No wonder Okinawa is nicknamed „the island of the immortals”: the locals here have a few simple principles that they follow daily, helping them enjoy a long and fulfilling life. Anyone can follow them.
Women in Okinawa live longer on average than those in other regions of the world. Additionally, this part of Japan records fewer cases of cancer, heart disease, and dementia, according to longevity expert Dan Buettner.
The longevity of Okinawa's residents, one of the Blue Zones of the planet (where people live longer), caught the attention of authors Héctor García and Francesc Miralles.
The two interviewed over 100 of the oldest residents of Okinawa and wrote in their book "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life" about the principles and techniques that the Japanese centenarians follow daily, as reported by CNBC.
Here are three simple habits that contribute to the longevity and happiness of some of the oldest residents in Japan:
At least five minutes of light exercise per day
Almost every long-lived person García and Miralles spoke to said they regularly practice radio taiso, an ancient Japanese exercise. "Even the residents of the nursing home we visited dedicated at least five minutes each day, although some did the exercises from their wheelchairs," the authors wrote in their book.
Radio taiso involves low-intensity movements and can be done in five minutes or less. Equally important is that it is usually done in a group.
One of the main objectives of this exercise is "promoting a spirit of unity among participants," García and Miralles point out.
Find your purpose and stay busy
There is a Japanese saying that goes: "Only by staying active do you live to be 100 years old."
The inhabitants of Okinawa adhere to this principle by finding their own ikigai, or purpose, which encourages them to focus on their deeper meaning in life.
Ikigai can be loosely translated as "the fulfillment of always being busy." Often, the people who live the longest do not retire.
For example, 83-year-old Hayao Miyazaki is a director of animated films at the Ghibli studio in Japan. The day after he retired, Miyazaki went to work to create new animations. And in 2023, he released a film, according to The New York Times Style Magazine.
Achieve the flow state
"There is no magic recipe for finding happiness, for living according to your ikigai. But one ingredient is the ability to achieve the flow state and to have an optimal experience through it," García and Miralles wrote in their book.
Flow is a concept introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and describes total involvement in an action.
Being immersed in a state of flow allows you to be more present, improve your concentration, and temporarily forget about worries, as García and Miralles point out.
"The happiest people are not those who achieve the most. They are those who spend more time than others in a state of flow," they wrote.
T.D.