Travel Blog

Canadians, based on a report from their statistics arm of the government were expected to have a life expectancy of 79 years for men and 83 years for women. This data came from a report developed in 2007 to 2009.  They are further forecasting that by 2031, the average man will live to 82 and women will live to 86. Not only is the gap narrowing  a bit, both sexes are living longer as our health generally improves. Their health care gets better as well. Does this mean we are just kept alive longer. Do we also get to enjoy those extra years as well?  The ability to live long and healthy depends on many issues.

The key to living longer is not just in how many years you live but also experiencing a better quality of life as well. No one wants to be in a wheel chair for the last 10 years of their life and they do not want to be so forgetful, that they are really not living a normal life. While none of us can predict what will happen to us, there are some things we can do to improve the odds and maybe our quality of life as we get older.

What Steps Should We Take to Live Long and Healthy

There are a number of steps that we can all take to try to improve the odds that we will live long and also have a healthy life with a decent level of quality as well. There are no guarantees, but by following these steps or suggestions we can at least improve the odds. Here they are:

• Do not smoke, this is a well known health issue. Strokes, heart attacks and general declining health
• Review your blood pressure, cholesterol level, weight and waist circumference regularly. Take action if they are out of line
• If you need to lose weight, aim for 5% to 10% to improve your numbers and get down to your proper BMI level.
• Belt size should be less than 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men
• Eat 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. they have a lot less calories and are healthy for you as well
• Walk 10,000 steps every day, they can be added up easily if you focus on walking when you can ride or take the elevator
• Wear a pedometer to monitor your steps
• Take time to relax, to laugh a bit and socialize with family and friends
• Limit your alcohol content to 2 servings per day
• Understand your family heart history and monitor. Take precautions if there is a history of health issues
• Eliminate salt from your diet as much as possible to help control your blood pressure

Improve Your Health

All of these items will help to improve your health and to maintain your health. If you can stay healthy well into your older years you will have an excellent chance of not only hitting the average age for men and for women, there is a good chance that you will also have a good quality of life as well. You will be able to enjoy the grandchildren, travel, play or even work if that is what you want to do much later in life than you might have been able to otherwise. The main thing is to be able to enjoy our health and have a good quality of life.

Eat healthy and look after yourself to live long and stay healthy! For more information about how to live long and healthy, click here.

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