Tag Archives: long healthy life

Okinawan Secrets to Longevity Include Practicing Yuimaaru

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Diane

Michael and I are in Okinawa Japan this month studying the lifestyle and habits of the long-lived people here. Today we are in the village of Ogimi where there are more people living to be over a hundred than anywhere else in the world. The warm and smiling faces of the people here invite us to learn their ways and are open to sharing what has been passed down for many generations, including the practice of Yuimaaru which translates roughly to “warm-hearted and friendly cooperative effort.”

You may see Yuimaaru when a neighbor needs help with repairing his roof, harvesting his crop, or celebrating a special occasion. Many people from the village will come together to help in the effort, “many hands make light work,” but perhaps key to their longevity is it provides a chance for social interaction spending time with others and for friendships to blossom.

Yuimaaru is also apparent when large groups of the long-lived women in Ogimi get together to simply cheer on school children from the village in sporting activities. They are often not related to any of the children in the event, but will come out to support and mentor and spend time with the children of the village.

It is the very act of being a part of something greater than yourself, a mutual aid and reciprocity that gives comfort, joy and peace of mind as we age, especially to those who are living alone. By practicing Yuimaaru, the long-lived Okinawan never feel isolated or alone. This in turn gives them yet another reason to get up every day and celebrate their journey in life.

We can practice Yuimaaru in our daily lives by volunteering our time, helping others in need in a group or club effort, joining a non-profit organization in our own community or in our church. Begin today implementing the habit of Yuimaaru in your daily life, and you will not only add years to your life, you will live A Longer Healthy Life.

Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek, Longevity Researchers www.ALongerHealthyLife.com

“Hari Hachi Bu” Can Help You Live Longer

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Diane

By eating until you are 80% full you just may outlive your peers, and as an added bonus, you will likely feel more energetic, and delay the signs of aging like wrinkles, hair loss and mental decline. You may also significantly lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and cancer.

The first studies done at Cornell University in the 1930’s showed a link between eating fewer calories and longevity and today more than 2000 studies have been conducted that consistently show the same. As a rule, a 30 percent reduction in caloric intake corresponded to at least a 30 percent increase in life span in these animal studies. In Okinawa, Japan, residents of the island boast over three times the number of centenarians as their counterparts on the Japanese mainland. This population of long-lived robust Japanese support the theory that restricting caloric intake will also slow the aging process in humans.

The Okinawans consume about 30 percent fewer calories than other Japanese and they not only live longer, they have significantly lower rates of chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and in addition lower rates of cognitive decline compared with other Japanese. So what can you do? Do as the Okinawans do in the cultural calorie counting habit of Hari Hachi Bu, the practice of stopping eating when you are 80 percent full. This strategy works as a good way to lose extra weight and maintain a healthy base weight as it takes the stomachs stretch receptors about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it really is, and about 20 minutes after eating you will feel full.

Eat a whole food diet that is plant-based. Chose to eat more nutritionally dense calories in the form of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, dark leafy greens, sprouted nuts, seeds, grains and fermented foods. The rewards of making this simple change are immense, including renewed feeling of vitality, the slowing of the aging process, and the postponement or prevention of chronic disease.