“At seventy you are but a child, at eighty you are merely a youth, and at ninety if the ancestors invite you into heaven, ask them to wait until you are one hundred… and then you might consider it.”
This ancient Okinawan proverb rests on a stone marker in Ogimi, a small village typical of Northern Okinawa. This phrase could very well typify the mindset and vigour of the Okinawan people, especially when considering the youthful appearance and vitality of their most elderly. In the traditional Okinawan dialect, there isn’t even a word for retirement!
Most of you know that Isshinryu, the system of karate that we train in, comes from Okinawa. What you might not know is that Okinawa has the largest collection of centenarians (people over the age of 100) per population on the planet. And not only are the Okinawan people living long lives, but they are living active and healthy lives as well.
Many of the top causes of death in the U.S. are nearly unheard of in Okinawa. Heart disease is minimal, breast cancer is so rare that screening isn’t necessary, and most ageing men have never heard of prostate cancer. As a group, the three leading killers in the West–coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and cancer occur in Okinawa with the lowest frequency in the world.
But what are the keys to their long and healthy lives? And can we duplicate their success? Research says yes. The recent Okinawan Centinarian Study points to a few leading reasons to their success.
Healthy Diet
The traditional Okinawan diet is primarily plant-based is high in unrefined carbohydrates. It not only meets the dietary recommendations of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, but exceeds them. It affords protection against most diseases associated with premature ageing such as CHD, cancer, and stroke. Not to mention being great for keeping one slim and healthy for life.
Exercise
Exercise is a regular part of the traditional Okinawan life. And not the kind of exercise that we are used to in the West. The martial arts that people there have been practicing for centuries have become integrated into their lifestyles. The same can be said for traditional Okinawa dance and their love of gardening. They key difference between how they get exercise and how most do in the West, is that in Okinawa, exercise is an integrated component of ones life, not just something to be done at a gym twice a week. We can take a strong lesson from this. Bring your martial arts to the forefront of your life. You might find that, like the people in Okinawa, that your exercise has true meaning behind it, bringing youth and vitality to everything you do.
A Healthy Psycho-spiritual Outlook
Weather expressed through exercise or living patterns, spirituality permeates all facets of the Okinawan lifestyle. The Okinawan philosophy affirms a faith in humanity, a sincere belief that deep down all people are good, and it emphasizes for personal and group responsibilities. Okinawans believe that if someone falters, the rest of the group or village should be prepared to show compassion and lend help where it is needed. If you’ve been in my classes, then this should sound very familiar to you. The Okinawans call this concept yuimaru, or reciprocity. This is powerful stuff. You develop relationships with your community that can be life-long. In Okinawa, an individual has a very large circle of friends and family that they stay in communication with regularly. This keeps the mind healthy and fights off mental illness.
Visit the Okinawan Centenarian Study for the research findings on Okinawan health and longevity.
Read the book, The Okinawa Program, to learn how to integrate these findings into your martial arts lifestyle.