Fit Tips: Eight longevity practices for living your healthiest life

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 1, 2026

New research challenges the long-held belief about how much our DNA determines our longevity. Living a long life is influenced by genetics, environment, and lifestyle

A landmark study published in the journal Science by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science revealed that genes influence your lifespan by roughly 55%.

This is more than double the long-accepted studies, which estimated that genetics accounted for only 20% to 25% of life expectancy.

Even people with the same genes, living in similar conditions, experience day-to-day biological differences that add up over a lifetime.

How efficiently your immune system clears damaged cells, how often you’re stressed or sick, and how your body responds to those moments all help determine how long and how well you live.

Based on this new study, how much of our life expectancy is within our control?

When we discount DNA’s influence on our lifespan, the remaining 45%-50% is shaped by lifestyle, environment, healthcare, and chance. Even with “long-life genes,” daily habits can add or subtract 5–10 years.

Small shifts, big impact

Small shifts can have a big impact. Here are some practices that will keep your body and mind healthy over time.

1. Move your body daily and consistently! Movement helps with fluid circulation by stimulating blood flow, which flushes out waste and toxins. It is also important for vessel elasticity, which helps lower blood pressure. As we age, our blood vessels become like a hose left out in the sun too long. It becomes hard, and water won’t flow as well.

Physical stagnation also actively disrupts how your body processes fuel and manages energy. Movement circulates synovial fluid through your joints, which delivers vital nutrients to cartilage that lacks a direct blood supply. Additionally, weight-bearing activity places mechanical stress on bones, signaling specialized cells to deposit calcium and maintain skeletal integrity. Walk, stretch, climb stairs, dance to a song or two, daily — anything that wakes up your system and keeps it circulating.

2. Get stronger. Your future depends on it. According to the National Institute of Health, clinical data show that maintaining muscle mass, strength, and power directly correlates with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Muscle is one of the most reliable predictors of healthy aging.

Don’t let not having access to a gym prevent you from working out. Bodyweight exercises work just as well. When I served in the military, we performed foundational moves such as push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and lunges. Perform these at least twice a week. Keep it simple and consistent.

3. Prioritizing quality sleep today is one of the most effective ways to slow your biological rate of aging tomorrow. Sleep is now considered a biological pillar. It regulates hormones, supports the brain, and helps you repair at the cellular level.

A groundbreaking study, published in Nature, examined multi-organ biological clocks. The data revealed that sleep plays a disproportionately large role in driving the longevity of your brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. Consistency is key — day-to-day, regularly going to bed and waking up at the same time. Try dimming lights after dinner or stepping away from screens 30–60 minutes before bed.

4. Approaching nutrition with a mindset of “eating for energy and longevity, not perfection” frees you from stressful dietary restriction while maximizing your biological health span. Since I am quite active throughout the day, I eat three meals a day and some snacks to keep my energy up. When I play in pickleball tournaments, I eat differently. I don’t eat big meals because I feel better and less full. So, I eat small energy snacks throughout my day. Then I fuel up at the end of the day.

Listen to your body. It’s not about restriction; it’s about nourishment. Eat less sugar, eat more plant-based. Enjoy dessert, but in moderation. I love a few pieces of dark chocolate in the evening.

5. Manage stress. Chronic stress is a powerful accelerant of biological aging that physically damages your body at a cellular level. You do not need hours of isolation to manage stress. Instead, utilize short, scientifically validated tools to down-regulate your nervous system.

Try this quick stress reliever: To rapidly stop a stress response in under 30 seconds, take two quick, consecutive inhales through your nose, followed by one long, slow exhale through your mouth. Doing this just two or three times immediately activates your vagus nerve, slows down your heart rate, and lowers blood pressure.

6. Cultivate your social connections. Extensive clinical data reveal that a lack of meaningful relationships is a major risk factor for early death. A famous meta-analysis by Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad tracking over 300,000 participants revealed that chronic loneliness carries a mortality risk equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Reach out to one person each day: a text, a phone call, a voice note, or meet in person. Take up a sport or take a class where you are around people.

7. Keep your brain learning and stretching. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt through experience. Push your mind out of its comfort zone with difficult, active learning to expand your cognitive reserve. Try reading a new book genre, learning a few words in a new language, taking an online class, or playing a musical instrument.

8. Get outside. Research shows that regular exposure to green and blue spaces (forests, parks, and oceans) is directly linked to a lower risk of all-cause mortality, improved cardiovascular health, and a slower rate of biological aging.

Forest bathing — originally called Shinrin-yoku in Japan — is the deliberate practice of immersing your senses in a forest environment to promote biological healing and longevity. A landmark study published in Biomedical Research showed that a two-day forest immersion trip increased Natural Killer (NK) cell activity by over 50%, an immune-boosting effect. Spend 10 to 20 minutes outdoors each day.

Ultimately, your longevity is not defined by a single gene, a flawless diet, or an isolated biohack. It is built upon the daily compounding rhythm of these eight foundational practices: optimizing your genetics, moving daily, protecting your muscle armor, prioritizing deep sleep, eating for energy, mastering stress recovery, fostering human connection, and stepping outside to breathe in the natural world.

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The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended for health, medical, or financial advice. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat any health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about medical conditions or health objectives.