Contents
Sweden is a country of centenarians. At the same time, most people of retirement age lead an active age of life, and many 80-year-olds cannot even reach 50. Swedish gerontologist Bertil Marklund reveals 10 secrets to the good health of his compatriots.
According to studies cited by Marklund in his book The 10 Golden Rules of Health, genes affect only 25% of life expectancy, but the remaining 75% determines our lifestyle. From this, the author concludes: “Each of us chooses how he wants to grow old or how not to grow old.”
After analyzing the lifestyle of Swedish pensioners, the author identified the main secrets of their longevity. And most importantly, there is nothing difficult in his recommendations – no ingenious green smoothie recipes, no complex yoga asanas. All it takes is common sense and a little willpower.
1. Get active
The Swedes are a sports nation. In the mornings, half the country goes for a run, and at the end of February, schools organize special sports holidays so that families can go to the mountains to ski and snowboard.
Physical activity reduces stress levels and stimulates the release of happiness hormones. Nevertheless, it is useless and even harmful to train 5 times a week. Just try to walk or ride a bike more, play football or hockey with your children, go dancing or rock climbing.
Let the movement be a pleasure. Only in this way will physical activity become a healthy habit. This is better for the body than infrequent but exhausting workouts from time to time.
2. Don’t worry about trifles
Dr. Marklund reminds us that “stress responses are necessary for us to survive.” However, if you lose your temper every time you can’t find your house keys in your bag or someone cuts you off on the road, that’s a bad sign.
You need to learn to control emotions and not let small troubles unsettle you. There are no universal recipes here. For some, it is enough to take a deep breath and count to 10. Others may need the help of a psychoanalyst or anger management training. In any case, ask your loved ones to point out to you when you “turn on because of nonsense.”
3. Sleep well, but in moderation
At night, the body is restored. Chronic lack of sleep immediately affects the appearance, weakens the immune system, leads to overweight and various diseases. However, sleeping more than 10 hours a day is also harmful. According to research conducted at Harvard, this negatively affects the quality of sleep and leads to memory impairment.
4. Look for the sun
Sweden is not the warmest country. However, its residents have learned to make the most of every fine day and do not sit at home or in the office in good weather. Everyone tries to spend at least a lunch break on the terrace of a cafe or in a park.
Everyone knows that vitamin D is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight. And it is vital for the normal functioning of the nervous system, strong bones and immunity.
Caffeine and Coffee Antioxidants Help Reduce the Risk of Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
In addition, vitamin D is not the last place in the prevention of cancer, diabetes, depression, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis. However, being in direct sunlight all day or going to the solarium is by no means necessary. This provokes photoaging of the skin and can even cause cancer.
5. Eat a balanced, moderate but varied diet
It is useless to sit on diets and arrange fasting days. It is enough just to minimize the consumption of refined sugar, semi-finished products, sausages and smoked meats. Load up on plant-based protein, foods rich in essential fatty acids (oily fish, vegetable oils), antioxidants, and vitamins.
Sweden is rich in fish and seafood: salmon and herring are eaten there even for breakfast. In addition, Scandinavians respect vegetables, primarily a variety of root vegetables, and whole grain breads and dairy products. Meat is not forbidden, but it is better not every day.
6. Drink water and… coffee
Hydration is essential for the body to function properly. A little reminder: the body is 60% water and loses up to 1,5 liters of moisture every day. If they are not replenished, cells cannot be renewed properly, nerve impulses pass more slowly, the body ages faster.
Moisture reserves can be replenished not only with clean drinking water. Moisture from vegetables and fruits, liquid soups, tea and coffee are also considered.
By the way, in recent years, doctors are increasingly talking about the benefits of coffee. So, Bertil Marklund cites data in the book proving that caffeine and coffee antioxidants help reduce the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The author recalls that Sweden ranks second in the world in terms of coffee consumption per capita. Every Swede has a coffee machine at home. The average Swede drinks 3-4 cups of this drink per day, and some even more.
You need to surround yourself with positive people, help those in need, and celebrate all the good things that happen to you.
Such a legend is popular among the inhabitants of this country. In the second half of the 83th century, by decree of the Swedish king Gustav III, an experiment was conducted to study the effect of coffee on health. The test subjects were two twin brothers sentenced to death for crimes. One had to drink three mugs of coffee daily, and the other – the same amount of tea. The king did not live to see the end of the experiment, but the brothers lived a long life. The one who drank tea was the first to die at the age of XNUMX.
7. Watch your weight
Excess weight leads to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. At the same time, according to Dr. Marklund, in order not to gain weight, it is enough to eat slowly, never take supplements and choose healthy foods.
8. Take care of your teeth
Oral hygiene affects the entire circulatory system. Bleeding gums or inflammation can cause serious illness and even blood poisoning. Therefore, do not forget to visit the dentist twice a year, brush your teeth thoroughly and do not lean on sweets.
9. Think positive
Bad mood leads to depression, loss of strength, chronic fatigue. Good news for those whose glass is always half empty: pessimism is curable. And there are a lot of ways. You need to surround yourself with positive people, spend more time with loved ones, help those in need, try to make the world a better place and celebrate all the good things that happen to you.
For example, try every day for a week to write down in a notebook three things that made you smile kindly. And very soon you will realize that there are not so few reasons for joy.
People who often experience loneliness die earlier. They have a high percentage of fibrogen protein in their blood. This protein causes the formation of blood clots, which lead to the development of cardiovascular and other diseases.
So catch up with old friends more often and make new ones, get together for family dinners, or pick up a hobby that will help you to be among like-minded people more often. Good options are dance lessons, chess, pottery or painting classes.
About the Developer
Bertil Marklund – gerontologist, public health specialist.