People of the Amish community are famous for their secluded lifestyle. They prefer to spend their life far from the hullabaloo of big cities and the grasp of modern civilization. The Amish live off their own in a bubble where the idea of chasing the so-called American dream doesn’t exist. They believe in simple living, manual labor, and Christian pacifism, which may sound like an orthodox paradigm where only words of God reign supreme. However, the lifestyle proves to be a blessing for them as they live a rich and fulfilled life even at old age. This is mainly due to the low rates of terminal diseases that help them edge out the average Americans to live longer.
Active Lifestyle
There is no well-kept secret as to why Amish people live longer than average Americans in a healthy way. Even though they claimed to act according to God’s commands, it seems they are doing it just right to reap rewards in old age. Several studies show that Amish people lead an active lifestyle. This is all thanks to the manual labor that they indulge in to get the daily job done. A 2004 report of the American College of Sports Medicine reveals that Amish women take a whooping 14,196 steps per day. And that is way more than what an average American woman takes, which is roughly above 10,000.
This is a small study to throw light on the hard-working nature of the Amish community. It includes daily tasks of lifting and moving heavy stuff, wood chopping, planting, farming, etc. For Amish men, the stat goes higher to 18,425 steps, emulating non-Amish mens’ less than 10k steps. They rarely rely on modern technology and heavy machinery in day-to-day living to increase manual labor, resulting in hard work.
They Do Not Suffer From Obesity
Obesity is a major health issue in the United States, but not for the Amish community. A survey finds out that Amish people are not at all obese. Only 4% of them fall under the category of obesity. Whereas more than 30% of the non-Amish United States population has suffered from obesity.
The chances are low that these healthy Amish people will get Type 2 diabetes, a frequent companion of diabetes, anytime soon, suggests the survey. Only a handful of them battle diabetes-related diseases and have to depend on medication due to their healthy lifestyle. No wonder why they hardly know what “fat-shaming” is.
A No-Smoking Community
Another worldwide health concern is tobacco-related cancers. Many chain-smokers also get chronic diseases such as COPD, asthma, lung infection, and others, if not cancers. But being followers of orthodox Christianity, Amish people hardly smoke, which lowers the chances of catching tobacco-related cancers than the rest of the population.
They Have Zero Screen Time
As Amish people choose to lead a primitive life, away from technological advances, they reject TV, smartphone, and video games. This ensures almost zero screen time, improves eyesight, and boosts overall mental health. Even you will see most old Amish persons having a clear vision and can see miles without any glasses. Amish kids grow up playing outside in the wild, not with video games.
Most Amish families around Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania are agrarian and grow their vegetables, mostly for personal consumption. They don’t use commercial fertilizer or heavy-duty machinery in farming. Instead of buying from the cold storage of the supermarket, they grow fresh and eat fresh. They even do their animal farming for meat and dairy products. Of course, eating fresh veggies, meat, and dairy products would make them stay more healthy than the rest of us who eat junk and processed foods almost every other day.
But, there could also be something else behind the youth fountain of Amish people. It may have something to do with genes. Almost all Amish people maintain a safe distance from other so-called mainstream people and marry within their communities. This means their old genes remain intact and don’t mix in a melting pot. This could be a blessing if these genes carry a naturally longer lifespan than the average population. Whatever it is, one thing is clear: Amish people are heavily family-oriented where from kids to old people - all get the same affection and care. Sometimes, care and affection are all it’s required to live longer instead of medication.