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The five most important lifestyle factors for longevity and health span

HealthyLiving.com.au

Published on 1 May 2025

Want to live a long, vibrant life full of energy and purpose?

In this article we share the five most critical lifestyle factors that can boost both your life span and your health span, backed by robust scientific research.

We also outline five practical steps to help you maximise your potential for a longer, healthier life. They’re simple, actionable steps, designed to fit into your busy routine.

Understanding life span and health span

Before we dive in, let’s explain what we mean by the terms life span and health span.

Life span is simply how long you live for. It’s the period of time between birth and death and it doesn’t account for any other factors, such as your health or quality of life.

Health span, on the other hand, is the length of time that you live in generally good health.

The goal? Extend both so you’re not just living longer, but also living better. Here are the five lifestyle factors that make the biggest difference to your life span and health span.

The five most important lifestyle factors

1. Nutrition: fuel your body right

Eating well is the cornerstone of a long, healthy life.

A balanced diet packed with whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and healthy fats, such as olive oil, will support cellular health, reduce inflammation and protect against chronic diseases.

2. Physical activity: keep moving!

Staying active keeps your heart healthy, builds muscle and bone strength, and lifts your mood. Engaging in regular physical activity also reduces the risk of many chronic conditions and some cancers.

Research links 150 minutes of weekly moderate intensity exercise to a lower risk of early death and better physical function as you age. It’s not just about living longer, it’s about staying independent and active.

3. Sleep: recharge and repair

Adequate, high-quality sleep (7-8 hours per night for most adults) supports cognitive function, immune health and cellular repair, directly influencing how long and how well you live.

Insufficient or poor quality sleep over an extended period of time can have a negative impact on both your physical and mental health.

4. Stress management: protect your mental and physical health

Chronic stress accelerates aging and increases the risk of diseases.

Effectively managing stress, whether it’s through mindfulness, a walk on the beach or chatting with a friend, protects your mental and physical health.

Research shows that stress-busting habits will help you live longer and feel better.

5. Social connections: relationships build resilience

Strong relationships and community engagement can improve mental health and resilience, positively impacting on both your longevity and quality of life.

Research has shown that loneliness predicts increased morbidity and mortality; and that the effects of loneliness seem to accrue over time to accelerate physiological aging.

Shockingly, research indicates that loneliness has a mortality risk comparable with smoking more than 15 cigarettes a day and higher than alcoholism, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Five practical steps to maximise your life span and health span

1. Adopt a nutrient-dense eating plan

Commit to a balanced diet rich in a wide variety of vegetables and fruit, along with lean proteins and healthy fats.

Reducing consumption of unhealthy fats, salt and added sugar, will also be highly beneficial for your health and longevity. A great strategy is to focus mostly on whole foods and ideally minimise consumption of ultra processed foods (or ‘junk food’), as these can contain significant amounts of added salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.

For some low-hanging fruit (pardon the pun!) with great benefits, consider some simple swaps to healthier options. For example, swapping less healthy fats, such as butter, for healthier fats like olive oil. Another easy switch is changing cooking methods, for example, oven baking instead of deep frying.

For a delicious, easy to follow and scientifically formulated diet to guide you on your healthy eating journey, check out the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet from Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO.

2. Move every day

If you’re not already meeting the baseline amount of physical activity per week, as recommended in the Australian Government’s Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians, then that’s a great goal to strive for.

For example, the guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity, such as swimming or a brisk walk, per week for adults aged 18 to 64. If you’re aged above or below that range, then check out the guidelines for recommendations specific to your age.

If you’re already meeting the recommended baseline of physical activity per week (well done!), then you could look at increasing the volume (amount of time) per week, and/or adding some more vigorous intensity activities, such as jogging or sports like football or netball.

Strength training is also vital for long term health, playing a huge role in muscle and bone strength. This is recognised in the Australian Government’s guidelines, with strength training recommended for all Australian adults. Ideally, you should aim for at least two strength training sessions per week.

Older adults should also include both strength and balance training in their physical activities each week, given the importance of maintaining muscular strength, bone density and balance as we age.

3. Set your sleep routine

Establishing a sleep routine can make a big difference. Start with scheduling your bedtime, ideally for the same time each night. You might find it helpful to set an alarm for 15 minutes or so before your bedtime, as a gentle reminder to start getting ready for bed.

Wind-down rituals are also great for getting your mind and body prepared for sleep. Many people find that reading is a great way to wind-down for sleep.

Minimise the use of electronic devices (e.g. smartphones) in your bedroom, particularly in the last couple of hours leading up to bedtime. Your mind needs to associate your bedroom with being the place for sleep, not scrolling socials!

For more tips on getting better sleep, see our article here.

4. Practice a daily stress reset

There are lots of simple ways for you to get some stress relief in just a few minutes a day.

Controlled breathing techniques can be very effective for relaxation and reducing stress. A great example is box breathing (also known as square breathing). It’s really simple:

Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Pause for 4 seconds before inhaling again.

You might also like to close your eyes whilst box breathing. You can repeat the box breathing cycle a few times.

Another stress buster that many people find useful is moments of gratitude. Think about three things that you’re grateful for in your life. You could also jot these down in a journal. You could incorporate moments of gratitude into your wind-down routine for bed, taking stock of what you’re grateful for that day.

5. Build your tribe

Make time for at least one meaningful connection each week.

You could call a friend to chat, join a local walking group (check out the free Heart Foundation Walking program) or host a barbie for your neighbours.

Special interest groups, like book clubs or community sports teams are also a great way to make connections. There are groups for almost every interest, from gaming to gardening. There might be a group in your local community for people to share a hobby that you would enjoy.