There's a Yiddish blessing, 'biz a hoondred oon zwvuntzig', which translates: 'may you live to 120'. Scientists at USC recently calculated the theoretical age a human should live to: 120. Also, Roy Wolford, a pioneer in the science of aging, suggests it is possible for the human body to last 120 years. This may be due to our DNA's remarkable ability to repair errors that it develops. Research suggests that this ability breaks down around 120. So why aren't we all living this long? On average, Americans are only living for 78 years. Are there changes we can make in order to make those additional 42 years a reality? The answer is that there is not much stopping us from reclaiming these extra years (and theoretically adding a third to our lifespans). The solution lies in 8 simple remedies, which we can start pursuing today. They will make us live longer and more satisfying lives than we may have imagined. 1. Water 2. Exercise 3. Nutrition 4. Sleep 5. Sunlight 6. Fresh air 7. Temperance 8. Spirituality For more wellness articles, vegan recipe demos, and more, visit: http://www.lifeandhealth.org/

Perhaps you are wondering, 'how is it that something as simple as drinking water has such a substantial effect on our coronary health?' Well, it has been shown that dehydration elevates blood stickiness and increases blood elements that promote clotting. When elevated, these are risk factors for coronary heart disease. So, how much water should you drink? Here is a good rule of thumb: take your body weight (in pounds) and divide it in half. That number is the recommended number of ounces you should drink every day. Naturally, your need for water increases with exercise, warmer temperatures, and fever. When dealing with these situations, use your common sense and make sure you drink enough. It is helpful to drink at least one glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning as well as a glass of water at bedtime. This has been shown to significantly reduce your heart attack risk for that night. Your body is 75% water and your brain is 85% water. Water is more than a simple solvent— it is important in many body functions. With all of these benefits, why don't we hear more about water? Could it be, because you cannot patent water, there is no profit in its research or its promotion? As you can see, in our goal to live longer, better, healthier lives, we need to develop the habit of drinking generous amounts of water, in conjunction with reducing (or eliminating) the consumption of tea, coffee, soda, and fruit drinks. We just need plain, pure water. -- For wellness articles, vegan recipe demos, and more, visit: http://www.lifeandhealth.org/

Many people claim that they do not have enough time in the day to exercise. But let me reveal a little secret: for every minute of exercise, you gain two minutes of longevity. So you just do a little borrowing—you borrow from the future. Take time to care for your body now, and it will pay off double in the future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends two hours and forty-five minutes a day watching television. However, time spent participating in sports, exercise, or recreation was drastically less: the average being only 18 minutes a day. The numbers speak for themselves. We have enough time to take care of our bodies; we simply need to prioritize it. -- For wellness articles, vegan recipe demos, and more, visit: http://www.lifeandhealth.org/

Here are some simple rules for eating healthy and living longer: 1. Eat a large breakfast. 2. Eat 75% of your calories in the first two meals (breakfast and lunch). 3. Have only a light meal in the evening with foods such as soup, cereal, or a small sandwich— mainly foods that are easy to digest. 4. Remember to consume plenty of water. 5. Consume 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. 6. Eat a level handful of nuts each day. 7. 20% of all calories now come from snack foods—eliminate snacks. 8. Choose whole grains—whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals, and brown rice 9. Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, including fruit juice. 10. Eat more legumes. 11. Learn to read food labels. -- For wellness articles, vegan recipe demos, and more, visit: http://www.lifeandhealth.org/

Have you ever stayed up all night studying for a test? Have you ever wondered why our bodies convince us to close our eyes and drift away for 8 hours every night? Why do we sleep? What would happen if we just decided to stop sleeping? How long would we be able to last? The world record for living without sleep is 11 days. Lab rats actually die from sleep deprivation faster than starving to death! Like breathing, eating, and moving, sleep is an instinctual, critical component of our lives that can be carried out in an unhealthy or healthy manner. We're going to talk about the effects of both. Most, if not all, of us can feel the effects of not getting enough sleep. It hits us hard the next morning like an overindulgent meal—we feel foggy and drained, our memory doesn't work so well, and we can struggle to carry out even the simplest of tasks. A recently published study reported that if you regularly sleep less than 7 hours each night, your immune system would suffer for it, making you three times more likely to get sick. People with little sleep also tend to be more overweight and have shorter lifespans. Research has actually shown that sleeping less alters the metabolic pathways that regulate appetite, making you feel hungrier as a result. Quality sleep on a regular basis is necessary for a robust immune system. REM, the "deep sleep" phase of the sleep cycle is where the most intense neural activity occurs. During REM sleep, blood circulation increases, oxygen levels rise, and brain tissue absorbs more amino acids. Scientists even go so far as to say that "good sleepers" are mentally sharper and are also at lower risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. Even though our bodies might appear very still when we sleep, it's actually quite active, metabolically. Free radicals—substances that have been shown to be involved in many disease processes—are gobbled up at an increased rate during sleep. Reparative processes are also active; such as protein production fixing the damage our bodies sustained during the day, like sun damage. So how much sleep do we need? Studies show that optimal health is achieved when newborns sleep 16-18 hours, young children sleep 10-12 hours, older children and teens sleep 9 hours, and adults sleep 7-8 hours. This doesn't mean that our need for sleep decreases continually with age. In fact, senior citizens need as much sleep as teenagers. It has been shown that for those adults sleeping less than 7 hours, their risk of dying increases by 21% in women and 26% in men, a startling number that leads us to our advice for a better, healthier sleep lifestyle: 1) Turn off the lights. 2) Avoid electronic devices. 3) Stick to a schedule. 4) Relax and get comfortable. 5) Say no to drugs. 6) Watch what you eat. 7) Get active. 8) Be thankful. It might have been some time since you've felt great in the morning, but waking up with a clear mind and zest to start the day is entirely possible, and entirely worth turning off the light an hour earlier than usual. Try it for a week, then try it for the rest of your life. You'll feel better, think clearer, look better, and even live longer. For more wellness articles, vegan recipe demos, and more, visit: http://www.lifeandhealth.org/

It's warm, it's bright—the sun is generally thought to be a pretty happy component in our every day lives. But why do we need it? What makes it indispensable to our lives? Two words: Vitamin D. There is a cholesterol-like compound in our blood that transforms into Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. This Vitamin D is then converted to its active form by the liver and then by the kidneys. Well, that begs the question, why do we need Vitamin D? What happens if you don't have enough? For years we've understood Vitamin D's role in regulating calcium levels and how a deficiency can cause both rickets and osteoporosis. Today, we know that Vitamin D also has an important role as a steroid hormone in gene modulation. This means Vitamin D can help turn on health promoting genes while suppressing bad genes, especially oncogenes, a gene-group that promotes cancer. Spend more time in the sun. It's an easy step towards making your life a little bit better (and brighter). -- For wellness articles, vegan recipe demos, and more, visit: http://www.lifeandhealth.org/