10 Most Important Secrets of Longevity
Posted on Balanced Lifestyle | September 28, 2009 | 13 Comments
This post was written by Anastasiya. Follow me on Twitter or StumbleUpon and keep your life balanced!
Image by A reporter is in an interview with the world’s oldest man.
- Sir, you are the world’s oldest man. What are your secrets to longevity?
-Well, I never drank or smoked. I never overate and I had a lot of exercise…
Suddenly their conversation is interrupted with strange noises from upstairs.
-What is it? – asks the reporter.
-Oh, that’s my older brother. He has been drinking, smoking and partying every night his whole life.
But seriously, what are the secrets of longevity? Most people do not think about this question when they are 24 years old but the choices that we make when we are young affect the quality and the length of our lives. The other day I stumbled upon an article about the world’s oldest man Walter Breuning. He had given a wonderful speech for his 113th birthday sharing his life insights and his philosophy. My favorite quotation from his speech is:
The world is neither a prison nor a palace of ease, but rather for instruction and discipline.
Mr. Breuning also shared his secrets of longevity. For the last 35 years he has been eating only two times a day (breakfast and lunch), he always eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, drinks plenty of water and he worked until he was 99 years old.
Mr. Breuning’s story made me think about long-livers in my family. I was very lucky to know my great grandfather because he lived until he was 94 years old and his older sister lived until she was 95 years old. My great grandfather was active and agile; he had a sharp mind and was taking care of himself completely until the last days of his life. The only time he ever was bed ridden for awhile was when he had a heart attack and unfortunately that was the cause of his death. I have a lot of memories of him and here are some of the secrets that I believe helped him live so many years:
- Do not overeat. My great grandfather’s portions were always tiny. I think that he actually ate less than I did when I was 10 years old. He never got stuffed but rather enjoyed his food and left the table a little bit hungry.
- Eat a good breakfast. His breakfast was the biggest meal of the day. In Ukraine we have a proverb that my great grandfather used to tell me all the time “Eat your breakfast yourself, share your lunch with your friend and give your supper to your enemy.” He still had supper but usually it was something really small.
- Drink a lot of tea and eat honey. My great grandfather was a huge tea lover. He drank it for breakfast, lunch and supper as well as drank it in between meals. The tea was not right for him if it didn’t have honey (he almost never ate regular sugar).Tea is a good source of antioxidants that protect us from cancer and even heart disease. Honey is a nature’s miraculous sweetener that has remarkable antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-viral and anti-fungal qualities. If you are not allergic to it then use it instead of sugar as often as possible (unfortunately, I am extremely allergic to it, so I cannot use it in my diet).
- Stay active. My great grandfather didn’t do any exercise in the sense that we understand now. His exercise was walking, gardening and taking care of his bee hives (he had 5 of them). Every day he walked at least 3 miles, picked up heavy things and stayed busy in general.
- Learn something new. Books were the best friends of my great grandfather. Every day he read books and once the book was finished he wrote his review and summary of the book.
- Keep your mind active. He had a diary where he was writing down his observations, interesting quotations that he read and the highlights of the day. He was also reading books in German (his native language was Russian) and when the doctor came to check on him after his heart attack my great grandfather was speaking German fluently to the doctor.
- Drink. Scientists have proved that 2 glasses (1 for women) of alcoholic beverages every day protect your heart and arteries. My great grandfather usually drank 1 glass of home-made wine or 1 shot of vodka (vodka is a traditional drink in Ukraine) on most days of the week.
- Stay slim. My great grandfather has never been a big man. He stayed at the same weight for most of his life; at least this is what I can tell from my memories and from his pictures. Being overweight is linked to all kinds of health problems so that is why if you have something to lose then it is better for you to do it now.
- Eat a lot of vegetables and whole grains. Oatmeal was my great grandfather’s all-time favorite. He ate it for breakfast, for lunch and sometimes even for supper. Another favorite of his was a big salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in summer and with cabbage, carrots and garlic in winter. He ate meat only once or twice a week and used dairy products sparingly in his diet.
- Take it easy. I do not remember my great grandfather ever getting mad or angry with anything or anybody. He was always calm and faced any situation with dignity, patience and reason. Long-term stress causes depression, heart disease and other health problems. That is why it is much better to relax about life.
Most of these points sound like common sense. Then why aren’t we all following this common sense? My great grandfather’s example proves that you do not have to be a super human or ultra rich to enjoy your life and to be self-sufficient even when you are old and gray. Making smart and healthy choices every day, avoiding stressful situations as well as enjoying and appreciating life at a slow pace are the main secrets of longevity. Do you think you can stick to these habits?
Keep it balanced!
Smart Thoughts (13)
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Hello, 
Great article Anastasiya. Although I do think that eating healthy food is overrated, I know that’s only because I’m still young. I guess in part, I’m oblivious when it comes to keeping in check of what I consume. Though with that said, I always try not to have too much snacks, junk foods and the likes. 8 glass of plain water a day. That’s probably the only routine I try to keep as of this year.
Healthy food is not overrated
but it is true that young people do not pay attention to it a lot of times. I know this from my own experience. Only a few years ago I started paying attention to how healthy I am eating and started eliminating all unhealthy foods from my diet. Healthy food makes you feel better and gives you more energy and it saves you a lot of trouble and a lot of visits to the doctor when you get older.
Anastasiya, great intro story
While there is not one way to achieve longevity I think to stay in balance and staying away from any extreme position is a good place to start. I known a lot people who lived by the health books (and their lives good miserable) and a lot of people who did party and had a long life. But I also have seen the opposite be true. So longevity remains a mystery if you are looking for a simple formula, but I think your points are a good source to go for. Listen to your own body will surely help more, than reading 1,000 health books.
You are right that there is no a single formula that will sure long healthy life. After all all of us have our own genetics, our temper that influences how w can cope with stress and of course conditions where we live. All these factors influence our health a lot but doing the best we can to stay healthy is the only thing that depends on us.
All great points, the alcohol still surprises me though I did read that 2-4 glasses a week can actually keep the mind sharper than no alcohol at all. You are dead right about healthy habits making a huge difference, especially when you start young. This is something that my grandma really demonstrated. When I was 16 she was still roller-blading just as fast as me!
Facts about alcohol are very discrepant and you should decide for yourself what your relationship with alcohol will be. People who have any risk factors (high blood pressure, history of cancer in the family, heart disease) should skip alcohol but if overall you are healthy person then why not give it a try? My husband and I drink 1 glass of red wine every evening. We’ll see how effective it’s going to be for us.
Loved the intro to this Anastasiya. These are all great tips you have shared here. I have seen a lot of studies stating that small amount of alcohol can be good for you and it’s good you mentioned that here.
Alcohol can be your friend or your enemy. I think that it is extremely important to be wise about your alcohol consumption. Before you decid to drink it regularly you need to get a clearance from your doctor.
Anastasiya.
I love all your sensible points with the exception of the alcohol one. I gave up drinking a while ago and now just the very occassional glass of good champagne.
If I do try anything else now, my body reacts with a headache literally within seconds – it is as if my body is telling me about how toxic this substance is for ME.
Of course other people’s reactions and tolerances will be different than mine – especially if they have been drinking all there life.
Apart from that I must apply more of point 1 – I love my food and I still tend to overeat:-)
Wow…great points Anastasiya…
I believe Honey, Tea, Oats and even alcohol(in moderation) are excellent for the body and I use these everyday – except for alcohol(which I might start now). I don’t know if I could skip dinner though…How about you?
By the way… I love the New Site look
An oft-forgotten point that you make. Keeping your mind active is extremely important. Too often, people stop learning. There’s ample evidence to support the idea that keeping mentally active promotes healthier aging.
You are right Greg physical and mental fitness are two sides of a balanced person. You can’t concentrate on one and forget about the other one because you won’t be a fully healthy person.
Anastasiya, Another terrific post.
“Most people do not think about this question when they are 24 years old but the choices that we make when we are young affect the quality and the length of our lives.”
This is so important. It’s hard to focus on it when you’re young, but it makes so much sense. It’s also so much easier to take care of your health your whole life than to try to change your ways at 50 or 60 or beyond.
Your point about your great-grandfather not exercising as such is also important. What is excercise but physical activity? Those who get plenty of physical activity during the course of a day without having to “exercise” or “work out” ae very fortunate (and, generally, very healthy).
In answer to your final question, I am doing nearly all of these things to stay healthy to a ripe old age, although I don’t eat honey and I don’t drink wine every day, just from time to time. And I really do need to work on taking it easy. That is not my strong suit.