31 Surprising Signs You’ll Live to 100
It’s the little things you do that add years to your life.
Successful Aging and the Blue Zones
People often have mixed feelings about growing old. On the one hand the idea of living a long life is very appealing, yet no one wants to live out their last years suffering from illness, pain or mental degeneration. To put it simply, most of us want to live long and happy lives free from any physical or mental ailments. However, the aging process is what it is – an inevitable, irreversible and unavoidable degeneration process that we are all destined to experience.
Literature, including ancient mythology, is abound with stories of immortality and eternal youth. The fountain of youth, elixir of life, ambrosia in Greek mythology, the peaches of immortality in Chinese mythology and Iõnn’s apples in Norse mythology are just a few examples of ancient tales that describe how mortals could obtain immortality. These stories have served as inspiration for more recent fictional depictions of man’s search for eternal youth, such as The Fountain, Tuck Everlasting, and Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment. These stories all testify to man’s fascination and deep-seated desire for longevity. Of course cosmetic companies have profited greatly from this desire by making it their business to sell us products that supposedly remove the marks of aging from our bodies.
the improvement of modern health care has contributed to the prolonging of human life expectancy. Although the decrease in mortality due to old age has decreased, morbidity (the prevalence of disease and disability) has remained relatively stable. Consequently, people are growing older but not necessarily always living active and happy lives during their golden years.
There is however a certain section of the population that are said to age successfully. In fact, it is estimated that one third of the elderly population are successful agers. But what exactly is successful aging?
There is no consensual definition for the term and it has been the subject of ongoing debate in social gerontology circles. Broadly speaking successful aging includes functional, psychological, social and physical well-being. People who age successfully reach old age, yet remain largely free from disease, disability and psychological distress.
So what sets people who age successfully apart from the rest of the elderly population?
After doing extensive research on the communities from these areas Buettner and his colleagues concluded that there are five specific lifestyle behaviours that the seven Blue Zones seem to have in common. These are:
The importance of family. Communities from the Blue Zones tend to maintain close family ties and prioritising there family members above anything else.
In the Blue Zones, being socially engaged and actively involved in community activities is the norm.
People from the Blue Zones generally don’t smoke.
Most Blue Zone communities follow a plant-based diet (which the often grow themselves).
Legumes form a central part of the diet of most communities in the Blue Zones.
People from the Blue Zones generally engage in constant moderate physical activity. They may not necessarily do specific physical exercises, however their lifestyles force them to be moderately active throughout the day.
Members from Blue Zone communities generally live with minimal stress.
Buettner talks about longevity and his visits to the Blue Zones in this captivating TEDtalk.
No one knows what the future will hold or how long one’s life will ultimately be. When listening to the stories of the people from the Blue Zones, it seems that in the end, one must not sweat the small stuff, but rather focus on the things that are really important: one’s family and health. If you want to age successfully, you have to live successfully.
The men and women from the Blue Zones do not just grow old, they live well. It struck me how much their lifestyles contrast with today’s socially acceptable fast-paced lifestyle which emphasises monetary success and status above everything else. We are not judged by the quality of our relationships, however, rather by our bank statements, possessions and resumes. No wonder mental illness is on the rise! We may be able to stay ahead of the rat race and climb all the way to the top of the corporate ladder, but our bodies and relationships may eventually suffer as a consequence. Is it really worth it?
Longevity HOT Spots
Lunenburg and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia: One of the highest concentrations of Canadian centenarians lives along these craggy seaside coasts. Experts point to something special in the salty ocean breezes, people’s fish-rich diets and their stress-free community spirit.
Okinawa, Japan: This archipelago’s residents eat three times the vegetables, twice the fruit and 30 percent fewer calories than the average North American. Hara Hachi Bu (eight parts out of 10) governs each meal, meaning they stop eating when they’re 80 % satisfied.
Sardinia, Italy: Evening meals are washed down with a glass of red wine squeezed from local grapes loaded with flavonoids, which are believed to reduce heart attack risk by up to 50 percent.
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: This close-knit community enjoys a high-fibre diet of beans and corn, and dinner is the smallest meal of the day.
Ikaria, Greece: Locals take regular midday naps, drink herbal teas every day and love goat’s milk, which has unique fatty acids that may protect against age-related inflammation.
Loma Linda, California: (specifically the Seventh-day Adventists who live there) Many residents are practicing Seventh-day Adventists, and researchers credit their health to a handful of nuts four to five days a week and being alcohol and nicotine free. Holmes County, Ohio — The Secret to longevity? The Amish rarely get cancer. In fact, a study published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control found virtually no instances of cancer among the Amish population of Holmes County, Ohio. Out of 26 000 individuals, only 191 cancer cases were identified between the years 1996 and 2003,
Can you heal your body with your mind?
While energy healing practices are often dismissed as New Age nonsense or merely as placebo, Dr. Jill Blakeway — my guest on today’s episode — makes a compelling case that energy healing can actually transform the healing process. Dr. Blakeway has a brand new book out called Energy Medicine: The Science and Mystery of Healing where she talks to practitioners, scientists, and patients about what’s REALLY going on during an energy healing session.
If you’re not already a believer in energy medicine, after hearing Dr. Blakeway address the skeptics, you may come away convinced yourself. On this episode of the show, we’ll talk about the science behind energy medicine, about Dr. Blakeway’s ample experience as a practitioner and recipient of energy healing, and about the steps YOU can take to practice energy healing yourself.