The Hidden Truth About Longevity – Living a Long and Healthy Life
- Brainz Magazine
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Written by Frank Pullia, Life Coach
Frank Pullia leverages a distinguished career in finance and politics as a motivational speaker and coach, inspiring transformation and peak performance.
Not everyone wants to live a long life unless it is a healthy and vibrant life supported by a good circle of friends and family and free of major illnesses. Unfortunately, with its environmental and societal pressures, modern life has led to worries, uncertainties, and physical and mental stresses, resulting in the deterioration of our quality of life, especially in our later years.
We could move to the rural areas of the country or smaller cities and lead a more peaceful and healthy existence like so many have done during COVID-19 and continue to do as we return to a semblance of normal life. Is that the answer though?
How about those who prefer to live in the city, or because of work and family responsibilities, have few choices of where to live? Do we need to move to a blue-zone location to live a healthy and fulfilling life, or can we learn the key determinants of healthy living and longevity regardless of location?
I believe we can and here is how
Let me start by saying that I am a strong believer in the “mente sana in corpore sano” (a sound mind in a sound body) credo, promoted by the ancient Greeks, and Romans, and is the foundation of the esoteric principles of the Orient and the traditional martial arts that also incorporate a strong spiritual element in its integration of body, mind and spirit. I was fortunate that this belief was also shared by my older brother and many of our friends, and I started at a very young age to practice this philosophy of life and healthy living.
The breath of life
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that in the areas where smog was prevalent, casualties were much higher than in areas of cleaner air, so less populated areas with fewer industries did much better. It makes eminent sense then, that to live a long and healthy life, as a minimum we need to spend more time in areas with good oxygen like in the bush, by the ocean/rivers or in the country.
That alone will not be sufficient as most people only use about 2/3 of their lung capacity, therefore missing a substantial and readily available boost to their health and vitality. Gradual longer walks and deeper breathing can greatly help by expanding the lower part of the lungs and providing extra oxygen to the body, especially the brain, resulting in much better health overall.
Lessons from the blue zones and martial arts
As a student of Karate and other martial arts, I learned how to breathe, remain calm under stressful conditions, and control my body, emotions, and spirit. While meditation is important for longevity, movement is just as important. This can be observed in the centenarians walking the mountain hills of Sardinia, Greece, Okinawa, or other parts of the world where the over 100 thrive (the so-called blue zones). For those who cannot walk much, Tai Chi can be a great way to integrate body, mind, and spirit in a simple exercise.
In the picture above, I am receiving a silver medal at the National Karate competitions at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 1981.
Related: you can find additional information on using ancient wisdom for a better life in an uncertain world, (which includes the Zen concepts of traditional Japanese martial arts and modern management techniques), on the book section of my website.
Walking meditation and swimming are also a great way to remain active and healthy well into old age. I have incorporated both into my lifestyle with positive results, as I have had to battle thirty plus years of Fibromyalgia, an Angioplasty to open up a 90% blockage in an artery in my heart, and a massive retinal detachment that almost led to a total loss of vision in one of my eyes.
These health issues and other minor ones were due to prolonged periods of high levels of stress that I was able to handle in my youth but to a lesser degree once I hit my forties and fifties. Now that I am in my seventies (70 as of November 2024 to be exact) I feel better than I have since my early forties and I hope that these insights and healthy practices will also help you.
In the picture above, at 60 years of age doing my daily walks and swims during a summer visit to family in Southern Italy
I would be remiss here if I did not mention that during some extensive tests for possible autoimmune disease (I was in a lot of pain and there is also a family predisposition and history of it) at the Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto when I was 57 years of age, the specialist told me that my test results showed the body and internal organs of someone 15 years younger than their actual age, or similar to someone in their early 40’s.
Lessons from the elders of Acciaroli, Amalfi Coast, Italy
While I had read about the blue zones, I was surprised to see that Acciaroli was not in there even though the percentage of centenaries in that small village on the Amalfi Coast was much higher than about anywhere else in the world and was being studied by Europeans and North American medical researchers.
The mediterranean diet
One of the key findings by the researches in Acciaroli, was that besides the fresh air, the long walks up the hills, fresh seasonal food mostly locally grown, there were two common foods that just about everyone ate every day. They were a daily catch of fresh fish, specifically acciughe (anchovies) and fresh rosemary herbs that were added to just about everything. Without listing all of the great nutrients and exceptional health benefits of having these two in the daily diet, this is nothing new to most Italians who have been eating well all of their lives, so what was their secret?
The Acciaroli secret
When I asked the gentleman for the secret of most of Acciaroli inhabitant’s longevity, he said smiling that for him the key was to always leave the table a bit hungry. That is, whatever you eat (which is important), do not overburden the body. Basically another form of intermittent fasting that is integrated into a way of life and does not deprive the body of anything or is subject to some strict time interval.
As I get older, and my metabolism slows down, I am not digesting the food as well as when I was younger, and I have learned that to prevent acid reflex and get a good night sleep, I have to eat less and much lighter foods in the evening and get up from the table a bit hungry. I am sure that these simple adjustments to anyone’s way of life will bring many health benefits.
The determining factor in longevity
As I continued my research on longevity and studied other findings, a strong social and community support system consistently emerged across all blue zones as a key factor for a long, healthy and happy life. Now that we have emerged from 2 years of COVID-19 lockdowns and other forms of restrictions across all of our normal social interactions, we have become keenly aware on how important it is for our mental and physical well-being to have a strong network of family and friends in our support system.
The esoteric practices and the spiritual dimension
While not widely discussed in longevity studies, the esoteric practices of the orient in the integration of body, mind and spirit are now being more fully understood by the rest of the world. In other parts of my book, I will discuss at greater lengths how recent scientific discoveries in Quantum Physics are finally opening up our understanding of a multi-dimensional universe and our role in it, and how the outside world is only a reflection of our internal state of mind and emotional, spiritual being.
Future knowledge
I will discuss how ancient knowledge of the universal law of manifestation, healing practices, and the power of our mind to control our internal universe can direct our attention and energies to heal ourselves and others. Yogis, healers, martial arts masters and many others have known these secrets for thousands of years, and anyone who consistently applies these basic principles, can use the transformative power of Ki (life force) and become a master in the art of life management and easily live over one hundred years in abundant health and prosperity.
Frank Pullia, Life Coach
Frank Pullia is a renowned speaker and motivational life management coach known for his insightful blend of ancient wisdom and modern strategies. With extensive experience as a business consultant and former city councilor, he empowers individuals and organizations through strategic and political foresight and holistic wellness. Frank is currently authoring a book on the art of life management, aiming to guide others to thrive in an uncertain world.
