Longevity is living longer than the average lifespan. Many people believe that genetics is the primary factor in determining how long you live, but your genes only account for about 25% of your longevity. This means that your daily choices and lifestyle habits affect the remaining 75%.
Practicing longevity habits can also help ensure good health in those extra years. Experts point to one powerful and effective daily habit that stands above the rest as the key to longevity.
Experts agree that regular physical activity is the most influential daily habit for improving longevity. Research shows that making exercise a daily habit can increase life expectancy by about 2-4 years – and possibly more when you consider how exercise can improve other health factors.
Daily movement benefits your body and mind, helping you live longer and healthier. Here’s how:
- Improves blood circulation: When you move your body, your heart pumps more blood, delivering oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to your body’s organs and cells, supporting optimal functioning.
- Reduces inflammation: Chronic (long-term) inflammation is associated with many chronic and age-related diseases, including diabetes, arthritis, and neurodegenerative conditions (related to the nervous system) such as Alzheimer’s disease. Exercise can reduce inflammation and support your overall health.
- Improves metabolism: Physical activity helps regulate blood sugar levels, maintain a healthy body weight, and reduce the risk of metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
- Boosts brain health: Exercise triggers the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that helps repair and grow brain cells. This supports better memory and learning and protects against age-related cognitive decline.
- Manages stress: Chronic stress can accelerate aging and increase the risk of chronic diseases. Exercise helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol and increases feel-good hormones like endorphins, helping to reduce stress.
How to incorporate daily movement
Exercise is essential to good health and it’s never too late to start, regardless of age or fitness level. Even if you’ve been inactive for a while, starting now can improve your health and lifespan.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week, combined with muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week.
Here’s how to incorporate body movement into your daily routine:
- Start small: Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity each day. Depending on your fitness level, this may include light activities such as walking, stretching, yoga, brisk walking, cycling or swimming. For example, try setting a goal to walk before or after dinner every day.
- mix: Combine aerobic exercise with strength training and flexibility exercises for a well-rounded routine. Beginners can start with bodyweight exercises such as squats and push-ups and progress to more intense exercises such as lifting weights or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
- Make it pleasant: Choose activities that you enjoy to make it easier to stick to the habit. Dance classes, gardening, or playing sports can be fun ways to stay active if you don’t want to spend time in the gym. If you enjoy social interaction, try working out with friends or join group classes for extra motivation and mutual encouragement.
While daily exercise is the best way to improve longevity, other healthy habits can boost your efforts toward a longer, healthier life.
Follow a balanced diet
A well-rounded, nutrient-dense diet is the cornerstone of good health and a longer life. The food you eat fuels your body, and choosing nutritious foods can reduce your risk of chronic disease and help you feel your best as you age. Eating for longevity typically involves incorporating nutrient-dense whole foods into your diet, including:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean proteins
- Healthy fats
- Low-fat dairy products
A diet like the Mediterranean diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats—can add years to your life. Researchers studied over 5,200 adults from southern Italy over 13 years to see how eating a Mediterranean diet affected their lifespan.
Study participants who closely followed the Mediterranean diet lived the longest, with an average lifespan of about 90 years. Low adherence to the diet reduced life expectancy by almost 10%. These results suggest that eating nutrient-dense whole foods is a powerful tool for living longer and healthier lives.
Prioritize quality sleep
Prioritizing high-quality sleep is one of the best ways to support your long-term health. During sleep, your body repairs and stores memories. Getting enough sleep can help reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, premature aging and cognitive decline.
Sleep not only protects your health, but also reduces the risk of accidents. People who regularly have trouble falling asleep are twice as likely to die in car accidents and more than 1.5 times more likely to die from other fatal injuries than people who get enough sleep.
Adults should get 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, establishing a healthy sleep routine can help. Habits to improve sleep quality include:
- Establish a sleep schedule, go to bed and fall asleep at the same time every day
- Avoid electronic use, including television and mobile devices, at least 30 minutes before bedtime
- Engage in relaxing activities before bed, such as reading, meditation or breathing exercises
- Keep your bedroom cool, quiet and dark
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening
- Avoid large meals and alcohol before bed
Stay socially connected
Strong social relationships offer more than just companionship. Meaningful connections with other people can significantly improve your long-term health and longevity. Spending time with friends, family and community members can reduce stress, improve mood and happiness, and help you live longer.
Research shows that people with positive relationships and strong social networks are less likely to develop chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia. They also tend to live longer; some studies show that a lack of social connections increases the risk of death by at least 50%. This increased risk refers to a higher chance of overall mortality unrelated to a particular condition.
Activities that can help create and nurture meaningful relationships include:
- Join local groups or clubs that match your interests, such as art classes, community gardens, book clubs, or recreational sports leagues
- Make it a habit to call or visit friends and family regularly, even if it’s just for a quick chat
- Volunteer for causes you care about to meet like-minded people while giving back to your community
- Attend social events or workshops to expand your social circle
- Consider adopting a pet if human companionship is harder to come by; caring for an animal can also improve your mental well-being
Stay mentally active
When it comes to longevity, keeping your brain engaged is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Mental activity helps keep memory sharp, maintains cognitive function, and reduces the risk of age-related neurodegenerative conditions like dementia.
Activities like reading, solving puzzles, learning new skills, or engaging in creative hobbies stimulate your brain and create new neural connections, keeping your mind active as you age. Think of it as exercise for your brain – if you challenge it regularly, you strengthen it over time.
To stay mentally active, try incorporating some of these activities into your routine:
- Take a class or learn a new language or musical instrument to keep your mind flexible and engaged
- Play games, such as crossword puzzles or Sudoku
- Join book clubs or discussion groups to exchange ideas
- Practice mindful meditation, which helps reduce stress and improve focus and emotional regulation
Just as adopting healthy habits is essential to living a long and vibrant life, it is equally important to recognize and avoid behaviors that can shorten your lifespan. Certain habits increase the risk of chronic diseases, accelerate aging and reduce the overall quality of life.
Habits to avoid or limit if you want to support longevity include:
- smoking: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, increasing the risk of lung disease, cancer and heart disease. Quitting smoking can add up to 10 years to your life.
- Sedentary lifestyle: Prolonged sitting and lack of movement increase the risk of chronic diseases and early death.
- Excessive alcohol consumption: Regular drinking is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide. It contributes to liver damage and cognitive decline and increases the risk of chronic diseases.
- Unhealthy food choices: A diet rich in processed foods, added sugar and unsaturated fats promotes inflammation, weight gain and chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Longevity—living longer than the average lifespan—is more than just adding years to your life; it’s about making sure you have good health in those years to make later life vibrant and fulfilling. Experts agree that daily exercise is the most influential habit for promoting longevity.
Along with regular exercise, other positive habits such as consistently getting good sleep, eating a balanced diet, cultivating meaningful relationships, and being mentally active can support your long-term health. By adopting and maintaining healthy habits, you pave the way for a longer, healthier life.