If you ask any doctor about how to live longer, they’ll tell you the classic healthy habits: eat more whole, fresh foods instead of sugary and salty processed foods, quit smoking, drink less alcohol, and exercise regularly. However unsexy such recommendations may be, it’s these routine behaviors—not longevity fads like fancy biometric testing or IV drips of liquid supplements—that have the most evidence behind them for helping you eke out more years and ward off illness too.
Obviously, the difficult part is actually implementing significant lifestyle changes. It’s hard to know where to start…and tempting to just throw up your hands if you don’t have time to implement all of the things. But according to the experts, you don’t actually need to overhaul your life. “I’ve seen in my practice that little changes can make a real difference over time,” Jeffrey Boone, MD, a board-certified internist and founder and medical director of Boone Heart Institute, in Colorado, tells SELF. In fact, approaching all facets of your lifestyle with moderation may be the best tack. “To get too obsessed with one thing or another, whether it’s an extreme diet or excessive exercise routine, is not necessarily a marker of longevity,” Deborah M. According to SELF, Kado is a board-certified internist and the Stanford Longevity Center’s co-director. Continue reading to learn the science behind the small, actually doable actions that doctors who specialize in longevity say can increase longevity. 1. Do a short power walk or get your heart pumping for a couple minutes every day.
Exercise gets top billing in the realm of longevity-boosting habits—its claim to fame has long come from its heart-protective powers, but it’s arguably the number-one thing you can do to safeguard your brain too. Yes, it’s great to abide by the general US guidelines: at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobics per week, as well as strength training on at least a couple days a week. But even much smaller chunks could meaningfully add to your lifespan. A three-year increase in life expectancy has been linked to 15 minutes of light exercise per day, and as little as 20 minutes of vigorous exercise per week can reduce your risk of heart disease death by as much as forty percent. More exercise generally increases those benefits, but the point is, little bits can really add up.
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It’s the reason Dr. Kado says “keeping active” is the most important thing, not necessarily “becoming a gym rat.” Daily walking is one way to do that, she says. And pumping up the intensity of that walk can stretch its benefits: A 2022 study found that notching more high-key exercise (not just more movement in general)—for instance, doing a brisk 7-minute walk versus a 14-minute saunter—is linked with lower heart disease risk.
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Embedding more movement into your everyday routines also counts, even if it’s not capital-E exercise, Joseph Antoun, MD, PhD, MPP, a longevity researcher and CEO of longevity-focused nutritech company L-Nutra, tells SELF. It’s easy to spend the better part of the day relatively immobile, thanks to facets of modern-day society, he points out: We can take an elevator, order food to our door, perhaps toss trash down the chute. Instead, be intentional about, say, opting for the stairs or taking a slightly longer route on your commute or when stepping out to lunch. Better yet if you move with gusto and get a little breathy. Research has shown that in folks who don’t exercise, doing one- or two-minute bursts of vigorous movement about three or four times a day is linked with 18% lower risk of cancer and as much as 40% reduced risk of dying from cancer and from any other cause (as compared to folks who didn’t do the intense activity spurts).
- Eat breakfast (yes, each morning).
It turns out, the age-old adage about breakfast being the most important meal of the day has some real credence—it could help you live longer. Numerous studies have demonstrated that skipping this initial intake of food can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke development or death. And on the flip side, regularly eating breakfast has been tied to lower overall and heart-related mortality, particularly when that meal includes fiber.
At a basic physiological level, we’re designed to function best with an influx of fuel in the morning, Dr. Antoun points out. “Breakfast nourishes your essential organs when they need it the most.” You have to power your brain and heart for the day of thinking and moving ahead of you. It may also kickstart your metabolism, helping your cells better respond to insulin (a hormone that tells them to take up sugar from your blood). There’s also a bit of evidence that routinely noshing on that morning meal can quiet inflammation and reduce blood pressure. By contrast, skipping breakfast could set off your stress response (by starving your body when it needs energy), ticking your blood pressure up. In addition, it may cause you to consume more food later in the day, which is also associated with increased mortality, possibly because it disrupts your circadian rhythm. 3. Include some more vibrant plants in your diet. By lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and a variety of cancers, incorporating more whole plant foods into your diet may help you live longer. That effect probably springs in part from the nutrients you’re getting from fruits and veg (like vitamins, minerals, and fiber) and in part from what you’re consuming less of (like not-so-healthy animal fats and sugary or salty packaged products). But if you’re looking for the most longevity bang for your buck, it may be wise to focus especially on the deeply and brightly colored plants, according to Michael Greger, MD, lifestyle medicine physician, author of How Not to Age, and founder of NutritionFacts.org.
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He calls out dark leafy greens (like kale, spinach, and arugula) and berries, in particular, as longevity powerhouses. Research has linked eating 80 to 100 grams of these greens (two to three cups raw or half a cup cooked) daily with a 25% lower risk of overall mortality and a slower rate of cognitive decline with age. Additionally, compared to avoiding them, people who consume a variety of berries have a 21% lower risk of dying from any cause. One possible explanation is Antioxidants, which have the ability to lessen inflammation at the underlying cause of many chronic diseases, are abundant in these and other vividly colored plants. (In particular, they assist in neutralizing volatile free radicals, which can accumulate in the body due to stress, sun exposure, or the wear and tear of daily life.) Advertisement
The leafy greens could also offer an extra dose of protection for your heart. Naturally occurring nitrates are abundant in them, Dr. Greger notes. The body can turn these compounds into nitric oxide, which basically acts like a chill pill for your heart, helping relax blood vessels and boost circulation. It’s no wonder a 2024 review of studies found that even a “moderate” intake (less than a serving per day on average) of these greens is linked with a 15% reduction in heart disease risk and nearly 50% lower risk of dying from it. - A handful of nuts should be your go-to snack. A couple studies tracking the health outcomes of daily nut-eaters have found that this group has up to a 20% lower death rate than their nut-avoiding peers. And a 2022 review on the topic concluded that munching on 28 grams (a palm-sized scoop) of nuts per day is linked with a 22% reduction in mortality from any cause. It’s the reason Dr. Greger names routine nut intake among his top diet tips for longevity (for folks who aren’t allergic).
Since eating nuts on a regular basis is also associated with significantly lower odds of getting or dying from heart disease and stroke, in particular, a significant portion of that increase in lifespan is probably due to nuts’ cardiovascular benefits. Why? They have a few components, like bioactive plant compounds and unsaturated fats, that lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, which lowers your risk of plaque buildup in your arteries. Among their healthy fats are the oft-lauded omega-3 fatty acids, which also help lower inflammation and support the function of your blood vessels. Not to mention, nuts are packed with antioxidant vitamins and minerals that could lend a hand to your heart and other body systems too.
These longevity-enhancing benefits can be obtained by snacking on nuts on a regular basis, but Dr. Greger points out. These super-nuts are especially high in omega-3s and antioxidants, so they’re a smart choice whether you prefer them solo or as part of a mix. - At night, keep your bedroom cool. Anything that helps you conk out and sleep soundly each night can also help you live longer—research has shown that regularly getting quality shuteye can add two to five years to your life expectancy. Keeping the temperature of your bedroom a brisk 60 to 67°F is one way to shuttle your body more quickly into snoozeland and help you get more deep (or slow-wave) sleep, Dr. Antoun says, which is where the longevity magic happens.
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