Living as long as possible and in good health is the common desire of millions of people around the world. To extend his life on Earth, nine rules should be followed to the letter, also known as “Power 9”. We’re telling you everything. As we know, our days on Earth are numbered. If we are not immortal, some seek to extend their lives to the maximum......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
And if we think that our life expectancy is linked to our genes, it is also the result of our lifestyle. Food, sport or our habits in general have a direct impact. Several studies have shown in recent years that spending your days sitting behind a screen, living in the city or being very lonely can, for example, significantly reduce our time on Earth.
However, in the world there are also ‘blue zones’ – regions with the highest density of centenarians and where people generally live longer and healthier – where people’s way of life is quite different. As reported by the media Glamour, the book The Blue Area, Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, written by National Geographic researcher and journalist Dan Buettner, explores these blue areas. With a team of doctors, anthropologists, demographers and epidemiologists, he identified in these places a series of lifestyles he calls the “Power 9s”. Nine simple rules to follow to live longer and healthy lives.
1. Move as soon as possible
If you don’t play a sport on a daily basis, it doesn’t matter, as long as you move every day. Indeed, in regions where life expectancy is above average, the environment encourages people to remain active throughout the day. Try to incorporate natural exercises into your day, such as going to work by bike rather than by car, if possible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk as much as possible.
2. Having a goal in life
In order not to endure your weeks, it is important to determine your purpose in life. The Japanese Ikigai is to identify a reason to live that guides our days and takes us out of bed in the morning with a clear goal. A method of life that resembles the “plan of vida”, one of the longevity secrets of the inhabitants of the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.
3. Reducing stress
Stress is part of our life. At work, in the context of the private sector, certain situations plunge us into a state of stress. Unfortunately, stress is conducive to disease. The secret, according to Dan Buettner, is to incorporate stress-relieving rituals into our daily habits, as the blue-zone dwellers do. For example, the inhabitants of the island of Ikaria take naps in the afternoon. If taking a nap is not possible for you, a meditation session, yoga or a simple walk during the day may already be beneficial.
4. The 80 per cent rule
Food also plays a key role in our life expectancy. In terms of food, doctors and nutritionists recommend that the 80 per cent rule be followed. This means stop eating before being completely full or having reached 80% of your body’s abilities. To do this, try to eat more slowly and consciously and chew each bite at least 20 to 30 times, to allow the satiety signal to switch from taste buds to the brain.
5. Changing diet
According to some nutritionists and doctors, the adoption of a diet that favours plant-based foods is an effective means of preventing a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. According to the writer, the diet of the centenarians of the blue zone consists mainly of legumes such as black beans, azuki beans, soya, lentils and beans, while they eat meat only five times a month.
6. Drinking alcohol in moderation
Dan Buettner states in his book that people living in blue areas don’t drink more than two drinks of alcohol a day.
7. Belonging to a group
Social links are very important. In his book, the writer states that people belonging to a religious community and regularly participating in ceremonies can live 4 to 14 years longer than those who do not belong to any community. If you’re not a believer, the community can also be secular, like a reading, knitting, cooking group. It’s all about feeling a member of a group.
8. Make your family your priority
The inhabitants of the blue zone remain close to their families. It was common for elderly parents to live close to their children and even at home, and children were growing up with their parents and grandparents. As Dan Buettner reports, children who grow up with their grandparents, for example, fall less often ill.
9. To maintain your friendships
It is crucial for our mental health to maintain a rich and active social life, not just behind a screen.
