone regulation. Hence, as I said about cortisol. Now, number five foster strong relationships. Believe it or not, your social ties can add years to your life.

3:57A study published in the journal PLOS Medicine showed that strong social relationships increase the likelihood of survival over a given period by 50%. I like those odds, those are pretty good. I mean, you never get those kinds of odds in a place like Vegas, right? But whether it's coffee with friends or a family dinner, these moments are literally life-extending. Number six regular checkups. I mean, let let's be fair if we don't stay on top of our health, who will so?

4:31Through regular medical checkups we can catch the potentially life shortening issues early. As someone who's at an to navigate the challenges of an autoimmune condition you listen to this earlier this week on mond's episode, I shared a lot about my autoimmune neutropenia. I can't stress enough the importance of proactive healthcare. Number seven stay hydrated. Water is life literally. It helps maintain vital functions and even mild dehydration.

5:02Usually you're mildly dehydrated so you think, man, I need some water. You're dehydrated. Okay, like it's not a matter of waiting for that. Like, oh my gosh, I need water. That's not what you have to wait for to drink some water. Okay, even just using. So there's a nap rate that out now that will literally beep at you to remind you to drink so much water on a certain time schedule. So you get a certain amount every single day.

5:31Whatever you got to do, you just got to stay hydrated. Because if you're even mildly dehydrated, this can have a negative effect over time on our internal systems. All I won't get into all of it, but metabolism, just the way our body burns calories just to maintain what we do every day and how we do it, but also the basic functions that are happening in our body, these autonomic functions, these are things that happen on autopilot.

6:03Water's needed for all that stuff. So it's been found in something just as simple as being slightly dehydrated chronically can depress your metabolism by as much as about 50 calories a day. Now you do the math on this. Let's just say you kept everything status quo for a year, but your system was slower than what it should be, and so you're not burning, but rather retaining an extra 50 calories a day. Well, you do the math on this.

6:32If those are 50 calories that your body does not need, it gets stored right. Or you're not releasing that 50 calories, so you're retaining it Regardless. You know, when you look at this slow, gradual weight gain over time, I mean how much of that leads into hydration just not giving your. You look at this slow, gradual weight gain over time. I mean how much of that leads into hydration Just not giving your body the stuff it needs, just so it operates optimally.

6:53And that's why I harp on this one so much, because I think it's a simple one that we can all do. You know, it's just creating the ritual around hydration. So what do I do? I aim for way more than the eight to 10 glasses a day. That's about two liters. If you're doing a 250 mil or one cup of water, you're basically aiming for like eight to 10. So it's about two, two and a half liters. I actually aim for close to a gallon of water a day, especially on days where I'm outside doing a lot of movement Maybe I have a workout that day as well and on non-training days or non-days where I don't have a lot of exertion I might not drink as much.

7:32But regardless, we should all be aiming for that bare minimum of eight to 10. So I like to fill up my trusty water bottle every morning and I look at it and I'm like, oh yeah, I've got it here on my desk with me. You know it's a one liter water bottle. I just know throughout the day. I want to try to get through four of these. Pretty straightforward, not very challenging. Feel great for it. I really do. I notice when I'm not getting enough water.

7:58Now I've created a lifestyle habit from that and I invite you to do this Now. Number eight limit alcohol and quit smoking. Smoking, that's an easy one. Just don't do it. It's bad, and you know me. I'm not here to be really polarizing and I'm not here to vilify smoking, but the science is there. It is killing people and shortening their lives, but also those lives that they do have. Towards the end their health is so compromised.

8:32It's scary to see, it's really scary to see. And then, when it comes to alcohol, I'm just saying limit it, I'm not saying get rid of it. Just because I haven't had a drink for 15 years doesn't mean you have to do the same thing. Mine was very much a choice because of my relationship with alcohol was not very healthy. All right, that's why I stopped drinking and just I learned how to have a life without it. It doesn't matter.

8:55But the science is strong to limit alcohol intake. So hopefully you know you're recognizing number eight is pretty straightforward, but it is challenging because you got to look at the social norms that we deal with, especially in developed countries. You know it's, it's alcohol is very prevalent, it's a very much a social lubricant, right? Um? And then also smoking in certain circles is is really, uh, not only glorified, it is seen as just something that's normal and and so to get outside of that, and if you find yourself not normal, you know we're thinking I don't smoke and I don't drink that much, so I'm not normal.

9:35It makes us feel weird. So I know for myself. I I just did it out of habit. You know everybody else was doing it, so I thought I should do it too. Not a great reason, but that's what got me started. It's not what got me going, but both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption will reduce your lifespan. Quitting smoking can add up to 10 years to your life. So if you're a smoker stopping now, you could have an extra decade on your life compared to what you will live if you maintain your smoking.

10:06And again, that 10 years. There's people that will live longer, there's people that will not quit. So these tend to work out as numbers Now that this comes straight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So look it up, check it out. The data's there. Number nine learn continuously. A study from Rush University Medical Center found that cognitive activities like reading, playing music, playing board games, mind games you know things that make you think they can help delay cognitive decline.

10:40So pick up that book, or maybe pick up that guitar and keep your brain as fit as you're striving to keep your body. And then finally, number 10, keep laughing, guitar and keep your brain as fit as you're striving to keep your body. And then, finally, number 10, keep laughing. Never, ever ever underestimate the power of joy and laughter. They reduce stress, they improve overall heart health the plus of a whole pile of other great things but they also make life just so much more enjoyable.

11:08Thank you, there you have it, everyone 10 ways to potentially add a decade to your life, and this is backed by science and peppered with some personal experience and stories. Just implement these tips. You know you don't have to try to do all 10 all at once. Pick one. Maybe the hydration is the one you want to work on. Right, just focus on the hydration. Or maybe, oh, you're one of those people that's like, yeah, I always have a big, big honking starch and I have a little bit of protein and fat there, but greens, what's green?

11:37I don't want green on my plate. Well, maybe yours is. Just add some leaky greens to every meal, right? Either way, just choose one and start to do that one thing consistently and just see what happens, right? If you loved today's episode, don't forget to share it with a friend or leave us a review. Every little bit of encouragement helps us grow and continue bringing valuable content, not only to you, but also to others that may not yet have discovered this podcast, but you can help with that.

12:06I'm Diamond Wall and you've been listening to the 2% Solution. Here's to living longer, stronger and, hopefully, wiser. Stay tuned, stay motivated and remember improving by just 2% each day can lead to a lifetime of balance. Catch you next time.