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Blue Zones
How Blue Zones Works
Written by Dan Buettner
What if I could tell you how to live another 10 years, as well as look younger and feel younger at every age? Something called the Danish Twin Studies established that less than 25% of how long the average person lives is dictated by genes. In other words, most of how long and how well you live is up to you.
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The premise of Blue Zones is: identify the optimal lifestyle of longevity and you have a de facto formula of longevity.
What is the optimal lifestyle of longevity? Does it involve diets? supplements? exercise programs? Should you be eating organic, free range chicken or tofu? And what about physical activity? Should you be running marathons or doing yoga?
To answer these questions, I teamed up National Geographic and hired the world's best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people are living MEASURABLY better. In these Blue Zones we found people who reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States, where people suffer a fraction of the rate of heart disease and cancer than we do and where people are getting the extra 10 years that we're missing.
Then, we took teams of scientists to each location who know how to identify lifestyle characteristics that may explain longevity. In Sardinia, Italy we found a wine with the world's highest-known levels of antioxidants, and in Ikaria, Greece we discovered ancient herbal teas that lower blood pressure. On the other side of the planet, we found an island where purpose and mutual support networks called Moai explain an extra half dozen years of life. In Nicoya, Costa Rica it's the mesoAmerican diet of beans, squash and a special corn tortilla that is propelling people into their 90's at rates 4 times greater than in the US. Finally, among Loma Linda's Seventh Day Adventists, we found America's longest-lived culture. They're living about an extra decade longer than the rest of us. How? Part of the reason comes from a diet inspired from the Bible. Genesis, Chapter 1, vs 29.
For the first time in living history, life expectancy of our children is projected to drop, as a nation we're getting fatter every year. Diabetes is on the rise. Is this because Americans are less disciplined? Have we undergone a moral degeneration or are we somehow inferior to previous generations? I don't think so. We are products of our environment. Every day, hundreds of marketing messages rinse over our psyches--many of them encouraging us to eat things that aren't good for us. Machines have engineered physical activity out of lives and networked electronics are replacing face-to-face human contact. We live in environments of sickness. The key to getting the extra 10 years we're missing is to follow the lessons from world's longest-lived people and create environments of health.
Click here to watch the CBS Early Show video
5 Things You Can Do TODAY To Get Happier!
Written by Dan Buettner
Studies show that money can buy happiness, but only until the point where you have enough to cover expenses for food, shelter, health care, and transportation. After that, more money brings diminishing returns. So, where to put your energy and resources if you want to maximize your happiness?- INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH – Health is a prerequisite to happiness. In other words, You can't be happy if you're unhealthy. Eating wisely and moving naturally are the best way to get fit
- CREATE QUALITY FRIENDSHIPS – When it comes to a social network, quality is more important the quantity. Having two good friends who care about you – whether your chips are up or down – is more important than a huge network. We often forget that friends rarely come on their own accord: they require effort, time and nurturing.
- EXPLORE YOUR RELIGION – World surveys show that religious people are more happy than non-religious people. Religious people are more likely to have a strong social network and to be at peace with their lives and mortality. What to do: if you have a religion, make and effort to reconnect with it. If not, visit four new religous communities in the next three months and see if any of them align with your values.
- SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR HOBBY – Build a model, knit a sweater, climb a cliff, cook a gourmet meal. The point is to spend time engaged in activities wherein you are optimally challenged, you get immediate feedback, you lose sense of time and you do it because it's intrinsically rewarding. Psychologist Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi identifies this state as the state of flow. It is perhaps the best way to achieve authentic sustainable happiness.
- IF YOU'RE UNHAPPY, MOVE – Where you live has a bigger impact on your happiness than your marital status, income, or even education level. If you are not happy where you are, consider moving. World-wide studies show that the happiest places on earth are not tropical islands but place where you feel secure, people around you have the same level of status as you do and it's easy to find a job that is interesting.
FEATURE: Five Ways to Set Up Your House To Help You Move More Naturally
Written by Kathryn Savage
Exercise is great for our health and walking after you eat is wonderful for healthy digestion. So how can we design a home that incorporates ways to move more naturally? Get rid of the remote.
It may sound silly, but toss the remote and get up and change the dial when you watch TV. Better yet, cancel cable, and watch less TV. Take an evening walk, or read in bed and get a good nights rest instead.
Take the stairs.
I used to live in a fourth floor walk up in Brooklyn. A girlfriend lived in a seven story walk up. She didn’t need to squat or lunge, getting the mail was a workout! Next time you shop, visit the office, run in the park, find a pair of stairs and take them! Certainly avoid elevators at all costs!
Garden.
Plant a garden and get busy! It’s a great way to unwind, and break a sweat at the same time! All those great flowers and yummy vegetables aren’t going to harvest themselves!
Get rid of the garage door opener.
Better yet, get rid of the car! Buy a bicycle and use it more often than your car. Save on gas and save the environment!
Cook!
Skip the take out and get busy in the kitchen! Trying a new recipe, whipping your own whip cream, mincing and dicing and canning relishes and chutneys really is work! I know it might not sound like much, but cooking is a great activity that really gets you moving!
FEATURE: Slow Down, You're Moving Too Fast!
Written by Kathryn Savage
If you don’t take the time to be well, you will have to make the time to be sick.
Sardinians take to the streets for a late afternoon stroll, Nicoyans break from work in the afternoon to relax and spend time with with friends. Last night? My buddies and I played some bar trivia. I know people who sit still when they meditate, and people who get a sublime release from putting on a favorite record and rocking out while doing the dishes. Slowing down is about unwinding, relaxing, and the people who live the longest know how to unwind.
Baby, Don’t Worry About A Thing!
Written by Kathryn Savage
There are good times to be stressed.
We all know it, hearts flutter, palms get sweaty, and there are times when we want these changes - like while driving home late at night on an icy road. The bodies autonomic nervous system provides the rapid response to stress commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. And at times, yes, we want to be hyper alert. But when it comes to stress, when is enough... enough?
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