How to Gain Weight

Steps

1. 1
   Determine how many calories your body requires per day to maintain your existing weight by calculating your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Find a calculator online or use the following equation (called the Mifflin-St Jeor equation):
   
   
   
   
   • RMR = 9.99w + 6.25s - 4.92a + 166g-161
     
     
     • w = weight in kilograms; if you know your weight in pounds, divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms
     • s = height in centimeters; if you know your height in inches, multiply by 2.54 to get your height in centimeters
     • a = age in years
     • g = gender = 1 for males, 0 for females
   • Your daily consumption to maintain your weight should be:^[1] RMR x 1.15 (E.g. RMR = 2000, so the maintenance intake is 2000 x 1.15 = 2300)
2. 2
   

   Keep on healthy diet
   Calculate how many calories you need to consume per day to gain weight. Add at least 500 calories per day to your daily requirement. If you need 2300 calories a day to maintain your current weight, strive to consume 2800 calories daily ^[2]. If you engage in any physical activity, add more calories to account for the calories burned through physical activity. For instance, a 130 lb. person who does 30 minutes of vigorous weight training burns approximately 180 calories.^[3] On that day, he or she should consume 500 + 180 calories in addition to the daily requirement calculated in the previous step.
3. 3
   Change your eating habits. Aim for three large meals and 2-3 hefty snacks per day.^[4] Drink shakes, milk, or juice instead of coffee, tea, or diet soda.^[4] Focus on the following foods:
   
   
   • Breads - hearty and dense (whole wheat, oat bran, pumpernickel, rye) are more nutritious than white bread; cut thick slices and spread generously with peanut butter, jam, honey, hummus, or cream cheese.
   • Vegetables - look for starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas, corns, carrots, winter squash, beets) in addition to watery vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers).
   • Fruit - choose dense fruit (bananas, pears, apples, pineapple, dried fruit) over watery fruit (oranges, peaches, plums, berries, watermelon).
   • Soups - Go for hearty cream soups instead of broth-based soups. If you have trouble with edema or high blood pressure you may want to avoid all store-bought soup.
   • Added oils - in cooking, add a generous amount of oil. The healthiest oils are unrefined (extra virgin) oils such as olive, coconut, canola, palm, and of course butter. The less healthy but still acceptable sources of oil are those high in omega-6 fatty acids (pro-inflammatory) such as safflower, sunflower, and peanut oils. The unhealthy oils are those containing trans fat such as shortening, and the anti-nutrient-rich soybean oil (aka vegetable oil).
   • Spreads! - Spreading delicious calorie-rich toppings on toast, crackers, pita, and any other carbohydrate source is an excellent way to increase caloric intake. Some good high-calorie spreads are guacamole, olive oil, cream cheese, hummus, butter, nut butters, sour cream, cheese slices, mayonnaise. Even better is to mix these with shredded meats like chicken or fish.
4. 4
   Avoid unhealthy, high-calorie foods. Most important is to avoid trans fats, which increase your risk for disease. Foods that are high in trans fats are: pastry products, cakes, cookies, processed meats, margarine, shortening, and packaged snack foods. ^[5]
5. 5
   Weight train. This will not only help convert the additional calories into muscle rather than fat, but it will also stimulate your appetite. The added muscle will increase your metabolism, so you'll need to consume more calories per day to maintain that weight. During the first month of weight training, you may experience tremendous gains if you are faithful to your schedule. However, also expect this to level off after this initiatory period (This is known in the bodybuilding world as a plateau). You overcome this by re-evaluating your weight and muscle mass, while altering your diet to include more food and heavier weights.
6. 6
   Eat more protein. Protein is essential for body function to build and repair muscle tissue. If you don't consume enough protein from raw foods or protein supplements then gaining weight and building muscle will be unachievable. Those looking to gain weight should consume at least 1 gram of quality protein per pound of body weight.
7. 7
   Add nuts to your diet. Nuts are a very convenient and a healthy snack so carry containers of nuts with you to snack on throughout the days. Also Goat Milk is healthy and a good way to gain weight.
8. 8
   Try a nutritional supplement powder specifically for the purpose of gaining weight. Carefully research this to find one that you like and that it will conveniently suit your lifestyle.

Source: wikiHow

How to Increase Your Metabolism

Steps

1. 1
   Understand what metabolism is. In the simplest terms!, metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns calories. Very few people have a fast metabolism, and overweight individuals generally have slow metabolisms.^[1] However, a faster metabolism will enable you to level your diet and weight.
   
   
2. 2
   Determine what is influencing your metabolism. There are some factors that you can control and change, and some factors that you can't.
   
   
   • Age - Metabolic rate decreases 5% each decade, after the age of 40.^[2]
   • Gender - Men generally burn calories more quickly than women because they have more muscle tissue.^[2]
   • Heredity - You can inherit your metabolic rate from previous generations.^[2]
   • Thyroid disorder - Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) can slow down or speed up metabolism, but only 3% and .3% of the population have hypo- and hyperthyroidism respectively.^[3]
3. 3
   Calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR). RMR is often used interchangeably with basal metabolic rate (BMR). Although they are slightly different, estimating either is sufficient for the purpose of losing weight. What these equations will show you is, that if you weigh more, your RMR will be higher! To calculate your RMR, use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (which is more reliable than the Harris-Benedict equation^[4]). There are also calculators online that can do this for you:
   
   
   • RMR = 9.99w + 6.25s - 4.92a + 166g-161
     • w = weight in kilograms; if you know your weight in pounds, divide by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms
     • s = height in centimeters; if you know your height in inches, multiply by 2.54 to get your height in centimeters
     • a = age in years
     • g = gender = 1 for males, 0 for females
4. 4
   Adjust your diet accordingly. Your RMR will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your body at rest. Your daily consumption to maintain your weight should be:^[5]
   
   
   • RMR x 1.15
     • E.g. RMR = 2000, so the maintenance intake is 2000 x 1.15 = 2300
   • To lose weight safely, do not exceed your maintenance intake or have a caloric intake lower than your calculated RMR.
   • Count calories by recording what you eat and looking up how many calories each food item contains (either on the food packaging or in tables provided in books or online).
5. 5
   

   Eat small, frequent meals.
   Eat small, frequent meals. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode," which decreases your metabolism as a means to conserve energy and prevent starvation. Skipping meals does not help you cut calories or lose weight; in fact, people generally eat less overall when they eat small, frequent meals. In addition to having four to six small meals per day^[6], eating healthy snacks will also increase metabolism.^[2]
6. 6
   Drink iced water. As with food, depriving your body of water can encourage it to "hoard" rather than "burn". When your drink ice cold water, your body burns calories warming it to body temperature. More than ninety percent of the chemical reactions in your body occur in water, so make sure you drink an appropriate amount of water.
7. 7
   

   Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise.
   Boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. Different activities burn different quantities of calories, but the important thing is to raise your heart rate and sustain the activity for approximately thirty minutes.
8. 8
   Boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does (73 more calories per kilogram per day, to be exact)^[2] so the more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate (RMR) will be. Every muscle cell that you gain is like a little factory that constantly burns calories for you, even while you sleep, and revs up when you exercise. This is the only way to increase RMR, which accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the calories you burn daily.^[7] 
 

Source: WikiHow

How to Lose Weight

Steps

1. 1
   Don't neglect the tried and true. Ultimately, losing weight comes down to one key principle: Burn more calories than you consume. The steps that follow won't work if you have a thousand more calories coming into your body on a daily basis than you have going out. Lay the foundation for weight loss with these practices:
   
   • Cut down on sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and saturated fats.
   • Burn more calories by exercising: Run, walk, even exercise at the computer you are sitting in front of now.
   • When possible eat food cold. If it's reasonable, eat food cold or room-temperature as opposed to warm, examples include eating cold soup, leaving those hard-boiled eggs you had yesterday for dinner cold, and eating ice cream in stead of drinking overly-sweet fruit juices. Your body requires more calories to warm something up if it's cold. There's a very advanced formula to find out how many calories certain temperature water (yes water) will burn, which is another good example, when possible drink ice water instead of regular temperature tap. It takes about 25 calories to heat up just a liter of cold tap water to your body temperature, that adds up!
   • Raise your metabolism.
2. 2
   

   Big bowl, big servings, big weight gain
   Downsize your kitchenware. The human mind works in mysterious ways. It turns out that using smaller bowls, plates, and containers can subconsciously influence how much you serve yourself. Even nutrition experts are victims of this phenomenon; when 85 of them were given a random mix of small and large bowls and scoops, those who got larger bowls served themselves 31% more ice cream, and added on another 14.5% if they had bigger scoops!^[1]
3. 3
   

   Put down the knife.
   Put down the knife. By putting down whatever utensils you're using between every bite, you can significantly slow down your eating time, leaving your stomach a chance to feel full and reducing the likelihood that you'll go for seconds. Another technique that can have a similar effect is to take a sip between each bite. Numerous studies have shown that eating slowly results in eating less.^[2] There's even a device you can get from a dentist that you wear to make your oral cavity smaller so that you take smaller bites,^[3] and "diet forks" that are so awkward to use that you'll get less food per bite! There are even heat-retentive plates to keep your food warm as you eat at a snail's pace.
4. 4
   

   Know the enemy! Make a list of the food items that are your weaknesses.
   Know the enemy! Make a list of the food items that are your weaknesses. These aren't always unhealthy foods, either. Sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that as long as we avoid the "bad" foods, we're making progress. At least, that's what we like to think as we get up for our third serving of fruit salad, or finish a bag of pretzels in one sitting, saying that they're healthier than chips. Remember that too much of anything is bad. You probably don't need to keep a food diary to know your enemies. Common culprits include soda, bread, alcohol, and fast food. Whatever your weakness is, cut down on it. If you cut it out completely, you're more likely to binge. Buy only small packages of it and have it only once in a while. If cutting down doesn't work, you might need to go cold turkey.
   • Also seek out and reduce needless sedentary activities that burn few calories and can make you more susceptible to temptation to overeat.
5. 5
   

   Whole grain pasta
   Choose whole grains over a whole belly. If you switch out all of your refined grain food (white bread, food made with white flour) for whole-grain food (oatmeal, whole-grain cereal, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and barley) you won't lose additional weight overall. However, you will lose more weight in the belly area, which will make you look thinner--at least, that's what a Penn State study implies.^[4] Not only will your slimmer profile make you feel better about your progress, but by losing the VAT (visceral adipose tissue) you're also doing away with a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, coronary vascular disease, and some types of cancer.^[5] Check those labels and make sure that any grain-based foods you buy are made up of at least fifty-one percent whole grain.^[4]
6. 6
   

   Limit your spending.
   Limit your spending. Some people have an easier time controlling their wallet than controlling their diet. Go ahead, cut up those credit cards, and build up your emergency fund, if you haven't already (in its own account, and leave the bank card at home). Limit the amount of cash you have in your wallet, especially if you're subject to spontaneous fast food indulgences. When you go grocery shopping, have a list prepared, and bring just enough money to cover those items (this might take a few dry runs). The embarrassment of not having enough money at the register will keep you from throwing a few extra items in the shopping cart. If you don't do the grocery shopping, then offer to take on this monumental role. Your family or roommates might complain about the absence of junk food, but you'll be doing them a favor by stocking the kitchen with healthy stuff. They'll thank you...later...years later.
7. 7
   

   Set a digital watch to go off every two hours.
   Set a digital watch to go off every two hours. Eat only when the watch tells you to. Spontaneous eating sessions (those times when you feel those hunger pangs, those cravings, and you scour the cabinets or the streets in search of satisfaction) are your weakest points. This is why all weight loss books tell you to avoid skipping meals. If you eat every two hours, you won't get so hungry that you gorge yourself when you do eat. You know how it goes: "Oh...I'm so hungry...the brownies are right there...I'd have to walk all the way to the deli to get a sandwich, but my stomach's churning...." Of course, if you eat the equivalent of a cheeseburger every two hours, that's a recipe for obesity, but again, you're more likely to retain self-control and stick to your diet when you don't have hunger pangs to cloud your judgment. It wouldn't hurt, however, to plan out what you'll eat (smoothie at 10, chicken salad at 12, a single piece of leftover cherry pie at 2, a slice of bread with peanut butter at 4, and so on).
   
   
   • This has the added benefit of increasing your metabolism. Extending the time between meals makes your body go into "starvation mode," which will slow down your metabolism in response to the perceived threat of starvation. This is why fasting and skipping meals will only make things worse. In addition to having four to six small meals per day,^[6]
   • Another useful way to think about this is to use a "hunger scale." Rate your hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being so hungry that you feel weak and 10 being so full that you just want to curl up in bed and digest. Eat when you're at about 3, which is when you're just a little hungry, but not famished.^[7]
8. 8
   

   Trade weight for cash.
   Trade weight for cash. A 2007 study showed that the more you pay people to lose weight, the more pounds they drop over a three-month period.^[8] If there's someone who keeps nagging you to lose weight, ask that person about paying you for every pound you lose. If your employer is self-insured, he or she might consider enlisting the services of a company that develops reward programs to encourage employees to lose weight.^[9] You can also sign a contract that forces you to pay up for every pound you don't lose (or every pound you gain) and whatever money you pay (or gain) can be donated to charity.

Source: WikiHow

How to Eat Healthy

Steps

1. 
   
   

   Determine how many calories your body needs to function each day.
   Determine how many calories your body needs to function each day.
   This number can vary wildly, depending upon your metabolism and how physically active you are. If you're the kind of person who puts on 10 pounds just smelling a slice of pizza, then your daily caloric intake should stay around 2000 calories for men, and 1500 calories for women. Your body mass also plays a part in this: More calories are suitable for naturally bigger people, and fewer calories for smaller people. If you're the kind of person who can eat without putting on a pound, or you're physically active, you may want to increase your daily caloric intake by 1000-2000 calories, a little less for women. Also consider that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you need to function. The bad fats are saturated and trans fat. Someone on a 2000 calorie diet should consume fewer than 20 grams of saturated fat a day, and trans fat can and should be avoided all together. The good fats are poly- and monounsaturated fats, which you should eat about 30% of your calories in.
   
   
2. 

   Don't fear fatty foods.
   Don't fear fatty foods.
   You need to consume fat from foods for your body to function correctly. However, it's important to choose the right kinds of fats: Most animal fats and some vegetable oils are high in the kind of fats that raise your LDL cholesterol levels; the bad cholesterol. Contrary to popular belief, eating cholesterol doesn't necessarily raise the amount of cholesterol in your body. If you give your body the right tools, it will flush excess cholesterol from your body. Those tools are monounsaturated fatty acids, which you should try to consume regularly. These are the good fats, and they help lower the bad cholesterol in your body by raising the good cholesterol. Foods that are high in monounsaturated fatty acids are olive oil, nuts, fish oil, and various seed oils. Adding these "good" fats to your weekly diet can lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. Consider sautéing vegetables in small amounts of olive oil, and grabbing a hand-full of mixed nuts for a snack instead of a candy bar. There are also various supplements that contain these good fats that you can take daily.
3. 3
   

   Eat plenty of the right carbohydrates.
   Eat plenty of the right carbohydrates.
   You need to eat foods high in carbs since they are your body's main source of energy. The trick is to choose the right carbs. Simple carbs like sugar and processed flour are quickly absorbed by the body's digestive system. This causes a kind of carb overload, and your body releases huge amounts of insulin to combat the overload. Not only is the excess insulin bad on your heart, but it encourages weight gain. Insulin is the main hormone in your body responsible for fat storage. Eat plenty of carbs, but eat carbs that are slowly digested by the body like whole grain flour, hearty vegetables, oats, and unprocessed grains like brown rice. These kinds of food not only contain complex carbs that are slowly digested by the body, but are usually higher in vitamins and other nutrients that are beneficial to the body and they are higher in fiber which keeps your digestive system running smoothly.
4. 4
   Eat larger meals early in the day.
   Your metabolism slows down towards the end of the evening and is less efficient at digesting foods. That means more of the energy stored in the food will be stored as fat and your body won't absorb as many nutrients from the meal. Many American families tend to have their big meal at dinner time. The problem with this is your day is basically over, and your body's need for energy isn't as great as it is early in the day. This large meal, late in the day, can also make you feel tired, and who wants to feel too tired to have fun now that the workday is over? Try eating a medium-sized meal for breakfast, a large meal for lunch, and a small meal for dinner. Better yet, try eating 4-6 small meals over the course of your day. That keeps your body fueled for the whole day without dumping a large amount of food into your stomach, which your body might have a hard time digesting.
5. 5
   Don't skip breakfast!
   Many people do because they don't feel they need to eat breakfast, or they just don't feel hungry first thing in the morning. Research shows that people who skip breakfast are usually fatter than those who eat a well balanced breakfast. Although you might not feel hungry first thing in the morning, if you skip breakfast you will feel extra hungry come lunch time, making you more prone to overeating for your afternoon meal. In addition, skipping breakfast makes your body think that you are starving. After all, by lunch time, you may not have eaten in almost eighteen hours. For the rest of the day after you skip breakfast, your body will store up most of the energy you get from food, instead of allowing you to burn it, in anticipation of food scarcity. Not only will this cause you to be tired during the day when your body isn't using the food that you ate, but the extra energy stored up will result in weight gain.
6. 6
   

   Heat Retentive Plate
   Make eating fun.
   Avoiding simple carbs and fatty foods doesn't need to be boring. Have fun not only with the food, but with the meal. Eating with family and friends makes the meal more satisfying than eating in front of the TV or in the car on the way home from work. You will also eat more slowly when enjoying your meal, which gives your body time to feel full before you burst a button; your brain needs about 20 minutes to get the signal that you are satisfied (To be More precise: It is a region in the brain called the hypothalamus) , if you eat too fast you will overeat, your stomach will get bloated and you will still feel hungry. There are now on the market a new type of "plates for eating slowly" that keep your food warm while you enjoy, these totally new ceramic "heat retentive plates" remain hot for more than 30 minutes to keep food warm and can be handled safely with the bare hands. There are also more creative cooking resources available to us than ever before. You can find great tasting recipes in magazines, books, and right here on the Internet. Eating baked fish three or four times a week can get boring, so do a little recipe hunting to find more exciting ways to prepare your meals. If you make of eating slowly a pleasant experience you will acquire an habit that prevents overeating and obesity
7. 7
   Buy non-fat or reduced fat foods.
   This is not done to avoid getting fat - because eating fat will not make you fat - and it's not about eating fewer calories. It's about control. Control what kinds of fats you put in your body. For instance, olive oil has many health benefits, so buy non-fat or reduced fat salad dressing and add a table spoon of olive oil to the jar. You'll have a salad dressing that tastes great, and is also better for your health. So buy the non-fat foods so you can replace the missing fat with "good" fats. Remember, you do need to eat a moderate amount of fat each day. Fat is something that can be very deceiving. For example, if you're trying to lose weight, you're going to look for food with low fat content. However,there are some foods that have good fats. These fats are monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. These fats add calories from fat, and so does trans fat and saturated fat, so they combine, which can be confusing. It's important to look at the saturated and trans fat content. If you see 20 calories from fat on the label, but 0g of trans fat and saturated fat, that means that there is polyunsaturated fat and/or monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat are good for you. They protect your heart and increase 'good' cholesterol. It's good to have enough good fats, but all good things have to come to an end. Also make sure to keep in mind that sometimes it can read 0g of trans fats on the label, but can still have trans fats. Take a look at the ingredients list; if it says, "partially hydrogenated" anything, that means it contains trans fat.
8. 8
   Give yourself a cheat meal.
   Cheating doesn't mean pigging out on all the wrong foods once a week, it means enjoying a food you really love once a week. Have a couple slices of greasy pizza on Sundays, or a big slice of double chocolate cake on Saturdays. This cheat meal will help you stick to the change in diet, and in some ways it's actually good for your body. Special occasions, such as birthdays in the family, count as cheat meals.
9. 9
   Give up alcohol.
   The negatives of alcohol outweigh the positives. Don't be fooled by advertisers' claims that a glass of wine is healthy for the body. You can get all the benefits of wine without any of the negatives, from "grape seed extract". Even drinking a glass of 100% grape juice gives you more benefits than a glass of wine. (Although, both juice and alcohol contain excess sugar.) If you are serious about optimal health, you need to give up alcohol.
10. 10
    Avoid fatty snacks.
    If you feel tempted to eat fatty snacks like chips, once you start eating the bag, it's going to be easy to give in. Do not buy them in the first place, and don't start eating it if others are serving it to you, and you'll soon forget about those chips in the store and concentrate on other things.
11. 11
    Acquire the habit of eating slowly.
    It will satisfy you with fewer calories and will prevent overeating and obesity with all its consequences.
12. 12
    Reduce sugar.
    Check the label on food for the amount of sugar it contains. If it's not a raw food and has more than 5 grams of sugar in a serving, don't eat it. Refined sugar has little to no benefit for your body. When you crave something sweet, reach for a piece of fresh fruit, your body will thank you for it.
13. 13
    Drink plenty of water.
    It makes you feel more alive and energized, does wonders for you skin and makes you feel fuller so you end up eating less! Cutting out soda and replacing it with water will do wonders for your weight loss.

Source: WikiHow

How to Grow Old Without Feeling Old

Steps

    1
    Keep age in perspective. Never think of age as being anything but just a number. There are some things in life we have no control over, such as when we were born. Age is no more than a circumstantial detail, like the color of your eyes, or the names of your parents; it does not define who you are. There are other things that do--those things we do have control over, such as how we think and what we do.

    2
    Live and enjoy each day.
    Live and enjoy each day.
    Live and enjoy each day. There is always something positive or something to look forward to each day. Enjoy the sun shining on your plants, or movies you are going to see. Look forward to reading a good book, or meeting with friends for lunch. If you feel lonely, go to the library. It is a great place to meet and talk to people who have a similar interest. Surround yourself with people, even if you might never see them again. You can do this at a supermarket, or even a department store or coffee shop.
    3
    Don't waste your time thinking that you're too old to do this or that. As long as you have your health, you can do just about anything you find an interest in doing. If you have never used a computer, buy one! Learn how to use it. If you find it interesting enough, learn how they work and how to fix problems or to program them! You will find you have brought the whole world into your room, and maybe some knowledge that will save you from spending money and make you feel younger. Just learn new things that you haven't learned before, don't worry if it's too "young," nothing is.
    4
    Take care of your body.
    Take care of your body.
    Take care of your body. Take vitamins and eat healthy. Exercise at either a gym or at home. Dance to the music on a CD, as moving your body is great exercise. Get a full physical and visit your dentist at least once a year.
    5
    The exercise aspect is vital. Our bodies need to move. They need to be used to their full range and ability every day. Tai Chi is a good form of movement that will provide this whole body activity but it's not for everyone. Explore physical activities to find one that you enjoy, makes you feel good after practicing, and that you can do every day. Hiking and swimming are also excellent options.
    6
    Don't look back. Don't worry about what happened in the past. Live just for today. The one thing that no one can change is the past. What has been is over and done with. The future has not yet come, so all we have is today. So enjoy today, let the past go, and plan for the future.
    7
    Keep your mind alert. Do crossword puzzles, learn a new language, or take up a hobby you were always too busy for. Exercise an Open Mind. Become a volunteer editor on a website like wikiHow or Wikipedia. By volunteering time to a wiki you will meet other contributors online and keep your writing ability sharp, while helping others receive free knowledge.
    8
    Keep up with the news.
    Keep up with the news.
    Keep up with the news. By doing this, you always will be able to converse with most people. Be up to date on what is new in politics, fashion, and/or in computers. Learn about the new methods of treatments and the new drugs available so you can advise your family members, who might need the information.
    9
    Find ways to interact. Even with no close friends or family around, there are many opportunities to talk to new people. Strike up a conversation with people you meet in the supermarket. Greet people you pass on the street, and ask them how they're doing. You'll be surprised at how refreshed offering a kind word to a stranger will make you feel.
    10
    Be Optimistic. Try to avoid thinking negative thoughts as it will get you no place except sadness. For example, trying to figure out why a mate died and left you alone will only bring tears to your eyes. Instead, remember all the wonderful years you shared, and how you both brought such wonderful children into this world. Go out with a smile on your face, and enjoy the rest of your life as best as you can. There may even be a new mate on the horizon. You never know!
    11
    Do something different every day. The local newspapers usually have a weekly schedule of activities. Find one that you would enjoy and go for it! Perhaps the museum or a flower show might tickle your fancy this week.
    12
    Join a group, club, or volunteer at a library or senior center. Take dancing lessons. Ballroom dancing is back, and just think of how great you would feel dancing the Cha Cha once again, as you did in your youth. Go to bingo night at your local community center. Meet with like-minded people, and help those less fortunate than yourself. Most of all, have fun doing it.
    13
    Follow your dream. Look at something you always wanted to do or did on the side and love doing, ask whether it can become a new career. Many great painters didn't start till their sixties, seventies or eighties. Retirement income can become starting capital for a new independent business. The arts are a good direction in many ways because retirement income can support you while you learn the trade but there's no age discrimination involved.

How to Live a Long Life

 To Live longer, we should follow the following simple steps:

Steps

    1.    Avoid Carcinogens. Carcinogens cause cancer, which can kill you.

    Quit smoking. Any form of smoke is bad for you, no matter how little you take in. The majority of the medical community states that smoking is very hazardous to your health and can often result in premature death.
        Wear sunblock. Even if you are dark skinned and have no history of skin cancer in your family, the increasing number of UVA and UVB rays hitting the Earth from the sun pose a threat to anyone and everyone who spends more than 15 minutes a day out of the house or office. However, remember to also spend some time in the sun. Vitamin D is very important to your health. Just remember to apply sunblock and not to spend too much time in harsh, direct sunlight.

    2.    Change your patterns of consumption.
        Drink plenty of water. The universal solvent is a most effective weapon against toxins and many other violators. It flushes out your system like nothing else does.
        Avoid simple carbohydrates. Carbohydrates cause your insulin levels to rise, which has been associated with increased incidence of breast cancer in menopausal women.
        Avoid overindulging. Too much of anything can cause harm, whether it be food, drink, drugs, or even medicine -- even Tylenol can be fatal if ingested in great enough quantity. Non-prescription and illegal drugs may contain chemicals and/or other drugs that are unfit for human consumption, but keep in mind that alcohol and tobacco are among the worst drugs. Do not forget that caffeine is also a drug. Any drug, from alcohol to aspirin, carries with it a risk of shortening and ending your life. If you do decide to use any drugs, be responsible -- do your research, make sure you understand their properties and side effects, and use them appropriately. The same applies to food -- read nutrition labels and do some research to understand what the information means to your health. With anything you ingest, moderation is key.
        Consider a calorie-restriction or intermittent fasting diet.
        Balance your Omega-3:Omega-6 ratio. There is mounting evidence that a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids (fats) increases your chance of cardiovascular disease and cancer. To improve your ratio, reduce your intake of omega-6 fats (particularly bad are corn and canola oil, as well as many nut oils), while increasing your intake of omega-3 fats from foods including fatty fish, especially salmon.
    3.    Consider squatting to defecate, as it may greatly reduce your chance of getting colorectal cancer (potential fatal) or hemorrhoids (which are mostly just unpleasant).
    4.    Consume antioxidants. They decrease the chance of developing cancer.
        Drink lots of tea. There are two main types of tea - green and black. Both are from the the same tree, however green tea is less processed than black tea. Green tea has many health benefits, including reportedly reducing the chance of heart attack and cancer. Other benefits include increased energy and metabolic rate (good for weight loss), and high antioxidant content (slows down aging). Black tea has these benefits also but at a reduced level. Try and drink 5 cups of green tea a day. Using more tea bags or leaves is a better way to make strong tea than brewing longer. Note that green tea typically contains caffeine, which may have a negative effect on your health and lifespan.
        Eat dark chocolate. One piece of dark chocolate a day can benefit the heart as cocoa solids have a beneficial effect of the heart and arteries. Dark chocolate has more antioxidants than other kinds of chocolate. Look for 60% unprocessed cocoa or more. Chocolate also makes you happy (in case you did not know) because it releases endorphins. Chocolate that has been alkalized or dutched loses most of it's anti-oxidant capacity.
        Drink one glass of red wine a day. Red wine contains substances called polyphenols which maintain the elasticity of the artery walls and also act as antioxidants - thus helping maintain a healthy heart and slowing down aging. Anecdotally, the oldest woman in the world, Jeanne Calment, drank one glass of wine a day, and she lived until she was age 122. If you would rather not drink wine everyday, consider eating red grapes instead.
        Make sure you get your 5 a Day! Fruit and Vegetables are extremely good for you!
    5.    Reduce stress
        Have close relationships. People who are able to confide in close friends or life partners have been shown to live longer and healthier lives. This is due to the alleviation of stress, boredom, and depression. The result will be a mentally and physically healthier person. Cherish your friends and family.
        Reduce causes of stress and depression in your life. This can have a very negative impact on your heart, and other physiology. Learn to cope with stress by trying different relaxation techniques or simply by looking at things differently. Take deep breaths during your most stressful moments.
        Try not to be afraid. Seriously, the worst stress comes from the inside. If you are in constant fear of anything or everything (phobias) you become as fragile as an ant, asking for life to step on you. Be as passive and easy going as you can. There are bigger things like earthquakes, stray bullets, automobiles and airplanes that can kill in an instant but which you cannot defend against, and are not afraid of anyway, right? Fear is a tool, and it has a purpose, but it is most often bad for your well-being. Do not be afraid, be aware.
        Look on the bright side. Having an optimistic point of view is healthy and those who drink from the cup that is half full tend to have a much stronger resilience to any health problems.
        Keep on working. It's been proven that people who stay active in their jobs, or volunteer work, live longer. Being a part of a community and/or work-force into your golden years will keep your life filled and fulfilling up until the end.
        Smile. Smiling is like relaxation. It relieves stress and changes your attitude. Not only more people will like your positive attitude, but you'll change your mood. Having a positive attitude can add 7 years to your life (according to researchers)! So put a smile on!
        Laugh and Hug! If you laugh or hug every day in an average life span, you live seven more years!
        Have Purpose. Many people over the age of 100 claim a reason behind their life, and suggest that their reason has helped them reach such ages. Some reasons for living can be as practical as providing food for others, or even as abstract as providing inspiration. One woman even claims that her age itself has become her reason for living!
    6.    Watch out for problems
        Think first. This step includes looking both ways before you cross the street, as children are taught but many adults take it for granted, and wear protective gear when necessary. Whether you are riding a bike or skateboard, working on a construction site, or handling potentially harmful substances, be careful. While the human skull is quite thick and sturdy, severe head trauma can result from the brain being jostled around inside the skull from an impact, potentially resulting in permanent brain damage or even death.
        Be safe. Avoid potentially dangerous activities that frequently or occasionally end in death or dismemberment, such as bullfighting, or relationships with dangerous people.
        Attend yearly physicals. Identifying potentially deadly health problems early can result in their eradication.
    7.    Introduce regular exercise into your life. While most people lead quite busy lives, the benefits of exercise usually present themselves in all areas of your life. Gradually introducing exercise will lead to longer patterns of fitness rather than adopting a harsh workout regime each New Year's. A simple way to start is walking. Studies have shown that walking 2 miles-a-day cuts the risk of death almost in half! 30 minutes a day also works because it reduces as much risk of a heart attack as a highly intense exercise.
    8.    Educate yourself. One of the most consistent markers of longevity across the world, in all economic conditions is higher education. If you stay in school and get a degree, it seems to increase your chances of living longer more than almost anything else, apart from taking physical care of yourself with regular exercise, eating healthy and not smoking.
    9.    Develop a sleep schedule. It is not as important to get a certain number of hours of sleep, so much as it is to get the same amount of sleep, at the same time, day in and day out. Sleep gives your body a chance to heal and regenerate; having a stable sleeping routine will help your body take care of itself more easily. If you do not carry out successful sleep cycles over an extended period of time (48+ hours) you can seriously affect your physical and mental health.
    10.    Use your mind. This will help you make better decisions to help you live longer. It will also help in survival situations. There's no point to living a long life if you are not happy, and this is one way to enlighten yourself and enjoy life. Lastly, people who read and exercise their mind a lot tend to be less prone to Alzheimer's.
    11.    Floss every day. Certain bacteria live in your teeth and can cause arteries to swell. Swollen arteries can lead to heart disease.

Source: wikiHow