When Helena Nasciutti de Medeiros was born in 1923, life expectancy in Brazil was just 34.5 years. A century later, data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) estimate that Brazilians live, on average, up to 77 years. Dona Helena has already surpassed both statistics and is preparing to turn 100 in September of this year.
“Up to the age of 90, I took it without giving much importance to my age. Then I realized that I was heading towards 100 years. Today, I marvel at how I got here,” says the native from Araguari.
Helena plans a party with family and friends that she has cultivated over the six decades she has lived in Brasília. “I want a simple party, but one to remember. We are still deciding the details, I would like to go to mass and then make dinner ‘, she plans her.
Faith and Mocotó Jelly
Dona Helena is proud to say that she reached the age of 99 without undergoing any cosmetic procedure and attributes her good health to her faith in God and her family’s recipe for mocotó jelly. “Doctors ask me what the secret is. It’s the mocotó!”, she jokes.
“My mother cooked the mocotó to make the meat, and we ate the jelly with a salad. That strong, beautiful, white nerve, was cooking all night, “she recalls.
In addition to spirituality and reinforced diet, social life also seems to be a factor in explaining Helena’s longevity. She made the most of life in her youth, traveling with her husband and four children. At church, she found friends with whom she prayed the rosary and shared stories. Today, she does not give up going to mass and going to the mall on the weekend. “On Saturday or Sunday, one of my daughters takes me to the mall, where I walk around a bit, window-shop and drink hot chocolate,” she says.
Grandma Pifa
Epifânia Maria de Jesus Mendes (pictured in the picture), or Dona Pifa, as she is affectionately called, turned 106 on April 7, full of joy and the will to live.
“The secret is to be at ease with life, to love, to enjoy. God willing, I will still live much longer, ”she says.
Pifa left Correntina, Bahia, to try life in the Midwest with his family. Today she lives in Sobradinho, in the Federal District, with her daughter Eunice Mendes. Over the years, she has seen the birth of 14 children, 39 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren and has become the reference for all of them.
Dona Pifa did not go to the gym or play sports, but her hard work in the fields made her an active woman, with a strong body. The plate never lacked the basics: “I always had normal food, with rice, meat or chicken.”
In her spare time, she danced a lot of forró at family and friends parties and surprised everyone when she decided to get her first tattoo at the age of 90. Since then, there have been four more – at 91, 101 and 105 years old.
Exercises that strengthen bones and muscles are essential to avoid illness and other health problems. In addition to improving your balance, exercising at least twice a week is one of the secrets to extending your life expectancy and aging better.Mike Harrington/Getty Images
***Photo-people-practicing-physical-exercises.jpgA study by researchers at Tohoku University in Japan shows that between 30 and 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercises a week is enough.Hinterhaus Productions/ Getty Images
***Photo-person-practicing-physical-exercises.jpgAccording to the research results, the risk of premature death among people who move is between 10% and 17% lower than that seen in sedentary peopleCatherine Falls Commercial/ Getty Images
***Photo-person-practicing-physical-exercises-7.jpgExercises that use your own body weight, such as bodybuilding and playing sports, are some of the recommendations. In addition, activities such as Tai chi and yoga are also indicated to strengthen bones and muscles.Nisian Hughes/Getty Images
***Photo-person-practicing-physical-exercises-5.jpgKeeping the body active also helps improve menopause results, post-op periods and can help prevent bone fractures, for example. In addition, it also helps to increase energy, improve mood and sleep.skaman306/ Getty Images
***Photo-person-practicing-physical-exercises-3.jpgAccording to experts, people who exercise for at least half an hour a week demonstrate a reduced risk of death, heart disease and cancer. One hour a week of muscle-strengthening activities was also linked to a decreased risk of diabetes.Tom Werner/Getty Images
***Photo-person-practicing-physical-exercises-4.jpgMuscle and bone mass in the human body peaks before age 30. From that age, a natural decay begins. That is, individuals who start exercising in their youth will have increased bone and muscle strength throughout their lives.Thomas Barwick/Getty Images
***Photo-person-practicing-physical-exercises-8.jpgPeople who exercise after age 30 reduce the body’s natural fall, manage to preserve bone and muscle strength and live much better Justin Paget/Getty Images
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longevity secrets
Doctor Priscilla Mussi, coordinator of Geriatrics at Hospital Santa Lúcia, says that avoiding stress and excesses throughout life, as well as following a healthy diet and having friends are essential to ensure longevity.
“Healthy habits make people age with a better quality of life. What you plant now is what you will reap when you are older”, says Priscilla.
In the Santa hospital network, there is a multidisciplinary care program for people over 60 called Cuidar+ Idoso. Currently, 20,000 elderly people are assisted.
Program manager, doctor Rafael Carvalho suggests that having a purpose in life should be added to the list of factors that guarantee a longer existence. “It’s important not to live just to work, but to have habits that add value to life”, he says.
Here are some habits that have already been related by science as essential for a long life:
Good nutrition
The Mediterranean diet is the most studied and with the greatest benefits for longevity. It includes a variety of vegetables, leafy greens, low complex carbohydrates and little red.
regular physical activity
It is wrong to believe that practicing physical activities is pure vanity. Bodybuilding and sports strengthen the muscles and provide healthier aging, with autonomy and less chance of injury.
sleep quality
Restorative sleep is essential to regulate hormones, body functions and protection against respiratory diseases.
low level of stress
Although it is unrealistic to talk about “not having stress”, it is important to try to understand the cause of stress and to what extent it can be resolved or not. “World politics is an issue that cannot be resolved by most people, but a problem at work, yes. It is very important to understand the causes so as not to create an anxious head and an exhausted body”, explains the doctor Priscilla.
Social life
Having a network of friends you can talk to makes a difference to the aging process. “The person who is very closed, when they get older, they are more alone and this ends up bringing sadness and depression. On the other hand, the one who is friends with everyone at work, involved in the church group, generally ages better,” she explains.
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