Speaking of self-cultivation, there is one person we have to mention, and that is Zeng Guofan. As an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, he was also very strict with himself. There is a record in his later family book: "One day, sleep and eat constantly, one day, punish anger, three days, abstain from sex, four days, sleep and wash feet every day, five days, and walk more than 3,000 steps after two meals." These are five things that Zeng Guofan must do every day. Although these are seemingly trivial things every day, few people can persist.
Zeng Guofan actually has no problem in cultivating self-cultivation. For example, he eats some light food every day instead of big fish and big meat. In ancient times, many people were rich or became big officials, and every day was a luxurious fish and meat. However, Zeng Guofan still adhered to his own principle and gave priority to vegetarianism every day, which was also very helpful for his longevity.
At present, the most important thing for us is to keep healthy. If we want to have a good body, we must keep exercising ourselves. In ancient times, Zeng Guofan had such a consciousness that he took more than 3,000 steps after meals every day to keep fit. I once read a record that Zeng Guofan insisted on practicing calligraphy every day in order to quit color. Once he got well, he went to practice calligraphy for fun. It is rare for people like Zeng Guofan to stick to the principle to the end.
We know that in ancient times, people were generally younger and there were almost no elderly people. So in my opinion, Zeng Guofan didn't die young when he lived to sixty-one. The real reason for Zeng Guofan's death is that he got a disease, which was also difficult to cure under ancient medical conditions. Therefore, Zeng Guofan's perennial cultivation can't escape the precipitation brought by years.