I'll first start with discussing how to life a long life, although living a long life without purpose is not really living at all and in fact it is hard to live a long life without having a reason for living.
The secret to living a long life will seem obvious to most people. In fact I think that if you wanted to sum the secret up, I'd simply tell you that the secret to living a longer life is to live your grown up life as you did when you were a child.
The most important aspect of this is STAYING ACTIVE. Children run around all day going from activity to activity seemingly to never tire.
Take a moment and close your eyes. What do you feel? Exhausted? Tired? Worn out?
Do children feel these? No sir! Children cry when told to go to bed, and they hate nap time in school. I'm sure you can remember those days...when you were made to go to bed at 8:30pm!
even though the next morning you would promptly wake up at 5-6am and watch cartoons. This is a healthy habit the adults implement, but rarely follow.
Grown ups? I bet if you're anything like me (before I realized the "secret") that you would LOVE to have nap time at work.
So how do you get this energy of the young? There are many small ways to do this, such as having a consistent sleep pattern, eating healthy, exercising, taking daily vitamins etc. Even drinking more water can help! The MOST important way to do it however, that will make a BIG change will be discussed later.
Sleep Pattern
Do you ever experience days where your body is just not willing to go to sleep? You lie awake staring at the ceiling wondering why you cannot go to sleep. This is because you have not developed an effective system of sleeping. Your body and brain doesn't know what to expect in an unroutined cycle . You might tell yourself to go to bed at whatever time, but your body and brain might be completely confused if it's different from before.
It is essential to develop a consistent sleep pattern. Is this hard to do? Not particularly. However, you may have to change your lifestyle to a large degree depending on how you currently live. If you party during the weekends, going to bed at 4-5am in the morning, then there's a big chance that you will feel exhausted during the week and unable to go to bed at a "normal" time. Unless of course, you go to bed at 4-5am EVERYDAY. Consistency is the key.
Sleep is a time for your body to regenerate. Without regeneration, it's hard to survive. And without consistency, it's hard to sleep deeply.
Sleeping well is also of great importance. Have you ever had the nights where you sleep 9-10 hours, and yet when you finally get up you feel groggy? Simply put, this is because you didn't sleep well. To sleep well you need to develop a routine. The best way to do this is to go to bed at whatever time you feel tired at. It shouldn't take you longer than 10-15 minutes to fall asleep. And then to wake up at a set time, say 5-6am. Rise with the sun.
It's amazing how much more productive you can become after implementing these strategies. You'll feel better, be healthier, add productivity to your life, and have more energy.
Exercise
It's amazing how many people simply do not participate in any cardio activity during a week! Even taking a walk around the block everyday can make a significant difference. Most people have excuses to skip out on it; the biggest excuse being that "I don't have time." Twenty four hours is a VERY long time and you can accomplish many many things in that time. (Take a look at the article How to Get Things done, which will also save you time during the day.) On top of that, if you develop a consistent sleeping schedule you'll gain ~1 hour a day! With that extra hour you should work out in some way, if you don't already.
There are many many different ways to work out. Sign up for a dance class, or play some racquetball, or just simply go outside and walk around for a while!
Having a partner while doing this can be very beneficial in both getting you out and also in enjoying your time working out. Joining some sort of club is a fantastic way to have fun, meet new interesting people who share the same interests that you do, and also get the work out that your body NEEDS.
Exercise not only helps you physically; it is proven to release endorphins that make you feel happier/less depressed. Exercising helps not only your physical body, but also your mental mind.
And also exercise the brain. When it comes to your brain the phrase "use it or lose it" is very frightening real. Most memory and motor skills are lost to old age due to inactivity and lack of stimulation.
Eating Healthy
I just recently realized the importance of eating healthy. I used to eat ramen noodles with hot Cheeto's every week day for lunch. I was short winded and tired ALL the time. I'd fall asleep in class and even couldn't stay awake during movies. But then I changed..
While changing my sleep schedule, I also decided to eat HEALTHY! And the improvements have been vast. I'm livelier and more energetic.
Many times I would attempt to have a conversation with someone on the bus while riding to classes, this being like 10-15 minutes right after I had woken up. And let me tell you, it was a CHORE. Again this was because I was exhausted...all the time. The reason I bring this up is because changing this little things will make differences over all aspects of your life.
Now I eat veggies and fruits every single day. I also eat a healthy breakfast.
Before, I would just run out the door barely even having my clothes on. My motto was sleep as much as possible (this included skipping out on breakfast). Man oh man.......was I totally wrong.
I would fall asleep all the time and have no energy.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I absolutely believe that 100%!
Eat healthy, live longer!
The Big One
These listed above are minor things to make small improvements in your living. To get the vitality and energy of the youth you have to find a REASON to get out of bed in the morning; a reason to stay healthy and exercise; a reason...to keep on going. Why are you going to school, taking classes, or going to work? Is it because of social tendencies? Or is it because you are meant to be there? Do you look forward to it each day? Or is it just another day? Without a purpose these questions can be very very depressing.
Find that reason!
I heard a story (don't know if it's true or not) about Chinese men who are in prison and they die for no apparent reason. It's like they simply gave up on life out of utter loneliness and depression.
So I figure, if you're reading this (meaning you're not dead), then you have a reason for living. Finding this reason can be very very difficult, but it's essential.
I believe a good way to find that reason is to simply follow your dreams. (I will be discussing this in greater detail in an article I'm currently writing....it's going to be a long one!)
So in conclusion,
Sleep well, Eat well, Reason well, and Live well!
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