Today’s post, The Habits and Traits of the Oldest People on Earth, is a continuation of my last post, How The Body Adapts And Remodels.
What is age?
Age is both a physical and mental state. Yes, the aging process is inevitable, but what we do and think over a lifetime can influence the speed at which this occurs. We are a mind, a body, and a spirit. As a spiritual being, we are immortal and do not age. The mind and body is a very different story, aging toward death from the moment of conception. The best we can do is to age as close to our genetic potential as possible. Today, I will share with you the common habits and traits of those who live 85 years and longer (100+). These habits and traits will promote and foster longevity.
How We Age
As we age, forces and thoughts, over a lifetime, turn a once pliable body and mind, stiff and rigid. In turn, this rigidity and stiffness of body tissue and thought will reduce the flow of oxygen and nutrition to the cell. This process further accelerates the aging process. It’s a vicious cycle, but we do have some control over it.
Add into this mix a nutrient-poor diet, rich in inflammatory compounds, and you have a recipe that, over a lifetime, will continue to rob Peter to pay Paul. The end result is a body that insidiously moves from a once sturdy brick house to a straw house ready to collapse.
Note: I have been studying and practicing theses habits for many years now, and I know they work. I personally created a protocol for my grandmother, who was 83 at the time. She was healthier at 90 then at 83 and she lived until the age of 96. The medical profession got their hands on her at 95 and it was the beginning of the end. I would bet my life that if that incident didn’t happen, she would have easily lived to be over 100. There is also a set of scientifically proven supplements that retard the aging process. I take these daily as well as living a pro-longevity lifestyle. If interested, I can create a personalized protocol for you. It would take blood tests and a workup to do this.
The Habits And Traits Of The Oldest People on Earth
As nouns, the difference between HABIT and TRAIT is that habit is an action done on a regular basis while trait is more of an identifying characteristic.
1. Daily exercise, work or activity. The most common thread amongst all of those interviewed was that they spent time daily working or engaged in prolonged activity. There is a datum I have lived by for twenty years now. “To the degree I can confront and engage in physical motion, is to the degree I stay young.” The opposite is very true as well. “If you don’t move it and use it, you will lose it.”
Further reading: Jeremy Morris, Who Proved Exercise Is Heart-Healthy, Dies at 99½
2. Reduce calories. The average American consumes between 2200 – 3300 calories per day. This is way more than we require to rebuild and operate. The average caloric intake of those who live the longest is around 1800 calories per day. Their cholesterol is also about half that of the average American. We all can benefit from eating a diet rich in nutrient dense, reduced calorie foods. All this means is consume less starch (wheat, corn, rice…) dairy and sugar. In their place, eat more fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Further reading: Blue Zones: What the Longest-Lived People Eat (Hint: It’s Not Steak Dinners)
3. Stay married. With rare exception, only married people attain such extreme age. Professor Pitzhelauri, surveying more than 15,000 people, over the age of 80, concluded that marriage and a prolonged sex life are very important to longevity. Other studies concluded that those who reached advanced age live with either family or relatives as well as have strong social bonds.
4. Stay relevant. “Death comes quickly once you are no longer relevant – Dr. E” Cultures where the longest live come from, respect their elders, and the elders contribute equally back to the group. As we age we need to adapt with the times, contribute and maintain a sense of usefulness. Seclusion and lack of relevancy is like having a no longer needed gadget, that’s pushed to the back of a draw, eventually to be thrown out with the trash – dead.
5. Keep a mind free of worry and emotional strain. This may be the hardest of all for those living in our fast-passed, competitive environment. It can without a doubt be achieved if one truly wants it. If I can do it anyone can, and what I needed to do will be different than what you may need to do to reduce your stress level and worry. I went from working 6 days a week, splitting my time between two offices, to working 3.5 days on, 3.5 days off, at one office. I got push-back from many people, including family. The result was that I make more now at 3.5 days then I did a 6. I’m the happiest I have ever been in my 27.5 years of being self-employed!
6. Expect to live a long life. There are regions of the world where living to 100 is expected and toasts are made, in jest, with 300 in mind. Being 80 is considered young and the concept of retirement doesn’t even exist. From my experience in the health care field, we as a society are more concerned with death and disease than we are of life and health. I can’t validate it, but I’m sure that this programming does have an influence on our collective longevity.
7, 8,9… Eat and sour milk products such as kefir. My favorite right now is Siggis Filmjӧlk. Increase daily electrolyte consumption such as raw, unprocessed salt – Seaagri’s Seasons 90 Baja Gold Salt. 70% calories should come from plant sources (fruit, vegetable, nuts, and seeds). The rest comes from sour milk (kefir), animal protein and fat. Drink dry red wine daily. 1-2 glasses of dry red wine daily or fruit derived vodka has been a common beverage of long-lived civilizations since the beginning of time and a daily consumed beverage of the longest-lived that were surveyed.
Conclusion
There are absolutely no guarantees in life, except death. All we can do is to try our best and adopt habits that promote longevity and hope for the most optimal of outcomes. I’m not going without a fight and I’m not leaving anything to chance. I choose to be as proactive as I can. Prevention is so much easier than treatment.
The choice is obviously yours.