In Sardinia they…
Live on mountainous terrain, so going anywhere involves a stiff workout in pristine, well-oxygenated mountain air. The men in particular walk several miles a day after their sheep which is excellent for heart health and bone density (Sardinians have half the rate of bone fractures compared with the rest of Italians). They also get plenty of vitamin D from the sunshine, ensuring healthy bones.
What we can do:
- Try to exercise regularly in an unpolluted area, take a holiday somewhere similar (and try to do a bit of hiking whilst there), and keep moving whenever possible. Get outside in the sunlight (taking care not to burn) to ensure adequate vitamin D.
In Sardinia they…
Love their families and consider the family to be of paramount importance. Parents and grandparents love and care for their children when they are young and in return they get cared for when they are old and the children are grown up – centenarians in Barbagia invariably have a daughter or granddaughter tending to their needs and making them feel needed and loved.
What we can do:
- Respect our elders – how much more than us they must know – and try to look after them when possible, especially if they are on their own. Love our children and encourage our children to get the most out of life – and hope they’ll pay us back when we are old and frail. Find meaningful relationships elsewhere if family isn’t quite cutting it.
In Sardinia they…
Get up at dawn to tend their vegetables, chase after livestock, chop wood and do household chores. They retire at dusk, satisfactorily tired and ready for sleep; their sleep patterns are in harmony with light and dark and therefore keep their circadian rhythms humming along nicely.
What we can do:
- Try to get our circadian rhythms on track by going to bed and rising at approximately the same time each day. Going to bed before 10pm is best for our adrenal glands – leave it later and it can be difficult to get to sleep.
In Sardinia they…
Keep busy and carry on climbing the steep mountains to get around even in their 70s, 80s, 90s, and 100s.
What we can do:
- Remember that it’s never too late to start – no matter how old you are, try to keep mentally and physically busy and active as far as you are able. Don’t feel that just because you are, say, in your 80s, that that means you can’t do things you enjoy.
In Sardinia they…
Live in the present, tending to tasks and enjoying nature and family. They don’t worry about the point of existence and whether or not it is all futile – they just get on with it.
What we can do:
- Keep busy – it can be therapeutic. Of course, to have the energy to keep busy, you need to eat well and be fit, so these things all feed into each other.
In Sardinia they…
Enjoy working hard because it is done out of love for each other – the women must look after children and older people whilst the men are keeping food on the table.
What we can do:
- Find work we enjoy doing and which has meaning for us, rather than working for bosses we dislike or purely for excessive material gain.
In Sardinia they…
Practice their strong Roman Catholic faith at home and in the many chapels dotting the countryside. There are also shrines depicting the Virgin Mary at the roadsides, reminding Sardinians of powers greater than themselves.
What we can do:
- Practice our faith or explore our own spirituality or personal philosophy in order to give a wider meaning to our existence.
In Sardinia they…
Have a strong will, high self-esteem and stubbornness, especially the men. The word ‘sardonic’ which has its roots in Sardinia arose from the Sardinian way of making jokes at one another’s expense, thus preventing lingering resentment (necessary in a culture where, historically, blood feuds were frequently in danger of erupting). Men are thus able to diffuse any tension and they frequently enjoy gathering in the street together to talk and laugh.
What we can do:
- Express (‘express’ literally means ‘to squeeze out’) our feelings rather than letting them fester, either by talking to a friend or a counselor or, if necessary, taking irritation out on a punch bag.
