Add 10 Years To Your Life By Breaking These 7 Deadly Habits

Chances are you’ve heard of Dr. Oz. If you haven’t he’s been part of Oprah’s team for a while, is the co-author of the famous You Books and now has his own TV show. I personally agree with a lot of what the Doc says. Not everything….but most of what he says and does I believe has a very positive impact on our coach potato society. So yesterday on his show he mentioned 7 easy lifestyle changes that we can make NOW that he claims will add 10 years to your life. That immediately got my attention. And furthermore, these little habit changes are much more do-able than many of the grandiose resolutions that we all crafted last week.  Another thing that got my attention was that so many of us are unaware that these habits have such a negative impact on our health. So since most of us have vowed to make big changes this year, how about if we make these small lifestyle changes first, it's easier.  Below are the Doctors orders to start following ASAP!

 

Deadly habit 1: Not Stretching In The Morning

Moving your body and releasing stress and stiffness first thing in the morning is critical to preparing for your day.

 

Quick Fix 1: The 6-Minute Stretch

Some experts (like Dr Oz) suggest some gentle yoga poses . I personally have added a 6 min. routine of Pal Dan Gum (Korean Qi Gong – which is included in the “Cellulite Circuits” 12 Week body sculpting solution) to my daily routine about a year ago. It not only loosens me up, but it also helps restore my Qi (Chee = energy). Movements like these will also help center you and get you focused on the day ahead. 

 

Deadly Habit 2: Not Eating Breakfast

If you don’t eat right when you wake up, your body thinks a famine is coming and your metabolism naturally slows down to compensate. Then, when you eat later, your so ravenous that you could to eat your left arm off. Sound familiar?? Consistently missing breakfast is a big time recipe for weight gain, unless you’re on a scheduled intermittent fast day. And that’s a whole other subject.

 

Quick Fix 2: Have A Small Breakfast Ready To Go

Something like a smoothie, Dr. Oz ‘s Magical Breakfast Blaster (minus the soy protein..I prefer a high quality protein powder like Prograde Whey Protein with Stevia) from YOU: On a Diet is a smoothie of blueberries, bananas, psyllium husks, flax, soy protein, and honey. The fiber in the psyllium and flax helps regulate your metabolism throughout the day. Or try peanut butter on sprouted grain bread (Ezekial). It doesn’t have to be big, just a little metabolic kickstart to keep the ghrelin (hunger hormone) away.

 

Deadly Habit 3: Running Late

This is my biggie. For those of you who know me well, I can be the queen of diddle. However, being perpetually late adds unnecessary stress to your life and takes control away from you. And we know how much all of us want to be in control. That added stress can lead to chronic inflammation and high blood pressure, which are linked to all kinds of diseases down the road.

 

Quick Fix 3: Set Your Watch 5 Minutes Ahead

That means your alarm clock too. Somehow though I think I’ve got to add 10 minutes to make up for my chronic hit the snooze affliction. This little trick should help you make appointments and instantly lower your stress levels.

 

 Deadly Habit 4: Mindless Eating

Hitting the vending machine at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, nibbling on a endless bag of nuts, raiding the pantry several times a day or mowing through a bag of chips before we even realized we’ve opened them.  I think we’re all guilty of eating without thinking sometimes.  The problem is that often we are eating out of boredom, for a distraction, or to fill a void that can’t be met by food. And when we fill up on junk, we only add unhealthy calories, gain fat and stress out our liver.

 

Quick Fix 4: Mindful Eating

Everything that we eat in theory should nourish us. And if we pay attention to that and focus and be present with what we eat it will help us meet our health goals and help us get rid of that unwanted fat. A simple solution is to pre-plan meals like in Isabella De Los Rios Diet Solution Program .  (you can get 2 weeks of meal plans FREE for the next week by clicking here), especially snacks. On Sunday night, pack a variety of healthy snacks—12 almonds, 2 tablespoons of cranberries, 5 dark chocolates, assorted veggie sticks (celery, carrots, peppers)—in individual plastic bags for the week ahead. Then at 3pm on any day, you can reach for a baggie and know you are giving your body a beneficial boost.

 

Deadly Habit 5: Becoming A Couch Potato

Flopping down in front of the TV at the end of a long day can feel good, but it’s actually one of the worst things you can do to your body. Your metabolism still needs a little nudge as the evening draws to a close. 

 

Quick Fix 5: Half Hour Of Movement

Do some simple body weight squats while you watch TV, ride a stationary bike, play with the kids or your dog, go for a walk, vacuum the house, do dishes, have a family dance party to some YouTube videos (Lady Ga Ga is my current fav). Just figure out something that you like to get a half hour of movement in after dinner to give your metabolism a little jolt. 

 

Deadly Habit 6: Disconnecting

It’s become very common to pull away from the people who support us exactly the times we need them most. For example: facing a financial hard times, feeling bad about our bodies, losing a job or going through a divorce. The added stress and pent up emotions to already challenging times really leads to big time health issues down the road.

 

 Quick Fix 6: Connect

Human social interaction provides a foundation that holds us all up. So call your mom or sibling, get back in touch with an old friend, make a plan to have tea or coffee with an old work buddy or send a thank you note to your clients. If you surround yourself with good people and support, you can handle the bad times with less stress and add years to your life.

 

Deadly Habit 7: Not Having A Bedtime

This is another biggie for me. Kids have a bed time, but adults fill their evenings with internet, TV, chores and more. Usually collapsing into bed at a different (mostly later) time each night. All over the map bed times not only means fewer hours of sleep, but a lesser quality of sleep, both of which are causes of disease and weight gain.

 

Quick Fix 7: Plan A Bedtime

All of us need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly to maintain good health. However, sleeping well doesn’t usually come easy to most of us. Like anything, it takes practice and your sleep routine is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Count back 7 hours from when you wake up and make that your bedtime. If you get up at 6am then at a minimum you should be heading to bed at 10:30pm. So if you’re still reading and it’s past your bedtime….GET TO BED!