I just had a session with Dr. Hirai, an acupuncturist, a chiro, and a total bodyworker who is also a master of an ancient Japanese martial art. He is the one who introduced me to Nordic walking and told me about the posture. He comes to our house all the way from Fukuoka once every two months to give sessions to people in Hino.
As I was Nordic walking today, I saw a wheat field and a rice field side by side showing a good contrast. The wheat is ready to be harvested and the rice was recently planted. We don’t grow that much wheat compared to rice in Japan, but when we do wheat is grown in winter and rice is grown in summer: They represent the opposite elements.
Although diet seems to be the most significant factor to prevent dementia, other factors such as physical exercises, mental exercises, living environment, and social life all contribute to keeping your cognitive function healthy.
Today, let me talk about social life.
Although diet seems to be the most significant factor to prevent dementia, other factors such as physical exercises, mental exercises, living environment, and social life all contribute to keeping your cognitive function healthy.
Today, let me talk about the gut-brain connection and how positive thinking can serve as part of your mental exercises.
In Ikigai Diet, we regard ikigai to be a little more than the general concept of ikigai. We look at ikigai as your life mission. Something you feel you were born to do. If your career has been a way to fulfill your life mission, it won’t end when you retire. You will continue the work or move to the next stage of fulfilling your mission. Starting a new work or moving up to the new level will require new learning, and it will stimulate your brain.
The fact that many people in Blue Zones work in their garden and many people in Japanese Satoyama, where we find a lot of centenarians, grow rice and vegetables might suggest that they are healthy because they get enough exercises but also they are exposed to plenty of microbiomes in their daily life to create a rich gut microbiota.
