Trite, but true: everything depends on the way of life. Or rather, I would say, in a lifestyle – because the world has changed, and what was more or less constant (and was fixed by the phrase “lifestyle”) has become mobile and dynamic, so it’s better to call it a lifestyle. So, the first thing to do is to change the image to a lifestyle. To see that the world around us is changing, and we are able to change with it, to treat ourselves not as a “set of achievements”, but as a project. Ask a psychologist and, no matter what school the psychologist adheres to, you will hear that the more interests you have, the more variety in your life, the further your old age will be. Senile dementia bypasses those who constantly solve crossword puzzles and read scientific articles. Statistics says: life expectancy directly depends on the level of education.
Down with stress, attract joy into life – the number one recipe. Healthy eating and exercise – where without them! And also – the knowledge and training of the brain, the “ecology of emotions.” And, of course, you need to take care of your health. Let’s take a closer look at these recipes.
There are many diets that promote longevity. The Bragg mentioned above, for example, was a naturopath. He believed that periodically it is useful to starve, 60% of the diet should be raw vegetables and fruits. Well, his own example proves that this diet is useful. Kundalini yoga instructor Zoya Weidner advises eating freshly prepared food, not having breakfast before 9 am, and listening to your body carefully. “Women should certainly eat a handful of raisins a day, as well as 5-6 pieces of almonds,” says Zoya Weidner, “turmeric is extremely beneficial for health, from which it is advised to prepare Golden Milk.” The recipe for this amazing energy drink is made with turmeric, pepper, almond milk and coconut oil. Honey is added to the drink. This milk is an excellent antioxidant, it tones up, improves immunity, contributes to the normalization of weight and nervous activity. And finally, it’s just delicious.
In general, it doesn’t matter if you are a raw foodist, veganist, or vegetarian, on a proper diet, or just listening to your body. It is important not to overeat, eat nuts and omega-saturated oils, do not forget about the freshness of the products, and believe in their benefits.
Recently, we finally remembered that we have a body. It’s a good news. Oddly enough, many of the problems of Western culture, in particular, the problems of premature aging, lie in the Christian worldview. The body was supposed to be sinful, and we have forgotten how to listen to it over the long centuries. In the XNUMXth and especially in the XNUMXst century, various oriental energy practices from yoga to qigong became popular. As well as all sorts of Western techniques, from Pilates to choir practice, using the right ideas of yogis and adapting them to the worldview of the inhabitants of the metropolis. All these practices are aimed at uniform and thorough work with the body, at building and achieving balance in the body. That is, harmony.
In fact, the idea of harmony is quite close to the European worldview, and it is not for nothing that we grew out of the ancient culture that cultivated this idea. But the Eastern approach is different in that harmony should be between the outer and the inner. That is why all Eastern practices are inextricably linked with philosophy, they include meditation and concentration, they work not only with the body, but also with the mind and emotions. You should not load your body with sports to the point of exhaustion, even though it has been proven that the pain load contributes to the production of endorphins in the body, that is, it brings a person into a state of joy (recipe number one) – this load should not be excessive. Physical activity, whether it’s yoga or jogging, is designed to make us pay attention to ourselves – in the body. A good exercise was suggested to me by Gestalt therapist Svetlana Ganzha: “Sit comfortably and focus on the sensations in your body for 10 minutes. Don’t do anything on purpose, just feel and keep saying what you feel. Something like this: I realize that my feet are touching the floor, and my hands are on my knees … ” Such an exercise in concentration and awareness of the body allows you to “return to yourself” no worse than Tibetan meditation and feel the blocks and flow of energy in the body. And, of course, you need to remember that youth is flexibility. Therefore, whatever you choose, give your body strength and flexibility, and then it will never drive you into a hospital bed.
“From a scientific point of view, old age is stress extended over time,” explains Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences Vladimir Khavinson, President of the European Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Director of the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The reactions of our body to stress and the aging process are physiologically identical. That is why those who know how to let go of stress live longer. That is why it is worth turning to those activities that will allow you to let go of the negative and turn to positive emotions. It can be dancing or drawing, cooking or walking, meditation or weaving a mandala. If you can not let go of the experience – a psychologist to help you! The prefix re-in the word “experience” very accurately describes what draws us to the edge of the abyss of our emotions – returning to the same thing, all the time re-experiencing negative emotions, fear or pain, longing or pity, we are constantly moving towards aging, speeding up and speeding up its course.
“It is also important to understand that in our time we are experiencing accelerated aging. Because the limits of human life are much greater than its average duration today. In the Bible it is correctly written – life expectancy is 120 years for a person. Our resource is the body’s stem cells, they are in every organ, everywhere, they are like spare parts of the body. And if you find a way to activate them in the right place, this is the key to solving the problem of active healthy longevity,” adds Vladimir Khavinson.
The keys to “resource activation” can be different. Of course, genetics is the basis, and therefore it is useful to draw up your genetic passport – which will allow you to find out if there are predispositions to unpleasant diseases and what is the probability of getting a “bouquet” of diagnoses by old age. It turns out that knowing your genetics, you can avoid many difficulties. The Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology has developed a series of drugs and bioadditives – peptides that help “start” the work of stem cells in the right place at the right time. It sounds a bit fantastic, but approbation and experiments prove that the body’s peptide regulation works.
Do not neglect the Eastern view of longevity. Ayurveda, in full accordance with the philosophy of India, sees balance in the basis of health – the balance of doshas. But the main thing is not to achieve balance, but to restore your own natural balance – and therefore Ayurveda preaches an individual approach, referring to the essence of each patient. However, there are also universal recipes – this is all that we have already mentioned when talking about nutrition.