Tzeadim › By age
Ages 18–40
Gross motor
- 150–300 minutes of aerobic activity a week
Moderate (brisk walk, easy cycling: can talk, not sing) — or 75–150 vigorous. Template: two 45-min zone-2 sessions + one interval session.
- Strength training 2–3×/week
All major muscle groups; 2–4 sets of 6–12 reps; from 40 this is the single highest-value habit (muscle loss ~1%/year without it).
- 7,000–10,000 steps a day
Mortality benefit plateaus around 7–8k steps; any pace counts.
Social & emotional
- Real contact with 2–3 close people every week
Weak social ties carry mortality risk comparable to smoking (meta-analyses); '2–3 people' is a practical target, not a prescribed dose.
- 120 minutes in nature a week
Parks, beach, trails — in any split; measurable effects on stress and mood.
- A weekly check-in with your partner
15–30 minutes: logistics, then 'how are we?'. The trialed version is an annual relationship checkup — weekly is a light adaptation.
- A call across the generations, weekly
Call or visit your parents or grandparents — later, your grown children; ask for a life story. The older side gains the most.
- Volunteer, at least monthly
Regular volunteering is associated with less depression and longer life in cohorts (about 2 h/week in the 50+ data); RCTs are thin.
- Five slow-breathing minutes
Most days: ~6 slow breaths a minute, or ten quiet minutes of attention practice. Small-to-medium stress effect in trials; may help BP.
- Three good things, once a week
Write three things that went well and why. Honest label: effects in studies are small — it's pleasant, free and occasionally lovely.
Self care
- Screen work: look far every 20 minutes
20-20-20: every 20 minutes, 20 seconds at something ~6 m away. A comfort habit — trials show little measurable effect; it's free.
Feeding
- Mediterranean plate: 5+ portions of vegetables and fruit a day
Half the plate vegetables, whole grains, legumes 3×/week, olive oil, fish 2×/week, nuts; minimal ultra-processed food and sweet drinks.
- Alcohol: as little as possible; no more than 1–2 drinks a day, never daily
No level is fully safe; under 10 drinks a week and alcohol-free days most days is a reasonable ceiling.
- Fibre, most of it from plants you recognise
About 25–30 g of fibre a day: legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts.
- Keep salt under about 5 g a day
Most salt comes from bread, cheese, processed meat and snacks — not the salt shaker.
- Fish twice a week, one oily
Two fish meals a week, one of them oily (salmon, sardines, mackerel) — the NHS formula; Israeli guidance says vary fish weekly.
- A handful of nuts a day
~30 g unsalted nuts or seeds daily — the Mediterranean-trial portion; MoH lists daily nuts too. No whole nuts under 4 (choking).
- Drink through the day (more in the heat)
Reference intake ~2 L (women) / 2.5 L (men) including food; in the Israeli summer and outdoors — noticeably more, thirst plus habit.
Sleep
- Sleep 7–9 hours
Fixed wake time, dark cool room, no screens in bed, caffeine before 14:00, alcohol wrecks the second half of the night.
- Last coffee ~8 hours before bed
Afternoon and evening caffeine fragments sleep even when you fall asleep fine; the 8-hour cutoff is a practical rule of thumb.
- Nap short and early
If you nap: up to ~30 minutes, early afternoon. From 65, skip long naps late in the day — they eat the night.
- Keep your sleep schedule regular
Same bed and wake times (±1 h) all week: in a large cohort, regularity predicted longevity better than sleep length did.
Health
- Blood pressure check yearly
Every 3–5 years at 18–39 with normal readings; yearly from 40 or with raised readings/weight; target under 130/80.
- Dental check and cleaning every 6–12 months
Hygienist cleaning plus a check; x-rays every 2–3 years.
- Know your skin; a dermatologist check if high-risk
Routine screening lacks proof (USPSTF); know your moles and show changes; yearly derm check for fair skin/many moles/family history.
- Monthly weight and waist
Same scale, same morning; waist under 94 cm (men) / 80 cm (women) matters more than the scale.
- Yearly mood, anxiety and alcohol self-check
PHQ-9/GAD-7/AUDIT take 5 minutes; add an honest look at stress, sleep and burnout; two low weeks affecting life → family doctor.
- Folic acid 400 mcg daily if pregnancy is possible
Israeli MoH: all women of reproductive age; start at least a month before conception and through the first trimester.
- Flu shot every autumn
Free at the kupah, September–November; especially if you live with a baby, are pregnant, 65+, or have a chronic condition.
- COVID-19 seasonal vaccine (per MoH guidance)
Recommended each season for 65+, pregnancy and chronic conditions; available to all at the kupah.
- Measles immunity: 2 documented doses
With outbreaks in Israel, check the gov.il vaccine register or your booklet; adults without 2 doses get them free at the health bureau.
- Cholesterol check in late adolescence
One lipid panel between 17 and 21, and earlier if there is a family history of early heart disease.
- Stopping smoking — with help
The single largest health gain available at any adult age. Kupot fund workshops and medication.
- Protect your hearing
Noise damage is permanent and cumulative — concerts, power tools, reserve duty, headphones.
- Pelvic floor: a daily minute
A short daily set of pelvic-floor squeezes, lifelong (NICE); best proven around pregnancy and birth. Ask how — technique matters.
- Little sun? Vitamin D is worth discussing
Indoor life keeps vitamin D low even in Israel; ~20 accumulated sun minutes a day or 800–1,000 IU — test once and ask your doctor.
- Sunscreen on the way out
SPF 30+ on face and exposed skin every outdoor day: an Australian trial cut skin cancers; with Israel's UV the case is stronger.
- Home BP checks — if yours runs high
For elevated or diagnosed BP only: a validated cuff, seated after 5 min rest; 7-day runs before visits, 1–2 sessions/week stable.
- Cholesterol panel every 4–5 years (every 2 from 45)
Total/LDL/HDL/triglycerides; consider Lp(a) once in a lifetime.
- Tetanus-diphtheria(-pertussis) booster every 10 years
Last school dose was in 8th grade (~14) → next around 24, 34, 44… Tdap in every pregnancy (weeks 27–36).
- Cervical screening every 3–5 years (25–65)
HPV test every 5 years or Pap every 3 — cadence depends on your kupah; free.
- BRCA test (Israel; Ashkenazi ancestry and beyond)
In the Israeli health basket for women of Ashkenazi descent (and increasingly wider); a positive result changes screening from age 25–30.
- Fertility planning conversation (32–35)
If children are (or may be) wanted: egg quality declines faster from 35; options include AMH testing and egg freezing (partly covered).
- Blood sugar / HbA1c every 3 years (from 35 with risk, 45 for all)
Yearly if overweight, family history, or previous high readings.
Play & learning
- Read 20–30 minutes a day
Books instead of feeds: better wind-down and focus; readers lived longer in one cohort — an association, not proof.
- Learn one hard new skill a year
A language, an instrument, a sport — novelty plus difficulty is what builds cognitive reserve, not puzzles.
For the parent
- Be the model: your habits are the curriculum
Children copy what they see: phone use, vegetables, exercise, apologising, reading. Pick one habit to fix per quarter.