The greatest gift we can get is a long, healthy life. New Centers For Disease Control figures show that people in some states live longer than others.

Life Extension, a vitamin and supplement company, recently studied life expectancy. What they found was disturbing. Their study found that Americans born today can expect to live shorter lives than their parents for the first time in a generation.

Also, life expectancy has declined in the U.S. for two years, making it the most significant decrease since 1923.

American life expectancy isn't even as good as many other nations. Canadians live for an average of 82.2 years. The U.S. ranks 40th among world nations for life expectancy, behind Kuwait, Estonia, and Panama. This is true even though the U.S. spends a higher portion of its GDP on healthcare than any other developed nation.

Science says the keys to a long life are regular exercise, a healthy diet, spending time outdoors and nururing personal relationships.

With all this in mind, how does Texas rate among U.S. states for longevity? Texas is nowhere near the top.

Top 10 States for Longevity

StateLife Expectancy
1. Hawaii80.7
2. Minnesota79.1
3. Vermont78.8
4. Washington79.2
5. New Hampshire79
6. Utah78.6
7. Colorado78.3
8. Massachusetts79
9. California79
10. Oregon78.8

We're much closer to the bottom, although Texas is not in the bottom ten either.

Bottom 10 States for Longevity

StateLife Expectancy
41. Ohio75.3
42. Missouri75.1
43. South Carolina74.8
44. Tennessee73.8
45. Arkansas73.8
46. Oklahoma74.1
47. Kentucky73.5
48. Louisiana73.1
49. Alabama73.2
50. Mississippi71.9
51. West Virginia72.8

Texas is ranked 37th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in life expectancy. The average life expectancy in Texas is 76.5. That is below the national average.

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash
Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash
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Some Texas factors include:

31.4% of Texans have anxiety symptoms

75.2% of Texas adults have exercised in the past month

35.1% of Texas adults have insufficient sleep.

67.6% of Texans eat fruit and veggies every day.

28.2% of adults are at a healthy weight.

As the character, Spock always said in the original Star Trek series as a Vulcan motto, "Live long and prosper." Texans have a long way to go to improve our health. With our rich Tex-Mex diet and tamales galore, maybe it's not the length of your life but how well you live every moment.

There is no better place to do that for many of us than Texas.

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