There’s a new wave of health-focused content flooding TikTok from influencers who want to help you live longer.
Offering diet, exercise and lifestyle advice, these online longevity influencers have got tons of tips that can, they say, increase your life span.
So what might you want to do to slow the ageing process and maximise your health? Here are five TikTok longevity hacks to try…
1. Strategic eating
Studies suggest intermittent fasting is effective at aiding weight loss and gut health, and preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
As Kevin Defranko AKA Lift’N’Balance (tiktok.com/@liftnbalance) points out, however, it’s important to ensure you consume enough during your eating hours, so you don’t deprive your body of much needed macro- and micronutrients.
That’s why he recommends ‘strategic eating’ – focusing on nutritious meals, not calorie restriction, so your cells get enough energy and you can reap the longevity benefits of intermittent fasting.
Fasting isn’t for everyone – be careful if you have any underlying health conditions, and see your GP if you need any advice.
2. Sit on the floor
Writer Dan Buettner (tiktok.com/@danbuettner) specialises in studying Blue Zones – areas of the world where people tend to have a long life expectancy. In one TikTok video, he recalls spending two days with a 104-year-old woman in Okinawa, Japan, where sitting on the floor is common.
“I noticed how she got up and down off the floor about 30 times a day,” he says. “Not coincidentally, Okinawans have very low levels of mortality from falls and broken hips.”
He recommends watching TV sitting on the floor (on a cushion or bean bag if you’re more comfortable) instead of the sofa to replicate the effect, thereby increasing your muscle strength, flexibility and mobility.
3. Eat until you’re 80% full
Another longevity trick we can borrow from Blue Zone inhabitants is called ‘caloric restriction’, but it’s not as drastic as it sounds.
“No, this doesn’t mean starving yourself,” says Cecilia Blanco, CEO and founder of The Healthy Gut Club, with 107.3K followers on TikTok (tiktok.com/@thehealthygutclub). “This simply means stopping eating your meal when you’re 80% full.”
The theory goes that by giving your brain time to catch up with your stomach you’ll still feel full but won’t consume as many calories, which could be better for your health in the long run.
4. Prioritise happiness
Speaking to chef and nutritionist Serena Poon (tiktok.com/@chefserenapoon), self-improvement icon Tony Robbins highlights the importance of a positive mindset for longevity.
“You can do all the other [health and nutrition] things we talked about but still screw it up with your mind,” Robbins says. “The most important element is your happiness. The reality is all the studies show happy people have a different life.”
Alongside eating healthily and exercising for your physical health, make sure to prioritise social connections and movement for your mental health as well.
5. Avoid high-risk activities
According to Guinness World Records, Dr Howard Tucker is the world’s oldest practising doctor at 100 years old – and he’s become something of a TikTok star. Tucker’s grandson, Austin, and the filmmaker Taylor Taglianetti have been working on a documentary about Tucker’s life – called What’s Next? – and they’ve been posting clips of the doctor on TikTok (tiktok.com/@whatsnextmovie), clocking up 68.3K followers and 2.2M likes.
In the videos, Tucker gives everything from dating advice to fitness tips – as well as sharing the three things he would never do.
First up is smoking, for obvious reasons. Next is jumping on a trampoline, because he’s seen “too many quadriplegics – people paralysed from their necks down”, he says. “And I wouldn’t ride a motorcycle.”
While it’s fun to see what healthy tips come up on TikTok, remember everyone on social media isn’t necessarily a health expert – see your GP if you have any questions or queries.
