Ikigai – Feeling Young While Getting Older

Photo by Ravi Patel on Unsplash

The wonderful thing about other cultures is that we can learn so much from there, and every now and then, there are some concepts that resonate with a lot of people. One such concept was hygge. Hygge made a big impact on how people choose to live this life, looking for more relaxation and the slower, more pleasurable things in life. 

Another concept that can be applied to many parts of life is the Japanese concept of Ikigai. Ikigai combines terms like life or alive and benefit or worth. But it can be distilled into finding the things in your life that give it meaning and purpose. And, add to that, there is a Japanese proverb that says, “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years’.

Staying and feeling young while getting older is something that millions of people are trying to do, and there are many things that you can add to your lifestyle to make that a possibility. 

Pressure Off 

Stress is one of the biggest killers because it impacts the body, mind, and emotions too. When stress isn’t managed, it has a big impact on the body and can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and more. Mentally we aren’t designed to handle stress for long, and when we hold on to high levels of adrenaline and cortisol all day, it is exhausting. 

Stress accelerates the aging process and causes physical changes, so start to take notice of your stress levels and find things that can reduce them. Hobbies and getting active are two of the most powerful ways to combat stress. 

Supplements 

You are what you eat is a saying for a reason – and it is something to be mindful of. Most of us don’t realize that there are many things our bodies need that it doesn’t produce or that as we age, there is a decline. Things like omega-3 amino fatty acids need to be sourced from what we eat or alternatively through supplements. 

Here are some of the extra additions to your diet you should consider: 

• Turmeric powder 
• B Vitamins
• Folic Acid
• Iron
• Fish Oil (or vegan alternative)
• Vitamin K 
• Omega 3
• Vitamin D & C
• Riboflavin
• Hormone replacements (think estrogen, testosterone, and others that decline)
• Collagen

Take a good look at your diet, and consider what you are getting in terms of nutrients and where you can add a supplement. 

Move

To whatever capacity you can, as often as you can. Moving helps keep your core strong, which helps with balance and stability – a must as we age. Further to that, moving often gives us a boost of serotonin and endorphins, which combats the stress hormones and increases our happiness. You don’t need to run a marathon; you can dance around the kitchen. Whatever way you feel like moving is the right one for you. As you build your fitness levels, you’ll find you want to do more with them anyway. 

Go Green

No, you don’t have to go vegetarian if you don’t want to, but try to add green tea to your diet. The research around green tea has been increasing, and the findings are more and more positive and beneficial to your health. Green tea has been shown to have some potential to reduce the risk of cancer (more studies need to be done, though).

Green tea helps us to relax, which helps us to stave off stress, and a study done in Japan, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that just one cup a day can help with brain function as we age. The compounds within green tea help fight against cell damage, there is some evidence to show it can help with weight management, and one study found that people who drink 5 cups of green tea per day decreased the risk of death by 62%!

Sleep 

Poor sleep doesn’t just have an impact on your mood; it has a detrimental impact on your health. Not getting enough sleep has an impact on heart health and can increase the risk of developing diabetes. So the combination of stress reduction and green tea can help you get a better night’s sleep more regularly – which in turn can see you live longer! 

Happiness 

Ikigai is all about finding what makes you happy and what makes life worth living. So it is important to find the things in life that make you happy because happy people tend to live longer already! So, creating a healthy cycle can have you feeling youthful, with a great state of well-being as you age. 

Getting yourself into a healthy mental space is essential, too; here are some tips for how to get there: Tips For Getting Some Mental Space – Fancy Nanc-ista.