5 easy ways to add extra years to your life 

 Zeenews Bureau

Cutting down on smoke, limiting alcohol intake, eating a healthy diet and regular exercise are few ways that could add extra years to your life.

Quit smoking: Smokers more than triple their risk of dying early compared to nonsmokers. A new research has found that women who stop smoking before 40 live a decade longer than those who keep puffing into later life.

Kicking the habit before middle age nearly eliminates the risk of premature death, and women who ditch the cigs in their 30s have even better odds of a long life. The reason - fewer years of overall exposure to cigarette toxins that are linked to lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Limit alcohol intake: Research confirms that moderate drinking (one glass per day for women) slash risk of heart disease up to 40 percent.

However, binge drinking can cause liver problems, reduced fertility, high blood pressure, increased risk of various cancers and heart attack.

Avoid stress: Stress can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity – all things that take years off your life.

Workout: Studies show that working out may lower a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 37 percent, osteoporosis by 45 percent, and heart disease by 14 percent.

A combination of cardio and weight training boosts metabolism and burns fat, keeping heart disease at bay.

Maintaining a healthy weight not only keeps you looking hot in your hip-huggers, it wards off heart attacks and diabetes, too.

To see if you’re a healthy size, check the circumference of your waist around your belly button. That number should be less than half your height.

So if you’re 5’2,” your waist should be less than 31 inches.

Have healthy food: Avoid processed foods laden with trans fats. This type of fat packs on the most belly blubber, so limit yourself to 2 grams daily

Healthy women who eat soy at least once a week cut their risk of breast cancer by 50 percent, however, processed soy may actually rev up cancer cells.

Stick to natural staples such as edamame, tofu, soy milk, and miso. Add enough green leafy vegetables, fruits to your diet to improve life expectancy.