Top 10 Health and Fitness Tips From Pope Francis

Since the 6th century, the newly elected pope has chosen a papal name that will embody the style of their leadership. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected 266th Pope, he decided to take the name Francis, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. The name showed the new pope meant business, which is why we were inspired to create a list of tips from Pope Francis. St Francis of Assisi was a humble man and a fearless innovator from the 12th century, and the new pope has lived up to the legacy. A former nightclub bouncer, lover of tango, polyglot, and peacemaker, Pope Francis has captured world headlines and the hearts of billions with his positive and proactive approach to religion. We’ve assembled the inspirational top 10 health and fitness tips from Pope Francis’s lifestyle, keep reading below!

• Be Humble: He is well-known for maintaining a self-effacing lifestyle, even as the Pope. According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Psychology and Theology, higher levels of humility might be related to better health. It’s been found that older adults who had more modest mentalities tended to rate their health more favorably over time.

• Eat light: Pope Francis is known for enjoying more simple, healthy and frugal meals such as fruit, skinless chicken, and salads, he is widely known for skipping caloric Argentinian dishes, such as empanadas. The New York Times even reported that when the Pope visited New York last fall, he opted to eat most of his meals in his Upper Eastside Townhouse, consisting of a rotation of fish, rice, and bananas.

• Listen to music: He is known to love classical music, which is known to  contribute to better health; a classical music study done in Finland showed that it affects your brain’s gene expression, resulting in positive effects on cognitive function, including increased memory and learning abilities. Not to mention, it boosts brain dopamine production- leading to increases happiness.

• Read, read, read: An avid reader and scholar, Pope Francis knows that it contributes to the mind’s health. In numerous studies, reading has been shown to increase social awareness, keep Alzheimer’s at bay, reduce depression, and combat stress.

• Be Social: the Pope sustains close relationships with his parishioners, making him extremely socially active. Especially for his older age, studies show that is paramount to be socially active to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems, Alzheimer’s, some cancers, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, and depression.

• Don’t let handicaps hold you back: Pope Francis had one of his lungs removed at 19 due to a lung infection, and he still manages to live a healthy, energetic, positive and inspiring lifestyle. Everyone has their shortcomings and is easy to let these hold you back, however, it is never impossible to become healthier and better your life, no matter your difficulties.

• Moderation is key: Gluttony is one of the 7 Deadly Sins that the Pope is careful not to commit. He follows the Jesuit diet, which emphasizes moderation in everything, including food. The Pope takes simple meals of lean protein like skinless chicken, fresh fruits, and vegetables. The pope lives in a moderate lifestyle, he is even known as being the pope of the people because he rejects all instances of luxury- he even still likes to drive himself  around in his fiat!

• Dance! The Pope loves to dance and enjoyed dancing the tango in his youth, in his native Argentina before discovering his religious calling.

• Indulge Every So Often: The Pope has said that one of the hardest things about being Pope is that he lost the ability to visit his favorite pizzeria unnoticed. Last year, Vatican doctors even had to put him on a diet because he had gained weight. Since then, however, he has adhered to a more healthy diet but still indulges every so often- sometimes even having a pizza delivered to him while in the Popemobile on occasion.

• Any age can be healthy: The Pope goes on long walks on a daily basis despite his old age. While not every seventy-nine year old will be able to keep up with him, it’s important for everyone to feel that a healthy lifestyle in within their grasp despite their age.