Yes, some habits can help us to live a longer and healthier life. However, before we talk about a healthy way of life, let’s find out what causes sickness.

Some of the things that cause sickness and death in America are a poor diet, not enough exercise and the use of tobacco and alcohol. There are toxins, pollutants and poisons around us in the air, food and water. Some germs hurt the body. Some of the things that cause the body to be sick are heart and blood vessel disease, cancer, chronic lung disease (a sickness in the lungs that will not go away), accidents, pneumonia and flu, diabetes, AIDS, and many others.

Now, let’s talk about the habits that can help us keep healthy.

Two doctors in California did a study with 7,000 people. In the study, they found that there are seven things these people did to keep healthy or didn’t do that brought on disease and death.

The seven lifestyle habits are:

1. Sleep from 6-9 hours.
2. Don’t eat in between meals. Eat only at breakfast, lunch and supper time.
3. Eat a good breakfast every morning.
4. Keep the right weight for your height – not too fat or too thin.
5. Exercise every day.
6. Moderate to no drinking [no drinking is best]
7. No smoking.

The more of these seven lifestyle habits the people in the study practiced, the longer they lived. After nine years, only 5 percent of the people who followed all seven of the health habits had died. But, 12.3 – 20 percent of the group of people died who followed three or less of the seven health habits.

These are some simple health habits we can develop that can help us live longer, healthier and hopefully happier lives. It is never too late to make changes. I want to choose to be a healthier and happier person, don’t you?