More life in your years

Living on the Okinawa islands in Japan ensures that you have a good chance of living over 100 years. Is it the air? Is it the location? Is it the culture? Not really.

It is the lifestyle. To start with, the diet: small portions of yellow and green vegetables eaten with fish and a little helping of rice. Sweet potato is a staple as is the bitter melon. Sea weed and tofu are eaten regularly. Turmeric is used in cooking and also as a tea.

The easygoing attitude of ‘what is’, has a protective effect on life by reducing stress. Active aging or putting more life into our years is a goal worth pursuing. The most important thing to have is a clear interesting goal for the years ahead. 

It is important to stop smoking, eat correctly, drink water in moderation and exercise, while taking the help of a doctor in maintaining your body. Even more important is to surround yourself with close, loving, family and good friends. 

A well-knit network of relationships does more to protect the quality of your life than anything else you can do. So volunteer, help others, reach out and recreate old bonds. Take lots of holidays, spend time with young people. Meditate regularly.

Planning for an active old age needs to start when you are young. You can be vital, alert, a contributor and beneficiary of development. Invest in looking and feeling good. 

Make friends with optimistic people. Avoid toxic people. You can leverage your experience and wisdom. You can live long as a fully functioning, helpful, loving individual if you decide to do so. Now!

The writer is the author of Everyday Happiness Mantras