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‘World’s Oldest Man’ Reveals His Three Longevity Secrets

By Robert Jonathan
Published on: 13:08 PST, Aug 18, 2016

A Hindu monk in India, who claims to be 120-years-old, attributes his longevity and good health to three lifestyle options, one of which is practicing yoga for two hours every day.

Although not a publicity seeker, Swami Sivananda has applied to the Guinness Book of World Records to verify his status as the oldest man who has ever lived with the encouragement of his disciples. Sivananda’s passport indicates that he was born on August 8, 1896.

The previous record-holder, who was formally confirmed as the world’s oldest man, died in Japan at age 112 in January.

What are Swami Sivananda secrets for life extension? AFP explains that it comes down to “no sex or spices, and daily yoga.”

Orphaned at age four and growing up in poverty, the celibate and physically fit monk consumes a simple diet and lives very modestly, which includes sleeping on a mat on the floor.

“I lead a simple and disciplined life. I eat very simply — only boiled food without oil or spices, rice and boiled daal (lentil stew) with a couple of green chillies…I avoid taking milk or fruits because I think these are fancy foods. In my childhood, I slept many days on an empty stomach.”

He also opined that people seemed to be much happier before the onslaught of technology.

“Earlier people were happy with fewer things. Nowadays people are unhappy, unhealthy and have become dishonest, which pains me a lot. I just want people to be happy, healthy and peaceful.”

According to the Times of India, Swami Sivananda had his first medical checkup of his life late last month and got a clean bill of health, apart from high blood pressure for which he received a prescription.

“I believe in eating simple, living humble and in being compassionate. I feel good when I have tried my best to help those in distress,” he told the Times.

Pinpointing his actual age may be a challenge, AFP added, however.

“India’s passport authorities confirmed Sivananda’s age from a temple register, the only record many Indians even decades younger have of their date of birth. However it would be extremely difficult to independently verify his age.”

Various other approaches to longevity have also been the subject of news reports, some of which may not completely fit with or may be an add-on to the approach calling for a healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen

For example, a South Carolina woman, who turns 103 at the end of the month, has a different recipe for a long life in addition to good genetics. At 4 p.m. every day, she has a glass of beer, with her doctor’s approval.

Similarly, as the Inquisitr reported last summer, a centenarian in Pennsylvania attributed her long life to “a lot of booze,” while a 110-year-old Nebraska man suggested that one can of beer every day was his secret elixir for staying young.

A Russian man who died in 2012, supposedly at age 122, claimed that abstaining from booze, tobacco, and women allowed him to enjoy such a long existence. His typical diet consisted of dairy products, fruits, corn, vegetables, whey, and wild garlic.

In the alternative, a Texas woman, then 104, starting drinking three cans of Dr. Pepper each day when she was in her 60s and has never looked back. The unconventional Dr. Pepper consumption notwithstanding, the centenarian admitted that she has no particular longevity secret other than “you just keep living.”

Upon marking her 102nd birthday, a Connecticut woman recommended an approach for achieving a long life: Consume only fresh food and avoid any food out of a can.

Would you consider giving up sex to live to 100 or beyond? If not, what are your secrets for staying young?

[Image via Shutterstock]

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