Would You Like to Live to 100? The Secrets to a Long, Healthy Life

Image by Huynh Nguyen

I often wonder how long my life will be. I’m 55 now, so hope to have at least another 30 years, if not more. My beloved grandfather lived to 104, so that bodes well, genetically! But perhaps more important than how long I live is how well I live – staying healthy, active and mentally sharp for as long as possible.

This intriguing question was answered in a fascinating Netflix documentary series I watched recently – Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. It’s presented by author Dan Buettner, who travels around the world to different ‘blue zones’ – places where there is an unusually high concentration of centenarians – to find out why people live longer there. Buettner visits Okinawa, Sardinia, the Greek island of Ikaria, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Loma Linda in California and ends up in Singapore.

In each of these blue zones people do not just live longer, they live well too. And some live remarkably well – in Costa Rica, he meets a 100-year-old cowboy who looks about 60, but is still working from dawn to dusk. He is so remarkable that the Costa Rican researcher Buettner is working with doesn’t believe him and checks his age on the national register! He is, indeed, 100 – and miraculously young, fit and healthy.

The secrets to living long – and well

In each of these blue zones, there are slightly different factors that help people thrive into old age. In Sardinia, the steepness of your village is key, because it means you are walking up and down steep hills every day of your life. But this is also a theme, because although in Singapore people are strongly encouraged to take daily exercise like walking, cycling and working out by the government, it’s generally the constant, low-level exercise that marks these places out.

Gardening, walking instead of driving, dancing, chopping wood, doing things by hand around the house – this kind of activity is key for longevity. Diet is another theme, even though the particular things people eat vary from place to place. The religious community in California (who are also mad about exercise) are mostly vegetarian. In Costa Rica they eat lots of black beans, in Okinawa it’s a particularly nutritious purple sweet potato, murasaki.

But along with diet and exercise, the most powerful learning for me was that having a sense of meaning, or purpose in their lives was key. Alongside this was the quality of their relationships. In every village, town or city Buettner visits, people live in warm, interconnected webs of relationship. These elderly people are not put in care homes, but kept in their families’ homes, or visited often by people in their community.

Love is the magic ingredient

If I’m honest, this doesn’t surprise me. I have written often in these posts about the importance of (good) relationships for our health. Evolutionarily, this makes sense, because we evolved from a common ancestor with apes like chimpanzees and bonobos. Apes don’t live alone. They live in large, social groups, as did every species of human, including homo sapiens.

This began to change just 10,000 years ago, with the agricultural revolution – and accelerated a few hundred years ago with the industrial revolution. Workers moved away from their traditional rural communities (where they lived in villages full of extended families, much like the blue-zone inhabitants) to live in towns and cities, doing back-breaking shifts in factories before going home to their small, nuclear family, or living alone.

Research increasingly shows us that living alone is not good for us, especially if we are often lonely. So perhaps the most important thing you could do, today and for the rest of your life, is to invest in and improve the quality of your closest relationships. If your family of origin was not a happy one, think about creating a ‘chosen family’ – perhaps your partner and children, friends and neighbours.

The blue zones teach us that eating well, exercising often, maintaining our interests, hobbies and even work well into old age are all crucial ingredients of a long, happy life. But even more important is the quality of our relationships – loving and being loved is the magic ingredient to a rich and fulfilling life.

I hope you find that useful – and do watch the documentary series, it’s fascinating.

Sending you love and warm thoughts ❤️

Dan

Why Exercise is a Vital Ingredient of Good Mental Health

Image by Anupam Mahapatra

What are you doing, right now? I am fairly confident that you are sitting – and that you spend most of your day in that position, either at your desk, on the sofa, in a car or public transport, while eating your meals... I’m confident about that because in largely urban, hi-tech, 21st-century societies, it’s what most of us do, most of the time.

It’s what I am doing, as I write this. I will be sitting for the next four hours, as I work with people on Zoom or in my office. It’s also what I will do when I get home – in fact, I spend far too much time in a position that is completely unnatural for my body, which is a big reason for my ongoing musculoskeletal issues.

My body is not designed for this sedentary lifestyle. It’s designed for action, then complete rest, then more action, then more rest. Yours too. This was brought home to me as I watched the excellent new Netflix series, Chimp Empire. One thing that struck me as I watched the fascinating stories of everyday chimp life in the jungles of Uganda, was that they never really sat down, in the way we do – these chimps squatted or lolled about on their backs. And that’s what they do, most of the time.

When they are not resting they move, sometimes slowly but often explosively: running, fighting, climbing, competing for status. Chimps are either on – when they are completely on, powerful bodies springing into action – or off, when they are 100% off. Relaxed, sleepy, still, at peace.

Why sitting is bad for body and brain

Of course, chimps are our closest animal relative. We share a common ancestor, which lived about five to eight million years ago. From that ancestor one branch evolved into gorillas and chimps, the other into early hominids, from whom our species, homo sapiens, developed.

But our human ancestors lived much as chimps do – in small, tight-knit groups in jungles or on the savannah. And, like chimps, they were remarkably strong and athletic. In his seminal book, Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari points out that hunter-gatherers were as fit, strong and powerful as Olympic athletes.

They had to be, because they would spend days at a time tracking animals, running ultra-marathons each day as they followed their prey over vast distances. And when they got back to the cave, or stockade, with an antelope slung over their shoulder, they would rest – completely rest. Again, modern humans (including this one) do far too little of this – we are always on, over-caffeinated brains focusing obsessively on one screen after the next, hunting not for antelopes but information.

We know all this unnatural behaviour is not good for our bodies – it’s one reason for the recent explosion of diabetes and obesity in industrialised nations. But it’s also bad for your brain. That’s because every part of your body, from your brain, nervous and hormonal systems, to your muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones, your blood, organs and skin, is designed for one thing: to move.

Take stress as one example. If your stress response fires up – just as it did for our hunter-gatherer ancestors on a regular basis – everything in you gets ready for action. Your pupils dilate to focus on the threat, breathing gets fast and shallow to take in more oxygen, heart rate speeds up so blood can be pumped to the large muscles in your arms and legs, hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood your body to give you strength, speed and stamina.

But we get stressed and we… sit. Everything in you says run, or fight, but you sit, which is not good for your body or brain. And that stress – designed to be a short-term, emergency response to life-or-death threats – becomes a chronic, low-level malaise that lasts for hours, or days, or even years. Not good.

The solution?

Happily, the solution for this complex set of problems is simple – just move. Walk, run, swim, cycle, ride a scooter, dance, garden, play sports, lift weights, do yoga, play with your kids, build things… Just move, however you are able and whatever you enjoy.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will often see photos of me in the gym, which is my favourite kind of moving. I love walking, too, which is slower and more mindful, but equally enjoyable. Many friends and colleagues have caught the cold-water swimming bug, which I completely respect but have so far resisted. Maybe one day…

Just find something you like and do that, preferably every day. You will feel fitter, stronger and more energised. Every aspect of your exquisitely complex mind-body system will work better. After you exercise you always feel good – about yourself too, with a sense of pride and accomplishment that’s hard to find from staring at a screen.

I have given you enough science for one post, but trust me that there is a vast research literature on the beneficial impact of exercise on chronic stress, anxiety, depression and any other psychological problem you may be struggling with.

I hope that helps – sending you love and warm thoughts,

Dan

Overcoming Depression: How to Lift Your Mood & Feel Happier

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Depression can feel absolutely awful. When you’re really down, you might feel exhausted, as if the smallest task is utterly daunting. Your thoughts will probably be incredibly negative and laser-focused on everything that is ‘bad’ and ‘wrong’ about you. You might feel either agitated or empty and frozen inside. You may sleep all the time or very badly, eat too much or hardly at all.

The way depression affects us varies widely from person to person. That’s why Paul Gilbert, one of my heroes in the therapy field and founder of compassion-focused therapy, says it’s better to think of ‘depressions’, as there are so many causes and manifestations of this incredibly common mood disorder. But whatever the cause and however it affects you, depression can be grim.

I know this from personal experience. After my father died, suddenly and traumatically when I was 24, I struggled with depression for many years. As well as losing him, which in itself turned my world upside down, that single traumatic event unlocked all the pain and hurt of my life up until then. I spent years in therapy, trying different therapists and approaches, none of which (I now know, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight), were that effective or helpful.

Like many people struggling with mental-health problems, I self-medicated with alcohol and other substances. Again, I now understand that these substances were mostly doing two things: first, numbing the pain; and second, giving me a much-needed hit of distraction and dopamine, so I felt happy and good for a few hours. Sadly, those short-term bursts of excitement were followed by even worse bouts of depression, as well as self-loathing and profound disappointment in myself for doing it again.

Emerging into the light

I knew something had to change. So I retrained as a therapist (more accurately, I returned to this field after a stint in journalism, having first trained as a counsellor in 1994-7) and slowly got my life together. I did a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course, which helped me integrate a daily meditation practice into my life. I have relished those 20 minutes of silence and stillness almost every day since then.

I found a kind, loving partner who is now my wife. She was there for me in some extremely tough times, as I have been there for her when she struggled. This alone has been incredibly healing for me – I feel deeply blessed and grateful to have this wonderful person in my life.

I began to study in great depth the newer, more scientific, brain-based approaches to therapy, like schema therapy, internal family systems therapy, cognitive therapy, MBCT, compassion-focused therapy and many more. For the first time I started to understand what causes depression, anxiety, stress and all the other psychological problems we are all vulnerable to, being beautiful but fragile humans.

A mind-body approach

It’s not always easy for me to be so open about my struggles with mental health (and even harder to admit to the self-medicating, which I very much regret), but I do so in my writing, teaching and therapy practice to ‘normalise’ both psychological difficulties and the ways we try to cope with them, however unhelpful they may be. I am a flawed, fragile human being, just like you. But I also talk about this stuff to say, this is what worked for me, so it could work for you too.

As well as all the learning I have done about the mind, brain, nervous system, different theories and models of psychotherapy, I have to say that one of the most powerful tools I have found to boost and regulate my mood is physical exercise. As I write this, I have just come back from the gym. I exercise almost every day, partly to help with some chronic back issues, but also because it just makes me feel so good!

There is a huge amount of research into the beneficial effects of moving your body on your thoughts, emotions and mood, so if you struggle with depression please do try moving, even a little. You may hate the gym, which is absolutely fine. How about swimming, in the local pool or better somewhere wild? Or dancing – play your favourite tunes, loud, and jump around a bit.

Martial arts are great, especially if you have a trauma history and want to feel safer in your body and your life. Yoga is amazing, providing nourishment and exercise for the body, mind and soul. There is also a great deal of evidence supporting yoga as a trauma-healing practice.

If you have a bike, go for a ride. If you have a garden, get digging and feel your hands in the soil, which also reconnects us to Nature and answers a call deep in your bones to live a wilder, more natural life.

Start with small steps

Having spent years struggling with depression, I know that someone advising you to exercise can feel irritating, even condescending. Of course you already know this! Your GP has probably told you, along with your friends, social-media feed, newspaper, numerous mental-health documentaries, and so on. But I have to say, sometimes we can know all the right things to do, but the hardest thing is actually doing them.

So start small. If you haven’t left the house for days, just go for a walk around the block. Breathe some fresh air. Move your body, a little – it’s desperate to move, trust me. Tomorrow try two blocks. The next day three… and before you know it, you are walking for an hour and noticing a real uplift in your mood.

This is not rocket science, I know, but it really does help.

You may also be interested in a Zoom webinar I’m planning on Saturday 15th October 2022: Overcoming Depression – How to Lift Your Mood & Feel Calmer, Happier & More Hopeful. Take a look at my Webinars & Workshops page if you would like to know more.

And I very much hope that some of my story is inspiring for you. It may help to know that I don’t get depressed any more. I have up days and down days, like everyone, but those long, awful bouts of depression are mercifully in my past.

I barely drink, apart from a few glasses of wine at the weekend. I mostly live a sober, mindful life. And I have a job I love, that brings great joy and meaning to my day-to-day existence. If I can turn my life around – which was a mess, trust me – so can anyone. Including you.

Sending you love and strength, whatever you might be struggling with right now.

Warm wishes,

Dan

Why Exercise is Key for Good Mental Health

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Most psychological problems – such as chronic stress, anxiety or depression – will require some kind of psychological treatment, especially if they persist over time. But it's easy to underestimate the impact of direct physical interventions on psychological problems.

Partly, of course, this is because the whole separation of mind and body is an artificial one – your mind is the product of your brain; hormones play a key role in regulating your moods; psychological problems such as stress and anxiety have a whole range of physiological symptoms... In reality, your mind and body are inextricably linked, with an exquisitely complex feedback system between the two.

So it should come as no surprise that regular physical exercise is key to good mental health. Think of exercise in two main areas: cardiovascular and relaxing. Cardio exercise such as cycling, dancing, racquet sports, football, brisk walking or swimming, weight training or martial arts burns off hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that are produced when we are anxious or stressed.

Just 20 minutes of moderate exercise gives you a shot of endorphins, which help you feel happy and calm; and regular cardio exercise is proven to be just as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression (and with no nasty side effects).

Stress-relieving exercise

Relaxing exercise includes yoga, tai chi, gentle swimming or slow walking and is an excellent stress-reliever, especially if you do it in a green space, such as your local park. This kind of exercise activates the relaxation response, which balances out the stress response and helps you feel calmer and more relaxed. If you are suffering from depression, you may lack the energy to do more vigorous exercise, but it's really important to do something even if it's just a walk round the block.

So if you're stressed out, struggling with an anxiety problem or depressed, remember that exercise will really help – and if the problem is short-term, it may be all you need to regain your equilibrium and feel better, so why not give it a try?

Warm wishes,

Dan

Five Simple Steps to Combat Depression

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It’s natural for our mood to fluctuate – everyone feels a little down sometimes. But when that low mood persists for days or weeks, you may be suffering from depression. Telltale signs include persistent negative thoughts; a loss of appetite or libido; feeling exhausted and sleeping more (or less) than usual; struggling to keep up with daily chores; and wanting to avoid other people – what psychologist Paul Gilbert calls ‘go to the back of the cave’ thinking, when you just want to pull the duvet over your head until you feel better.

If you have severe depression – and especially if you are having suicidal thoughts – you should see your GP straight away, because you may need a combination of antidepressants and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). But if you have mild or moderate depression, there are plenty of things you can do to lift your mood and start feeling better, either with or without therapy. Here are five of the most helpful strategies I have found for clients suffering from depression:

1. Get some exercise. I can’t speak highly enough of exercise – it’s what evolution designed our bodies for, so when we don’t do it, we suffer. And research has proven cardiovascular exercise like jogging, cycling, swimming or dancing to be as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression.

If you’re feeling really low and sluggish, and the thought of vigorous exercise is just too much right now, try going for a walk. Even a few times round the block and a little fresh air will make you feel better.

2. Call a friend. When we get depressed, we tend to isolate ourselves because we can’t be bothered to see other people, or worry about being a burden on them. But isolating yourself means you will just ‘ruminate’ (thinking about your problems over and over) and make yourself feel worse.

Call a close friend for some support or, if you’re up to it, an evening’s laughter with friends is wonderful therapy when you’re feeling blue.

3. Stop bullying yourself. When we get down it’s all too easy to start berating ourselves for all the things we wish we had done better, or the mistakes we’ve made in the past. Stop. It does you no good at all and is guaranteed to drag your mood down. Use the ‘best friend test’ – when you are being harsh or unkind to yourself, ask ‘Would I say that to my best friend?’ I bet that 9 times out of 10 you wouldn’t dream of it, so don’t talk to yourself that way either.

4. Help someone else. This may sound odd, but studies consistently show that giving to others helps us feel better about ourselves. Offer to do your elderly neighbour’s shopping or mow their lawn; help out at a homeless shelter; sign up for a charity event for a cause you believe in.

When we’re depressed, it’s easy to forget there’s a big world out there – doing something for other people helps you remember that and takes your mind off your own difficulties.

5. Watch what you eat and drink. When we feel bad, it’s easy to drink more alcohol than usual so we can relax and numb uncomfortable feelings. But alcohol is a depressant – so you will feel worse the next day. It also disrupts your sleep, which may already be a problem if you’re down. Go easy on the booze until you feel better.

Also watch out for caffeine, because it stimulates the adrenal system. Depression is often mixed with anxiety, so the last thing you need is more adrenaline in your bloodstream. Go for herbal tea instead of regular tea, coffee or chocolate.

Warm wishes,

Dan