The Key To A Healthy Lifestyle: Did Your Ancestors Know It?
How to Use Ancient Practices to Lead a Healthier Life Today
It’s common to hear older relatives discuss their healthy lifestyle and how fit earlier generations were in comparison to today because of the rise in chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease, and more, as well as the medical community’s emphasis on “family history.” We have all heard tales of how our grandparents travelled vast distances on foot to get to work or school, consumed food that they had grown themselves, and managed to live long and healthy lives without developing the chronic illnesses that we ascribe to modern conveniences.
As a result, there is a rising belief that we should resume leading the kind of healthy lifestyle that our predecessors lived. The Paleo Diet and exercises that resemble those done by cavemen promise to solve all of the health issues brought on by consuming more pollutants and less nutritious food. These “throw-back” trends are beneficial in a certain sense. But did our forefathers truly have better health than we have today? Depending on how you view it, maybe.
Early nonindustrial societies had high mortality rates at all ages, and only a small percentage of people lived to old age. Your own family history may even support this. Even those who had healthy lifestyles did not often live above the age of 50 until the 1900s! Just a few generations later, many people entering midlife have no noticeable health issues, and many more are living well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond because to improved living conditions, clean drinking water, and medications that have helped cut mortality from infections. Along with living longer, we are also living better, healthier, and more contented lives.
How Our Health Has Improved Since Our Forefathers
If you saw the movie The Intern, you might have laughed out loud when Robert DeNiro, who is in his 70s, accepts an internship at a developing online retailer while also attending funerals and fending off merry widows who are after him. At first, DeNiro’s character doesn’t seem to fit in, but he soon proves to be the one who finds solutions to many of the issues the business and its employees face, all while snagging the attractive massage therapist (played by Renee Russo) as his girlfriend.
According to studies, the population in New York City has doubled since 1980 and has been expanding at a rate of five times that of the city as a whole. This population is prospering as well as expanding.
Another study demonstrates that persons over the age of 50 are among the most prolific inventors and business owners, drawing on their decades of knowledge to launch new ventures and promote novel goods while establishing their own schedules and engaging in hobbies they enjoy.
Finally, research demonstrates that at the age of 50 to 60, we get wiser and certain sorts of activities become simpler because we are able to apply our prior knowledge to new information, much like Robert DeNiro’s character did in the movie The Intern.
What Your Ancestors’ Healthy Lifestyle Can Teach You for Growing Healthier and Happier Today
We are able to live longer than our ancestors thanks to advancements in science and technology, as well as the comfort and hope they bring, which also improves health. There is a balance between how we live today and how our ancestors lived, as there is in everything in life. And we have the chance to benefit from the finest of both worlds in order to improve our own health.
Here’s how to live healthier, happier, and longer in the modern world by fusing the greatest aspects of your ancestors’ environment with your own lifestyle:
Take “Life.”
Most of our predecessors didn’t sit for more than eight hours a day, which is one of the reasons we haven’t noticed “family history” of disease until more recent generations. They performed physically demanding duties while standing, walking, and moving about for the most of the day.
They simply referred to it as life, not exercise or working out. They were in excellent form since their lives were so physically demanding.
Regular exercise shields us against disease by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Try to increase your movement, especially on days when you don’t exercise. It is preferable to move slowly over extended periods of time. Consider taking brisk walks outside. Try to walk 10,000 steps each day.
If you are a “exercise obsessive,” on the other hand, you might want to ease up. Spending too much time at the gym may actually worsen your health rather than help it.
Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
Our predecessors spent a lot more time outside than we do today; if they were farming and gathering their own food, they occasionally spent the entire day in the sun. You can absorb a lot of natural Vitamin D by being outside in the sunshine and fresh air, which is beneficial for your health. It’s also fun to get a bit messy. Spend as much time as you can outside—at least 20 minutes every day.
Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables (Organic).
Homegrown produce from uncontaminated, biodiverse soils rich in vitamins and minerals was consumed by our ancestors. The meat they consumed also came from wild animals, not GMO-fed, factory-farmed livestock pumped full of antibiotics, hormones, and other medications.
Even if you are unable to consume food directly from your farm or garden, choosing organic foods is a terrific approach to enhance both your health and the health of the environment.
Eat as much organic, raw fruits and vegetables as you can. Try choosing organic, grass-finished cattle, freshly caught fish, and free-range poultry if you eat meat. A staple of our ancestors’ meals was wild game, so you might want to try including more of it.
Avoid processed foods at all costs.
All of the processed foods available to us now are one thing that our predecessors did not have. Shopping outside the grocery store’s perimeter is the greatest method to stay away from processed, sugar-filled items.
Make sure you have a list before you go shopping to avoid being tempted to browse the aisles in search of things you don’t need. Additionally, avoid shopping when you are hungry. This may cause you to fill your basket with goodies that our predecessors did not consume, such as chips, candy bars, soda, white food (carbs), and dairy.
Simplify your life.
The everyday stress brought on by deadlines, the commotion of commuting and business travel, and the corporate ladder competitiveness that drives so many individuals to strive for impossibly high positions didn’t exist for our forebears as it does now.
Also, they did not live in a world where technology is used constantly. Even while technology improves our lives in many ways, we still need to know when to stop using it. One of the best methods to reduce stress and enhance your health is to turn off all electronics before bed and get a good night’s sleep. Being useful rather than just busy, spending more time with the right people, letting go of perfectionism, and not caring what other people think of you are all additional methods to simplify your life.
Keep in mind that life is a marathon, not a race!
The author is a Lead Ayurveda Specialist at Diabetes Reversal Clinics & EliteAyurveda Clinics. With over 15 years of experience in treating endocrine & diabetes cases
Visit diabetesreversal.clinic for additional details.
