There are plenty of people who stay young and fit well beyond retirement age. They mainly do it the traditional way - through lots and lots of exercise. Today, I’ve come to the London Marathon to meet Fauja Singh. Nearly 36,000 bodies of all shapes and sizes are tackling the 26-mile course. Some are young, many not so young.
There is an absolutely fantastic atmosphere here. Now, I have never run the marathon and I have no plans to ever run the marathon, but there are plenty of people running today who are far older than me. There are 7000 people in their 50s and, incredibly enough, there are seven people who are in their 80s or older.
I’m going to try and flag a few of have them down to ask how they do it. How old are you? 78. How old were you? 81. What’s the secret, then, running? Magic wand! Anyone who can run a marathon in their 70s deserves my respect, but I’m waiting for a man who makes septuagenarians look youthful.
A Simple Punjabi Farmer’s Diet - Fauja Singh
Fauja Singh is amazing. He has been active all his life, but he only took up serious running in his 80s. So what is it that keeps him so remarkably fit and energetic?
How old is Fauja?
Fauja’s companion “101. Born on 1st April 1911. Unfortunately he hasn’t quite mastered the English language yet.”
Do you mind asking him how he’s feeling?
Fauja’s companion “He goes, ‘It’s not easy…’ But the job’s got to be done, because he’s not finished yet. You’re not going to give up, are you? ”
Although he’s 101, Fauja has never had surgery, he shows no signs of heart disease… And he takes no medication. He believes that his long life and his incredible health is down to his diet.
So, any particular diet?
Fauja’s companion “He has no particular diet. It’s a simple Punjabi farmer’s diet, so just fresh food, but his secret is that he has smaller portions. In poorer countries, people die of starvation. In rich countries, people die of over-eating.”
So, how much does he eat, compared to you or I?
Fauja’s companion” He would eat what would be considered half a portion, almost a child’s portion.”
So a child portion is probably about half the amount of calories you are I would eat?
By restricting his food intake so dramatically, Fauja has unknowingly been testing a theory that has been around nearly as long as he has. A scientific theory which is only now really coming into its own.
I’ve taken the Tube to the finish line. I want to catch Fauja become, hopefully, the world’s oldest marathon runner. And after seven hours and 49 min, he succeeds.
That is absolutely unbelievable - he’s 101 years old and he has just covered 26 miles. Now, I can’t imagine that, in 50 years’ time, I’m going to be running down The Mall, but I want to be like him. I want to be mentally active and physically active, I want to stay younger for longer.
External Links
Fauja Singh - Wikipedia Page
