8 Everyday Health and Wellness Habits Linked With a Longer Life
Updated on April 22, 2026
A long, healthy life is the goal for many Americans, but life expectancy in the United States is lagging, compared with other high-income nations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average life expectancy in the United States is 79 years old. In the United Kingdom, that number is 81.3, more than a two year difference. And the average life expectancy in European countries like Sweden, Italy, and Spain is 84.
A number of factors contribute to this life expectancy gap, including overdose deaths, gun violence, and high rates of chronic illness, such as heart disease.
What’s more, the risk of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, dementia, arthritis, and cancer, increases with age.
The news isn’t all bleak, however. There are things anyone can do to lower their risk of many age-related diseases, add years to their lifespan, and make the dream of a long, healthy life a reality. The key is to start building those healthy habits now.
1. Make Sure You’re Getting Some Physical Activity
Why It’s Important Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce biological signs of aging (or physical and functional decline in your cells, tissues, and organs), including DNA damage, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and the decline of energy production within cells. Exercise also offers protective benefits against chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
How to Do It To get the most health benefits from physical activity, adults need at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking or fast dancing) each week, as well as muscle-strengthening activity, like lifting weights or doing push-ups, at least two days each week.
And even short bouts of activity add up, and many experts (as well as the guidelines) argue that it’s better to spread them out, says Laura Carstensen, PhD, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity in California.
“Find something you enjoy doing that is sustainable over time,” she recommends. “When it’s something that you can do relatively easily, it becomes a habit.” You might love to swim or take spin classes, but if getting to the pool or the gym takes too much effort, you’ll probably skip your workouts. You might also choose to keep some exercise equipment at home, where the barrier to using it is lower.
2. Stay on Top of Health Screenings
Why It’s Important Routine checkups, including cancer screenings, blood pressure checks, and staying up to date on your vaccines, can reduce your risk of early death because they help prevent illnesses or detect them earlier, when they are more treatable.
How to Do It Rachel Marquez, MD, a board-certified family physician at Kaiser Permanente in Virginia, recommends talking to your doctor to make sure you’re up to date on your screenings. She says that depending on your age, gender, and other risk factors, you may need to be screened for colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, high glucose levels, osteoporosis, or mental health conditions. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the screenings that are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Don’t skip your yearly physicals or other exams where you and your clinician can discuss which screening tests are right for you based on your age and family history. These types of preventive visits are covered by most insurance plans.
3. Cut Back on Red Meat and Processed Meat
Why It’s Important Lots of research has linked plant-based diets to longer lifespans. That doesn’t mean you have to forego meat completely though.
“The evidence on meat is mixed,” says Dr. Carstensen. “Diets heavy in red meat are not recommended, but chicken and other meats are often recommended as good sources of protein.”
Eating plans such as the Mediterranean diet and the Blue Zones diet, which emphasize seafood and poultry and minimize red and processed meats, have been shown to reduce your risk of a host of conditions that can shorten your lifespan, such as heart disease, metabolic disorders, and some types of cancer.
How to Do It If it’s more sustainable for you to switch to mostly poultry and fish rather than going full vegetarian, that’s a step in a potentially healthier direction. Start by cutting back on beef and processed meats such as bacon, lunch meat, and sausage. Replace them with lean protein sources like fish, chicken, and turkey, as well as vegetarian sources like legumes and quinoa. It can help to experiment with healthy foods to find the ones you like, Carstensen says. If you need more help, or if you have some emotional eating challenges, finding a nutritionist could be beneficial.
4. Build and Maintain Balance and Core Strength
Why It’s Important According to the CDC, falls are the top cause of injury-related death in people ages 65 and older, and the death rate from falls is getting worse, especially in people ages 85 and older.
“Core strength is central to balance,” says Carstensen. “Getting slightly off-balance is very common, but most of the time people don’t even detect it because we automatically correct by using our core muscles. If your core is weak, you can’t self-correct in this way and are more likely to fall.”
How to Do It Exercise to strengthen your core. For an easy habit that can help, when you get up from a chair, use only the strength in your core and legs — not your arms. “Using your arms reduces the tension on your core muscles,” Carstensen says. To strengthen your balance, try standing on one foot every time you brush your teeth. And talk with your doctor if you need more help: Working with a physical therapist could be beneficial, as most are trained to help with developing a fall-prevention routine.
5. Stand Up!
Why It’s Important Spending lots of time sitting increases your risk of heart disease and early death, even if you exercise, research has found.
How to Do It If you’re working from home, you may need to make an extra effort to add some movement to your day. You may not have those natural breaks where you walk into and out of the building, talk to colleagues in person, or move to a meeting room. So, you might want to walk around the block, take breaks for household chores like making your bed, or spend a few minutes doing some yoga poses.
Research has found that, in terms of reducing mortality risk, the ideal number of steps per day is between 6,000 and 8,000 for older adults and between 8,000 and 10,000 for younger adults. Even if you aren’t the fitness tracker–wearing type, just developing a habit of walking more during the day is important, Carstensen says, even if it’s just for a minute every hour.
6. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Why It’s Important “Good sleep predicts life expectancy,” says Carstensen. And that doesn’t just mean sleeping longer; it means getting the right amount of restful quality sleep for your needs. One study found that getting fewer than seven hours or more than nine hours of sleep per night was associated with increased mortality risks of 14 percent and 34 percent, respectively. The CDC recommends that adults aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
How to Do It Some components of good sleep hygiene include having a consistent sleep schedule, limiting caffeine and alcohol, especially before bed, and avoiding the use of electronic devices before bed. If you practice good sleep hygiene but still have daytime sleepiness, it’s a good idea to follow up with your doctor to rule out things like sleep apnea.
7. Take Time to Be Grateful
Why It’s Important One study of nearly 50,000 women suggests that practicing gratitude is associated with increased longevity. Researchers asked participants to rank their agreement with statements like: “I have so much in life to be thankful for” and “If I had to list everything I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list.” Compared with participants who scored in the lowest third percentile, those in the highest third had a 9 percent lower risk of dying in the next four years. This did not change after adjusting for other influencing factors like economic circumstances, cognitive function, and physical and mental health.
How to Do It Carstensen practices gratitude by taking time to “sit and reflect and be grateful,” she says. “Breathe, and think about what’s good in the world and what you appreciate. It calms you. There’s a kind of a reset to it that is very useful for mental health. It really does change your outlook.”
8. Carve Out Time for Friends
Why It’s Important Loneliness is linked with negative health outcomes, including an increased risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, dementia, and early death. Research suggests that social connection has protective benefits for health and can reduce the risk of dying prematurely.
How to Do It Reach out to your friends, whether by text or a phone call, and make plans to spend time together. “Make sure they know you care. If you let them know you care, they are much more likely to let you know they care too, so carving out time for those exchanges is really important,” Carstensen says.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
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Natalia Johnsen, MD
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Natalia Johnsen, MD, is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine, practicing as an internist and consultant at the Vancouve...
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