The participants were 45- to 79-year-old men and women who filled out surveys about their diet, lifestyle and health. They also had regular checkups from a nurse.
The Findings
- Eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day was worth 5 years of life.
- Not smoking was worth 4 to 5 years of extra life.
- A moderate increase in exercise was worth 3 years of added life.
Note: For exercise, people with office jobs would need to exercise for an hour a day. People with more active jobs needed to add less exercise -- only 30 minutes a day.
Make It Happen
To make these changes, you should start slowly and build every day. Begin with adding just a few minutes of exercise each day. Once that feels stable, add 5 minutes. Keep going slowly, but never go backwards. Same with making changes in your diet. For quitting smoking, you'll need a bit more of a plan. Here are some resources for you to eat better, exercise more and quit smoking:- Learn to Love Exercise
- Learn to Love Cooking
- Healthy Eating Principles
- Smoking and Longevity
- Healthy Eating Tips
Sources:
UK Health Department. Small Change, Big Difference.
