These 5 Tips Could Increase Your Lifespan

Staying healthy requires an ongoing effort. You need to have a plan and stick to it if you want to change your life for the better, but knowing where to start planning in the first place can be difficult if you haven't already had the opportunity to both learn and practice a healthy lifestyle. If you feel like you need to live a healthier life but don't know how, here are five things to consider.

Food

One of the main ways to improve your health is to make sure that you are consuming a diet that is healthy for you. Adding more vegetables to your meals can lead to big improvement by itself, and you don't need to resign yourself to a meal that tastes bad if you find them unpalatable. 

Replacing salt with other spices can go a long way in making your food more interesting, and some spices like cinnamon even boast an impressive number of antioxidants.

Fitness

Whether you are getting enough exercise or not is another important factor to think about. Many people try to fit more exercise into their schedules with varying degrees of success, and many fitness-related New Year's Resolutions end up being abandoned by mid-January. 

While this might highlight the difficulty most people face when trying to be more active, the benefits both for your health and your wallet are substantial. If you end up needing to search for life insurance with iSelect, you have a decent chance of being considered for a lower premium as a result of your healthier lifestyle presenting a lower risk of becoming a liability.

Hydration

Water composes a large portion of our bodies, so staying hydrated is essential as well. While you don't need to go as far as to constantly be drinking water, it turns out that it is likely that not enough people are getting enough to drink. 

Making sure you drink enough water can help you stay energetic and attentive in addition to other basic health benefits, like the replacement of the water you lose through sweating. So don't be afraid to keep lots of water in your car if you are going to be out all day.

Avoiding Stress

Stress, while necessary in some circumstances, is not healthy to keep around if you can get rid of it. Being stressed all of the time can cause quite a few health problems in the long term, like heart damage, a less effective immune response, and weight gain. Being stressed on occasion is normal, but if you find yourself stressed out too often, then you should take a moment to relieve stress by taking a few deep breaths or somehow finding humor in your situation. 

Vacations might not be out of the question, either, as staying focused on something you enjoy can be another way to relieve stress—be it through painting, bodyboarding lessons, or even a particular aspect of your job that keeps you focused.

Sleep

You should also do your best to get enough sleep. Sleep is often underestimated, and trying to avoid it too often can cause memory problems and make you more emotional overall. Make sure that you get to bed and wake up at a consistent time every day after sleeping for eight to ten hours.

While there are peripheral benefits to staying healthy, like lower costs when you compare life insurance, you should mainly try to focus on what is important to you. This article is no substitute for a professional medical opinion, but people generally tend to live longer if they try to stay optimistic or generally remain in high spirits. There is, indeed, a value in comfort, and this should be a factor when you decide to improve your life.

The Thrifty Senior Citizens' Guide to Eating Healthy

As you get older, eating a healthy diet becomes even more important than when you were young. Seniors need more of certain nutrients, such as vitamin D, calcium, and B vitamins, as well as plenty of protein and fiber. Getting the nutrition you need doesn't have to break the bank, though. With a bit of planning and consideration, you can eat healthy without going over budget. Here's how.

Plan Your Meals

At the start of each week, or before you go grocery shopping, take 30 minutes or so to plan out your meals. Look at what you already have in the pantry or refrigerator and put together a list of simple, easy to prepare meals that use many of the ingredients you already have on hand.

Then, make a list of any additional groceries you'll need to buy to prepare those meals. When you go grocery shopping, stick to your list so that you don't feel tempted to overspend on impulse purchases.

Of course, if you are living in a retirement facility, then it can be harder to plan your own meals. Where possible discuss any nutritional or dietary requirements with the cooking staff to ensure that you get the nourishment you require in a specialized diet.

Shop the Sales (and Use Coupons)

Pretty much every item in the grocery store will go on sale at some time or another. When planning your weekly meals and grocery lists, consult the sales flyers from a few of your favorite stores. Try to only buy foods that are on sale that week.

Combining store sales with coupons can also help you save more on your groceries. Just remember that having a coupon isn't an excuse to buy something. If you wouldn't ordinarily buy an item or if the coupon is for an "unhealthy" food like candy or chips, you're better off not using it and skipping buying that product altogether.

Consider Lower Cost Swaps

Protein is an essential nutrient all throughout your life. It becomes even more necessary as you get older, as many seniors reduce their protein intake or are simply not getting enough. The tricky thing about protein is that many people think it's expensive.

While meats such as beef, chicken, and fish are pricier than other options, they aren't the only way to boost the protein in your diet. Plenty of low-cost foods, such as beans and eggs, are full of protein. If you can't afford meat with every meal, consider swapping in beans or eggs as needed.

Dairy products are also an excellent source of protein and are low cost. Plus, when you consume dairy, you are upping your intake of calcium and vitamin D, which boosts bone health. Look for low-fat dairy products, such as low-fat yogurt, 1 or 2 percent milk, and cottage cheese to increase your protein and calcium consumption without going over budget.

Skip the Processed Foods

While it's true that some processed foods are less expensive at the checkout register than healthy whole foods, those processed foods typically cost more in the long run. If you continue to eat sugary, high fat and high cholesterol foods throughout your life, you have an increased risk for pricey chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

Plus, the extra cost of healthy foods is usually negligible. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that healthy eating cost about $1.50 more per day. If that extra $1.50 per day saves you thousands on future medical bills, it's worth it.

Buy the Store Brand

Generic or store brand food products are typically the same quality as their branded counterparts, but often cost about 25 percent less. Whether you're buying milk, vegetables or other whole foods, trading a name brand for a generic brand can reduce your food spending without you noticing a big difference in taste.

Healthy eating doesn't have to be prohibitively expensive. Paying attention to the foods you eat can help you live a longer, healthier life.