I first became enamored with the concept of longevity after stumbling upon the book “Healthy At 100″ by John Robbins. It truly opened my eyes on how to live a long and healthy life.
Living to the “old” age of one hundred is perceived at least in the American culture, to be an unrealistic goal; yet in many cultures living well past one hundred is more common than one would think.
The book details accounts of various centenarians and their alleged “secrets” to living a long life, yet upon further review their secrets to longevity are surprisingly relatively simple and all revolve around a common theme.
Virtually all of the centenarians discussed in the book whether it be the Hunza people, the Abkhasians people, the Vilcabambans, or the centenarians of Okinawa lived a life enriched with compassion and love for their people and more importantly themselves.
So what other factors did these centenarians all have in common? The following three categories are attributed to nearly all centenarians’ ability to live a long and happy life.
Diet
To live a truly long life (and by long life I mean a life full of energy and vigor, not just living to be one hundred while attached to a breathing tube for twenty years.) You must eat healthy day in and day out.
Let’s face it; for the most part a typical American’s eating habits are absolutely horrendous. Consequently we are one of the most unhealthy and obese nations in the world. It will continue to remain this way until we as a nation say take full responsibility of our own eating habits.
A good diet goes a tremendous way in regards to your health. Try eating healthy for just one week and you will notice an astounding difference in your overall energy not to mention outlook on life. Countless centenarians discussed in the book live on nothing but fruits and vegetables.
Each day they grow and prepare their own meals, taking time to enjoy the feast with their family and friends, instead of merely ingesting their meal. In order to get the most out of life one should incorporate a variety of healthy foods into their daily life. Instead of consuming food to feel good and fill up one should aim to choose food that will “fuel” their nutrient guzzling bodies.
Exercise
This is also a big one in regards to personal health. Nearly every centenarian incorporates exercise into his or her daily life. Most centenarians interviewed have been known to walk as much as an hour a day. Often times the simple exercise of walking gets over looked, when in fact it is one of the most beneficial exercises known to man.
To often we spend most of our day bottled up in a dim lit house wondering why we are depressed. Our bodies are meant to be in constant motion and just going out side for a walk will fulfill this natural desire. Daily exercise will prove quantum leaps in energy and strengthen your immune system.
A centenarian expert in his mid-thirty’s recalls going on a ten-mile hike with a man who was in his late nineties. He recalls the man to be agile as if he was in his late teens. The expert actually had to tell the man in his nineties to slow down, during their hiking adventure. If conditioned right our bodies can do tremendous things.
Try to incorporate a good hour of exercise each day. Get out and walk the dog. Take your lover on a stroll through the park. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Any exercise is better than none, and will surely add to your over all health.
Attitude:
While diet and exercise play a significant role in overall longevity attitude which also plays a large role, is often over looked. America in general has little respect for elders, consequently our elders are living life’s full of depression and hopelessness. Many of the centenarians studied come from cultures that look up to and idol their older peers.
Perhaps that is why people in other cultures live much longer and happier life’s. Is getting old a bad thing?
Our nations attitude on older people dampens our society.
We need to come to respect them, as they have so much to offer. Our view on aging is the underlying cause on why we dread aging. “As you age you get weaker, less sharp, and less respect.” The typical American would agree with that statement. Yet this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
If you eat right and exercise providing your body with the things it needs your body will be in good condition up and till the day you die. Our bodies respond to stimulus, yet as we age many believe it is normal to become weaker. Aging should be a sign of maturity and be looked up upon instead of dreaded.
While there is a time to celebrate youth there should also be a time in which we should also celebrate our aging. Our society is obsessed with staying young, for they think as you age things get worse, when in reality that perception is what causes it to be “worse” for if we look forward to aging, aging will come to be one of the best times in our life’s.
Growing old is a natural part of our life, there is no way around it. No matter how much we want to stay young, we must accept the fact that we are going to age. No matter how much we advance in science and technology there will never be an “anti aging” pill that successfully keeps us young (as much as many Americans want it.)
Although there is nothing we can to do stop aging, we can change our perspective on aging. Why not age gracefully with compassion, love, and a positive outlook on life? Our bodies are meant to live to be a hundred. But first we most allow ourselves. We must eat, exercise, have a positive outlook on life, but mostly importantly we must love.
For love is what makes living to be one hundred all worthwhile.
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