Longevity readings
My grandmother lived 99 years, she was born in the year 1900 and died in 1999, in her life she went from carriage with horses to man landing on the moon.
She wasn’t particularly careful about what she ate, when she came to stay with us I remember having a huge amount of food at each meal, which I think was the result of not having much to eat during the 2 world wars she lived through.
She also never exercised in the way we do now, rarely walking long distances, and the gym was definitely not in the picture! She never smoked, she was a very successful business woman, very advanced for her time.
I am not sure about stress, but in the last 15 years of her life she became blind and since she was a fashion designer and choosing colors, shapes and materials was her entire life, blindness really made her withdraw from the world and she kind of lost the perception of time and space.
All this said, she was definitely a big inspiration for me and I wish to live as long as she did, taking into account the pros and cons of nowadays.
The Okinawa way
I started reading a lot about the longest living people on earth. The latest book I am busy with in the longevity subject is a relatively old book.
It was published in 2013, it summarizes all the factors or ingredients that makes the Okinawan elders live so long.
It is called The Okinawa way. The ingredients for longevity are many, one of the things that caught my attention is the fact that negative information, environmental disaster, wars, shootings, hate crimes, and so on can create a high psychological stress level and prolonged stress can make your life shorter.
The concept of Time or the lack of it
One other interesting topic is that in the era we live in, time is too tight to mention! We try to do more thighs in less time, and at the end of every single day we are not able to accomplish the long “ to do” list!
We are continuously running out of time, they tell us ”time is money” and technology also makes our life go faster. Our fast paced lifestyle puts enormous pressure on family life, sleeping patterns and creates anxiety about the future, so much that we can’t enjoy the present!
In Okinawa and other traditional cultures, time is valued for its long term processes, the seasonal changes, agricultural cycles, pregnancy, growth, development, rituals and festive occasions. Family life, living in the community and being useful in their old age are important ingredients to longevity.
There is another book that I read long ago when the awareness of longevity was not as popular as it is now; it is called “50 secrets of the world’s longest living people” by Sally Beare. She compares the different habits of long-lived people in different parts of the world and finds the common thread. The book is written in a very easy way to understand and makes you realize that at this point of time we have forgotten our innate knowledge of what is good or bad for our health.
Lately many new books discussing the subject have been published.
The Longevity diet by Valter Longo is quite interesting. He promotes intermittent fasting and goes very deep in the study. I recommend to all the intermittent fasting people that follow this blog to find out more about it!
My absolute favorite books are unfortunately not translated in English but I like to mention them in case you can read Italian.
Dr. Franco Berrino devoted his life, above all, to the study of epidemiology of tumors and worked for over 40 years at the national cancer Institute of Milan, in the department of preventive and predictive Medicine.
Out of the many books he wrote these are my favorite:
Il Cibo della Saggezza La Grande Via
And I loved the last one : Il mandala della Vita
In conclusion after my explorations in this vast realm is that we need to take care of our physical body but also the emotional and spiritual side if we want to live longer and in good health.
Set up a reminder list that looks like that:
Jog your memory
The brain needs to be stimulated, do cross words, play cards, remember what you did 3 weekends ago, study a new language, also do intricate works with your hands, crafts, paint, learn the lyrics of your favorite song and so on!
Breathing practices
Pranayama, relaxing breathing, and aerobic movement are very important to increase oxygenation of your lungs.
Learn the pleasure and privilege of stillness
Meditation practices, observation skills, just rest your mind or your eyes on something beautiful that gives you a sense of peace, listen to music with your eyes closed, gaze at the light of a candle and so on!
Laugh, giggle, look for the funny side of difficult situations
The people that live longer in all the books I have read have found a way to help others instead of receiving help. Being useful is a medicine for old people!
Friendship and social interaction
Very important element is to make the effort to know your neighborhood, have a strong social network of like minded friends, and exercise is more fun if you go for a walk with friends or a hike with a group. Looking after your grandchildren also keeps you young and flexible!
The Okinawa way
Learn the secrets to a long, healthy and happy life (in only 4 weeks!) with this bestselling fitness, diet and lifestyle plan. Okinawa is the Japanese island, home to the world’s healthiest population. There is nothing more universal than the desire to slow down the ageing process, to live a long, full life with health, energy, and independence.
50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes
The latest scientific research confirms that you can live well and long with diabetes without suffering from its more devastating health complications. Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you have the ability to improve the quality and length of your life through physical activity, a positive mental outlook, and certain diabetes tools and medications.
The Longevity Diet: Slow Aging, Fight Disease, Optimize Weight
Can what you eat determine how long, and how well, you live? The clinically proven answer is yes, and The Longevity Diet is easier to follow than you’d think. The culmination of 25 years of research on aging, nutrition, and disease across the globe, this unique program lays out a simple solution to living to a healthy old age through nutrition.
Il cibo della saggezza: Che cosa ci nutre davvero
Durante i suoi frequenti viaggi in Oriente, Franco Berrino è rimasto più volte colpito dalla straordinaria coincidenza tra i risultati degli studi scientifici più aggiornati in ambito di alimentazione e stile di vita e gli insegnamenti millenari dei testi orientali.
Il Mandala della vita: 12 leggi per ritrovare l'armonia e la felicità
Questo libro racconta un lungo viaggio, che percorre innumerevoli strade, i sentieri delle antiche sapienze e quelli della scienza più avanzata, che convergono in un unico punto comune a tutte le culture e a tutti i tempi: la ricerca di ciò che rende felice l’essere umano, di ciò che riempie il suo tempo di pace e di gioia.
