The Japanese way of living a long, healthy, and happy life
In two words,
everyone wants their life to be long and full of happiness. This book, which came out in the year 2016, tells you about the ways in which the people of Japan lead such a life. This book gives a complete glimpse of Japanese culture in front of you by explaining every aspect of Japanese life in depth. Especially that island of Japan where people live for more than a hundred years.
Who should read this book?
- Those who are interested in knowing Japanese culture
- Those who want to live to a hundred years
- Those who are in search of happiness
About the authors'
Hector holds dual citizenship in Japan and Spain. He is said to be an expert in Japanese culture. His book A Geek in Japan became very famous. Francis has written best-selling books like Love in Small Letters and Wabi-Sabi.
CHAPTER 1:
The more active your brain is and the less stress you take, the longer you can live.
Medical science also accepts the fact that mental and physical health is very important for a good life. In practical life, we still think about keeping our bodies healthy. But hardly anyone makes any effort for the health of the mind. Just as a decrease in physical activity worsens health, a decrease in mental activity also gives rise to various problems. Especially neural problems. That's why brain exercise is equally important. Neuroscientist Shlomo Breznitz even says that a major reason for people's decreasing brain flexibility with increasing age is that they do not try to learn or do anything new.
They get so used to their old routine or lifestyle that they are not at all easy to change it. There are many types of work out for the body. But how to work out the brain? Actually, it is very easy. Mind games like chess or cards prove to be very helpful. If you go out of the house and meet people and increase your social circle, then nothing can be a better solution than this. The second secret of a long life is to stay away from stress. Many studies prove that stress leads to premature aging. Because stress damages the cells of both your body and mind. A study was done on this at Heidelberg University.
Had a very tough job interview with a doctor. And he was given difficult math problems to solve. After that, his blood test was done. It was found that due to the stress of the interview, antibodies were released in the blood in the same way as any bacterial or viral infection. If there was really such an infection, then the target of these antibodies would be on him. But here antibodies will attack healthy cells and make aging faster than normal.
So stay away from stress as much as possible. There are very easy ways to do this. Make a habit of being mindful. Do yoga and exercise. With this, you are relaxed and are able to focus better on your body and mind. These are all ways to avoid stress. But what to do for people who have already been badly damaged by stress? This is discussed in the next section. Morita therapy helps a lot to overcome stress. Due to the lifestyle we live today, situations like anxiety, stress, and feeling lost are increasing. Japan has also been no exception to this. But their people also have a solution for this. You too can take advantage of this. It was discovered by Shoma Morita, a psychotherapist who believed in Buddhism. It was discovered to treat chronic anxiety, various types of obsessions, and compulsions.
But it also helps a lot in relieving stress. In many therapies where the emphasis is on positive thinking, Morita therapy works in the opposite way. In this therapy, people are taught to accept as it is by focusing on their feelings. That is, accept whatever is going on in your mind without trying to change it. And after that, the next step is to give birth to new and good feelings. Which gradually replaces the old negative feelings. There are four phases of this therapy. It starts with being completely relaxed. The patient is asked to lie comfortably on the bed for about a week. He is kept away from everything that distracts him. Like media, people you meet. He is not even allowed to talk much. A psychotherapist visits her from time to time and keeps an eye on her condition. And that person just keeps on paying attention to the thoughts going on in his mind.
There are four phases of this therapy. The patient is asked to lie comfortably on the bed for about a week before there is complete relaxation. He is kept away from everything that distracts him. Like media, people you meet. He is not even allowed to talk much. A psychotherapist visits her from time to time and keeps an eye on her condition. And that person just keeps on paying attention to the thoughts going on in his mind. Some activities are included in the next step. He is asked to write a diary. You are asked to walk and some breathing exercises are done. In the third phase, his activities are further increased. Now some productive work like woodcutting, painting is added to it. Such new experiences bring new ideas to his mind. New memories are added to live. His mind remains engaged. It includes happiness, joy, and patience. And after that, the fourth phase begins. Now he comes back refreshed to his old world with a new thinking, new experience, and new purpose. Getting enough rest and staying away from any kind of distraction has a very positive effect on your health. But you must have a purpose to live. For this, we now go back to Ikigai.
CHAPTER 2:
The best way to stay young is to stay active.
If you are busy with some work that gives peace to the mind, then there cannot be a better gift for yourself. Because in this work you forget everything and get completely immersed. You think you can do this work for the rest of your life. This work can be anything. Like cooking, painting, or skiing. And this kind of activity can help you live a long life. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi named this feeling of happiness as Flow. This is such a state where you get involved in some work in such a way that nothing else, worry, trouble has no effect on you. Even you don't have any sense of time. Have you ever seen a child with his favorite toy? Or painting to a painter?
They have no idea what is going on around them. Instead of living a life of luxury, give as much space to this happiness in your life as possible. If you waste time on social media to remove boredom, then instead of it, make such a hobby that will do good to you and society. A flow state can be found in many works. People have their own ways. People find flow for themselves by playing chess, in music, and even in books. This not only gives peace to the mind but also to the mind. Because you are lost in one thing for a long time and the opposite thoughts do not occupy your mind. Your Ikigai, the purpose of your life, will give you a state of flow. And if even after this there is some shortage, then develop such a hobby which can fulfill this deficiency. There must be some difficulty or challenge in your work. If your work is easy then you will get bored soon. But even if the work will be very difficult, you will leave it soon after getting tired. So start by identifying your caliber. If you want to learn a language, then choose a language that is a little easier and you find interesting. If you have knowledge of computer then upgrade it. In this way, you too can reach the stage of the flow.
The people of Okinawa have lots of good advice to give you. You have read some good things. But more can be added to it. Many people are living longer lives. But how can you make your life better than them? The people of Okinawa who have completed a hundred years give you some more tips. The first piece of advice is to start living without worry and make a habit of greeting everyone. Even if you don't know people, meet them with a smile and an open heart. They believe that this is how you make many friends. You become a child with children. Even when you start getting older, you keep in touch with them and you never feel lonely. In this way, your heart always remains young. They also explain what will happen even after worrying about the things that you cannot change? Rather your stress will keep on increasing. Suppose you are not happy with your career. If you get engrossed in it, you will only spoil your performance. It would be better if you learn a new skill and give a new direction to your career. Okinawans also give advice on cultivating good habits. It is good to get up early in the morning.
You will have to make efforts for this for some time. But one day you will get used to it. Its benefits are so many that it is difficult to count. But if you wake up an hour early, imagine how much work you can do in that time. You can enjoy your tea comfortably. Can beautify the garden and the house. You can give time to your hobby. The people of Okinawa also believe that one of the reasons for their long and healthy life is that they do everything themselves. Grow vegetables, cook food, clean the house. These people consider the relationship of friendship and belonging to be the most important. Because of this, they live in harmony with their neighbors. And spend time with them every day.
CHAPTER 3:
There is a lot of variety in Okinawan cuisine but the portions are small.
The average age of the people of Japan is the highest in the world. And the people of Okinawa live longer than the rest of the Japanese. This thing has given Japanese food recognition around the world. Makoto Suzuki, a heart specialist at Ryukus University, has done a lot of studies on the food of Okinawa people in the 70s. The first thing in this is that there is a lot of variety in their food. There are at least 206 types of food here. Contains many herbs and spices. Okinawa people eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. And keep in mind that their plate must have one thing or the other of every color of the rainbow. In this way the food gets variety. The rest of their food remains quite simple. It consists of basic things like rice and noodles.
They use salt and sugar to a minimum. Even compared to the rest of Japan, their sugar consumption is 60% and salt consumption is reduced by 50%. While Japanese food is considered one of the healthiest food in the world. The portion is also taken care of like variety. They believe that you should eat only so much that your stomach is filled up to 80%. That means you have some hunger left. In Japan, it is called "Hara Hachi bu". The easiest way to do this is to avoid sweets or keep the portion small. Okinawans serve food in small utensils. It looks like you have a lot of food in front of you. Whereas in reality, the quantity of food is less. It consists of snacks of rice, vegetables, soup, and beans.
The people of Okinawa had already understood what Modern Science understood after so much research and studies. Today we are all familiar with the term calorie intake. And also know the disadvantages of consuming more calories. Whereas the people of Okinawa have been taking care of it for a long time. Reducing calorie intake keeps the level of a protein called insulin-like growth factor 1 low. Aging accelerates due to its excess. That is, by keeping it low, you are directly increasing your age.
CHAPTER 4:
To rejuvenate the body, it is necessary to have anti-oxidants in the food.
The concept of superfoods has changed the way people think about food. There are many such items in Japanese cuisine as well. Green tea comes first. It contains plenty of anti-oxidants. It has been revealed from studies that green tea helps a lot in increasing age. Green tea leaves are air-dried. It is not even formatted. Because of this, its nutrients and oxidants are not destroyed. Green tea lowers bad cholesterol, maintains blood sugar levels and blood flow, and also protects against infection. The people of Okinawa increase its benefits by adding jasmine to it. Because of this, the heart and immune system become strong.
But not everyone likes green tea. You can take white tea instead. It is more beneficial than green tea. This is the matter of beverages. The citrus fruit named shikuwasa is very much liked in the food. Its juice is so sour that you cannot drink it without adding water. It contains an antioxidant called nobiletin. It is also found in fruits like lemons and oranges. But the quantity of nobiletin in shikuwasa is up to 40% more than that of oranges. In Okinawa, it is added to many dishes and is eaten baked as well. You too will not be able to get used to eating it right away. Instead, you can eat other high oxidant things like broccoli, salmon, strawberries, apricots.
It is very important to keep the body active. Then even if it is just a light walk. You must have met such an elderly person whose energy level and vivacity do not seem to have any effect on age. One reason for this can also be that he has been physically active in his life. Actually, it is necessary for the body to remain in motion. And there is no rule like doing heavy exercise for this. At least looking at the people of Okinawa, this can be said with certainty. These people roam around in their neighborhood. Take care of your garden.
And also enjoy the karaoke bar. That is, instead of any heavy activity, they regularly engage themselves in some light activity. If still, you do not believe in its benefits, then understand it from the perspective of modern science. In the year 2014, medical researcher Brigid Schulte did research. It has been found that if you just sit for the whole day, then there is a bad effect on your health. Metabolism starts to slow down only after sitting on the chair for half an hour. Digestion of fat is affected and the level of good cholesterol decreases. But if after every half an hour you walk for even five minutes, then it all starts to get better. Even after this, most of the people working in the office do not pay attention to it. Radio Taiso is also included in the lives of the people of Okinawa.
This is nothing but a normal warm-up. This can be done sometime in the morning or at any time throughout the day. These people mostly do it in groups by gathering at someplace around school, office, or home. Earlier it was also broadcast on radio. Because of this radio was added to its name. Now, most people join it by connecting to TV or online. It has very simple exercises. Like normal stretching, movement of joints, etc. That is, even if you do light exercise, it has to be done regularly. This is the concept of these people.
Overall, your diet and lifestyle influence your health and age the most. If you find a purpose in life that motivates you, then you can lead a wonderful life.
What to do?
Accept Imperfection. In Japanese culture, it is believed that perfect things are the most beautiful. Like a broken cup. This concept is called wabi-sabi. With its help, you can live life more happily. It is better to accept life with its shortcomings than to waste your time and peace in pursuit of perfection. Because of this thinking, you will be able to live a long life by being more energized and with less stress.
buy this book now by clicking here
0 Comments