Senior Living Keep young and beautiful


Recent evidence warns that a lack of activity will seriously affect our health, while loneliness and isolation are as bad for us as obesity and smoking. So, with this in mind, who’s up for getting out and about and enjoying an active retirement?


Dietary tips from the world’s oldest and healthiest people


Many adults aged 65 and over spend, on average, 10 hours or more a day siting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group. But this inactivity comes at a high price. As we get older, it becomes even more important to keep active to make sure the things we enjoy doing, like playing with the grandchildren or walking the dog, remain possible. Tere’s strong evidence that active people have a lower risk of heart


disease, stroke, falls, type two diabetes, some cancers, depression and dementia and, if you want to stay pain-free and reduce your risk of mental illness, we’re advised to keep our mind and bodies moving. “As people get older and our bodies decline in function, physical


activity helps slow that decline,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health-promotion consultant. “It’s important that we remain active or even increase our activity as we get older.” Keeping physically active also maintains our independence and our link with our friends, and neighbours.


Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week


What is physical activity? Physical activity is anything that gets our bodies moving, from walking and gardening, to sport. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week, preferably something every day, in bouts of 10 minutes or more. Moderate-intensity aerobic activities include walking fast, water aerobics, riding a bike, doubles tennis, and mowing the lawn. Chores like shopping, cooking or housework don’t count, but do help keep you active. In addition, try to do things that work your


muscles like weight training, liſting or digging the garden, and reduce the amount of time you spend siting. Siting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the blood pressure


as well as the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and break down fat. Physical activity like walking, swimming and dancing can also be a great way to make friends, while learning


improves your conversational skills and introduces you to like- minded people and more opportunities. For this reason, getting more active could well be linked to joining


a club or a group such as the Women’s Institute, a Gardeners’ Club, a walking group, an Active Retirement Association, the UK Men’s Sheds Association or it could take you back to school and the U3A – The University of the Third Age. Just the act of getting involved and trying new activities will open doors. So what are you waiting for?


In 2004, a team from the National Geographic identified places in the world where people live longest. Tey shared these traits: • • •


Stop eating when the stomach is 80% full. Eat light in the aſternoon and end of the day.


Eat plants, especially beans and consume meat rarely.


• Drink alcohol in moderation and regularly: 1 or 2 glasses a day.


Tese places also boast the highest number of centenarians in the world:


Icaria, Greece ‘Te island where people forget to die’ and home to the healthiest elderly people in this part of the Aegean. Teir diet comprises mainly potatoes, goat’s milk, vegetables, some fruit and small portions of fish. Tey eat a lot of feta, lemons and infusions of herbs such as sage and marjoram. Tey occasionally eat lamb.


Okinawa, Japan


A world record number of people - around 6.5 in 10,000 - reach the age of 100 (compared with 1.73 in most other parts of the world). Its inhabitants believe in eating something from the earth and the sea every day. Among their ‘longevity foods’ are biter melons, tofu, wholegrain rice, garlic, green tea and shitake mushrooms.


Sardinia, Italy Te longevity rate on this island is very high among men and women. Inhabitants put it down to the clean air, the local wine and “making love every Sunday”. For example, shepherds, who walk so much in the hills, live long lives. Teir diet includes goat’s milk, sheep’s cheese, sourdough and barley bread, fennel, pulses, tomatoes, almonds and wine from the Grenache grape.


Loma Linda, California


Almost all are Seventh Day Adventist, fiercely opposed to smoking, drinking, dancing and modern-day distractions like the TV and cinema. Tey follow a ‘Biblical’ diet of grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables and only drink water. Sugar is taboo, they avoid meat and oſten fish, and prefer avocado, oats, wheat bread and soy milk.


Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica Te traditional food in this region is rice and beans with a litle cheese and coriander, in a corn tortilla, with an egg on top. But they also eat a lot of papaya, banana and chontaduro (the fruit of the chonta palm tree).


Mid Kent Living 35


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