Today’s post, “The Habits and Traits of the Oldest People on Earth,” continues 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 spiritual beings, 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 age as close to our genetic potential. Today, I will share the everyday 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 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 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 these habits for years, and I know they work. I created a protocol for my grandmother, who was 83 then. She was healthier at 90, then at 83, and lived until 96. The medical profession got their hands on her at 95, which was the beginning of the end. I would bet my life that if that incident hadn’t happened, 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 and live 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 regularly, while trait is more of an identifying characteristic.
1. Daily exercise, work, or activity. The most common thread amongst 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 accurate as well. “If you don’t move 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 to 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. Only married people attain such extreme age with rare exception. 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 and have strong social bonds.
4. Stay relevant. “Death comes quickly once you are no longer relevant – Dr. E” Cultures where the most extended life comes from respect their elders, and the elders contribute equally back to the group. As we age, we must adapt to the times, contribute, and maintain a sense of usefulness. Seclusion and lack of relevancy are like having a no longer-needed gadget pushed to the back of a draw, eventually thrown out with the trash – dead.
5. Keep a mind free of worry and emotional strain. This may be the hardest for those living in our fast-paced, competitive environment. It can, without a doubt, be achieved if one truly wants it. If I can do it, anyone can, and what I need to do will be different than what you may need to do to reduce your stress level and worry. I went from working six days a week, splitting my time between two offices, to working 3.5 days on and 3.5 days off at one office. I got pushback from many people, including my family. The result was that I make more now at 3.5 days than I did at 6. I’m the happiest I have ever been in my 27.5 years of self-employed!
6. Expect to live a long life. In some regions, 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 exist. From my experience in the healthcare field, we as a society are more concerned with death and disease than we are with life and health. I can’t validate it, but I’m sure this programming influences our collective longevity.
7, 8,9… Eat and sour milk products such as kefir. My favorite right now is Siggis Filmjӧlk. Increase electrolyte consumption such as raw, unprocessed salt – Seaagri’s Seasons 90 Baja Gold Salt. 70% of 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 standard beverage of long-lived civilizations since the beginning of time and a beverage consumed daily by the longest-lived that were surveyed.
Conclusion
There are absolutely no guarantees in life except death. All we can do is try our best, 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.