Practice These Five Healthy Habits
Maintain a healthy weight. You’ll live longer with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18.5-24.9, plus you’ll feel better and have fewer health complications. Losing weight, even just 5-10% of excess weight, can add years to your life. (Go to cdc.gov, then search BMI to calculate yours.)
Exercise regularly. Fit people have a higher survival rate than nonactive people. Aim for 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity and strength training twice a week. Get this: the higher your level of fitness, the longer your life expectancy.
Don’t smoke. Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers. Quitting at any age can extend your life expectancy—and the sooner you do it, the more years you may recapture.
Reduce stress. Chronic stress makes us age faster but practicing stress reduction techniques (such as deep breathing, meditation, or counseling) can help build resiliency, which leads to a higher likelihood of living a longer and healthier life.
Rest well. Sleeping 7–9 hours per night is the optimal range for adults. Getting less than 6 hours (or more than 9 hours) of sleep per night is associated with up to a 30% reduced longevity.
GET STARTED WITH REGENCE EMPOWER
Whether you need a nudge to start a fitness routine, lose weight or improve your sleep, Regence Empower can give you the support and motivation to live a healthy life. Here’s how it works:
1 Start with a health assessment. Find out what areas of your health are strong and identify opportunities for improvement.
2 Get personalized recommendations. Based on your health assessment responses, you’ll see a list of programs that can help you reach your goals.
3 Track your progress. See how you’re doing and gain the confidence to keep going.
Regence Empower is available at no cost to participants 18 years and older. Log in on Regence.com, click “Programs & Resources,” then “Regence Empower.”