What Filipinos can learn from Okinawans
August 26, 2001 | 12:00am
In her life-changing TV show, Oprah Winfrey featured the age defying lifestyle of people from Okinawa. A study by Dr. Willcox, a gerontology expert, revealed that most Okinawans lived to a healthy, ripe old age because they practiced the secrets of aging gracefully.
"But where is Okinawa?" you might ask. Okinawa is an island in southwestern Japan lying between the East China Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It is situated north of the Philippines and is geographically adjacent to the countries of Japan and Korea to the north and Taiwan and China to the west. With an estimated area of 1176 square kilometers, it is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands.
At a time when everyone is obsessed with health, beauty and rejuvenation, learning about the Okinawa Program is like discovering the fountain of youth.
Here are a few good things we all can learn from the Okinawans.
The people in Okinawa use exercise not to burn calories or develop muscles but to help connect the mind, body and spirit which is key to optimal aging. Exercise is incorporated into their daily activities so that it becomes an integral part of life, not a deplorable chore to suffer through.
1. Martial Arts like Tai Chi – Okinawans enjoy the slow, controlled movements of their martial arts which help develop body agility and flexibility. Focus on breathing brings about similar benefits as yoga.
2. Walking – Because Okinawa is hilly and mountainous especially in the northern part of the island, people do a lot of walking. This develops their lower body muscles and strengthens their cardiovascular system.
3. Traditional Dance – Folk dances are participated in not only for social interaction. They are considered as graceful aerobic exercises that link them to their heritage.
4. Gardening – When the Okinawan tends to his garden, he inevitably exercises his body. Digging and pulling builds upper body strength and increases bone density. Planting and tending to nature is looked upon not as work, but as a means to connect his spirit to the earth (his home and the source of his food), and as a great stress relieving activity.
Dr. Willcox says the Okinawa diet can help anyone feel better and look younger no matter what his age. This plant-based diet contains fewer calories than the average Americans but fills the stomach up faster so a person eats less.
Daily Okinawa Diet
• 7 fruits and vegetables a day
• 7 servings of whole grains a day
• 2 servings of soy products a day – They use soy flour and tofu, and soy beans in the pod are a popular snack.
• Fish – Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna – Fresh water fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce heart attacks.
• 2 servings of calcium a day
• 6 glasses of water
• 6 cups of tea – Green tea has lower amounts of caffeine and has effective antioxidants.
Leading a stressful lifestyle without the skills to de-stress and cope can age you beyond your years! Dr. Willcox says the people of Okinawa live life at a different pace thus allowing them to enjoy a relaxed, leisurely existence, release stress, and slow down the aging process.
• Okinawans "breathe" their stress away. We, especially the city folks, have forgotten how to breathe. We have to inhale the breath of life and exhale all the negative things we harbor inside.
• They practice acupressure and massage to relieve stress and release toxins from their bodies. The human touch can actually work miracles on the human body.
• Okinawans control their emotions and create an "inner smile" through meditation. This "inner smile" fills or soaks your entire body with love, the panacea for all ills and problems.
Okinawans have a simple but healthy attitude that encourages the enjoyment of life and prolongs longevity.
• Age is celebrated, not hidden. In Okinawa, you are considered a child until you turn 55 years old. When you reach 97 years old, the whole town celebrates your return to childhood!
• Menopause – Studies show that lifestyle is key to reducing menopausal symptoms like fatigue, night sweats and "hot flashes" – in fact, there is no word in Okinawa for "hot flash."
According to Dr. Willcox, a person’s beliefs have a profound effect on his longevity, health, and happiness.
• Okinawa culture places a high importance on the inner self mainly explored through prayer and meditation.
• In addition to living life at a slower pace, Okinawans have a well-defined sense of spirituality – a higher purpose – something which Dr. Willcox feels is missing from Western culture. People with a sense of purpose are less vulnerable to depression and have stronger immune systems.
1. We should integrate native martial arts like arnis and the highly aerobic game of sipa into our exercises.
2. We must utilize our traditional folk dances like tinikling, maglalatik (using coconut shells strapped on the body to create rhythmic sounds) and even the demanding Pangasinense sayaw ed tapew na bangko (dance on a bench) to make our citizens strong while enjoying the dances.
3. Filipinos should do more walking. Unfortunately, our weather isn’t conducive to this activity because tropical heat is enervating. We Filipinos are indolent because of our climate. We should take extra effort to exercise and keep active.
4. We have become a very carnivorous people (something we got from the Spaniards – their tapas, guisados, rebusados, mechados, sarsiados, etc.), and our food is always drenched in oily, cholesterol-rich sauces (we could have gotten this from the Chinese – oily pancit, adobo, gata, dinuguan, etc.). We must go back to vegetables, fiber-rich foods and grilled seafood delights.
5. Filipino food is basically very salty because of our predilection for bagoong, alamang, patis and itlog na maalat. Salt is bad for the heart and the kidneys.
6. The Filipino also has a sweet tooth even though we know that sugar causes most of our weight problems. We should drink tea instead of sugar-stuffed sodas and caffeine-charged coffee. We are missing all the effective anti-oxidants in tea.
7. Filipinos always lie about their age. We should be more like the Okinawans who celebrate their age and not hide it.
8. Because of the state of our nation today, the Filipino has very little to be happy about. We have lost our "inner smile" (in Oriental philosophy, this brings about a person’s wellbeing and health!). It is high time we create things that will awaken our national pride again, or our people will gradually drown in despair and self-pity.
9. We must each endeavor to establish a sense of purpose in our lives. As Dr. Willcox explains, a well-defined sense of spirituality or higher purpose makes people less vulnerable to depression and develops in them stronger immune systems.
10. Our environment is making us sick. Manila is rated as one of the most polluted cities in the world and the government hasn’t taken any definite steps against this. Pollution from industrial wastes, vehicular exhausts and deadly second-hand smoke from cigarette smokers aggravate the matter.
A very good friend, Rolando Javelona, sent me a wonderful text which I would like to forward to you.
It reads:
"Wishing you 12 months of Happiness, 52 weeks of Fun, 365 days of Success, 8,760 hours of Good Health, 525,600 minutes of Good Time, and 3,153,600 seconds of Joy!"
Now, that’s what I’d call a fabulous year! Agree? And if all our years were fabulous, they’d all add up to a super stupendous lifetime!
I’d love to hear from you! E-mail your comments to deeperdoor@yahoo.com. Forwarding, reprinting or publishing of this article in any form including the Web requires written permission from the author. My book Jewels for the Mind, a collection of thoughts, formulas, and affirmations for success, prosperity and fulfillment, is available at National Book Store, Powerbooks and PageOne, Rockwell. Thanks for all your wonderful letters and e-mail!
"But where is Okinawa?" you might ask. Okinawa is an island in southwestern Japan lying between the East China Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It is situated north of the Philippines and is geographically adjacent to the countries of Japan and Korea to the north and Taiwan and China to the west. With an estimated area of 1176 square kilometers, it is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands.
At a time when everyone is obsessed with health, beauty and rejuvenation, learning about the Okinawa Program is like discovering the fountain of youth.
Here are a few good things we all can learn from the Okinawans.
The people in Okinawa use exercise not to burn calories or develop muscles but to help connect the mind, body and spirit which is key to optimal aging. Exercise is incorporated into their daily activities so that it becomes an integral part of life, not a deplorable chore to suffer through.
1. Martial Arts like Tai Chi – Okinawans enjoy the slow, controlled movements of their martial arts which help develop body agility and flexibility. Focus on breathing brings about similar benefits as yoga.
2. Walking – Because Okinawa is hilly and mountainous especially in the northern part of the island, people do a lot of walking. This develops their lower body muscles and strengthens their cardiovascular system.
3. Traditional Dance – Folk dances are participated in not only for social interaction. They are considered as graceful aerobic exercises that link them to their heritage.
4. Gardening – When the Okinawan tends to his garden, he inevitably exercises his body. Digging and pulling builds upper body strength and increases bone density. Planting and tending to nature is looked upon not as work, but as a means to connect his spirit to the earth (his home and the source of his food), and as a great stress relieving activity.
Daily Okinawa Diet
• 7 fruits and vegetables a day
• 7 servings of whole grains a day
• 2 servings of soy products a day – They use soy flour and tofu, and soy beans in the pod are a popular snack.
• Fish – Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna – Fresh water fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce heart attacks.
• 2 servings of calcium a day
• 6 glasses of water
• 6 cups of tea – Green tea has lower amounts of caffeine and has effective antioxidants.
• Okinawans "breathe" their stress away. We, especially the city folks, have forgotten how to breathe. We have to inhale the breath of life and exhale all the negative things we harbor inside.
• They practice acupressure and massage to relieve stress and release toxins from their bodies. The human touch can actually work miracles on the human body.
• Okinawans control their emotions and create an "inner smile" through meditation. This "inner smile" fills or soaks your entire body with love, the panacea for all ills and problems.
• Age is celebrated, not hidden. In Okinawa, you are considered a child until you turn 55 years old. When you reach 97 years old, the whole town celebrates your return to childhood!
• Menopause – Studies show that lifestyle is key to reducing menopausal symptoms like fatigue, night sweats and "hot flashes" – in fact, there is no word in Okinawa for "hot flash."
• Okinawa culture places a high importance on the inner self mainly explored through prayer and meditation.
• In addition to living life at a slower pace, Okinawans have a well-defined sense of spirituality – a higher purpose – something which Dr. Willcox feels is missing from Western culture. People with a sense of purpose are less vulnerable to depression and have stronger immune systems.
2. We must utilize our traditional folk dances like tinikling, maglalatik (using coconut shells strapped on the body to create rhythmic sounds) and even the demanding Pangasinense sayaw ed tapew na bangko (dance on a bench) to make our citizens strong while enjoying the dances.
3. Filipinos should do more walking. Unfortunately, our weather isn’t conducive to this activity because tropical heat is enervating. We Filipinos are indolent because of our climate. We should take extra effort to exercise and keep active.
4. We have become a very carnivorous people (something we got from the Spaniards – their tapas, guisados, rebusados, mechados, sarsiados, etc.), and our food is always drenched in oily, cholesterol-rich sauces (we could have gotten this from the Chinese – oily pancit, adobo, gata, dinuguan, etc.). We must go back to vegetables, fiber-rich foods and grilled seafood delights.
5. Filipino food is basically very salty because of our predilection for bagoong, alamang, patis and itlog na maalat. Salt is bad for the heart and the kidneys.
6. The Filipino also has a sweet tooth even though we know that sugar causes most of our weight problems. We should drink tea instead of sugar-stuffed sodas and caffeine-charged coffee. We are missing all the effective anti-oxidants in tea.
7. Filipinos always lie about their age. We should be more like the Okinawans who celebrate their age and not hide it.
8. Because of the state of our nation today, the Filipino has very little to be happy about. We have lost our "inner smile" (in Oriental philosophy, this brings about a person’s wellbeing and health!). It is high time we create things that will awaken our national pride again, or our people will gradually drown in despair and self-pity.
9. We must each endeavor to establish a sense of purpose in our lives. As Dr. Willcox explains, a well-defined sense of spirituality or higher purpose makes people less vulnerable to depression and develops in them stronger immune systems.
10. Our environment is making us sick. Manila is rated as one of the most polluted cities in the world and the government hasn’t taken any definite steps against this. Pollution from industrial wastes, vehicular exhausts and deadly second-hand smoke from cigarette smokers aggravate the matter.
It reads:
"Wishing you 12 months of Happiness, 52 weeks of Fun, 365 days of Success, 8,760 hours of Good Health, 525,600 minutes of Good Time, and 3,153,600 seconds of Joy!"
Now, that’s what I’d call a fabulous year! Agree? And if all our years were fabulous, they’d all add up to a super stupendous lifetime!
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