My Nana turns 100 years old today. There are lots of ideas about what people do to be able to live such a long life and I will discuss that in this article, but first, just think about what life was like 100 years ago. So different!
100 Years Ago
Certainly you wouldn’t have been able to read this. The first blog was in 1994. The World Wide Web became publicly available in 1991. The first desktop computer was in 1964, though it cost the equivalent of about $26,000 in today’s dollars, looked more like a cash register/adding machine, and it didn’t have a monitor to read from.
There were no fridges, antibiotics, talkies (movies with sound), or minimum wage.
Horse-drawn carriages were commonplace. Zippers and dating (unrelated, haha) were a new thing. And bloodletting, mercury, heroin, and cocaine were normal prescriptions.
There were some things we did better though. We wasted less. Home canning and creative ways to reuse food waste (like making candles, soap, or lotions from leftover fat) were commonplace. Even though we now have fridges and freezers to preserve our food, a 2017 study on household food waste in Canada showed that the average Canadian household now tosses about 140 kg of food (about $1100 worth) per year, amounting to about 2.2 million tonnes of edible food (more than $17 billion!) for the country. People were also more likely to patch holes, darn socks, and stitch tears in their clothing, as well as get their shoes resoled rather than tossed for new ones.
My Nana’s Life
My Nana was born in Canada to immigrant parents from Japan. It was shortly after World War I–after the war that was supposed to end all wars. Not long after, World War II started. In 1941 she was deemed by the Canadian government as an “enemy alien.” At 22 years of age, she and her family had all their belongings and property taken by the government as they were sent off to interment camps in interior BC. They lived in ghost towns, abandoned log cabins, and life was hard. She and other second generation (“Nissei”) Japanese Canadians rarely talk about this time, so I have only a few pictures.
It’s hard for me to imagine what life was like, even after the war, when she and her arranged husband (my Gramps) were not allowed to return to BC–where they had grown up–being told they could either move to Japan (where they had never been) or east of the Rockies. I’m allowed to choose my job, have never been questioned my right to vote, and get to pick where I live and with whom.
Of course, she’s also lived and created a great life, well worth the 100 years thus far. So, what can you do to help you live 100 (or more) years, making them the happiest and healthiest possible?
Longevity
There is no recipe for longevity (as far as we know). Though there are common themes, like directions to eat lots of vegetables, there are some who tout that being a carnivore will extend your life. Stopping smoking, limiting the booze, and exercising regularly are also good recommendations, though some people do none of this and still live long and prosper. Why is that? Well, partly luck, i.e. genetics.
But since we get what we get when it comes to our genes, we can influence how (or if) those not so beneficial genes affect our lives, both in quantity and quality of years.
Show gratitude
I see the social media postings of some of my friends who are committing to expressing consecutive days of gratitude and I think this is fantastic. Some postings show an appreciation for the big, like opportunities they’ve been given and awards they’ve earned. Other postings recognize the small, like a compliment paid or a sunny day. It’s all glorious because it sets forth a cascade of positive and health-supportive hormones and internal messengers like serotonin and dopamine.
In addition, it sets us up to continue to notice the positive. Our brains are geared for survival–to notice the dangers and possible trip wires. It takes effort to notice what is not a problem, not hurting, not about to go wrong. But when we do pay attention to the alright, the okay, and the just fine, we can become aware that there’s actually a lot more of that around us. And we can feel even more grateful, making the effort to live a longer life much more worthwhile.
Be present
Okay, I admit it. This one is a tough one for me. I’m a multitasker and a “what’s next” thinker, so just being here and noticing now is a practice I’m working on. Of course, planning ahead is a good thing, but never just enjoying the current because the up-and-coming feels more important can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety.
Equally, holding on to the past is detrimental. Tradition and memories help us to feel secure and safe, but expecting things to stay the same is like fighting gravity. Imagine yourself like an air balloon. If you want to float higher, toss out some of the things that are weighing you down. That might be stuff, knicknacks that hold memories you’d rather drop, thoughts or ideas that hold you back, habits that no longer serve you, or even people that keep steering you off course.
While we should plan for our futures and learn from our past, we need also make time to just be present.
Have purpose
Having purpose doesn’t equal having goals. More important is the reason. If I think back to my goals that I set when I was younger, they are quite different from the goals I set now. In many ways, I was quite different then. If I were solely goal oriented, I could be disappointed with where I am today. I’m not a veterinarian, a sports medicine physician, a physiotherapist, a famous figure skater, or a dog–all things I once wanted to be.
But I’m not disappointed.
I’m excited and happy to be here–where I am, who I am–because I’m fulfilling what I feel is my purpose. Some call it raison d’etre. The Japanese term for it is ikigai. I love this word because it both reads funny in English and it means “reason for being” or “reason for getting up in the morning.” I feel my ikigai is to bring hope to people’s lives by helping them to be and feel healthier both through treating them in clinic and by educating them about things they can do.
Having purpose is one of the things that helps people recover from or live with a devastating illness. It is one of the elements shown to hold high value in societies that have a lot of centenarians. And, it is the reason that too many people get sick or die shortly after retiring, if they do not fill the void left by the drive and routine of work. Your ikigai may or may not be related to your job, but it should exist and be something you recognize.
Make the effort
I get it, time is tight. But like my recent blog about self care and making the effort to do the tough stuff, we need to push ourselves now if we want to benefit later. Sometimes I don’t want to go to the gym or even take the stairs instead of the elevator. But if I want to be able to do that when I’m 80 or older, then I lay down better odds if I continue to do that now.
We all brush our teeth because we don’t want to deal with cavities. Why not take on some of these simple things now as investment for our future:
- Practice standing on one leg (hold onto something if it’s tough or close your eyes if it’s easy). Better balance will help reduce your future chances of a fall and a broken hip or worse.
- Get down on the floor and up from the floor. If you do fall, it helps if you can get yourself back up again. You may have to use props or help, and don’t do it if it’s going to risk your health, but if you
can do it now, try to keep that for as long as possible. I have a torn meniscus, so my way of doing this has changed, but I keep doing it.
- Take moments of calm. Close your eyes or look at something peaceful and just breathe. Simple as that. But do it regularly.
- Laugh. Laugh at the humourous, the absurd, the mildly amusing, and at yourself. Don’t take yourself and life too seriously. I recently read (listened to) a book called “The Art of Possibility” (a great book to listen to because one of the authors is a conductor). In it, there this story:
“Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by a hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for the third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so g—damn seriously.” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?”
“There aren’t any.”
- Make time for others. Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert, connection is important. It’s just how much connection and with how many others that this varies. Having at least one close confidant is key to good health, so cultivate and grow those relationships. Help them through tough times. Be there when you are needed. And ask for and accept the help and support of others when you need that yourself.
- Create. Some may think that expressing creativity is not as valuable as eating healthy and exercising, when it comes to health. But, I beg to differ. Expressing creativity is food for the soul. Music, design, fashion, art, writing, dance, performance, craft, food–they are all avenues for creativity. And, they may also help you discover or enhance your ikigai.
- Get your checkups and tune-ups. Most of the bookings in my clinic are for treatments for something (or “somethings”) specific. And this is great! A patient comes in asking me to treat “X” and I treat “X.” But in that, I also get to check if there are other, underlying or ignored things we can also work on. Preventative medicine is self descriptive and I recommend getting regular tune-ups that could be as infrequent as seasonal or as frequent as monthly, depending on your needs and your situation. Because of that, I’ve now created a couple of TCM treatment packages to choose from.
If you want to live long like my Nana, it may take some effort, but it’s worth it!
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