A holistic doctor's daily habits for living longer, healthier: 'It's important to manage our stress'

Dr. Angela Mazza is an integrative endocrinologist with 12 years of experience. Nearly a decade ago Mazza founded the Metabolic Center for Wellness and much of what she specializes in aligns with longevity practices, she says.

"Longevity really is what integrative medicine is. It's preventive medicine, really," she tells CNBC Make It. "Longevity just has a nice spin to it, but integrative medicine is the core."

As an integrative endocrinologist, Mazza takes a holistic approach to diagnoses and treatment that includes mind, body, diet and lifestyle. In her practice she also focuses on the impact of the stress hormone, cortisol, and its effects on lifespan.

While humans need cortisol to live and a certain level of stress can support personal growth, elevated cortisol levels can be an indicator of chronic stress.

"When we look at illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, dementia, osteoporosis, cancer, [they're] really affected by long-term stress, and we have worse outcomes," Mazza says. "That's why it's important to be able to manage our stress."

Here are Mazza's daily habits for managing stress, keeping cortisol levels in check and maintaining good mental and physical health.

'Exercise not only helps me feel better, it's good for my brain'

I have to exercise on a daily basis. It gets me going in the morning. I find that exercise not only helps me feel better, it's good for my brain.

Sleep is essential, so I make sure I'm getting good quality sleep. It helps our bodies repair and reset for the next day, and helps make our hormones for the next day.

Also, stress impacts our hormones, so stress management is key. Part of how I manage stress is just relaxing, spending time with my husband and my animals. I like to crochet. That's one of my downtime practices, and I listen to music.

What are you doing specifically for your brain?

I think exercise is just as important for my brain as for my body. Sleep is also important.

I really try to work on detoxification on a daily basis because toxins can really impact our brain health. We're exposed to toxins on a regular basis, and we can't avoid them.

Helping our body manage detoxification, whether it's by sweating with exercise or making sure we get antioxidants in the food that we eat or through hydration is key.

Those simple things help us detoxify, and I think that's super important for brain health.

Something we are seeing too, as it relates to longevity, is the importance of connecting with other people and making space for that social interaction. What's your social fitness like?

Social interaction is key. When we look at the Blue Zones, that was one of the Power Nine and lack of social interaction is just as bad as not exercising.

My routine is probably a little bit different. Because I take care of patients, I'm talking and constantly interacting with people. But also making time to spend with my family and my friends, whether it's just a daily text to my dad to make sure he's okay. We always talk about him getting out. He's in his 80s now, and he goes to a senior center, he keeps in contact with his friends.

What's your daily diet like? What are the foods that you're aiming to get into your diet each week?

I always try to have a salad every day, so a little bit of spinach, mixed greens, with some peppers, things like that. I always try to get a serving of some sort of berries. Berries are great for antioxidants.

I am a coffee drinker, so I do believe in the benefits of coffee, just not overdoing it and staying hydrated. Of course, I take supplements, but they're in addition to trying to get what I can in the food I eat. It's not always easy, but we try.

This next one is just for fun. What are you reading?

I read journals a lot. My patients are always pushing me, so I have to stay up to date with the journals.

I'm currently reading "Ageless" by Andrew Steele. That's been taking me a while, so I pick it up and put it down. But I'm also rereading "The Te of Piglet," so it's like "The Tao of Pooh," but from Piglet's standpoint from Winnie the Pooh. I think there's some really good takeaways from that book.

The daily habits of a integrative endocrinologist

To sum up, here's what she does each day to maintain good health and wellness:

For her physical health: Exercising daily, prioritizing sleep and keeping stress levels low.

For her brain health: Detoxing her body through hydration, eating antioxidants and sweating from exercise.

For social fitness: Communicating daily with her patients and checking in on her dad.

For her diet: Eating salads and berries daily, and balancing the benefits of coffee with hydration.

For her media diet: Staying up to date with medical journals and rereading books with life lessons.

Source: Story by Renée Onque