The secret to longevity is 'one light, two strong, three good', anyone can do it

Based on years of medical advice,Health Timesfound that people who follow the secret of "one light, two strong, three good" will have good health and live long.

“One Light” - A Frugal Diet

People nowadays like to eat salty, spicy and other strong spices, leading to more and more chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. If you want to live long, the first thing you need to consider is having a light diet.

Daily meals should be light, with little oil or spices. Photo: Aboluowang

Doctor Trieu Yen, Deputy Director of the Department of Nutrition, Qi Lu Hospital, Shandong University (China), said that a frugal diet does not mean only being vegetarian and not eating meat, but should follow "4 reductions and 1 addition": less oil, less salt, less sugar, less spicy and "1 addition" is diversifying food.

Diversify your diet to include as many ingredients as possible, such as cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, soy products, etc. In addition, protein-rich foods should be eaten in moderation. Meals should include enough rice, vegetables, meat, and fish to ensure comprehensive nutrition for the body.

"Two shoulds" - Drink water and take a nap

Drink water

According to a survey of centenarians in Jiangsu Province, China, more than 70% of centenarians like to drink water. Most of them have the habit of drinking water in the morning, and nearly 90% of them often drink plain water.

Professor Li Fuxing of the Beijing Institute of Drinking Water for Public Health said that drinking 6 or 8 glasses of water is actually the minimum amount of water needed. For everyone, don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water, at this point your body is already damaged, so you should actively replenish water.

For the elderly, due to decreased functions, they rarely feel thirsty. It is important to proactively replenish water, especially drinking enough water before eating in the morning.

Drinking enough water is very important for the body. Photo: Aboluowang

Take a nap every day

Maintaining the habit of taking a nap every day not only maintains abundant energy but also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

2019 study published in the journalHeartshowed that people who took occasional naps (once or twice a week) were less likely to have a stroke or heart failure than those who did not nap at all.

It should be noted that the nap time should not be too long. A nap at noon should be half an hour, not more than an hour, which is very good for physical and mental recovery.

"Three good" - Good attitude, good physical condition, good sleep

Good attitude

Many diseases are associated with the stimulation of adverse mental factors, which affect the body's biochemical metabolism and impair immune function.

A new study in the journalPNASfound that optimists were more likely to live long and healthy lives, reaching age 85 or beyond. Among them, the optimistic group lived about 10% longer than the non-optimistic group.

Furthermore, if a person always maintains an optimistic and positive attitude, it will be easier to escape from troubles, psychological pressure will be relieved, and inner harmony will be higher.

Keep in shape

Excess body fat increases the risk of many diseases. Therefore, maintaining a balanced body shape is very important for health and longevity.

Expert Tran Vi, Deputy Director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, explained that obesity affects all organ systems in the body, causing diseases such as diabetes, gout, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and digestive system.

Furthermore, a study published in the journalInternational CancerIn 2018, a study of 40 million people found that obesity increases the risk of 18 cancers, including endometrial and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Good sleep

If you want to live long, you need to get enough sleep. In October 2020, the Hangzhou Municipal Health and Wellness Commission released data on centenarians in Hangzhou. Ms. Lu Rongyi, born in July 1911, is the oldest person in Hangzhou. Talking about the secret to longevity, Ms. Lu said, go to bed early. Many young people do not sleep but play with their phones at night, which is really bad.

In fact, going to bed early and waking up early has many benefits such as increasing immunity, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, depression... Therefore, you should go to bed before 11pm.