Humans need challenges in order to maximize their life span. These challenges can be physical, mental, social, physiological, or digestive.

Physical challenges: Running or walking a long distance, resistance training, playing sports, etc.

Mental challenges: Most types of sophisticated work involve mental challenges, such as problems to solve or complex tasks to complete. Playing a musical instrument in a band also challenges the brain. Completing crossword puzzles, Wordle, and other word puzzles provides a mental challenge. 

Some activities involve both mental and physical challenges, e.g., taking care of young children, playing a competitive sport.

Social challenges: Finding and keeping a mate, making friends. 

Physiological challenges: I donate whole blood or plasma. Each donation is a challenge for my body. I also get all recommended vaccines. Each one is a challenge (and an aid) for my immune system. 

There is also such a thing as digestive challenges. Here are some: Eating only one meal a day, intermittent fasting, eating on a new schedule (e.g., after traveling overseas). Other digestive challenges include digesting different types of foods, e.g., a type of nut or seed that is new to you. I also usually eat at least 20 different types of food a day. For instance, today I ate peas, mint, bananas, a pear, bread with 6 types of grains and seeds, durum wheat, basil, broccoli, cauliflower, apple, mandarin, cheese, leek, egg, corn. Wow! Each different food presents its own slight challenge for digestion. 

A moderate level of challenge helps us. A high level drains us.

Add all your small or medium challenges together, and you have a basis for a long, healthy life. 

Photo by Odiseo Castrejon on Unsplash