Although death is a certainty for all of us, there is no need to hurry towards it. Everyone desires a long and happy life, but the question is, are our unhealthy lifestyle habits unknowingly shortening our lifespans?

In the United States, the average life expectancy for a person born today is around 79 years. This is a significant increase from a century ago when it was only 54 years. Nowadays, if we reach 65 years old, there is a high probability that we will live until 85. Moreover, if we reach 85, there is a good chance we will make it to 92. This trend of increased lifespan is not limited to the US; it is happening worldwide, which is a promising development.

Here’s the bonus … older people are living healthier. So the saying is true 50 is the new 30, 70 is the new 50, and beyond! Older people tend to be healthier nowadays, too.

So let’s break down the most important things we SHOULD be doing to live longer:

FAST TO LIVE

Today, we will focus on the benefits of fasting for overall health. In order to live a long and healthy life, it is important to support and occasionally reset the body’s natural detox functions. The body is highly effective at detoxing through processes such as perspiration, respiration, urination, and defecation. However, with the increased toxicity of our environment and food and rising stress levels, it is important to support the body through fasting.

Fasting can greatly improve the body’s health by allowing it to cleanse itself without constantly taxing the gut. It is an effective tool for promoting well-being.

Our body has two fuel sources — sugar and fat. The sugar-burner system is activated as the primary fuel source when we eat. However, the fat-burning system is triggered after approximately eight hours of fasting. This system can be activated by fasting and offers numerous benefits including:

• Increased Ketones: When our blood sugar levels drop, our liver produces ketones, which can be beneficial for our bodies and support improved memory function, burning fat/inflammation, dissolving tumors and more.
• Increased Mitochondrial Stress Resistance: Fasting can repair the mitochondria and prevent chronic fatigue, hearing and vision impairments, as well as issues with our livers and gastrointestinal systems.
• Increased Antioxidant Defenses: Research has shown that fasting can boost the body’s antioxidant defenses, which in turn aids in providing anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ageing effects.
• Increased Autophagy: Autophagy is a natural process that helps cells to detox, repair, and remove diseased cells. Interestingly, the absence of food actually strengthens our cells instead of weakening them.
• Increased DNA Repair: Fasting has been found to enhance the ability of stem cells to repair DNA, while reducing their rate of apoptosis.
• Decreased Glycogen: The human body stores excess sugar as glycogen. By fasting, the body can lower glycogen levels in the liver, which allows it to start burning fat.
• Decreased Insulin: Fasting triggers the elimination of excess insulin in our bodies, which helps prevent chronic diseases like Diabetes.

Fasting is beneficial practice for the body since it initiates the healing process. Studies have even suggested that fasting may lower the risk of developing cancer and other chronic illnesses.