How to Live 10 Years Longer (It’s EASY)

If you want to live to 90… or 100… or beyond, you’ll hear lots of talk about “lifestyle factors.”

Your doc will tell you to quit smoking, exercise, and give up the junk food. 

And that’s all pretty good advice. 

But what if the key to a long life isn’t HOW you live, but WHERE you live? 

Research is showing that the key to adding 10 or more years to your life is probably something your real estate agent told you. 

It’s all about location, location, location. 

A study published in Environmental Research looked at data from nearly 150 studies including nearly 300 million people from around the world.

The connection was clear. People who lived among the most greenery had a lower risk of disease and were just healthier in general.

This wasn’t the first study to show this healthy connection to nature. Last year, another study showed that living near nature can actually help you live longer.

Overall, women who lived closer to vegetation had a 12% lower death rate than their least green companions.

Specifically, there was a 41% lower risk of death from kidney disease, a 34% lower risk of death from respiratory disease, and a 13% lower risk of death from cancer.

What health secret are trees and bushes hiding?

It actually has to do with the very smell of trees — that distinct “forest smell” you notice in the woods. That scent occurs because trees release phytoncides, which are substances that have numerous beneficial properties for humans. 

One big reason is because they help improve mental health. In fact, the researchers estimate that 30% of the reason for the reduced death rates comes from reduced levels of depression and improved mental health.

Phytoncides are also antimicrobial, and when they are released into the air, they have a way of cleaning and sterilizing the air around them.

Soaking in these beneficial woodsy chemicals actually has a name. It’s called forest bathing.

Add these woodsy benefits to the benefits of sun exposure — and of soaking up the electrons from the ground itself (grounding, or going barefoot) — and you have nature’s perfect recipe for health and wellness.

The bottom line is that we were meant to live in, among, and with nature. The more we can get back to our roots, the better off we are both mentally and physically.

So my prescription for better overall health — and a longer life — is simply this:

Get outside and enjoy nature!

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.