At AdventureWomen, we believe in helping women maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. We want our women travelers to be both daring …and healthy. Here are 10 tips for women about healthy habits they can adopt to maximize their potential to live to (yes) 100!
In 1946, the World Health Organization defined health in the following way: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being…” The Best Hiking in SW Utah, 2014
More recently, researchers such as Dr. Sjoerd Kooiker, a researcher at the University of Groningen in Holland, have broadened the definition of health to embrace our own feelings and personal goals. In his focus groups, individuals described health as (1) enabling them to do what they want to when they want to and (2) feeling healthy.
At AdventureWomen, we want to promote that broader version of “health”, encouraging active women travelers to travel to places they have always dreamed of, stretching their minds and their bodies along the way, before, during and even after their trips with us. Staying healthy and active is a conscious state of mind and we believe it helps heighten all the senses, allowing us to absorb more and enjoy more on our trips.
Staying healthy and active is a conscious state of mind. Walking Holiday in Scotland, 2014
Today, women are living longer (to an average of 81 years according to the CDC) and achieving more than ever before thanks to multiple factors including better nutrition, getting more exercise, keeping their weight down and being more mindful about work/life balance.
Here to inspire all of us (from a recent article in Health) are 10 ways to maximize your chance of living to 100:
- Take a vacation: Taking a break from work can lower your risk of heart disease and add 1 to 2 years to your life.
- Be more social: People with stronger friendships are 50% more likely to live longer than those with weaker connections.
- Take up a hobby: Doing something you find truly fulfilling will give you a sense of accomplishment and being creative, a sense of satisfaction, reducing stress.
Take up a hobby – how about photography?! Borneo: Into The Wild, 2013
- Calm down: Stress increases the release of cortisol hormones, associated with an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Consider adding calming activities to your lifestyle, like meditation and yoga.
- Get enough sleep: Your body repairs cells during sleep so aim for 7 to 8 hours of shut-eye per night.
- Get it on: Having sex releases the feel-good hormone oxytocin, another stress reliever.
- Eat right: By limiting your intake of foods high in fat, salt, and added sugar, you can lower your risk of heart disease, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Eat superfoods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein.
Eat right! (And take fun cooking classes on some of our adventures) Exotic Thailand, 2013
- Exercise regularly: Not only is exercise good for the heart, but it triggers the release of endorphins, which boost your mood. The CDS recommends 2.5 hours of moderate exercise a week.
- Floss! Flossing eliminates inflammation-causing bacteria, reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Stop smoking and limit alcohol: We know the dangers caused by smoking… and experts recommend that women have no more than one alcoholic drink per day (or up to 7 per week).
So let’s add one element from this list to our “to do’s”! A healthy mind makes a healthy body!
Cheers to good health! The Wonders of Brazil, 2015
