It’s not quite forever, but it turns out that by following a few simple steps you can add a few extra years to your time on Earth.

Throw away the monkey glands, dump the asp’s milk, by following these five easy steps you can extend your life fairly easily. Bear with us, due to the nature of this advice you can’t fully know if it’s worked until far in the future. But when you’re still sprightly and, most importantly, alive and kicking on Mars in 2084 then think of us. We’ve ignored all the gimmicks and boiled it down to five tips that are undeniable.

1. Sleep more

Nothing can replicate the benefits of a proper night’s sleep. In an era of increasingly busy lifestyles and early starts ahead of lengthy commutes this can be increasingly difficult. Scientists have shown that anabolic and human growth hormone is only released after one hour’s continuous sleep – these are both crucial to body maintenance. Increasing amounts are released as each hour passes, meaning the longer you sleep the more you get. Reports have already shown that the Irish are one of the sleepiest countries in the world, logging an average of 7hr 14m of kip each night, now you know the benefits.

2. Drink less and don’t smoke at all

We’re no longer in the 1960s so both of these should seem fairly obvious. The list of diseases directly linked to smoking is pretty long and includes dementia, heart disease, and a dozen varieties of cancer. Within hours of giving up your body will start healing itself and within days you’ll start feeling the benefits, so don’t delay! Alcohol is more of a grey area, and the dangers of drinking in excess are well known. What is less commented on is the slow accumulation of sinking a few pints or splitting a bottle of wine multiple times a week. Over time this can contribute to ailments such liver cirrhosis, throat cancer, and cardio vascular disease. Even in the short term alcohol disrupts quality sleep – and we know how important that is.

3. Exercise

This one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise but frequent moderate exercise is a life saver. Just half an hour of a moderately intense workout is enough to improve your physical and mental wellbeing. Exercise releases endorphins which make you happy in the short-term and improves the performance of mitochondria – the parts of your cell that turn sugars and fats into energy and fight the effects of ageing – keeping you going in the long-term.

4. Go outside

Modern lives have become increasingly sedentary and indoor. We move from our beds, to our office cubicle, to our car, to our sofas without embracing the outdoors. Embracing the outdoors and exploring the beautiful surroundings many of us are oblivious too is proven to improve mental health, combating stress, anxiety, and depression. Though researchers are yet to prove it conclusively, some scientists believe there is evidence that spending time in the outdoors has physical benefits including combating high blood pressure and can also ward off breathing and cardiovascular illnesses.

5. Eat real food

The recent fad for eating clean and the ‘wellness’ trend has attracted some criticism recently and for good reason. It turns out that some of the unpronounceable ‘superfoods’ we’re told will save us aren’t all that super after all. However, aiming to eat more natural ingredients at the cost of processed foods is hard to argue with. Highly processed ready meals and ingredients are often high in sugars and additives which don’t provide the nutrients we need or satisfy our hunger adequately. Without having to sign up to a fad diet, building your meals around whole grains, fresh vegetables, fish, and lean meat will benefit you in the short and long term.

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By Outsider

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