Listening Practice intermediate part three: the secret of looking young.
Todd: So, Monica, a minute ago we were talking about Tai Chi and about how it helps longevity, helps you live a long life.
Todd: So, Monica, a minute ago we were talking about Tai Chi and about how it helps longevity, helps you live a long life. One time when I was in Bangkok, I met a guy and he was doing Tai Chi and he looked really young, but he said the secret to his old life … he said the secret to looking young, was Tai Chi and cold showers. He took a cold shower every morning.
Monica: Oh, wow!
Todd: Could you do that?
Monica: No, I don’t think I could actually.
Todd: Yeah, you know, I actually tried it for awhile and I tried it for about a week and I did feel so energized and it was easy in Bangkok, cause it’s really warm but I couldn’t keep it up, especially not that I’m in the cold climate. There’s no way.
Monica: Yeah, I remember when I was young, my mother used to teach me to splash my face with cold water in the morning because she believed that helped wake you up, and I remember as a child not liking that at all because I found it too cold. I preferred to splash my face with warm water.
Todd: So, have you heard about any other secrets to having a long life?
Monica: Yeah, I’ve heard of quite a few different secrets to having a long life. I guess one secret that a lot of different cultural groups seem to share is diet. If you take the Japanese as an example, and Japanese people do have a long life expectancy in comparison to other people from ofher countries. I think the Japanese eat a diet that’s quite low in fat and reasonably low in salt as well, and I think their fluid intake is quite healthy because they drink a lot of green tea which has antioxidants in it, and a they drink a lot of miso soup which has a lot of vegetables in it, and is made from fermented barley, so I think that’s very healthy.
Todd: I’ve also heard that people in the Mediterranean, they also often have a long life span in certain regions and maybe the combination of wine, just a little wine, not too much, but wine and olive oil, and then a lot of fish, seafood is also maybe beneficial to a long life.
Monica: Yeah, that’s true. I’ve heard French people for example live a long life and that has often been said due to a glass of red wine a day, and I know people think differently about alcohol and it’s affect on the body these days.
Todd: Right.
Monica: Yeah, because alcohol used to be considered quite a bad thing and discouraged in all forms but now people tend to think that a glass a day is actually quite beneficial to your health.
Todd: I’ve also actually heard that laughter, that people that laugh a lot tend to live longer.
Monica: Yeah, I’ve heard that too, actually, because laughing releases natural endorphins, and I think that helps you physiologically, and also I think psychologically you’re happier if laughing so. Yeah, I think that long life is related to how you are feeling, and I think a lot of it is psychological as well as physical, for example, how much you are eating and what types of food you’re eating.
Todd: Yeah, I guess, I’m kind of in the same boat, but I just don’t know if I laugh that much. Maybe I’m in trouble.
منبع: elllo.org
