5 Things You Need To Live A Long, Healthy, & Happy Life
Megan Swan
Wellness Coach + Consultant | Strategic Wellness for Female Founders, Leaders & Modern Corporations | Sober Mom | Impact Angel Investor
"Well the new science is clear in terms of epigenetics.? We now understand that the version of this debate we were taught 30 years ago in biology class isn’t true.? Genes are inherited but how they will be expressed is almost entirely based on lifestyle choices.? That is to say that what we inherit more often than not are bad lifestyle choices, as well as the genes, but changing the outcome is almost entirely in our control. Sure, there are rare genetic diseases that are exceptions, but for the most part we can dramatically change our life blueprint and what genes are expressed by making better lifestyle choices, ie. how we nurture ourselves.? ? Furthermore, we now know that it isn’t just our habits that affect how our genes are expressed, our habits can even change our genes and then in turn pass on better genes to the next generation.? In short, there is no real debate anymore, your choices are your responsibility and you have the power to change your healthspan and that of future generations."
It is #cancerawarenessmonth and it is time to be honest with ourselves, because cancer does not develop overnight. Lifestyle choices are the number one contributor and also the number one thing within your control to change.
Have you stopped to ask yourself lately what you want out of life?? Do you consider how your daily choices are impacting your ability to live not only a long life but a healthy one right up until the end?? I know I want to be around for my children’s and grandchildren’s lives as long as possible and I don’t want to burden them with having to stress about taking care of me because I couldn’t be bothered to make wise choices in my 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.?
Here are my recommendations for living A Long, Healthy, & Happy Life which will in turn extend your healthspan, not just your lifespan from an interview I recently did with Savio P. Clemente, NBC-HWC for Authority Magazine :
Excerpt:
What are “5 Things You Need To Live A Long & Healthy Life”?
A steady, compassionate and soft approach to health and wellness.? Life is a marathon, not a sprint.? Therefore we need to adopt a version of wellness practices that are so integrated into our lifestyle that they become a way of life and not feel like a series of extra things we have on our to-do list everyday. ? That is to say that we look at taking care of ourselves as a joy. Maybe the practice itself doesn’t bring us joy, but we enjoy feeling better afterwards, similar to brushing our teeth.? In time, we might find joy in the practice itself in unexpected ways as our experience deepens, for example I didn’t used to be excited about lifting weights, but now that I am much stronger I appreciate that when I need to lift heavy suitcases or my growing boys I can.? In addition I enjoy now after years of HIIT workouts tuning in more deeply to the movements of the specific muscles that I am working and knowing my body on another level.? What made this progression all possible was having a certain level of discipline combined with a zero-judgment attitude when I didn’t get to the practice, an ebb and flow perspective if you will.? For example, when my husband and I are both home (he travels a lot)? we do a program of a couple weeks consistently, then we take a week or two off, I’ll do more of my own yoga or pilates practice instead.? This way I am moving my body 5-6 days a week, but very flexible on what my routine looks like.? Sometimes it is simply a 5 minute dance break!? So movement is a thread I wish to weave into my life almost everyday, but I’m not dogmatic about it so that doesn’t seem like a ‘have to’ but a ‘get to.’?
A personalized wellness lifestyle, because there is no-one-size-fits all wellness. ?Similarly to taking an ebb and flow approach to your routines I think it is so important that we understand that not every health and wellness practice is meant for us, no lifestyle works exactly the same way for everyone.? In addition, we need to, through trial and error, a better personal understanding of how to make our routines truly ours.? This is because there is such diverse bio-individuality, we require different things and different intensities of those things depending on age, gender, level of activity level, profession, geographical location, current state of health, blood type, time of the year, and for women time of the month.? This is why custom, approachable wellness lifestyles are the most sustainable way in which to live a long, healthy and happy lifestyle.? You need to feel good in your mind, body and spirit.? In order to do that we need a certain level of commitment to generally choosing healthy food, moving our body, stress management, sleep and positive relationships but we also need to feel like we are really living!? So it is a delicate ebb and flow of these two dynamics.?
Honor your sleep cycle.? The number one thing we can do to ensure a better quality of life now and our longevity is make sure we are prioritizing our sleep.? I highly recommend Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, quite frankly it will blow your mind how important quality sleep is to our physical, mental and emotional wellness.? One of the key things I work on with clients is to respect our biorythmes and understand when our body, based on our sleep phenotype, wants to sleep.? This can mean we need to adjust our bedtime routine, our last meal of the day, our caffeine intake, and maybe include a stress management practice at the beginning and/or end of our day.??
Breathwork. ?Lung capacity is the number one best predictor of longevity (not genetics, diet or lifestyle).? Aging, breathing toxic chemicals such as household cleaning products or paint, smoking or second-hand smoke and chronic diseases can decrease our lung capacity. ? In contrast, conscious breathing exercises, (even 2 minutes a day!) cardio exercise such as swimming and jogging, and breathing fresh outdoor air help our lungs increase in capacity.? Like most things in the body, it is a use it or lose it scenario, and one thing that is surprising maybe that improves our breathing is chewing more or exercising our jaw muscles. ? It is essential we are breathing through our nose,? not breathing through our mouths.? Nostril breathing is our deepest connection to our environment.? Smell is our oldest sense!? Mouth-breathing on the other hand can lead to snoring, sleep apnea, or ADHD because it leads to decreased oxygen in the blood which can also result in heart attack, memory problems, and depression.? On this topic I highly recommend the book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor.? Insight Timer is a free app that has an extensive library of guided breathwork to choose from to get you started.? I personally love doing the alternate nostril breathing technique when I am feeling stressed.? It helps you to balance your hormones and the masculine and feminine energies in the body.??
More plants!? Eat them, spend time outdoors with them, and bring them inside to clean your air.? After sleep, which is the first pillar of wellness in my 6 pillar system, the second most impactful thing you can do to feel more magnetic energy to live a long, healthy and happy life is incorporate more plants into your diet and in general into your life.? When I say eat more plants that can mean: vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts, legumes, superfoods, whole grains, herbs, spices, roots and seaweed.? In fall and winter we really want to eat more cooked vegetables to help us feel more grounded, boost our immune system and ease our digestion.? Vegetable soups are a great addition to your day: curry carrot, minestrone, tomato basil, and lemongrass Thai soups are my personal favorites.? Incorporating more ginger, garlic and spices are a great way to warm the body, boost immunity, boost your digestive fire and add flavor and life to your food.? In addition, having more household plants to naturally clean your indoor air is a great idea all year round but particularly in the fall and winter when we tend to spend more time indoors.? Get a Snake Plant (also called mother-in-law’s tongue), it is a very resistant plant and removes lots of toxins from the air while you are sleeping at night.? All year round, dress accordingly to make sure you get in a brisk walk in nature at least once a week!? You can go to a nearby park or plan a weekend hike in the country with friends or family.??
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Can you suggest a few things needed to live a life filled with happiness, joy, and meaning?
Sure, well I think first off you need to take the time to get still and listen to that quiet inner voice to ask yourself, ‘what is meaningful to me?’, ‘what gives me purpose?’? Oftentimes when we do this and write down our responses we find out that we are actually already doing it, or that we already have those things.? Sitting in that place of clarity and being grateful for what we have is the most powerful tool to feeling happier on the day to day. ?It is a process and a practice to shift our monkey brains out of the default scarcity mindset we are born and raised into and instead focus on how abundant life is, our life is, and how fortunate we are.? Practicing gratitude daily is a game changing for feeling more happiness and meaning in life.??
Joy on the other hand is a different thing.? I recommend to most clients that they schedule at least 1 hour of joy on the calendar each week.? You can do this with family or friends, but at least once and a while I think it is important to do it on your own.? So ‘joy’ on the calendar can look like bubble bath with favorite bath salts, favorite album, and a cup of chai tea to sip…or it can look like taking flying lessons, or coloring, taking an art class or dance class.? Something that your 7 year old self would think was fun, or excites you, or allows you to find a way to express yourself fully.?
Read the full interview here .?
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?? TEDx Speaker | Board-Certified Wellness Coach for Cancer Survivors | ?? Media Journalist | Best-Selling Author | Empowering Industry Leaders in Health & Wealth | Let's Amplify Your Voice! ??
2 年This is such a wonderful interview Megan Swan. It's chock full of approachable steps. Thank you!
Public Speaking is my jam! Content creation, audience engagement, community development are my passions. Follow me as I learn out loud - solving, innovating, and launching ideas with creative flair.
2 年I'm a cancer survivor! Thank you for sharing this. xoxo
Lifestyle and Shopping Writer
2 年This is great Megan Swan ! Such awesome reminders which we all always need!