Unveiling The Secret of Longevity and Healthy Life
Have you ever asked yourselves, how do some people live to their 100? Well, it turned out that it's nothing to do with HIIT exercise, Keto or intermittent fasting.
Not long after my 50th birthday earlier this year, one of my friends (who’s older) told me a joke, he said “You know … after 50 all the warranties run out”.
I found it really funny, and a bit annoying at the same time. Why? Because the truth was not far from this.
I had my yearly check-up with my GP just before summer this year and from the test we found out that I had developed a high blood pressure! I was a bit surprised especially because on the same test on the previous everything seemed to be fine.
The consequences were that now I have to take medication, every day, for the rest of my life. Obviously I also need to watch what I am eating so as not to make it worse.
But this was not all! The GP also sent me to a couple of other specialized check-ups.
Among other things, I underwent a colonoscopy, I went to see an Orthopedic to check my knee and I visited an Angiologist who diagnosed me with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (and that I will need surgery for that).
All of these happened this year 🙂 Luckily for me, other measurements were good, for example my blood sugar and cholesterol were within normal limits. There were still plenty of thingss to thank the Lord for.
To be fair, I have not been taking care of my health as much as a person my age should. I didn’t do regular exercises, despite the fact that I have an 8-hour a day sitting job.
My only saving grace is that I live in an environment (country, family and relatives) where eating healthy food is encouraged and easy to get. I even started a vegetable garden 3 years ago so my family and I can enjoy fresh and organic vegetables.
Nature is also close by, so I don’t have a strong excuse not to take a walk and enjoy them.
However, all of these health issues had really gotten me thinking about my future, my mortality and especially about what will happen to my family if God forbids, something bad happens to me.
Live to 100
That’s when I found this Netflix series titled “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”.
It’s a 4-part documentary series, depicting a 20-year research done by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Researcher.
His research took him all over the world looking for the secret why certain areas have a big concentration of ‘centenarians’ - people who live over 100 years old, compared to anywhere else in the world.
He called these special areas, the Blue Zones, and the list are as follows:
Okinawa - Japan
Sardinia - part of Italy in Mediterranean Sea
Nicoya - Costa Rica
Loma Linda - San Bernardino CA
Ikaria - Greece
Buettner's findings were really fascinating for me. It struck me so much that I promised myself to commit to live more healthily.
Oh sure I had promised the same thing before, a few times in my life. But this time it felt different.
Indeed, the day after I watched the series, I started to take the stairs in the office where I work (I usually took the lift)!
Obviously this was not the first time I watched or read someone giving health advice. The internet is chock-full of the same ‘loose weight - live healthy life’ theme.
Gyms are a billion-dollar business. The same goes to Health Products.
I used to subscribe to both.
But tell me honestly, when was the last time you hit the gym or watched what you ate. How many of you have a gym membership but only used it once in a while but never bother to cancel it, because ‘just in case’.
When was the last time you promised yourself that you will live a healthier life?
Heck, as my 50th birthday present, my family bought me a stepper machine. I’ve used it only twice since.
What this Netflix series differs, in my opinion, is that it has proof, a real living proof.
These centenarians, not only that they live over 100 (or pushing it) but ALSO seem to be living with a few health problems for people their age.
Oh and they look happy too!
They didn’t go to the gym, they didn’t eat or drink any supplements, they didn’t subscribe to any of the 7-day healthy meal plan, they didn’t do Keto or intermittent fasting.
They didn’t do any of that shit! So what’s the secret?!
This is the first part of the Secret of Longevity series. We are going to go into the details in the next 3 posts to reveal the secrets of how people living in these blue zones achieved longevity and happy life.
The second part reveals essential diet these centenarians had in common and what type of physical activities they did that contributed to their remarkable health at such an advanced age.
The third part continues the journey to the path of Longevity by looking at the Mental Health, why it is important, and what are the things we could do to achieve a mental stability.
The fourth and last part rounds up the series by saying that ultimately we need a purpose to feel that our life is worth of living. Find out your purpose in life by contemplating on these 4 concepts.
Life Apprentice - I love the name, and yes, I'm familiar with this documentary. I think also mindset helps a lot. I have had many challenges in life but it's my nature to be optimistic and get through challenge. Also, I've also been very active my whole life, travel extensively and take 3-5 dance classes every week. At 72 I'm still going strong - have a way to go to get to 100!