Italy is the country where people live the longest after Japan (the average age is 86) with the life expectancy at age 85. Actually you don’t need any statistics to understand the reality, you just have to look around on the street. You can see people in theır eighties and nineties jumping around, going shopping, riding bicycles or meeting friends and having some wine. As I emerged from the cultural shock, I observed and understood deeper of life style and relatedly about long-healthy life.
What is the secret of long life?
Having long life expectancy also changes the way of thinking relatively. In Italy, seeing a funeral in the church I wanted to get information about the person who died. The answer was, “Ahh he was young, only 78”. Whatt? Clearly it was answered by an Italian. It would have been answered the other way around by a Turkish or others.
Now be ready to get the secrets of the long life. I will tell you all and free so we can have long life all together lol. Okay, here we go!!
Food
Like we talk a lot in previous article one of the most important reason to live long is food. A recent study found that people consistently consuming a Mediterranean diet were both physically and mentally healthier as they aged. Eating good quality food, organic, and enough amount will make your life longer. You don’t have to forget about olive oil also.
It is not surprising that the culture is based on food in Italy. We can understand this looking at their life style. For instance, the most important furniture at home is the dining table and choosing a dining table can take a lot of time and money. That is important because table is the place where they spend the most time. A dinner can take 3 hours talking while eating a variety of dishes. Weddings are also based on food. Comparing with Turkey, the most important furniture at home is the couch and wedding is based on dance.
If you have an Italian mother and you live out of home, I assure you the first 2 questions she asks will be “tutto bene? mangiato bene?” which is “Is everything okay? Did you eat well?” I think I made it clear how the concept on of food is in Italy.
Active life
Italians are conscious about how to care for their body. From the childhood they all are inside the sport. Surely everybody did or is doing some sort of sport in their life. I was proud of my husband has black belt in martial arts, but after meeting other friends of him, I surprised that most of them had black belt of some kind of martial arts I have even never heard of it. What? All the city has black belt? What is jujitsu anyway? I heard karate, kung-fu, and there taekwondo.
I already experienced my failure against Italians last year at a bicycle tour in Italy. I said “yes” instantly when they offered me 75 km bicycle tour. I trusted myself thinking I did sport in my life much more than my fellows in Turkey. And if the people asking me for this are older than me, of course I could do it. I didn’t think even about the distance. 75 km? I am not going to tell you how I finished that tour falling into the mud and couldn’t walk next days. But these kind of tours or trekkings are pieces of cake for our strong, rocky Italian friends. So yes, exercise regularly makes life longer.
Stressless life
I know some of the Italians will not agree with me saying they have traffic and stressful job etc. Man! Go to try to live in Istanbul then you will understand what is a stressful life. Not having big cities with giant skyscrapers, living in small towns makes life more calm and long.
Slowness
Anybody who has experience in Italy can confirm that how slow everything is going on. I am not talking about cars or movements but the mentality. If you ask to do something from an Italian, don’t expect it is going to be done in same day or next day or may be other days. They are always calm. They are not in rush like the people living in the big cities (like me) running always to catch something or to reach somewhere. The reason also might be the distribution of the country having villages and small cities doesn’t allow people to be in rush. Being physically relaxed makes also mentally relaxed.
By the same token, there is no any liqueur to drink in one shot. They just enjoy everything taking time like how they do with the life. No time consumption.
Of course wine
Lots of researchers claim that a glass of wine helps you live longer. Some says wine is “good for heart”, some says “good for cholesterol”. What I know is that the countries producing and consuming wine is also the countries with longer life expectancy. So it’s not surprising the Mediterranean countries are wine producers.
Healthy system
Today, life expectancy is longer than ever, even in poor countries. There is a role of advances of medicine. People don’t die from diseases easy to cure such as plague, malaria or mumps which caused a lot of people’s deaths in past centuries. Having a good healthcare system is a consequence of strong economy and development. Therefore it’s not surprising to see countries where people are living longer, are the first countries of the world.
Warmer climate
Warmer climate also has a role to play in living longer. Major parts of the countries with longer life expectancy has warm climate besides Canada, and all of them have natural environment and clean air.
A simple example to see clear the mentality and way of thinking of a person coming from one of these countries: Me and my Italian husband searched for an apartment in Istanbul. In my way to think, like all Turkish people, have to find an apartment near public transportation which was near highway where thousand may be millions of cars pass everyday. But he found that idea extremely wrong and prices ridiculously high based upon dirty air. I understood what he meant when I saw his father escaping into the house to not to breath the exhaust of the car when he turn on the car’s engine in the VILLAGE. There is one more thing I learned from what I lived.
Happiness
Last thing and must to make life longer certainly is happiness. We cannot think long life is possible without happy and positive life. I don’t think having stressful life or pessimistic, angry personality makes life long! What do you think?
Do you agree with my opinions? What’s the life expectancy in your country? Let me know what else I should add in the comment below.
I think it’s true, but this is about another generation. Now Italy it’s a modern country like others. It’s true there’s no many big cities, that help people to live more quietly. It’s so relative all , now.
You have a reason Emil! Of course economic crisis and unemployment doesn’t help people to continue their stressless and well-eating life style. That’s a shame for Italian government. Let’s see how long your generation is going to live or I don’t know maybe I won’t see 🙂