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Live Better.  Live Longer.  This actually used to be the tagline for one of my businesses.  It’s not simply about just living “better,” whatever that may mean to each person.  Nor is it only about living longer.  The two must be present in tandem.  A better, longer life.

Living better does mean a variety of things to different people.  I have a great friend who touts the phrase, “Feel good, be good, and DO GOOD” as her email signature.  Absolutely!  She has hit the nail on the head.  Living better incorporates feeling good for ourselves, which ultimately is the end result of being good and doing good for others and ourselves.

Research is now showing…surprise, surprise…that living better truly does lead to a a longer life.  And, if we’re going to live longer, certainly that extended time on earth should feel and be pretty darn great!

Scientifically, published in The Huffington Post, here are the secrets:

How To Live Longer And Better: Surprising Secrets Of A Long Life.

1. Give More To Live More
It’s no secret that people with a strong social support system tend to live longer. But it turns out that it’s not what your friends and family do for you; it’s what you do for them that counts. Among Terman’s subjects, the men and women who liked to lend a helping hand — the ones who cared for their neighbors, the ones whom others turned to for advice — lived the longest.

2. Run The Rat Race
Everyone fantasizes about a job that isn’t stressful, never follows her home, and complements her personality and interests. But the ideal work life won’t necessarily extend your life. Study participants who persevered toward accomplishment despite high levels of stress and responsibility lived longer than the people who worked at their “dream jobs.”

3. Train Without Pain
Forcing yourself to follow grueling fitness regimens can shed inches, but it may not add years. In the long term, you’re more likely to stick with low-impact activities you truly enjoy than rigorous workouts you dread. Moderate swimming, a leisurely bike ride, and hour-long walks with the dog do as much good for your health — and survival — as an eight-minute mile.

4. Fret A Little
Think good things and good things will happen, right? Not necessarily. Friedman and Martin found that too much optimism could be as detrimental to longevity as high cholesterol and hypertension. Always assuming the best, they say, may leave you unequipped to deal with the worst — such as trauma or illness. A little worry keeps you warmed up for the curveballs life throws.

5. Have More Fun In Bed
Almost 60 years before “Sex and the City,” Terman got women to talk about their sexual satisfaction, the average amount of time they spent being intimate with their husbands, and the frequency of their orgasms. The records show that the women who most often reached climax most often lived longer.

SO, in the end, give more, stick it out, be gentle with yourself, AND, be real.  It’s okay to have a bad day once in a while.  Give yourself a break – give yourself some LOVE – and live a better life!  Oh, and of course, don’t forget to throw in some fun between the sheets…

4 thoughts on “Live Better. Live Longer.”

  1. Someone told me recently that a research study at Stanford determined that the four most important factors for a long, happy life were as follows:
    Purpose—feeling that you have a purpose in life
    Conscientiousness — accepting accountability for everything you do
    Resilience — Being able to recover from grief
    Sweat — Sweat on your brow from physical exertion once a day

    1. That is most excellent! I completely agree. The question is – if you’re not happy in life, which factor is it that you’re missing most? Is it one or a combination of two or more? What are strategies to change any of these aspects in our lives that are not quite living up to snuff? Great food for thought.

      1. Well, I think it is fairly simple. If those four factors are that significant, it should not be hard to determine what is missing. Probably the trickiest one is knowing that you can overcome grief. The hardest one has to be purpose. It is not easy to find purpose in one’s life. Some people can accept simple things as purpose but many constantly search for the grand purpose. The second hardest thing is sweat. As you observe the general population, you can see that not many people sweat from intentional, physical exertion.

        Fulfilling any of these that are missing is very difficult and susceptible to trying too hard. Trying too hard is probably the hugest barrier to achieving anything.

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