The Key to Living Younger Longer

If you’ve ever wondered what ingredients make for a long and healthy life, you’re not alone. Humans have been fascinated with finding the key to living longer and staying younger for centuries, and it’s no surprise that mountains of research has been done on the subject.

Fortunately for us, Dr Norman Swan has been busy curating the best of this research, much of which he details in his new book ‘So you want to live younger longer? The ultimate guide to longevity from Australia’s most trusted doctor.’

And some more good news, as I learned at Swan’s conversation at the Sydney Writer Festival, is that we can start shifting towards healthier habits at any age! So we’re never past making positive changes for our future selves.

If you’re interested in the subject of longevity, here is a brief glimpse into the fantastic advice you’ll find within Swan’s book.

Eat like the long-living Greek Australians!

A key ingredient to a longer life is the ingredients we cook with.

Eating plenty of fresh food is a great place to start if you want to prolong your life. Cooking good food in moderate heat with plenty of fresh ingredients like herbs, garlic and onions with extra virgin olive oil not only makes for a tasty meal, but the culinary process of heating the food releases far more bioactives than eating them raw.

We should also all aim to include prebiotics and probiotics within our diet. And make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin C!

In Deakin University’s study, the researchers discovered first-generation Greek Australians are the second longest-living people in the world. Many of them have a backyard or allotments to grow their own herbs and veggies, which also has the benefit of requiring more natural physical exercise.

Secondly, these fresh ingredients have the potential for high levels of anti-ageing compounds (bio-actives and antioxidants). Finally, even their cooking style is potentially healthier; their tendency to slowly heat their food minimises browning and burning, which could encourage pro-ageing compounds. 

The Greek Australian diets tend to consist of many vegetables, and much of their protein comes from fish, chickpeas, and legumes rather than ultra-processed foods.

And finally, they share their delicious fresh food with family or friends. And social support is significant for living longer and younger. The Japanese have the most octogenarians, specifically within the Okinawa islands, and they share similar eating habits.

Here are a few more tips for staying young

Keep moving

We all know movement is essential for both our present mindset and our future selves, but it never hurts to be reminded.

Swan recommends exercising as intensively as you are allowed to and for as many days of the week as possible. In addition, we should all include intentional strengthening of our muscles within our weekly exercise routine.

Thankfully, you don’t need to go to the gym (unless you want to!), as you can do bodyweight exercises or use dumbbells at home. In addition, there are plenty of free workouts on YouTube you can follow along with.

Progressive overload, whereby you keep progressively increasing the weights, speed or length of your workout, is also an essential part of the routine. So when 3kg weights get too easy, ensure you up the weight to 4 or 5kg!

Exercise promotes lung and brain health and happier hearts, and also affects every cell in our bodies. So if you’ve been searching for the fountain of youth, you’ll be happy to know that the exercise you took while trying to find it is the only elixir you need!

Read more: An easy way to get more movement in your day.

Getting enough good-quality sleep

It’s worth working out your individual sleep needs and, from there, maintaining regular sleep and waking times. Our sleep quality is vital, so we want to aim for unbroken sleep and to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.

Good sleep hygiene, such as sleeping in a darkened room and not allowing screens in the bedroom, is vital for good-quality sleep - especially if you struggle to switch off.

Dont neglect your psychological wellbeing.

The brain runs everything. When you’re lonely or stressed, it can make other essential aspects of healthy living harder.

Studies suggest that warm, conscientious people who are energised by the world around them and are generally positive tend to live longer lives. They’re also less prone to irritability, anger, anxiety and depression.

Studies with people of all ages show that when on the days when the stress is piling on or when we feel unwell, we automatically feel older. What happens in your mind affects your body, and what happens in the body affects your mind.

Focus on the things you can control

When we start feeling helpless, it can be beneficial to focus on the agency we have over our lives. When you feel in control of your life, it’s easier to control chronic stress and anxiety.

So try to focus on the things you can control (and not the things you can’t) - whether it’s planning for the future or just the decisions you make today.

Environment matters

As you can see in the case of the Greek Australian families, their environment naturally nudges them towards healthy habits, such as eating good food and having plenty of social contacts. Most of us can relate to being more likely to make a wholesome home-cooked meal when we have friends staying. However, it can be much harder to make an effort when we’re lonely and stressed.

Where possible, look at your environment, and see what small changes you can make which will nudge you to make healthier decisions in a straightforward and accessible way.

Read more: How to be happier - ‘environment is everything.’

Summary: Living Longer, Younger

Staying healthy for longer can be shaped by habits we make in our day-to-day lives, from eating well and socialising often to looking after our physical and mental health with good sleep, exercise, and healthy habit formation.

If you’d like more detailed information on how to live a healthier life, then Dr Norman Swan’s book, ‘So you want to live younger longer? The ultimate guide to longevity from Australia’s most trusted doctor will give you some fantastic motivation for getting started.