On the morning of 11 June, just before 9am, I was crossing at a pedestrian crossing in Westminster when I was hit by a cyclist.
To put it bluntly, an idiot rode straight into me.
One moment I was walking, the next I was on the ground.
I suffered a head injury, concussion, and a badly bruised knee. Looking back, it could have been so much worse. Things could have gone very differently that morning, and I am genuinely grateful to whoever was looking down on me.
As I write this, the bruising is almost gone. The swelling has reduced dramatically, and each day I feel stronger.
The experience got me thinking about something important.
We spend a lot of time talking about longevity as if it is simply about living longer. It isn’t.
Longevity is about building a body that is resilient enough to cope when life throws the unexpected at you.
Because the truth is, we cannot control everything.
We cannot control the careless driver.
We cannot control the cyclist who isn’t paying attention.
We cannot control every accident, every illness or every challenge that comes our way.
What we can control is how prepared our body is to deal with it.
For years, I have invested in my health.
I eat the way I was taught growing up in Sardinia, one of the world’s Blue Zones.
I eat plenty of vegetables, beans, pulses, fruit and healthy fats.
I walk.
I stay active.
I prioritise sleep.
I manage stress.
I nourish my body every day, not because I expect life to be perfect, but because I know one day I may need those reserves.
And on 11 June, I needed them.
As usual, I chose not to take medication and instead supported my recovery with natural remedies, rest, good nutrition and allowing my body to do what it was designed to do.
That choice is personal, and everyone must make the decisions that are right for them. The point is not what I took or didn’t take.
The point is that recovery starts long before the injury happens.
It starts with the meals you eat.
It starts with the sleep you get.
It starts with the strength you build.
It starts with the habits you repeat every day when nothing appears to be wrong.
People often think longevity is about adding years to life.
I see it differently.
Longevity is about creating a body and mind that can recover, adapt and bounce back when the unexpected happens.
My bruised knee will heal.
The concussion symptoms will pass.
The idiot who knocked me over will probably continue rushing through life without paying attention.
But this experience has reminded me why I do what I do.
Every healthy choice is an investment in your future resilience.
You may never know when you’ll need it.
I certainly didn’t expect to need mine on a Westminster crossing on a Thursday morning.
But I was grateful it was there.
That, to me, is what longevity is all about.
Prevention rather than cure.
Milvia Pili
functiona Nutritional Therapist
