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Sunday, 25 March 2012 08:27

What most decagenarians have in common

Scary term, ain't it? "Decagenarian" - took me a while just to spell that one correctly (if I have this time around); in other words "the over 100 age ground". Century plus, whatever you prefer to call it. Those of us that make it to the ripe old age of 100 and beyond (senior PLUS discounts??) fit into the category I just mentioned.

Living to the age of 100 itself sounds scary to most people, but it doesn't have to be that way. Follow the right diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and you'll be adding on years to your lifespan without even thinking about it. In other words "do as Grandma advised", and you'll stick around for way longer than you think.

Sounds like the right thing to do, doesn't it? And while it is - the funny thing is that there are some of us in the 100+ age group that contradict a lot of these principles, and are still as hale and hearty as can be at 100+.

I was reading an article on decagenarians in the local newspaper today. I normally have little use for the mainstream media - most of the news is either politically motivated or does nothing much to motivate and inspire - but some of the stuff they write about is actually good, and this was one of them.

Anyway, they profiled (as in, spoke to personally and then profiles) a few decagenarians to find out what the secret of their longetivity was. And what they found out might surpise you.

Two of the "young" men are twins living in China. They are 103 years of age - and what do they eat on a daily basis? Snakes. That's right, SNAKES - and thats what they say has enabled them to live on to such an advanced age. Apparently snake bile cleanses the phelgm and cures chest problems - and these fine "young" men say snake bile is what enabled them to live in until 103. They can still walk unassisted - and do so for 2-3 km daily.

Another "young-un" lives in India, and follows a simple diet of tea, milk, pulses and vegetables - but that isn't the entire story. This dude took up running at the tender age of 80, and is one of the, if not THE, oldest marathoners around.

That's right - he STARTED to run at the age of EIGHTY - 55 years after most folks give up - and he's STILL DOING IT AT THE AGE OF 101!

100 too young for you? Well, let's move on to a lady from Georgia (I think) who is about 130, and drinks a ton of vodka daily in addition to walking daily. NOT the ideal thing to do for long lasting health - or so WE think. Here's someone that's living proof of the exact opposite.

A slightly younger person from China (102) does much the same thing, except he substitutes vodka for the local liqor, and he smokes a ton of cigarettes to boot. And yet, he's fit and raring to go - more so than most 20 year olds are in this day and age. When asked, he too said he walks on a daily basis - unassisted, of course.

Anyhow, I think you can see what most of these people have in common - and that is, they MOVE on a daily basis. Specifically, they WALK - and thats one of the most important things you can do for your overall health and fitness as well. And you shouldn't just walk to lose weight, though some forms of walking do help you lose weight fast. No, I recommend talking long, leisurely walks - and relax, and breathe deeply while doing so - this simple practice alone will add on a couple of years to your life. 

And while you may not have the time for long WALKS (at least not daily), I recommend you make walking a part of your daily life anyway. Walk for 15 minutes in the morning before work, or before bedtime. It doesn't matter when you do it - and you don't have to do it for hours - but make sure you include some sort of walking into your routine. You'll benefit more from it than you realize at this point!

Anyway, I suddenly got a bit rushed for time, so I'll end this here. Back again tomorrow!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: Walking is something I cover in great detail in Fast and Furious Fitness -- grab your copy ASAP!

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