Vilcabambas' longevity secret: They just walk.

If you visit Vilcabamba, you will see a lot of elderly people. And you will see that some of them are indeed very elderly. But you will never see them disabled by the wheel as a way to go from place to place.

Photo attribution: http://tiny.cc/i2dmrw

They don’t have cars or bikes. They don’t even have horses or donkeys as a mean of transport to travel across the rugged hills of the Sacred Valley. They just walk. They walk to go to their orchards, and they walk to go from their orchards to their homes.

                   Photo attribution: http://tiny.cc/jsdmrw                                                                 

They don’t have a choice, but that very necessity is what keep them fit and nodoubt part of the secrets of their long life.

In our sedentary societies, the expression “Let’s go for a walk “ is almost a unique event. And it’s not something that happens very often either, unless, of course, we have taken the habit of walking on a daily basis or at least a few times a week. But when we do, we do it out of a keen awareness that if we don’t, we will be in trouble healthwise later in life.

In Vilcabamba, by walking people go from place to place. The expression “Let’s go for a walk” would puzzle a Vilcabamba person, for it’s something they always do no matter the distance. They don’t do it with a conscious purpose of getting physically fit, or because it keeps the heart in sound condition, or because the doctor told them that walking is ‘good for you.’

Walking do all of that for them but almost as a ‘side effect’. For them, the adage  “each of us has two doctors – the left leg and the right leg” is very much a reality. It is recognised by all medical authorities without exemption that we can literally lengthen our lives with a daily regiment on foot as the Vilcabambas have shown as clearly.

American heart specialist Dr. Paul Dudley White says categorically that walking is the best exercise we can get. Ideally, we should walk at least an hour every day, he says, or – he suggested;  we can get a bicycle, which has more or less the same health benefits of walking.

I find this idea of getting a bicycle, so interesting that I thought of  sharing with you this interesting article on at least 11 health benefits of riding a bicycle on a regular basis.

I didn’t finish talking to you about the Vilcabambas in relation to exercising. I’ll carry on in the next post. But for the time being, I thought this detailed review on the reasons to take up cycling is excellent. To be fair to the author, the title of his complete article is “30 reasons to take up cycling”, but for reasons of space and in order not to overwhelm you, I decided to shorten it to 11, for the purpose of this post.

11 reasons to take up cycling

 

By Matthew Barbour, Cycling Plus

Whether it's to boost your fitness, health or bank balance, or as an environmental choice, taking up cycling could be one of the best decisions you ever make. Not convinced? Here are 11 major benefits of taking to two wheels.

1. You’ll get there faster

Commute by bike in the UK’s major cities and you’ll get there in half the time of cars, research by Citroen shows. In fact, if you drive for an hour in Cardiff’s rush hour, you’ll spend over 30 minutes going absolutely nowhere and average just 7mph, compared to averaging around 12-15mph while cycling.

2. Sleep more deeply

An early morning ride might knacker you out in the short term, but it’ll help you catch some quality shut-eye when you get back to your pillow. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers asked sedentary insomnia sufferers to cycle for 20-30 minutes every other day. The result? The time required for the insomniacs to fall asleep was reduced by half, and sleep time increased by almost an hour.

“Exercising outside exposes you to daylight,” explains Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre. “This helps get your circadian rhythm back in sync, and also rids your body of cortisol, the stress hormone that can prevent deep, regenerative sleep.”

3. Look younger

Scientists at Stanford University have found that cycling regularly can protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce the signs of ageing. Harley Street dermatologist Dr Christopher Rowland Payne explains: “Increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while flushing harmful toxins out. Exercise also creates an ideal environment within the body to optimise collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkles and speed up the healing process.” Don’t forget to slap on the factor 30 before you head out, though.

4. Boost your bowels

According to experts from Bristol University, the benefits of cycling extend deep into your core. “Physical activity helps decrease the time it takes food to move through the large intestine, limiting the amount of water absorbed back into your body and leaving you with softer stools, which are easier to pass,” explains Harley Street gastroenterologist Dr Ana Raimundo.

In addition, aerobic exercise accelerates your breathing and heart rate, which helps to stimulate the contraction of intestinal muscles. “As well as preventing you from feeling bloated, this helps protect you against bowel cancer,” Dr Raimundo says.

5. Increase your brain power

Need your grey matter to sparkle? Then get pedalling. Researchers from Illinois University found that a five percent improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness from cycling led to an improvement of up to 15 percent in mental tests. That’s because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus – the region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of 30.

“It boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which fires and regenerates receptors, explaining how exercise helps ward off Alzheimer’s,” says the study’s author, Professor Arthur Kramer.

6. Beat illness

Forget apples, riding’s the way to keep the doctor at bay. “Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so they’re ready to fight off infection,” says Cath Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital in London.

In fact, according to research from the University of North Carolina, people who cycle for 30 minutes, five days a week take about half as many sick days as couch potatoes.

Riding’s the way to keep the doctor at bay

7. Live longer

King’s College London compared over 2,400 identical twins and found those who did the equivalent of just three 45-minute rides a week were nine years ‘biologically younger’ even after discounting other influences, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking.

“Those who exercise regularly are at significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, all types of cancer, high blood pressure and obesity,” says Dr Lynn Cherkas, who conducted the research. “The body becomes much more efficient at defending itself and regenerating new cells.”

8. Save the planet

Twenty bicycles can be parked in the same space as one car. It takes around five percent of the materials and energy used to make a car to build a bike, and a bike produces zero pollution.

Bikes are efficient, too – you travel around three times as fast as walking for the same amount of energy and, taking into account the ‘fuel’ you put in your ‘engine’, you do the equivalent of 2,924 miles to the gallon. You have your weight ratio to thank: you’re about six times heavier than your bike, but a car is 20 times heavier than you.

9. Improve your sex life

Being more physically active improves your vascular health, which has the knock-on effect of boosting your sex drive, according to health experts in the US. One study from Cornell University also concluded that male athletes have the sexual prowess of men two to five years younger, with physically fit females delaying the menopause by a similar amount of time.

Meanwhile, research carried out at Harvard University found that men aged over 50 who cycle for at least three hours a week have a 30 percent lower risk of impotence than those who do little exercise.

10. It’s good breeding

A ‘bun in the oven’ could benefit from your riding as much as you. According to research from Michigan University in the US, mums-to-be who regularly exercise during pregnancy have an easier, less complicated labour, recover faster and enjoy better overall mood throughout the nine months. Your pride and joy also has a 50 percent lower chance of becoming obese and enjoys better in-utero neurodevelopment.

“There’s no doubt that moderate exercise such as cycling during pregnancy helps condition the mother and protect the foetus,” says Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

A ‘bun in the oven’ could benefit from your riding as much as you

11. Heal your heart

Studies from Purdue University in the US have shown that regular cycling can cut your risk of heart disease by 50 percent. And according to the British Heart Foundation, around 10,000 fatal heart attacks could be avoided each year if people kept themselves fitter. Cycling just 20 miles a week reduces your risk of heart disease to less than half that of those who take no exercise, it says.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/fitness/article/30-reasons-to-take-up-cycling-23965/

Secrets of Long Life from the Vilcabambas

I have always been interested in longevity, so it is not surprising that very early in my quest for rejuvenation and healthy living, the fame of the flourishing centenarians of Vilcabamba reached my awareness.

I heard rumours about the extraordinary life span of these humble elderly people who live in the Sacred Valley, or Vilcabamba, in the rugged Andean mountains in Southern Ecuador, in South America. So, very early in my explorations I wanted to find out if they existed at all, and - if that was the case, who really they were?

It would be utterly impossible to say everything there is to say about the Vilcabambas in a single article. So, it is my intention to come back to talk about them in subsequent posts.

In the story I’m going to share with you, you won’t hear any recommendation from the Vilcabambas about healthy eating, or juicing, special diets or a particular fitness program, a food supplement or anything like that.

In fact, the inhabitants of the Sacred Valley don’t even know about the things most people in our modern society have. They are stripped down to the very basics selves. Moreover, to our own living standards, their conditions can be considered even deplorable, and utterly anti-hygienic.

But amazingly, by living and interacting with their own environment, these ultracentenarians have developed a kind of immunity to certain bacteria and known diseases, and came to be known as the longest living people in the Western hemisphere.

 
To  hear that Gabriel Erazo, Manuel Carpio, Gabriel Sanchez, Manuel Ramon and Micaela Quezada were 132, 127, 113, 110 and 104 respectively is not uncommon in the Sacred Valley. And all this seems to be “proved” by their baptismal records, according to the doctors in Ecuador.

My knowledge of the Vilcabambas mostly come from reading  the work of American researcher and journalist Grace Halsell, who documented her findings on this extraordinary people in her book “Los Viejos.”

It has been said that success always leave clues. And this still holds true with the Vilcabambas. From her experience living among them, Halsell saw patterns emerging like a blueprint that can be emulated by anybody who want to have a longer and more fulfilling life.

The Vilcabambas truly know the secrets to prolong youth. But the curious thing is that they don’t know that they know it, if that makes any sense. They don’t have a conscious knowledge or a preset of principles that they observe in their daily life that will determine their general good health and longevity.

In analyzing the lifestyle of the Vilcabambas, I would like to focus in 8 areas, namely:

·        Genetics,

·        Exercise,

·        Environment,

·        Economics,

·        Diet,

·        Lifestyle  

·        Stress.

We will focus our attention in these 8 specific areas, one at a time starting today,  and draw our own conclusions.

Genetics

For a long time, scientist yearned to discover if the people of Vilcabamba have a simple “secret” for longevity, for, as far as science is concerned, there’s no a gene for longevity. From research and debates all we can see is that the subject remains a matter of conjecture.

Still, it was only reasonable to conclude that they must be doing something right, in contrast to our own way of living.

Some pointed out that the reason the Vilcabambas seem to be protected from the diseases common to the western world such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, is due to the isolation of their unique environment from the modern world.

In fact, just as it happens with tribal groups that lived for centuries in the deep rain-forest and were totally free from the “white man” diseases; if somebody born in the Sacred Valley left that environment to settle somewhere else, what would have happened?

Do you think that if a person born in Vilcabamba emigrated to one of our fast-paced cities or towns, cluttered and polluted with traffic and noise would have stayed healthy and afford such a proverbial age?

Vilcabambas didn’t take food supplements of vitamins because they didn’t need them. Their diet was remarkably plain and wholesome, consisting  mainly of  fresh fruit and vegetables from their own plots, and fresh milk and butter from their own cows. Their space was large, and the air they breathed  was clean.

In contrast, we constantly breathe a noxious air polluted with poisonous gases ejected by the exhausts of the millions of cars on our roads. We commute to go to work, and in this urban environment we are constantly assailed with nerve-wreaking continuous noisy clamors.

We are stressed out; we can’t get proper rest, and in order to get some relieve we  take drugs or become habitual alcohol drinkers, or even worst, we smoke. Our diet is mainly composed of white bread, white sugar and sugary pies and cakes and all sorts of bad food, which is filled with additives and preservatives.

With that kind of lifestyle, even if genes had a part to play in longevity, we would be forfeiting years off our potential life span.

But the fact that there is no gene of longevity shouldn’t make us conclude that genetics don’t play a part in leading a healthy life in view o starting and continuing a process of rejuvenation. Far from it!

There have been studies made on the life expectancy which indicated the advantage of children with long-lived  parents over those with short-lived parents. But the researchers concluded: “The advantage is a modest one.”

The above longevity study was based upon life insurance records and were carried out by Dr. L.I.Dublin. His investigation found  “children of long-lived parents had  a life expectancy at age 20 that probably don’t exceed three years the expectance of a similarly aged group  whose parents were short-lived.” That was the maximal statistical advantage that could be attributed to heredity according to this study.

Many other studies have been made on the subject of human longevity, and although some of them conclude  “genetic factors do affect longevity,” it must be added that these results are all  statistical and based on average.

As I wrote in a previous post, there is no doubt that we do live longer as a generation, and that is due largely to a reduced infant mortality, as well as better sanitation, improved nutrition for the savvy, and better control of infectious diseases.

And if nature didn’t give us a good start as it were with long-lived parents - as to  choose them was totally out of our control – maybe we can nurture what we’ve got and do something good with it.

And that is actually a good thing, because if longevity were purely a matter of genetics, there would have been very little anybody could do to alter it – not even doctors. But as it is, we can actually influence our genes by our personal choices.

As it is evident in the case of the Vilcabambas, one thing emerge very clearly: living a long life, reasonably healthy and fit is, in essence, a do-it-yourself proposition.

The ancient Greek aphorism “Know Thyself” holds still true, and its application on the subject of keeping us healthy in view of a long and happy life can be rendered “Be your own best doctor.”

There aren’t  tablets or pills, organs transplant or any other magic medical wand that will give you a healthy old age. Get to know you and your body and how it reacts to the food and the environment. Doing so will help you to deal with your own health problems.

Interestingly, in Vilcabamba there weren’t any doctors. So the people there didn’t have anywhere to go in the hope that somebody else would have  cured them. That is why they never dwell on their aches, pains and troubles. You would never hered anybody in the Sacred Valley talking about his or her stiff joints, bad hearts, headaches, etc.

They seemed to have the natural intuition that the more you talk about your difficulties – of health or otherwise - the more you imprint in your subconsciousness the perpetuation of what troubles you. It is like a self-fulfilling prophesy.

In Vilcabamba, there aren’t any doctors to visit; therefore, the people there do not have maladies to be cured of.

So, if you are now in a stage in your life in which you feel you need to take charge of your health issues, please be optimistic to a new whole range of things you can do.

If you start today a do-it-yourself program for the extension of your life, there is plenty you can do that most definitely will show results.

So, to finish this post, I encourage you to stay positive and keep educating yourself on healthy living and healthy eating. Do not exaggerate any illness or pain you may have, and start adopting some of the suggestions you find in this blog or in other places.

In my next post,  I will be writing about the Vilcabambas and exercise. But don’t worry, it is not the type of exercise will require you to join a Gym or to hire a fitness coach.

Until next time!

Do keep aging...without growing old

I think something that needs clarification at the outset is the thought of staying young for longer. What is that idea all about? Is it an obsession or a morbid dread of aging? What is the point of staying young for longer?

I’m sure you will agree that growing older doesn’t necessarily mean growing old. There are a lot of things that the years of our lives bring to us, among which wisdom and happy memories. What nobody likes is the physical deterioration associated with aging.

Ours is the generation of the baby boomers – the millions of men and women born between 1946 and 1964, who have a totally different concept about what old means and what it doesn’t.

Baby boomers don’t believe in aging. They don’t think wrinkles, flaccid arms or non-existent sex drive are attractive, or things to look forward to. Not only that: baby boomers don’t even want to look their age, let alone look or feel older.

The generation of baby boomers is characterized by its ability to redefine things. From social and political, to financial, retirement and travel related issues; they were all along redefining youthfulness and aging too.

They see themselves in their declining years in a very positive way. Generally speaking, they see it as an extended physical health and vitality period, together with a very lively and challenging mental attitude.

But it goes beyond a mental thing. We are actually living longer and in far better conditions that those of past generations.

People in general - and the aging generation in particular - are enjoying unprecedented opportunities for preserving and improving their physical and emotional wellbeing.

In the western world, a man’s life expectancy has increased by over 25 years, with a potential to live to up to 74, and that of a woman by over 30 years, with the potential of living to be 79.

Of course, the aim of this blog is to show to baby boomers that they absolutely can beat that by far, and keep the youthful vigor well past that optimistic statistical mark.

We are going to examine the life of the Vilcabambas; the secrets of long life of the elderly inhabitants of the Sacred Valley. We are also going to look at the inhabitants of Okinawa, the island of world record longevity. And we can’t speak about the secrets to staying young without mentioning the Hunzas, the inhabitants of northwest Pakistan, and of course, Bama, in southern China.

Gradually, this blog will be revealing the “secrets” behind these people’s exceptional good health and longevity. And as we said in the previous post, there are no really secrets, but a few diet and lifestyle habits to adopt in order to emulate their approach to life and have their very same edge.

You will see that, with a little thought, it is possible to incorporate those habits into your own lifestyle, and make them your own.

I’m going to come back again and again to talk about Royal Jelly, the ultimate elixir of youth, of Apple Cyder Vinegar, of the “miracle mix” of raw beetroot, carrots and apples. I’ll have a lot to tell also about the importance of drinking pure clear water because our cell need lots of water to keep clean and healthy.

I’m going to introduce you to Stevia, in case you don’t know yet what it is, and why it’s far better for your health than sugar. I’m going to talk to you also about Moringa, and why people in South America call it The Kingdom of God. I’m going to suggest some easy to prepare nutritious vegetarian dishes too.

I’m also going to come back again to physical exercice, but not to the difficult ones, but to an easy one that you can do in literally five to seven minutes; one that, if followed faithfully day by day, will make a remarkable difference in the way you feel.

I will try to find some videos on these exercises so you can see how easy they really are.

So, I can’t wait to be writing my next post, and I hope you find them informative and useful. Please do not hesitate to leave a comment or suggestions. I promise I will be replying to them.

Until next time.

Are longevity tips really "secrets"?

Since I was young,  I have  been fascinated by the effects of nutrition, exercise and lifestyle on the quality of one's health, fitness and happiness in general.

By reading extensively on wellness related subjects, I discovered new ideas and concepts, and  wanted to try them on myself, to verify their validity.

With pleasant surprise,  most of them really had an impact on me and made a tremendous difference in the quality  and enjoyment of my life.

Now that, I am approaching my 7th decade as a living human, I feel a vigour and zest for life that I don't even remember I had when I was in my 30s.

The subject of longevity and the prolongation of youth is a complex one. And there is not a single formula that applies like a blanket to everyone.  Nor all the experts have a consensus on everything it’s been thought and said.

There are of course genetical factors - that is, an individual’s own make up, which plays a determining role. This is so in spite of many violations of  good health pivotal principles. For example, sometimes one hears about a 98 year old man in South America who smoked big cigars during all his life, and, in spite of that seems to be leading a relatively active and  normal life, and one can’t help but to become dumbfounded.

There are also nutritional, lifestyle and psychological factors, which can have a huge impact on one’s life expectancy and enjoyment.

Some of the healthy discoveries  or “secrets” in this blog were made by doctors and nutrition scientists. Some others  were tested empirically, by ‘trial and success’, usually by unknown peoples  from ancient and exotic  cultures.

The reason they are called “secrets”, is simply because  they are so  little known by the general public. This is due to many reasons, among which the misinformation created by mass advertising by the big sickness-oriented food corporations of this world, including the milk dairies and sugar stuffed products of big corporations sold as good nutritional food.

By sheer personal interest, I discovered these  “secrets” by reading and travelling; by talking to the people who practice these things, or eat this stuff, or do these exercises.   

I'm just back from a visit to Paraguay, in South America,  where I visited a Stevia processing plant. Don’t worry if you don’t know at the moment what Stevia is. I will be telling you all about it in future posts.

I also visited in Paraguay a sugar refinery, which laid bare to me the appalling methods and ingredients used by these factories for the refining process of white sugar. It is no wonder there was a sharp decline in heart related diseases during War World II in Europe due to the rationing of sugar.

I will be uncovering them to you through the posts in this blog. And I’m sure you have done your own discoveries, and I will be delighted to hear your experiences, and to listen to your comments. I look forward to learning from them and sharing them with the readers.

 My goal with this Blogg is to inform you, the reader, of discoveries, past and present, of what we, as individuals, can  do to stay young for longer. I would like to hear from you too because this is an area of no monopoly by any single individual.

Asthma and Mediterranean Diet

By Harvey Diamond

Certain estimates say 15 million individuals in the US, and over 300 million worldwide, are dealing with asthma.

Working from hospitals and medical schools in Finland and Portugal, researchers obtained information about therelation of diet to asthma mitigation in a group of individuals who had been previously diagnosed with asthma.

The goal of the study was to determine if the control of asthma was associated with eating a Mediterranean diet-type of food choices. The results were surprisingly encouraging! Only 25% of the total patients had well-controlled asthma at the end of the trial, and they were the exact same participants who closely followed a Mediterranean style food plan.

What this really meant was that a Mediterranean-style approach to eating appeared to greatly reduce the incidence of uncontrolled asthma. Even after factoring in age, gender, use of steroid inhalers, and calorie intake - eating Mediterranean-style foods still stood as a potent solution to asthma control.

These same researchers also held tests which showed fresh fruit intake and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption as other key factors in bringing asthma under control.

These findings are extremely encouraging because they point so strongly in the direction of finding a real aid to those who suffer from asthma. Also, antioxidant support resulting in a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables from the Mediterranean style diet is very likely to be part of the lung support factor. There is also a large amount of anti-inflammatory properties available in common Mediterranean foods, such as extra virgin olive oil.

  Many have asked about the incidence of Asthma in children, wondering if this dietary support method may be beneficial for children as well. While the study did not test children, the researchers are confident that if it was indeed the dieting approach that yielded positive results, it would no doubt be beneficial for children too.

But, what really is an asthma attack? Asthma attacks occur when smooth muscle cells clamp down on air passages,

closing them off. This makes it much harder to get air in and out of the lungs, leading to wheezing and difficulty breathing. If the attack continues, the patient may pass out or even die from suffocation. Asthma is a stressful thing to live with because even if someone is symptom free for a time, they always have the fear of another attack.

Fortunately, this new study has shed much deserved light on the prospect of healthy food choices and the relation to reduction of attacks and alleviation of symptoms caused by the debilitating condition of asthma.

A Mediterranean Diet approach to food has been shown to bring asthma under control. If you want a good start in this style diet, here are some of the foods you may want to incorporate.

Eat more

•  Organically grown fruits and vegetables
•  Cold water fish including cod, salmon, mackerel, herring and halibut
•  Extra virgin olive oil
•  Flax seeds
•  Rosemary, ginger and turmeric

Remove

• Eliminate milk and other dairy products which have been most commonly cited as increasing the severity of asthmatic symptoms.

Making these changes to your diet may not be easy. However, the results can prove to be worth any difficulty you experience in making changes to live Fit For Life. Even if you do not suffer from asthma, all of these dietary recommendations carry potential health benefits that can help anyone.

We wish you good health.

http://www.harveydiamond.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=7&Itemid=64