Secrets to a Long Live: Living Well to 100+
Posted on 24 April 2008 by Johnetta Miner
Are you a Baby Boomer, pre-retiree or a person who has retired from long time employment and now find yourself in a transitional period– confused and thinking about what you are going to do with your life? ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ Lifestyle practices are paramount to living long and living well.
Where do people live longest? In the Blue Zones.
The Blue Zones include Loma Linda, California, Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, Sardinia, Italy, and Okinawa, Japan. Panchita Castillo, whose picture appears above, lives in Nicoya and is a centenarian. Watch the daily activities of Panchita on video here.
Costa Rican Secrets to a Long Life **
Try these lifestyle practices common to the centenarians in Costa Rica’s Blue Zone.
Have a strong sense of purpose
Costa Rican centenarians have a clear mission in life, what they call a plan de vida. They feel needed and want to contribute to a greater good.
Drink hard water
Nicoyan water has the country’s highest calcium content, which perhaps explains the centenarians’ lower rates of heart disease, as well as stronger bones and fewer hip fractures.
Keep a focus on family
Nicoyan centenarians tend to live with their families, and children or grandchildren provide support and a sense of purpose and belonging.
Eat a light dinner
Eating fewer calories appears to be one of the surest ways to add years to your life. Nicoyans eat a light dinner early in the evening. Their traditional diet of fortified maize and beans may be the best nutritional combination for longevity the world has ever known.
Maintain social networks
Nicoyan centenarians get frequent visits from neighbors. They know how to listen, laugh, and appreciate what they have.
Keep hard at work
Centenarians seem to have enjoyed physical work all their lives. They find joy in everyday physical chores.
Get some sensible sun
Nicoyans regularly take in the sunshine, which helps their bodies produce vitamin D for strong bones and healthy bodies. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a host of problems, such as osteoporosis and heart disease, but regular “smart” sun exposure (about 15 minutes on the legs and arms) can help supplement your diet and ensure you’re getting enough of this vital nutrient.
Embrace a common history
Modern Nicoyans’ roots, among the indigenous Chorotega, and their spiritual traditions have enabled them to remain relatively free of stress.
In today’s fast paced, technology oriented society with people living longer and retiring earlier than ever, lifestyle coaching is a great adjunct to living a long life and living it well and healthy.
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Pingback by » — April 24, 2008 @ 9:25 AM
See my photo album tribute to:
‘Navy Centenarian Sailor’, 103 year old, former enlisted Aviation Chief Radioman (ACRM, Combat Aircrewman), later wartime commissioned Chief Warrant Officer Julio ‘Jay’ Ereneta, U. S. Navy (Ret.), thirty year career veteran of World War One and World War Two. First flew aircrewman in August 1922. Flew in air squadrons of the Navy’s first aircraft carriers, USS LANGLEY (CV-1) and USS LEXINGTON (CV-2).
http://news.webshots.com/album/123286873BFAAiq
Comment by TetVet1968 — April 25, 2008 @ 2:44 PM
Frank..thanks for sharing your photo album of your father…I considered it a privilege and honor to view. I remember reading an article about him when he was 103 and facinated to learn he had not visited a health care provider in 25+years, had a healthy lifestyle and was well in body & spirit!
Comment by Johnetta Miner — April 25, 2008 @ 4:05 PM
How exactly, or where, does one find fortified maize?
Comment by Bonnie Wolff — May 14, 2008 @ 3:11 PM
Good question! Some supermarket chains in the USA carry fortified maize.
You may be able to find additional information through the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Fortified maize has been utilized in South Africa.
Comment by Johnetta Miner — May 16, 2008 @ 2:13 PM