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RECIPE FOR LONG LIFE / HAVE FUN, SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
I've always felt that it could be this simple to live a long and happy life and now it has been confirmed by Japan's legendary physician and educator, Shigeaki Hinohara ~ who is still going strong at 97 years old ~ and adds that all people who live long, regardless of nationality, race or gender, share one thing in common ~ none are overweight: Allen L Roland
I've always felt that my most productive years would be after 65 years old and I that I would never retire ~ and why should I particularly when my work as a therapist and columnist is so emotionally rewarding and I'm obviously still making a difference.
And now I discover Dr Shigeaki Hinohara ~ who, at the age of 97 years and 4 months, is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators and is living proof that life begins at 75 years old.
Judit Kawaguchi, Japan Times, interviews Dr Hinohara who reveals his formula for long life which include Being always willing to try new things, Have fun and feel good, Eat and drink moderately, Share what you know, Override pain with joy, Don't be obsessed about material possessions, Recognize that diseases are connected to the heart and Try to make a difference by being in service from a place of celebration.
97 Yr Old Physician's
Formula For Life
By Judit Kawaguchi
The Japan Times
3-22-09
Excerpt:
- " At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara's magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing.
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- After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation's top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations.
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- Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one "Living Long, Living Good" that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.
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Doctor Shigeaki Hinohara
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JUDIT KAWAGUCHI PHOTO
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- Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.
All people who live long - regardless of nationality, race or gender - share one thing in common: None are overweight
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- For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.
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- Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I'll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!
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- There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 years old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100.
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- Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.
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- When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery? I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.
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- To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.
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- My inspiration is Robert Browning's poem "Abt Vogler." My father used to read it to me. It encourages us to make big art, not small scribbles. It says to try to draw a circle so huge that there is no way we can finish it while we are alive. All we see is an arch; the rest is beyond our vision but it is there in the distance.
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- Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it.
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- Click on http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090129jk.html for remainder of article.
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- Judit Kawaguchi is a volunteer counselor and a TV reporter on NHK's "Out & About." Learn more at: http:// juditfan.blog58.fc2.com
Allen L Roland
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