How we start the morning doesn’t just impact the rest of the day—it can change our lives, especially when it comes to health and longevity. One study showed that adopting a few good habits could add 24 years to your life. “There’s a 20-year period in which you can make these changes, whether you do it gradually or all at once,“ lead study author Xuan-Mai Nguyen, a health science specialist for the Million Veteran Program at the VA Boston Healthcare System, tells CNN. “We also did an analysis to see if we eliminated people with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke, cancer, and the like, does it change the outcome? And it really didn’t. So, if you start off with chronic diseases, making changes does still help.” No matter your age, it’s never too late to make changes that will yield long-term benefits—and while it isn’t always easy, it is straightforward. Here are simple morning habits that can add years to your life, according to experts.
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Sleep
Olena Yakobchuk/ShutterstockThe importance of sleep on health and wellness cannot be overstated—research shows men who get enough sleep live five years longer than those who don’t. “Sleep is restorative,” cardiologist Virend Somers, MD, PhD, tells Mayo Clinic Press. “During sleep, your brain and body perform many critical tasks important for overall health.” People who don’t get enough sleep have been shown to have higher blood pressure. “That’s how powerful sleep deprivation can be,” says Dr. Somers. “Even when a sleep-deprived person is able to sleep deeply, blood pressure is still higher.”
Exercise
Exercise is one of the most significant behavioral factors for health and longevity—even a small workout yields benefits. Working out first thing in the morning is ideal, as you have it out of the way early. “Morning workouts help reduce the possibility for obstacles to present themselves,” Jasmin Theard, ACSM HFS,tells Piedmont Health. “There is also less opportunity to make excuses.”When you get up and exercise, you establish a healthier mindset, which makes you more mindful of what you eat during the day.”
Healthy Breakfast
iStock / Arx0ntDiet is very important when it comes to longevity. Eating a protein-filled breakfast encourages satiety and could help prevent you from making unhealthy food choices for the rest of the day. “Eating a diet that’s rich in protein is important for your muscle health,” Allegra Picano, RDN, tells Henry Ford Health. “And the more muscle mass you build, the faster your metabolism is and the easier it is to maintain a healthy weight.”
Meditate
insta_photos / ShutterstockStudies show meditation positively impacts both mental and physical health. Meditation is a very effective method of stress management, which in turn encourages weight loss. “These benefits don't end when your meditation session ends,” says the Mayo Clinic. “Meditation can help take you more calmly through your day. And meditation may help you manage symptoms of some medical conditions.”
Don’t Smoke
Bokeh Blur Background / ShutterstockStarting your day off with a cigarette is one of the worst things you can do for your health. “Cigarette smoking causes premature death,” says the CDC. “Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers. Quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%.”
Get Some Sunlight and Fresh Air
ShutterstockGoing outside in the morning offers incredible health benefits. “Outdoor daylight and/or sunlight are clearly beneficial to the health of the circadian timing system because of the intensity and spectral composition of the light falling on the eyes,” says Moore-Ede. “This helps to prevent circadian disruption and thus reduce the risk of multiple diseases, increasing lifespan. So simply going outside each day, without needing to sunbathe or expose large areas of skin, should be part of everyone’s daily routine. As an added plus, if you do it in the morning, before the midday sun, you get the strongest circadian boost and also minimize the risk of skin cancer.”
Pack Your Lunch
iStockA healthy diet is so much easier to stick to when you spend a little bit of time preparing your meals—for example, packing a lunch. “With anything in life, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. That applies to meal planning as well,” registered dietitianSilvia Veri tells Beaumont Health. “Planning meals and snacks ahead of time increases the chance for success, it increases the likelihood a healthier food choice will be made.”
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Take a Walk
ShutterstockSimply taking a walk may add years to your life—and it doesn’t have to be 10,000 steps, experts say. “It’s always better to get moving at all, and even if it’s only 2,500 steps at first, that’s definitely better than none at all,” Christiane Mensching, a specialist in general medicine, geriatrics, preventive medicine, and health promotion in Berlin, tells Vogue. “I would recommend incorporating walking naturally into everyday life if possible… Metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or diabetes can be improved by movement, or, in the best case, can help us not develop those issues in the first place.” And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss these 10 Best Cities to Live in Based on Quality of Life.
