“…the best way to live healthfully is to live fully. To take care of your body and your spirit in this moment, where you are now. You can spend your energy on love and not on worry. You can love the world, you can love the people around you, and you can love the person you have spent all these years becoming.
Yourself.” – Cameron Diaz (The Longevity Book)

I recently read ‘The Longevity Book’ by Cameron Diaz and I was so inspired that I decided we would make her our inspiration for February! Having watched her in movies for years she always seems like such a happy, positive person and has a body to die for! Of course, we know these things do not just happen! -B xx

Every week Cameron prioritises staying active, regularly plans in time for the gym and meal prep and also strives to stay balanced with all of her other commitments by making sure to get enough downtime and sleep.

Let’s do a breakdown of Cameron’s DIET, EXERCISE and ATTITUDE towards ageing!

DIET:
Cameron Diaz typically follows a Mediterranean diet which we are big advocates of here at EY Mag. It is a lifestyle high in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and extra virgin olive oil. Herbs and spices are favoured as seasonings over salt and pepper. All meats, dairy and animal products are limited or avoided altogether except for fish or seafood which could be consumed occasionally say once or twice per week. Red wine could also be drunken moderately say one small glass with dinner (1).

The diet has a focus on combining lots of fresh fruit and vegetables along with plenty of plant-based fats like bread dipped in olive oil instead of using butter and around a handful of nuts consumed daily along with seeds like flax seeds which are extremely good for us. This eating plan is said to be far more heart healthy than the standard diet that everyone is currently eating that contributes significantly to our high rates of heart disease in the western world (1). I know in New Zealand where I live heart disease is the number one killer of men and women. I believe that it can be almost completely avoided by cutting out or severely limiting red meat and increasing exercise. Not only is the Mediterranean diet more heart-healthy studies have also shown that it also reduces your risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s (2). The Mediterranean lifestyle is one example of how to eat plant based and increase your health for the better. While the Mediterranean diet might be a great transition diet away from a meat based diet new studies are showing however that a 100% whole plant foods diet might prove even better in the long run (2).

Cameron is very strict about carving out time for healthy food prep. In ‘The Body Book’ Cameron say’s that she food preps every Sunday no matter what!

“Good nutrition can extend life. What we eat affects how long we live and how we feel every day we are alive”. – Cameron Diaz (The Longevity Book)

EXERCISE:
Cameron is a huge advocate for exercise and constant movement as we age. She particularly highlights the importance of using our muscles as we age and continuing to do strength training exercises to create new muscle growth. In the longevity book, Cameron talks about how women can only build bone mass until the age of thirty-five and how important it is for us to continue to do weight bearing exercise to build up our bones. Some great examples of bone building exercises are weight training, running, walking, hiking, stair climbing, tennis and dancing! (3)

While our bones reach maximum density at around age thirty-five the good news is that we can continue to build muscle throughout our lifetime by engaging in the above exercises and making sure to eat some plant based protein after our workouts to help with muscle growth as our bodies cannot store protein. In her book, Cameron goes into great detail about what happens to our bodies as we age. She says that engaging in a regular fitness routine goes a long way to healthy ageing because it helps us to manage weight loss, consistently regain muscle mass and protects your bone mass from decreasing.

“No matter how old we are we HAVE to keep moving” – Cameron Diaz (The Longevity Book)

ATTITUDE:
Cameron thinks that we should celebrate our age and not be ashamed to tell people how old we are! Birthdays are a cause for celebration and something special should be planned to commemorate the event.

Along with adopting healthy diet and exercise routines Cameron also strives to create balance for adequate sleep and rest and considers this as equally as important in her longevity routine. Winding down in the evening, creating relaxing routines, and reducing technology use before sleep help us to better obey our natural circadian rhythms.

Cameron also raves about her meditation routine to help her relax. She always puts aside ten minutes a day to meditate and tries to bring mindfulness into her everyday actions to help her relax and de-stress whenever she has a moment of downtime ♥

“Nutrition, movement, rest. These are the threads from which our human experiences are woven, and they are the basis of our strength as we age” – Cameron Diaz (The Longevity Book)

Links:

The Longevity Book by Cameron Diaz

1 – Mayo clinic/The Mediterranean Diet
2 – Nutrition Facts/Mediterranean vs Completely Plant Based Diet
3 – National Institute of Health/Bone Health