What Is ‘Nonnamaxxing’? The Italian Grandma Life-style Would possibly Be the Secret to Longevity

When I moved to Italy in 2024, one of many first issues I seen was the very explicit manner Italian nonne, or grandmas, dwell. They stroll in all places, regularly throughout the town, with none help. Many of them are dressed to the nines, however additionally they don’t attempt to disguise their age.

I used to be then delighted—and unsurprised—once I got here throughout a brand new wellness pattern making the rounds on social media. “Nonnamaxxing” is the concept that anybody can maximize their life if they simply embrace the habits of Italian grandmas. It occurs to be smart steerage.

There’s definitely loads to be taught from Italian grandmothers. Italy leads the European Union in life expectancy, and it’s a rustic the place the variety of centenarians is rising. A cluster of villages in Sardinia is likely one of the world’s five Blue Zones. Online guidance consists of ditching social media, consuming home made all the things, carrying cotton nightgowns, and welcoming unhurried lunches with pals. Some of those strategies line up with how I’ve seen Italian grandmas dwell. But as a well being and science journalist, I’ve seen there’s extra to it than what seems good on Instagram or TikTookay. In reality, Licia Fertz, a 96-year-old Italian nonna primarily based in Viterbo, Italy, tells SELF, fairly the other is true.

“I put on my makeup and dress in cheerful colors, even if I’m not leaving the house, because presenting yourself well is an act of self-love,” Fertz says.

It appears that Italian nonne are the well being gurus all of us want. Read on to be taught their secrets and techniques to a happier, more healthy, and longer life.

Embrace growing older

I not often see Italian nonne who don’t look their age. In reality, it’s one of many first issues I seen once I moved right here. At the swimming pools and seashores, it doesn’t matter how previous they’re; girls, nonne included, regularly put on bikinis. Honestly, it’s refreshing and emphasizes a cultural mindset that growing older is a pure a part of life.

Fertz tells SELF that this mindset is essential to her dwelling a protracted and wholesome life. “Never think of yourself as old,” says Fertz. “You are born young.”

It seems that as you age, having a extra optimistic perspective about getting older might aid you dwell longer too. A current research discovered an affiliation between how girls view growing older and the precise tempo at which they age.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a distinguished professor of psychology on the University of California, Riverside, and creator of How To Feel Loved, tells SELF {that a} mindset is like placing on a pair of glasses or a coat. “It certainly matters very much what our mindset is when we think about aging,” Lyubomirsky says. “Is it a gift? Is it about wisdom, maturity, and the richness of life, or is it about deterioration and loss?” Both might be true, she says. “But you can choose.”