Top 15 Weirdest Ways to Live Longer

lifespan seem to be too simple and a little bit indulging. For example, you may decide to live for a while in an inn a mountain area, do your job really hard and at the same time try not to concentrate too much on meals – get a little starved, also you have to try to make yourself to keep up in a good mood as much time as it’s possible. Or you may try to plan your future well ahead to stay calm and concentrated while spending your work and leisure time in a most effective way, also some experts advice to find a job that really fits you and brings fun, enjoyment or good professional self-realization.

#1. Living in a mountain area

Life in a mountain area is believed to make a life prolonging effect - people living on mountains live longer. It’s as simple as that. Whether you’re talking about long-lived communities in the US, seven out of ten of which are in high-country Colorado counties, or the tiny Sardinian mountain town of Ovodda, where as many men as women live to be 100, there can be little question that that fresh mountain air does you good.

#2. Allow yourself little stress and be a hard-working person

Working really hard and be stressed while getting less sleep surprisingly also are both life prolonging factors. People who work well into the later years of their life have been shown to live longer than those slackers who don’t. Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara of Japan turned 101 on 4th October 2012 proved in his 15 books that there is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 years old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100…

#3. Keep on getting new skills and raising your qualifications

The more qualifications you have, the higher your life expectancy, according to research at the University of Arkansas. The less well-educated are more likely to smoke, which increases the risk of heart disease and cancer, and they are more likely to work in jobs with a high risk of injury, say the researchers. According to Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara from Japan also gives an advise keep spreading the knowledge to others. Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.

#4  Try to prevent obesity - starve yourself to win extra couple of years

So, starve yourself to life? Maybe. How much you’ll enjoy that life without your favorite nibbles is another question. Vary your diet. For example, you may include in your meals garlic. Garlic has been found to reduce blood pressure, prevent cancer, and boost the immune system. Or start Mediterranean diet. It’s revered for its health-boosting properties but researchers have calculated that the eating regime could add an extra three years to your life.

#5 Eat chocolate

According to research from Harvard University, people who eat chocolates and sweets live longer than those who avoid them altogether - but only if they eat them in moderation. The study of 8,000 men found that eating sweets three times a month up live up to three times longer than those who eat too much or abstain completely. Chocolate contains chemicals called phenols, which are thought to protect against heart disease and cancer. Besides, chocolate helps to keep up in a good mood.

#6 Good deeds make life longer

One of the ways to help yourself is to help others. A review of more than thirty longitudinal studies carried out by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that volunteering increases your life expectancy significantly, especially if you’re doing it for purely altruistic reasons. Having friends around you in your old age also helps you live longer. Strong family relations are also leading to the longer life years.

#7 Find your ways to feel good

Bring something good into this world. Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It’s best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

#8 Be a positive thinker

A glass-half-full mentality could be the answer to a fuller life. A study of almost 4,000 52 to 79-year-olds, conducted by the University College, London, revealed that those who reported higher levels of contentment and a positive outlook had a 35% lower risk of premature death. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the US found that optimistic people live about 12 years longer than pessimistic ones. Pessimists are more prone to viral illnesses, such as colds and flu. They are also less likely to carry out the essential self-examinations that detect breast or skin cancer, while positive thinkers are more likely to take health advice, say the researchers.

#9 Learn a foreign language

A well-functioning brain is key to a long and happy life. Good brain function is an important ingredient of healthy longevity. Ability to speak 2 or more languages ensures good brain function. This ability delays the onset of Dementia (loss of memory due to old age) and also slows the onset of Alzheimer’s (Loss of memory due to disease mostly during middle age) - two fatal mental diseases. A study of 200 patients showed that those who had spoken two or more languages for many years had delayed onset of Alzheimer’s, in some cases up to five years. Speaking two languages creates a greater brain reserve, or ability to function normally despite damage. Well known such cognitive benefits of bilingualism as better executive function. This effect was seen even in people who had learned another language even as an adult.

#10 Get rich or die trying

If you want to live a long time, think again. Wealth and long, healthy living is positively correlated all around the world. Poorer countries have predictably lower life expectancies because their governments have less money to spend on health care, but even within rich countries the rich live longer than the poor. Hence work hard and get rich if you really want to live a longer and healthier life.

#11 Find your belief in a religion

A few studies have proven that those who follow some religion live longer than atheists. This might either be due to stronger social support among the religious communities or due to direct divine intervention. Many studies have shown a positive correlation between religious belief and good health. In a meta-analysis of 42 independent studies Michael E. McCullough of the National Institute for Healthcare. Research found that the likelihood of mortality when participants were followed up was higher among the non-religious group.

#12 Have fun and don’t get crazy on material things

Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke’s we have music and animal therapies, and art classes. Don’t be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don’t know when your number is up, and you can’t take it with you to the next place.

#13 Dive into Taoist sexual practices

Couples with a healthy sex life can look up to seven years younger than those who don't, according to a study by Dr David Weeks at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. This is because sex reduces stress, leads to greater contentment and better sleep. In the past, people tried many different methods to promote their longevity. For example, some of ancient Taoist sexual practices, if performed correctly, are supposed to confer immortality? Over the centuries humans have tried to live longer by eating such things as rattlesnakes, caterpillar fungus and bee pollen. They’ve drunk mercury, tea mushroom extract and colostrum, the first milk of new mothers.

#14 Clone yourself or grow new body parts

When you die, it’s often just one vital part of your body that fails, while the rest of you is in good working order. The technology to do this is already here. Doctors have been growing new skin for years, and have recently branched out into trickier organs such as the heart and bladder. The advantage of this technology is that the tissue is grown from the patient’s own cells, so there is no risk of rejection. A small sect of scientists also believe that cloning humans is the key to a longer life.

#15 Train your brain

Improve your brain performance and live a better life. Now with the help of modern computer technologies you may build your Personalized Training Program. It is aimed at enhancing memory function and attention. As it is a Web-based personalized training program it can help you to track changes in your brain performance.

Jane Polevaya