I will summarize some key points which are known to faciliate longterm health:

• Breathe: deep abdominal breathing is key. Oxygenation of all tissues is paramount especially as cancer and many diseases thrive in a low oxygen environment. Learn how to properly breathe and practice it religiously. There are many excellent books on the subject and we have some here on Seeking Health.
• Meditate: taking time to still your mind decreases stress which is a huge killer of many this day in age. The amount of damage stress does on us physiologically, mentally and spiritually is beyond words. Meditation puts our brain in a relaxed state quickly, efficiently and trains us to cope in stressful situations. Again, there are numerous classes, courses, tapes, and books on this subject and I urge you to learn it. Check out our book section and you will find some great resources there.
• Sleep: I will never forget this statement by our neurology professor who specializes in sleep medicine, Dr Nigel Ball, MD, "Perhaps women live longer than men because they sleep more than men."  Ouch. He recommends eight hours a night. Get it. If you don't eat meals a couple hours before sleep, growth hormone is released and that is your body's repairing mechanism. Let growth hormone be secreted freely and for a long duration. Sleep is a great way to get it.
• Hydration: a local well-known naturopathic physician, Dr Molly Linton, ND states that a person 20% low in hydration is 75% low in energy - it affects you that much. Proper hydration is paramount in bringing nutrients to your cells and also carrying garbage metabolites away from them. I have seen many patients in our teaching clinic that do not drink any water and they have very odd and dangerous looking symptom pictures. Many suggest to drink about 8-10 cups of filtered water daily.
• Play: In France, insurance companies have lower premiums for people who take vacations and actually pay some companies kickbacks for having their employees head out for fun in the sun. What? It's true and that insurance company is laughing all the way to the bank as people who enjoy life typically have less serious illnesses. Don't just work to pay for your huge mortgage, fancy cars and dining bills. Downgrade to a smaller home, cheaper cars and cook whole food meals at home with your family. Take that huge savings and reward yourself and family often with a trip somewhere. It can be a simple local walk to a park or an exotic solo kayaking experience in the New Zealand fjordlands. You cannot do that if your monthly expenses are so huge. Sit down and figure out what you really want - what makes you happy? A big house and fancy cars or freedom from daily overhead?
• Enjoy your work: If you don't enjoy your work, leave it. How many lives do we get? I am not sure but if you wake up dreading heading to work, seek a counselor or occupational coach and see what they have to say. We spend one third of our lives sleeping, one third of our lives working and the other third is hopefully play. No one that I know mentions how important being happy in the workplace is. I think it is paramount. If you say there is no way to leave your job, you are likely not being honest with yourself. It is a hard change and the transition may be very difficult but in the end extremely rewarding. I left a high paying business that I built from the ground up to go to medical school. I was not passionate about that business anymore even though I had a six figure yearly income.  I am now $150K in debt, stressed, low sleep and don't get to spend much time with my family. However, I know that once I graduate this will all be worth it and my life and my family life will be outstanding. I am passionate about medicine and I love waking up in the morning to go to work.
• Eat well: This is a no brainer but my goodness Americans - why are we so obese? Stress? Perhaps. Take a brief moment and look at your plate before you eat. Was that food around 60 years ago? If not, toss it out. It is crap. Eat whole foods that you or someone prepared at home lovingly with quality ingredients. It doesn't take long and it is way cheaper than even living off the lowest drive-in joint. You will feel better, medical bills will be less, drugs for indigestion, constipation and depression may likely be tossed in the garbage. There are tons of whole food cooking classes, books, videos, TV shows - watch, listen and learn it. It is easy. You can find some great books here on Seeking Health.
• Multivitamin: If you take a quality multivitamin, that is likely a good thing especially since our earth's soil is now void of many nutrients. Even organic foods now likely don't have the necessary essential nutrients as they used to 20 years ago. Don't buy a standard multivitamin. Do your homework and learn which is the highest rated. I have done that homework for you as well and have learned that DaVinci Labs ranks very high in the multivitamin world. Usana is the best but sadly they are a MLM company. They do have great products though.
• Probiotics: If you have ever taken antibiotics before, then you may want to supplement with quality acidophilis bacteria cultures to restore proper gut flora. A weak improper digestion sets up failure of all body and organ systems as digestion is what brings nutrients to your cells. Do not buy a probiotic unless it has lab tests showing how many live cultures are in it or it is in the store refridgerator.
• Exercise - I had to put it. Everyone says 3 days a week for 20 minutes but that is not right. It is actually supposed to be 30 minutes 6 days a week. Work up to it and get a trainer to help you. If you have no clue how to fit it into your day, make an appointment with a counselor or your primary care doc. They will sit down with you and help you figure out how to get exercise into your day.

Those are the biggest players. Of course there are more but in my opinion, if one follows a couple of the suggestions above, then life will more fulfilling and longer in duration. Who wants to live a longer unhappy life - so may as well set up the foundation of happiness first and then health will follow.

I wish you the best.

In health,

Ben