When I was a little kid I remember an old guy playing tennis every Monday and Wednesday afternoon in our club. Despite his age (he looked like 65-70) he was relatively fast and his movements were extraordinary. Above all, he was passionate: he never missed an opportunity to compliment his opponent’s shot or argue if the ball was in or out.
I always wondered with my friends: what is his secret? How can he be so active? Why are there no (or very few) other men and women like him?
As a surprise gift from my family, I got Dan Buettner’s book on how to live for 100+ years: The Blue Zone. National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner led an expedition around the globe to find the best strategies for living a long, healthy, and joyful life. He visited different Blue Zones: places where the percentage of 100+ year-old people is significantly high.
In this article, I will summarise my learnings from the book.
Nutrition
Food:
Eat nuts regularly. Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, and others are rich in nutrients and support a healthy heart
Lower your meat intake. Almost all people interviewed reported that they don’t consume meat more than 1x a week or only at celebrations
Choose whole grains and try not consuming processed food such as potato crisps or ready-made pizza
Give up unnecessary sugar products: chocolates and candies. Completely
Follow a diet rich in vegetables and fruits. After 2 weeks without chocolates and candies, you will notice and appreciate the different sweet tastes of fruits
Drinks:
Drink (almost) only water. Fuzzy sugar drinks do no good for your body
Have tea every day and try to diversify the type. There are so many great ones to choose from: camellia, oolong, ginger, or peppermint - just to name a few
1-2 glasses of red wine will keep your heart healthy. Sticking to this routine is not a bad one, right?
What surprised me is that there is almost no food/drink or other supplements that are absolutely forbidden to consume. Of course, the cigarette is an absolute no-go.
The secret to a healthy life is a colorful&moderate diet - eating with a great balance and eating only until you feel 80% full. Our brain receives the information of being full with a slight delay, thus you can save consuming calories with self-moderation.
Sleep
Have a regular, uninterrupted 8-9 hours long sleep in the appropriate conditions (during the night in a dark, not-warm room)
30 mins napping does great for your body and mind. Why not take a break after your tennis practice?
By the way, if you are keen on learning more about the science of sleeping I highly recommend Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep which significantly changed how I view my downtime.
Excercise
Of course, people living in the Blue Zones are not tennis players. They rather work in the fields and mountains. What’s common though is that they all do regular physical exercise.
Exercise regularly, a minimum of 2.5 hours a week. That’s 2 trainings and one match already
A non-scientific way to define sport is ‘when you start sweating’: it’s nice to walk into the supermarket instead of taking the car, however, that’s not yet enough
Be careful and don’t overtrain yourself, it can lead to injuries
Sport is not only great for your body but it also helps to release stress and connect with yourself and others.
NO for stress & YES for social relationships
Say no to stress. I know, easier said than done. However, I want to reassure you that it is not worth having a nerve-racking job just to pay your healthcare bills later on
Note that working a lot (both on a daily basis and for many ages long, even over 70) is not necessarily evil if your job is meaningful to you and not stressing you out
Find a purpose to wake up for. Whether it’s your job, family, friends, or tennis
Take care of your relationships. Interestingly enough it is not the depth of the connection but rather the pure existence that boosts your health. It can be a certain community (e.g. your tennis club, church), group of friends, or family
Religion
Talking about the church, Dan Buettner claims that belief contributes to a longer and healthier life. If you believe that your life is not only controlled by you, you consequently have fewer things to worry about
Which religion to follow? The book’s answer: it does not matter
So these were my favorite tips from the book to live a longer and happier life. Of course, you will not use all of them at the same time. However, incorporating some of them into your daily routine will surely serve you.
As the 97-year old Leonid Stanislavskyi (ITF Singles Ranking 61 in 85+ Category) said
“You can play tennis no matter what age you are… My biggest dream is to live a few more years. At least till 100 years… It would be wonderful if I could live at least till 100, 105, or 110 years old. That’s my biggest dream and I fight for it. My dream is not simply to live until 100 years old but to remain active and at least be able to play tennis."
If you want to play tennis at your 97 like Mr. Stanislavskyi's, now let’s go out to hit some balls and discuss your game and life over a glass of red wine with your friends!
Do you have any other tips on healthy living? Let me know in the comments section!