Many factors can gauge average life expectancy, but what’s the most important? What is the key to a long and enjoyable life? Eugenio Pallisco says it’s mostly your physical fitness.
The Importance of Diet
A race car is a purpose-built machine, but to take the win, it needs the best fuel for peak performance. Your body is much the same; power it with the best you can give, and your body will perform as designed.
Your body needs certain nutrients to function at its best, and the best way to give it what it needs is to consume foods in which those nutrients occur naturally.
Is Genetics a Factor?
Genetics is certainly a factor in your longevity. Unlike dietary decisions, genetics isn’t a choice you can make; you get the hand you were dealt. But it’s important to note that genetics don’t determine longevity; they can only influence it.
While we know a lot about the human genome, the quantity of our knowledge is relative. There’s still a lot waiting to be discovered. There are certain genetic predispositions that centenarians (people who live to be 100) seem to possess.
Research shows that only about 1 in 6,000 people have that genetic makeup, but if you don’t have that genetic makeup, that doesn’t mean you can’t live to be 100.
Do My Life Choices Matter that Much?
It’s safe to say that it’s one thing to live to a ripe old age but quite another to live to a ripe old age and enjoy it.
Many Americans’ health is beginning to decline earlier, with obesity being one of modern life’s inescapable and challenging realities.
Your life choices can reduce or increase your risk of early decline, but positive life choices offer a clearer path toward the longevity you desire.
The Importance of Physical Fitness
There are a lot of benefits to regular exercise:
- Physical exercise floods your cells with oxygen, warding off inflammation and disease.
- Mental toughness is practiced and built through exercise routines, which impacts your outlook.
- People who exercise often get outdoors more, which is a massive boon to your overall health
- Activity itself begets a more active life, meaning you can use the muscle you build in the gym in other areas.
- Regular exercise improves your digestion, lowers stress, strengthens your cardiovascular system, and lowers your resting heart rate.
The list of benefits goes on and on, but the real takeaway is this – many people don’t want to get old on bedrest, dependent on a bunch of machines and medications to stay alive. Many prefer to enjoy a full and meaningful life until the end.
If so, the best way to ensure that happens is to make regular exercise and a healthy diet a part of your daily routine.
About Eugenio Pallisco
Eugenio Pallisco is a personal trainer and fitness coach in the greater Dallas-Forth Worth area who has made it his life’s work to empower individuals with the knowledge, willpower, confidence, and proper technique to achieve their fitness goals. He creates customized exercise programs for his clients, who regularly praise him for his hands-on approach and holistic philosophy. Eugenio’s favorite exercise activities have evolved from his childhood love for movement, but his mantra remains the same: fitness is achievable for all!
John Davis is a seasoned health journalist with expertise in public health and medical research. Holding a degree in health sciences, John excels in making complex health topics understandable and engaging for his readers. His articles, featured in top health publications, cover everything from cutting-edge treatments to public health policies. Outside of journalism, John is an advocate for health education and frequently speaks at community events.