Simple Habits That Make You Long

JAKARTA - Having a long and quality life doesn't always have to start from big changes. In fact, a healthy lifestyle that is carried out consistently in daily routines such as maintaining a diet, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and maintaining social relationships has a big role in extending life to preventing chronic diseases.

According to geriatric psychologist Linda Ercoli, small changes in everyday habits can have a significant impact, especially if a person has a history of illness in the family. One example is by adjusting your diet and increasing physical activity gradually.

"Seizing only a few minutes every day for healthier habits can reduce the risk of death," said Dr. Sara Espinoza, director of the Diabetes and Aging Center in Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

The same thing was conveyed by Dr. Sara Espinoza from Cedars-Sinai Diabetes and Aging Center, Los Angeles. He stressed that even setting aside a few minutes every day for healthy habits can help reduce the risk of early death.

Finding personal reasons for a healthy life can also be the key to keeping motivation awake. Steven Kritchevsky, professor of gerosains from Wake Forest School of Medicine, suggests finding meaningful reasons "whether to stay active playing with grandchildren or want to live independently longer" because a clear goal can strengthen long-term commitments.

It is also important to evaluate the health reasons and habits that are done every week. Do you want to reduce ultraprocessed food, try meditation, or start a new sporting routine?US Lamming, professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reminded yourself not to burden yourself too much with too strict rules because it can actually make a person give up easily.

Dr. Michael Fredericson, a sports medicine specialist, suggested that at least 3 percent of the daily time of about 30 minutes be allocated to moderate-intensity exercise.

This activity not only reduces the risk of heart disease, cognitive disorder, and metabolic disorders, but also benefits mental health and quality sleep.

"No need all of them at once. High intensity exercises for three to four minutes such as push-ups, squats, or up stairs throughout the day can still reduce the risk of death," Fredericson said.

If the time is limited, short but intense exercise such as push-ups, squats, or ups and downs for a few minutes a day still provides real benefits. "It doesn't have to be done all at once. Physical activity in small portions still has a significant impact," explained Fredericson.

In addition, adequate sleep is also an important part of a long lifestyle. Sleeping seven hours of sleep without disorders and waking up at a consistent time every morning plays a major role in brain recovery and lowers the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.

Lastly, maintaining mental health is equally important. Linda Ercoli suggests training your mind to be more aware of the surrounding environment. This can help reduce prolonged stress, anxiety, and depression. "Simple exercises such as meditation for a few minutes every day or getting used to being grateful can train the nervous system to remain calm, even when under pressure," he concluded.

The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)