Gwen Lewis
Eight daily habits and how they affect the life expectancy of the average American:
1. Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day takes seven to eight years off your life.
2. Having one drink a day actually increases your life expectancy by about a year. But every additional drink per day decreases it by about eight and a half months for men and seven months for women.
3. Every ten pounds over your optimal weight cuts about a year off your life.
4. Watching two hours of TV a day cuts your life expectancy by about eight months if you’re a man and ten months if you’re a woman.
5. If you eat one portion of red meat a day, you’ll live about 14 months less than you would if you didn’t eat red meat.
6. Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day increases life expectancy by 4.3 years for men and 3.8 years for women.
7. Drinking two or three cups of coffee a day increases your life expectancy by about a year.
8. Getting just 20 minutes of moderate exercise a day, on average, extends your life by about two years.
If you would like more helpful tips and ideas on how to live a healthier lifestyle, please visit the Fitness and Wellness staff at DesertView Fitness Center. We’re here to help you providing education, orientations with an evaluation, personal training and group instruction.