Three Ecuador Longevity Tips

by Gary | Apr 13, 2010 | Archives

Here are three Ecuador longevity tips.

Ecuador is famous for the longevity of its residents. Here are three reasons why.

Sunrise to… (Sunrise at Inn Land of the Sun – formerly Meson de las Flores)

sunset… Ecuador has a consistency of weather… light and dark. Sunset at East Lake Groves.

The evenness of sunrise and sunset helps longevity. The sun in Ecuador rises every day at 6am and sets every day at 6pm… 365 days a year. Temperature is moderate also and the body likes this regularity. Energy that would have to be expended adapting to changing weather and temperature is saved for other life needs… healing… growing…. resisting disease.

Fresher, more natural food and more walking also helps.

Here is a this less known but perhaps more important longevity thought that arose because Merri and I live part of the year in the middle of an orange grove.

Oranges can teach us many lessons when time is taken to observe… and reflect.

One such lesson came from the spring aromas while sitting each morning on our lanai… writing, immersed in this delicate fragrance that is orange blossom.

Ma in an orange grove by our house.

While soaking in this heady scent it was noted that citrus trees have learned to keep their ripe fruit on the vine while producing new blooms”.

The old & the new together in an orange tree.

This is a wonderful lesson that also happens to be related to longevity in Ecuador. An Ecuador shaman once told me that one problem in the Western world is that we do not respect endings. No one respects the old.

The Ecuadorian indigenous style (the indigenous make up well over half of Ecuador’s population) is to revere age. The older you grow… the more respect you get.

The Ecuador shamanic traditions believe that the youth do the work… but the elders provide the wisdom.

Though all Ecuadorian children are supposed to go to school… in reality many start working at quite a young age.

The elders are usually provided with more spiritually oriented tasks… like this

Taita Yatchak who conducts our

Shamanic Minga on…

sacred Lake….

Quicocha.

When we are respected… needed, active…. and fulfilled… we live longer.

This is good news for those who cannot retire… because of the global economic crash.

Retirement can be fatal! An important part of longevity, for those who retire or not, for those who work in Ecuador or not, is to remain independent, challenged, active and needed.

One of the most important features that was found in the valleys of Ecuador where people rarely retire but live long lives, is that old age was revered. In Ecuador old age its not viewed as bad… Maturity is highly respected. People at the age of 100, even 110 are known to still be active and working! There is not the same old age glass ceiling as in the West.

If you plan to work beyond retirement age, why not provide your services in a place where you efforts are more appreciated?

One does not have to move to Ecuador to work. There are innumerable stories worldwide of how staying at work extends life.

One non retirement story that motivated me is of Max Zimmer of Los Angeles. Max came to the US from Austria in 1911 with only a two dollar bill. At age 103 he still had the same two-dollar bill and had built and still ran a multimillion-dollar business.

One MD who specializes in anti aging points out that most centenarians seldom spend much time with doctors. When they finally get sick, they die quickly and with little expense. They depend on themselves to remain healthy not others.

“Kazuo Inamori, the new chairman of Japan Airlines (Japan is another longevity country that respects age) is a good example.

Inamori is now 78-years old, has founded two of Japan’s largest companies and recently became the head of JAL to turn it around as it neared bankruptcy. He is showing no signs of slowing down! He is a great example of steady success and shows how continuing to work rather than retire enhances longevity.

Inamori was born in Japan and at age 27, he started Kyocera. His company is now a high-tech multinational maker of cellphones, office document equipment, solar power products and ceramic components that employs 66,000. He founded KDDI in 1984, which is now Japan’s second-largest telecom network.

Yet he has not just followed the money. He is an ordained Zen Buddhist monk. His priest name Dai-wa, means “great harmony.”

We can adhere to longevity principles anywhere we live… eat better food… get enough exercise and remain engaged and productive in a fulfilling way. When you follow these principles in Ecuador you get extra bang for the effort from a society that respects age and a climate where there is direct sunshine 12 hours every day.

Gary