This article is for those who are not indifferent to their lifestyle, who want to stay healthy as long as possible and be active and mobile until old age.
In Denmark, a group of scientists made a sensational discovery about the influence of genetics on life expectancy.
Scientists have been observing a group of twins for a long time, which led to the conclusion that life expectancy depends on genetics by only 25%, and the remaining 75% depends on what kind of life a person leads, what he eats, how he works and rests, how he takes care of your health.
These days, the lifestyle of most people leaves much to be desired. People face constant stress, overwork, poor nutrition, lead an unhealthy lifestyle, disrupt their daily routine, live without physical activity, all this affects their general health and well-being and shortens their lives.
You can object and say that medicine is constantly evolving and helping to cope with major diseases. This is true. But it is also clear that if you do not pay attention to your lifestyle, then diseases will return again and again and destroy your health with greater force.
What should you do to stay healthy and active into old age?
Rule 6. Food for the soul
If with age you need to reduce the calorie content and volume of foods consumed so as not to accumulate fat on your sides and stay young longer, then with spiritual food the situation is different. It is very important to maintain your psycho-emotional background at positive frequencies. For me, this means reading the works of Russian classics and watching films based on these works. If we are talking about TV, then this is the “Culture” channel. Sometimes we argue at home about what we see and read, and this gives a lot of positive results. And if a person is positive, he gets sick less and lives longer.
Examples to follow from life
Donetsk resident Pyotr Yurchenko is almost 92 years old. His rules for longevity are as follows:
“First of all, I haven’t eaten much all my life. For comparison, a person usually puts 15 dumplings on his plate, and I put four or five. Maybe I could eat more, but I specifically limit myself so as not to overload my stomach. I eat small meals - five times a day. I prefer chicken meat.
Secondly, before this time I had only drunk a couple of sips of Cahors. And I don’t drink alcohol or smoke. I remember during the war, when the front-line soldiers were given 100 grams and 250 grams of smoke per soldier, I gave all this “good” to the guys and exchanged it for sugar.
Third, I move a lot, a lot. I have been involved in gymnastics all my life. He often took prizes. The last time, when I was 42, I became a winner among athletes of the USSR Armed Forces.
Now every morning I do exercises for 20-30 minutes: simple bending, stretching. And on Sundays, my wife Nadezhda (she is 63) and I go to a local club to dance. I especially love Latin American ones. I became interested in them when I was over 70.
Fourth, I'm an optimist. No matter how much life has tormented me, I gather my will into a fist and go.
Fifth, I have a hobby. I love processing pictures in Photoshop. I am sure that a passionate person has something to live for a long time.”
“Mom lived to be 111, because it’s hard to find someone as kind as her.”
Kiev resident Antonina Pavlovna is 111, her daughter Irina Nikolaevna is 82. Both have been moving a lot all their lives: “Now mom, of course, is far from being so active. And before - everywhere on foot. And it takes 40 minutes each way to work in high heels. And I also try to refuse public transport. And we didn’t have a sedentary job: my mother was a geologist, I was an archaeologist.
But the main thing, I think, is that my mother is such a kind person and an optimist. As far as I remember, I grew strawberries at the dacha and gave them all away. And how she looked after the garden, with what soul. Everyone admired: “This is not a garden. It’s just a basket of flowers!”
What affects life expectancy and how to defeat aging
Work
Working at full capacity is, of course, difficult. However, those who do not work at all look on average 5 years older than their age, and early retirement generally shortens life, say doctors from the University of Athens. They examined 17,000 Greek citizens and saw that those who gave up regular work too early - whether physical or mental - had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Conclusion: you need to work constantly, but preferably not as hard as in your youth. For example, at half or a quarter of the rate or at home. By the way, the role of work - to load the mind and body - can also be fulfilled by a hobby. For example, raising grandchildren, chores at the dacha, knitting, embroidery, etc. It is especially useful to assign work, even artificially invented ones, to your brain. For example, learn poetry by heart, solve crosswords, learn a foreign language. It turns out that active loading of “gray cells” not only preserves their functionality, but also activates metabolism.
Rule 2. Physical activity
2 hours every day. In the morning – an hour of Nordic walking with poles in the park. I walk 3-4, and sometimes 5 kilometers - it charges me with energy for the whole day. In the afternoon there is an hour of fitness. I don’t do any strength training, I work out all the muscles in a relaxed manner. Sufficient physical activity in the gym is good, but it is best to exercise outdoors, in the open air, in nature. Swimming in open reservoirs with natural water is very beneficial: it improves vascular regulation and immunity. I myself swim in the Moscow River, in the Serebryany Bor area, from early spring to late autumn. I am quite critical of the pool - after all, the water there is treated, with chlorine. But if you decide to swim in the pool, rinse thoroughly in the shower with a good gel afterward, so as not to dry out your skin and provoke allergic and other skin reactions.
Rule 7: Consistency
It is impossible to live a long and active life without consistency in applying the rules. And then a person decides: “That’s it, I’m starting a new life on Monday,” and then it goes out. Everything will be fine provided that we are actively and constantly engaged in this, but difficulties - where would we be without them? – we perceive it simply as a stage that we need to go through in order to feel real joy. If a person paints his future in dark colors - I’ll retire, I’ll become of no use to anyone, illnesses will come, everyone will leave me - these gloomy forecasts can come true in life. And when a person thinks creatively, with the feeling that his whole life is ahead of him, changes for the better will not slow down. You need to look into the future, see in the future the results of your efforts, yourself, healthy and full of strength, then this gives a good incentive. Don’t quit what you started halfway – you won’t recognize yourself!
Dan Buettner answers the question: How do people live long lives?
One way is to start studying people's positive experiences. I suggest you read the book “Rules of Longevity”, written by Dan Buettner, which outlines the experience of our planet’s centenarians living in the “blue zones”: Italy, Greece, USA, Costa Rica, Japan.
The book collects information piece by piece and provides answers to the age-old question: How do people manage to live so long? While reading the book, you involuntarily analyze your life and begin to make plans for improving your body’s health, aimed at longevity.
The positive examples described by Dan Buettner are supported by practical recommendations and are inspiring factors to start implementing these recommendations.
Health, Dan Buettner emphasizes, is an incomparable treasure in a person’s life, without which he can be neither successful nor happy. And a person must take care of it, appreciate and increase it. Imagine, we have in our hands not 20 or 50, but 75% of the ability to control our health using the rules of longevity set out in the book.
Blue Zones by Dan Buettner
Dan Buettner is a writer and traveler, and he is also the creator of the Quest Network, an online network that allows all students to connect online with participants in scientific expeditions.
Traveling around the world, Dan Buettner studied issues of human life expectancy with special attention. He identified five zones, which he called “blue zones,” where the largest number of centenarians who lived more than 100 years are noted. These are the Japanese island of Okinawa, Italian Sardinia, the Californian city of Loma Linda, and the Costa Rican Nicoya Peninsula.
The writer notes that the inhabitants of these zones are distinguished not only by their longevity, but also by their enviable health and love of life. Buettner talks about people in accessible language, the book is easy to read.
I especially liked that the writer’s stories about long-lived people are confirmed by scientific facts and evidence from scientific experts, and they offer their advice on improving life in old age. And every longevity rule is backed by research.
Don't overeat
More precisely, do not overeat and watch your weight. Being overweight shortens life by 4–8 years, Norwegian scientists have calculated. By the way, their study refutes the popular belief that heart attacks and strokes are a problem for overweight people. It turns out that those most susceptible to these cardiovascular risks are those... who suddenly lose weight! So don't go on a drastic diet, just balance your caloric intake.
According to doctors, if a person does not engage in physical labor or professional sports, then for a woman over 40 it is enough to eat 1500–1700 kcal of food per day, and for a man – 1800–2000. If you are a manual worker, add 100–200 kcal. However, remember that the older you get, the fewer calories your body needs per day. If on some days you have worked hard physically (played football with children or worked in the country), you can add another 200-500 kcal. The main thing is not to get carried away: it is safer to undereat than to overeat.
Rule 4. Mental activity
Neurons in the brain look like tree branches because they communicate with each other through synapses. With age, these connections are severed, and the brain, to put it mildly, begins to work with much less intensity.
The brain is trained in two ways:
- internally (through solving logical problems, setting new goals, learning new poems, songs, movements and skills);
- externally - through aerobic exercise, increasing the flow of blood and oxygen.
Learning foreign languages is very useful, especially in, let’s say, adulthood. Such activities train and develop the brain, strengthen memory. I am improving my English, reading in this language, memorizing new words. Another great workout for the brain is playing chess. Several times a week I always fight at the chessboard with my son or with my colleagues.
Experience of long-livers. General instructions.
In fact, there are very few centenarians on the planet; each of them has their own recipe for how to maintain youth. Having analyzed the principles of centenarians, we can identify the main secrets of youth and longevity from wise elders.
- In the morning - a cold shower and oatmeal for breakfast.
- Play chess - train your mind and calm your nerves.
- No cars - walk.
- Only positive thinking. Forget about anger and envy, love people.
- Find a hobby and get better at it.
- Be modern - master the latest technologies.
- Don't take pills unless there is a good reason to do so.
In general, the secrets of longevity of record holders for life expectancy come down to fairly simple rules - give up bad habits, move more, eat healthy foods and sincerely enjoy life.
Interesting fact! The longevity record belongs to Jeanne Kalman. The woman was born in France in 1875 and lived until 1997 - 122 years. Her record is included in the Guinness Book of Records.
