Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. Every few
months new research finds some distant village filled with people older than dirt. Immediately
we all adopt some obscure element of their life, hoping to live past 100 as
they do. There must be a better way to live our life to maximize our enjoyable
years.
A recent article published on Health.com collected
positive attributes from all over the globe that can help extend your life.
Some of their observations are obvious, others more nuanced. Not all healthy
behaviors are reasonable in today's environment, but there are some changes
that you can adopt today.
In France, it seems that all the women wear a size 0. How
does that work in a land defined by rich sauces and wonderful wines? Two
behaviors seem to be key. First, portion control is critical. That means that
the French can enjoy their butter and creams, but in moderate portions that are
a sliver of a typical American's plate. As importantly, the high cost of
gasoline means that walking is a much greater part of French life. Can you
imagine walking to the grocery store? Maybe you should!

Living a long life in Japan is not unusual. In fact,
Okinawa has the highest concentration of people over the age of 100 in the
world. Their secret is much like the French. Their culture values eating only
until 80% full. Considering that a typical meal is mostly vegetarian, with a bit of
fish rich in omega-3s, the Japanese diet is a strong contributor to long life.
Coupled with a culture of social reserve and meditation, stress is not a
problem either.
Continuing the pattern of eating lots of omega-3s and other
antioxidants, people living a long life in the Mediterranean eat lean proteins,
fresh fruits and vegetables and include wine with meals. Eating is just part of
family life, and not the center of their life. This results in world-class low
incidence of heart and pulmonary disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity.

Just as important is your outlook on life. In all of
these areas, stress is controlled by their culture. Meditate, take quiet walks,
paint, practice yoga or anything else that calms your mind. Find family or friends to spend
time with in situations where work and life stress can't intrude. Get (or stay)
active and make it a point to avoid elevators and tiny car trips. Take some
time outdoors as frequently as possible. Your attitude and your vitamin D
balance will improve.
No one can live forever, but with a few of these
strategies, you can live to see a lot more candles on your birthday cake!
The way people eat, and how it effects their lives, is so fascinating. As an American who spent some time living in China and now Scotland, it's really interesting to see the different takes on health and fitness.
ReplyDeleteI recently made a pretty radical change to my diet and just today started a serious fitness routine. Feel free to check in on my journey as well! http://shrinkingintostrength.blogspot.com/
As Americans we have become a lazy people. If we go back to cooking more from scratch and limit our processed food along with finding the time to get in our exercise we will all benefit. I love using best fitness DVDs as my source to reach my exercise goals for the week. There are many that you can find that only take 10-20 minutes to complete. I also recommend to make small changes so you don't overwhelm yourself. http://revupforfitness.com/
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