What If We Focused on Living Well Instead of Just Living Long?
I’m a member of a number of Gen X Facebook groups, some of which are devoted to women. One of them asked what beauty procedures people were doing to stay young. I’m not shaming anyone who’s relying on plastic surgery and fillers and the rest to look younger.
But I did say I focus more on preparing my body and mind for age. (Though, not going to lie, I’ve had a skincare regimen ever since my 20s that has worked really well for my face!)
Personally, I don’t mind the wrinkles I have, because to me that shows a life well lived. But no matter how you feel about whether you need to look younger, it’s important for your body and mind to stay limber as you grow older.
Obviously, there are no guarantees, but there’s aging and then there’s healthy aging. As with pretty much everything in life, the sooner you start preparing, the better off you’ll be.
You’ve probably heard about so-called “blue zones”, which have higher than average numbers of centenarians (people who’ve lived to age 100 or more.) People in these zones have lower instances of heart disease than in the US, which is worth noting since February is American Heart Month.
There are certain characteristics to these places, and a lot of similarities. Something else worth noting is that the similarities also help boost productivity while you’re younger and still working age.
Get real about health risks
There was a time when no one spoke about breast cancer in women. It wasn’t well-studied, and people who had it didn’t always admit to it. Women died of the disease and their families wouldn’t say what had happened. That was true of many cancers, but especially so when it came to breast cancer.
Those days are long gone. Fortunately, there are lots of studies, potentially lifesaving drugs and surgeries. Even corporate America gets in the game every October for Breast Cancer Awareness to pinkwash literally everything under the sun, even products known to be associated with higher cancer risk.
Given all this awareness, you might be surprised to discover that breast cancer is not only not the top killer cancer of women, but not the top disease killer of American women either. The leading cause of death among cancers is lung cancer, and even people who never smoked can get it, FYI.
The deadliest disease for American women is heart disease. It’s the #1 killer, claiming about 20% of women’s deaths. Heart attacks in women often present differently from men, so they go underdiagnosed. And without immediate intervention, the kind men usually get, women often die.
Protecting your heart is actually pretty simple. Most of the things that help prevent cancer also help prevent heart disease too.
But because the media has to find something new to get attention, we’re constantly inundated with articles touting the latest miracle food or workout.
Eating for your heart (and improving productivity)
You don’t have to go out and buy a specific berry that is found only in the Himalayas and pooped out of a Tibetan yak or whatever the most recent fad is. You can just go to the grocery store and buy whatever berry you like, or really any fruit or vegetable. More than one, because the human body likes variety, and plenty of servings each day is best for longevity.
It’s worth mentioning here that none of the blue zones are on a paleo diet. They’re not “on diets” in general, because they’re eating nutritious food and getting lots of movement and socializing on a daily basis.
Human digestive systems are pretty adaptable, which is part of the reason why we’re the ones who colonized the planet and not one of the other animals. So our ancestors could go to a new place that had different animals and plants and still get enough food for survival.
Alaska? Sure. The Caucasian steppes? The Mediterranean? South America? Europe? Sure, all of those work, even the local flora and fauna are very different.
There are some differences between the meals that the different blue zones eat, though none of them are based on convenience and machine farming the way standard American food is. Basically, the food plan is lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, maybe a little meat but even if so not much of it, possibly dairy. Not a lot of processed food, added sugars and salt, not a lot of fried food, etc.
Not stuff that’s been processed to remove all the fiber and beneficial nutrients, then trying to add them back in with a different form at the end of the process to claim the food is healthier. The human body does best with extracting nutrients from food, and doesn’t seem to be as adept at taking them in via supplement.
Could you eat healthy and still have heart disease? Sure. But you’re less likely than someone who’s eating the standard American diet.
Some of the blue zones drink alcohol in moderation, and others don’t drink at all. A meta-analysis came out that showed alcohol, especially wine, is not as heart-healthy as people have said it is.
Ancient people did drink alcohol (and some animals get drunk and/or high from other animals and plants). But the alcohol concentration was a lot lower since they were brewing without all our modern conveniences. The Greeks drank wine, but they mixed it with water so as not to be completely feral.
The big difference seems to be whether you drink alone or with others. If you drink moderately while socializing, it doesn't seem so bad for your health. But if you’re drinking alone, it’s not great.
Moving for your heart (and improving productivity)
Getting a move on is one of the best things you can do for your heart. And yet it’s one of the things that seems to go first when women business owners are in a time crunch. However, this is one of the most important things you can do for your brain, your body, and a healthy old age.
Use it or lose it.
I find as I grow older I have to be more intentional about staying flexible, because even though I have stretches I do after workouts, that doesn’t seem to be enough anymore. So I’ve taken up yoga in a heated room (not Bikram style, just hot) since the heat seems to help me stretch a bit more.
People in the blue zones walk a lot. To be fair, it is a LOT easier to walk (or bicycle) elsewhere in the world where everyone else is on foot or on a bike or public transportation.
I live in a walkable town (Long Beach CA) and if the distance to somewhere I want to go is 2 ½ miles or less, then I walk. I take my backpack to the grocery store and the library and wherever else I need to carry something.
People in the blue zones aren’t walking once a day and then sitting on their behinds for the rest of it. They walk quite a bit at all times of the day, to go down to the store or over to their friend’s house or wherever, then maybe an easy after-dinner stroll as they digest, and so on.
Muscle is also something that you need to keep using (and that will benefit you as you age). I hate the gym because they smell so bad, but I have weights at home and work out to YouTube videos.
Exercising is not about losing weight. If you’re thin and/or at a healthy weight, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to move. (If you’ve had issues in the past where you over-exercised, it might help to think more about healthy movement than “exercise”. Walking at a hearty pace can do a lot for you without necessarily raising all your demons.)
Are you one of those people who can’t find time to exercise? Look at what’s on your schedule that someone else could/should be doing. Maybe you don’t have to do the laundry and the cooking and the cleaning. (Maybe??)
Your partner can do their share, your kids can do theirs, and you can hire more help to give you time to get a move on.
Not only do your heart and other organs require movement, your brain does too. It needs oxygen-rich blood to function, and the ONLY way it can get that is with regular movement.
Playing with your brain (and improving productivity)
Talk about use it or lose it! If you’re not stimulating your brain in healthy ways, you may face a higher likelihood of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. Learning how to do new things is great for your brain.
Stuffing it with information (as opposed to knowledge) isn’t necessarily helpful. Scrolling your social media or passively watching a streaming TV show or movie isn’t the kind of stimulation your brain needs.
People in the blue zones don’t spend nearly as much time in front of screens as we do. They’re pretty active and socialize as well. Sure, the occasional show after a hard day is one thing. But we Americans probably could all do with less screen time.
Human brains actually like to be creative and solve problems, which is why passive consumption is pretty terrible for your brain. Instead of watching TV, write your own show (or article, or book, or whatever.)
Instead of watching the sportsball game with a bucket of Buffalo wings the size of your head (mmm Buffalo wings), go make sport, as the Germans say, with your friends.
Paint or needlecraft or woodwork or whatever you enjoy. Do puzzles at night if you like them.
Learning new dance steps is great for healthy living and aging, especially since that hits up flexibility, mobility, and brain flexibility too.
The great thing about hobbies when you’re older is that you don’t have to worry about being good at it, or making any money from it, or anything like that. You just do something because you enjoy it and it feels good.
I’m learning cello, but I don’t have any dreams of playing in a symphony orchestra. I’m hoping to be good enough eventually that I can play with an ensemble, or even do some heavy metal which sounds AMAZING on cello. But if that doesn’t work out, I’ll be perfectly fine.
Decreasing stress (and improving productivity)
This is the hardest one for me. I tend to overeat when I’m stressed, so this is the category of “things I know are good for me but are challenging for me to implement”.
Blue zones emphasize social connection and community. Some of them are overtly religious, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists in Loma Linda CA which is the only US blue zone. However, no form of religion is necessary because the more likely driver is community. (But if community means a faith group for you, have at it!)
Most of the world doesn’t live in detached single-family homes like Americans do. Many people live in villages or cities where they have friends and colleagues and socialize with other people as a routine matter.
Having a community of people to lean on and give back to is good for your health. It also helps reduce stress because you don’t have to feel alone with what you’re going through. (I think this aspect is one of the biggest reasons why Alcoholics Anonymous is successful for many drinkers.)
As an introvert, I find it’s a little harder for me to find a balance between needing solo time to recharge and going out to be social. But not everyone has this struggle. Being connected is a powerful human need, in addition to food, shelter, and water. Not having enough connections is a problem, even for introverts.
While online and virtual communities can often be helpful, there’s also something powerful about being with others in person. Those in the blue zones don’t spend a lot of time in front of a computer.
Moving around and finding hobbies are also good ways to destress. Doing them with others might boost those benefits. Sometimes it’s hard at the end of the day to know what you really want and need, because you’re probably suffering from decision fatigue. Your brain doesn’t want to spend any more time staring at a screen by yourself, though.
It’s also much less stressful to know that you accomplished everything at work you needed to during the day, so you don’t have to feel guilty for going home and enjoying longevity-boosting hobbies. (Now this I can help you with!)
Constantly doing things without being able to resolve or accomplish anything is in itself stressful. As is staring down a to-do list so long you couldn’t possibly get everything done in one year, much less one day.
Less stress, more health when you discover how to avoid the “busy” and “to-do” traps.
Recap (tl;dr)
February is American Heart Month. The deadliest disease for American women isn’t any kind of cancer but heart disease. Interestingly, the things that can help reduce your chances of heart problems are pretty much the same things that help reduce the likelihood of cancer. AND being more productive in the workplace.
Having trouble figuring out how to accomplish more in less time so you have a better balance without sacrificing profits? I can help. Schedule a free consultation here today.