Live long! Simple tips for centenarians

Centenarians can tell about how they lived to be a hundred years old, no more than a two-meter person is able to tell about how he grew to two meters. They don’t know it. Is the cup of wormwood sake that Okinawan woman Ushi drinks before bed good for her health? Maybe so, but that doesn’t explain why she doesn’t have cancer or heart disease or why she’s so energetic at 104.

Scientific studies, in particular the well-known studies of Danish twins, show that only 25% of the reason for a long life lies in the genes. The remaining 75% are due to conditions and lifestyle. If you lead the typical life of an average city dweller, you are more likely to shorten your life by ten years. But what if we manage to regain that ten years that we, without knowing it, are wasting in vain? What do I need to do?

1. Don’t sit, move!

The oldest people on earth don’t run marathons, and they don’t pose as sports stars on Saturday mornings. On the contrary, they engage in low-intensity physical activity – it is an integral part of their daily routine.

Long-lived men in Sardinia worked most of their lives as shepherds, and they had to walk many kilometers a day. Residents of Okinawan work every day in the garden. This is the type of physical activity that longevity experts recommend for a long and healthy life.

In all longevity cultures, regular, low-intensity physical activity fulfills all the requirements described above without putting stress on the knees and hips. Fill your daily life with activity.

Do what you like. Forget about the gym if you don’t have a soul for it. Hiking is free and doesn’t put too much strain on your joints. In addition, vigorous walking has the same beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels as running, and helps to get rid of stress. Find yourself a company and combine an evening walk with pleasant communication.

If you have reached the middle of life and are striving to prevent osteoporosis, swimming is not the best option because it does not build strong bones. Gravity resistance exercises, such as walking or exercises to strengthen the vestibular apparatus, contribute to the improvement of bone metabolism.

Tai chi and yoga are very popular. These types of exercises reduce the risk of falls. It is known that people who participate in marathons have a stronger cardiovascular system than those who do not enjoy running. However, overly intense running negatively affects the joints.

Therefore, marathon runners have a good cardiovascular system, but bad joints.

The ideal regimen, which you should discuss with your doctor, includes a combination of aerobics and balance and muscle strengthening exercises.

The main goal is to get in the habit of exercising for 30 minutes (ideally within an hour) at least five times a week.

A combination of these four types of exercises will help maintain strength and endurance.

• Walking, cycling and swimming strengthen the cardiovascular system.
• Weightlifting strengthens and maintains muscle tone.
• Stretching exercises help maintain flexibility.
• Balance training through yoga helps to avoid falls.

2. Take time to look beyond the horizon

The Okinawans call it “ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it plan de vida, but in both cultures the phrase translates as “why I wake up in the morning.”

They feel needed, they know how to listen, laugh and appreciate what they have. For many, the goal of life is children and family, for some it is a favorite job or hobby.

A new activity often turns into a new goal. It is very important to train your brain, to try yourself in something new and difficult: it does not matter if it is learning a foreign language, knitting or playing a musical instrument.

As soon as you reach the heights in this activity and it loses its novelty, move on to another. It’s like strength training for the brain: it strengthens memory and possibly reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Play a more active role. Don’t forget the spiritual aspect of life.

3. Don’t Forget the Sun

Nicoyans spend a lot of time in the sun, which is favorable for the production of vitamin D, which contributes to strong bones and overall health. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a host of problems, such as osteoporosis and heart disease. Regular “reasonable” sunbathing (about 15 minutes for hands and feet) supplements the diet and makes up for the lack of this important element.

4. Make yourself uncomfortable

By introducing certain difficulties into everyday life, you can easily provide yourself with additional physical activity. Try to get rid of the following items: TV remote or garage door, electric can opener, electric blender, snow blower, and lawn mower. Try to use a bicycle, rake, broom, snow shovel as often as possible. Don’t forget to buy comfortable walking shoes.

5. Be sure to relieve stress

The Sardinians go out at five o’clock in the evening, the Nicoyans take a break at noon and chat with friends. People who have lived to be a hundred years old seem to radiate inexhaustible serenity. Centenarians are wise people and are well aware that if you fly headlong to the goal, you can miss a lot of precious moments.

I remember watching Gozei Shinzato admiring the storm as she washed the dishes after breakfast, and Tonino Tola, a Sardinian shepherd, looking lovingly at the emerald fields spread around. This landscape was familiar to him for almost 80 years, and yet he stopped every day to enjoy this spectacle.

There are no whiners among centenarians, they enjoy life. From Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, Loma Linda Adventists create a “sanctuary in time” during which they focus on God, family, and nature. They do not work. Children do not learn lessons. Families go, for example, for a walk, which helps them become friends.

6. Family comes first

The longest living people we’ve met in the Blue Zones have always put family first. Their whole life was built around marriage and children, family duty, rituals and spiritual intimacy.

Joint meals and rest disappear from our lives, become a rarity.

Come up with rituals. Children need rituals like air, they love repetition. The daily family meal should become a tradition that is not customary to break. Cultivate family rituals. For example, every Tuesday come to your grandmother for dinner. Be sure to celebrate all the holidays together.

In the homes of Okinawa, the ancestral altar takes pride of place in the best room. It consists of photographs of deceased relatives and things dear to their hearts, serves as a reminder that we are not alone in time, but are inextricably linked with each other. Photos of parents and children can be hung on the wall or family photos can be stored in chronological order.

Play with your children, cherish your marriage, and honor your parents.