Written by Kathryn Savage

Have more sex
Sex releases an assortment of hormones that may play a vital role in stress reduction. Sex also creates intimacy in a relationship and reinforces other positive bonds between a couple. For this reason, sex may prevent against isolation and depression which can lead to stress. Some studies suggest that men who have frequent orgasms may have a 50 percent reduction in mortality.

Play
Exercise is a important factor in living a long, healthy life. Want 15 new ways to make exercise fun? Bust out the hula hoop, start shaking it in the shower and check out 13 more fun exercise tips here.

Drink red wine
There are a host of beneficial reasons to hit the bottle. Among the reasons that top the charts are the high flavonoid count. Flavanoids are a type of polyphenol, and a vital antioxidant. Red wine also contains Resveratrol which may limit tumor growth and potentially prevent cancer. The alcohol is beneficial, along with the antioxidants, because it helps lower cholesterol.

Be Positive
Positivity is shown to have a surprisingly, um...positive affect on longevity. Stanford Universities Longevity Center released a report that the human brain may actually casts events in a more positive light as we age.

Relax
While stress causes harmful effects like inflammation, relaxation aids our bodies in healing and feeling great. Like the importance of a good nights rest when you catch a cold, practicing relaxation techniques like meditation when you're feeling healthy may help your body stay stronger, longer.

Most importantly, remember to have fun!
Enjoyment is an important factor at any stage of life. Especially when we age, it is important to remember to savor the moment and enjoy time spent with family and friends. Finding a hobby and a hobby partner is another great way to keep having fun.

Written by Kathryn Savage

• Stress reduction.
• Gardening is a great way to get physical exercise without really trying.
• It increases balance and flexibility.
• Gardening is good for spacial awareness, and it cultivates a nurturing attitude towards nature and the environment.
• Gardening gets you outside where you get the added benefit of sunshine and vitamin D.
• Free food! Yummy tomatoes, squash, basil, peas, oh my!

• Tomatoes - Plant them about one foot apart so you can use a string of 7-watt outdoor Christmas tree lights to keep them warm at night. Huh...

• Limited space for your garden? Too much shade? - For people with “limited space and too much shade,” make raised garden boxes, two feet high, four feet long, and two feet wide. “Around the outer edge of the planter plant corn and beans. In the box plant tomatoes. The corn shades the tomatoes and the beans grow up the corn plants but don’t affect the corn's growth.”

• Organic fertilizer anyone? - After cooking vegetables in water, especially beets, let the water cool and add it to your lawn and garden. The nutrients in the water make a great fertilizer.

Written by Kathryn Savage

There is a lot of hype about the benefits of drinking green tea, is any of it true? I’m a coffee devotee but if there are great reasons to trade in French Roast for fresh brewed, I want in. Here's what I've uncovered about the health benefits (and risks) inside that cup of yummy green tea...

Cancer
Research suggests that polyphenol content in green tea is rich in antioxidant properties that prevent cancer. But in 2005, the FDA concluded that green tea drinkers were not reducing their risk for gastric, lung, colon/rectal, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, and combined cancers, despite what some previous studies had suggested. The good news is, the FDA also found that green tea drinkers may be reducing their risk for breast and prostate cancer.

Hearts and Warts
In 2006, the FDA claimed that there is no “credible evidence” that supports green tea’s supposed ability to reduce instances of Cardiovascular Disease. Later that year, the FDA approved a topical ointment based on green tea used to treat warts.

Antioxidants
Also in 2006, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine reviewed over 100 studies on the health benefits of drinking green tea. They examined why in Asia rates of heart disease and cancer are low, despite high rates of cigarette smokers. Researchers hypothesized that 1.2 liters of green tea, consumed daily, might provide very high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants that improve cardiovascular health and essentially counteract the negative affects associated with smoking.

Pregnancy
Drinking green tea in excess can cause oxidative stress and liver toxicity. Some suggest exercising caution when you brew, and pregnant women are advised by some doctors to avoid green tea all together.

So can it make me skinny?
Some green tea fans think drinking tea increases endurance while exercising and improves fat metabolism. But research that backs up this claim is spotty.

Smoother skin?
Studies also suggest that tea extracts might be effective for treating patients who “suffer from damaged skin following radiation treatment for cancer.” This might be because tea is high in anti-inflammatory properties.

Are you a green tea believer? Tell us why you love green tea!

Written by Kathryn Savage

Written by Siddarth Saikia

Listen to the mp3 of Dan Buettner being interviewed by Experience Life Magazine. Follow a conversation about the Power 9, finding a purpose and eating right as well as why Blue Zones and learning about longevity isn't just for old folks.

Listen Here: http://www.experiencelifemag.com/audio/11-19-05DanBuettner.mp3

Written by Kathryn Savage

Yoga is beneficial as we age because it focuses on strength and balance without placing unnecessary pressure on joints and bones.

Our Bones
As we age our bones become more brittle and cartilage between the joints wears out. Women, starting in their 30’s and continuing after menopause have a faster rate of bone dissolve, and develop thin bones more easily then when they were young. There are a host of drugs on the market today that are designed to strengthen brittle bones. New studies suggest that these drugs may not be as effective as was once thought. Some researchers are hypothesizing that these drugs may actually cause more harm than good.

Where yoga comes in...
Yoga is a popular form of movement that unites meditation, balance and strength training with focused breathing. It began in India as a way for people to connect and feel at peace with the world. Today, yoga is practiced throughout the world for reasons as diverse as weight loss and heightened spirituality. Yoga consists of posses that are practiced in a sequential order and held for several seconds or several minutes. Yoga is great for longevity because it strengthens the muscles and ligaments that surround bones and joints without putting pressure on bones and joints. Movements become more fluid and less stiff overtime.

Weight loss
Yoga is beneficial for weight loss because it tones and strengthens the body, while bringing greater attention to the mechanisms of the body. Heightened self awareness and easier digestion are some of the positive consequences of regularly practicing yoga.

Stress Reduction
Because yoga focuses on stamina, strength, breathing and meditation, studies suggest it is benefits sleep patterns and reduces stress.

Check with your doctor if you think there is any reason (high blood pressure, arthritis, risk of blood clots) that you should not be dropping by a yoga class near you!

Written by Kathryn Savage

Let me start by saying I don’t need a reason to drink wine. It’s delicious, it pairs nicely with food, chocolate, friends, but it’s good to know that if I ever need a little motivation, I’ve got ample reason to hit the bottle (in moderation, of course).

Red wine is sometimes understood as the secret behind why French people can eat three square meals consisting of baguette, brie, croque monsieur, beef bourguignon, and not gain a ounce or develop heart disease. Red wine has long been championed as a contributor to the ‘French Paradox’ because it is high in flavonoids, a type of polyphenol and a vital antioxidant.

What are polyphenols?
Polyphenols are antioxidants found in the skin and seeds of grapes. When wine is derived, the fermentation process dissolves the polyphenols in the skin and seeds right into the beverage of choice. Red wine contains higher levels of polyphenols than white wine because the skin is not removed at any stage in the grape crushing process. Because antioxidants may protect cells from the negative affects of free radicals, and because cellular damage may be a contributing factor in the development of cancer, upping antioxidant intake may be a key stage in preventing the development of certain cancers.

Res-what-a-who?
Another great reason to drink red wine is it contains Resveratrol, a compound which may limit tumor growth and potentially prevent cancer. According to lead cancer research, this substance, found also in peanuts and raspberries, is essentially a part of a plants "immune system" and acts as a defense against disease. This antioxidant substance may also reduce inflammation.

And those French fries?
The alcohol in wine is beneficial, along with the antioxidants, because studies suggest it may lower cholesterol absorption. Pour yourself a glass of Shiraz before you reach for that burger and those yummy pommes frites! When paired with fried food, wine may soften the calorie rich, cholesterol dent.

Want to learn more? Check out this Blue Zones article on Resveratrol.

Written by Kathryn Savage

Eat less live longer?
It’s a popular belief that women, on average, tend to outlive men and that caloric restriction tends to increase healthy years of life. But why? New research being conducted in Spain and Italy suggests that a liver protein may be responsible.

The study, involving lab rats, focused on the livers of female rats, and the livers of rats on a calorie-restricted diet. Regardless of sex calorie-restricted rats generated different levels of 27 proteins that hearty-eating rats failed to produce. Ladies? Female rats generated the same 27 proteins simply for being a girl.

The findings suggest that a set of cellular pathways, once ignored in the longevity debate, might be involved in increasing longevity among picky eaters and women. They also point out that women in Hollywood may outlive all of us.

What about exercise?
A separate study suggests that the benefits a calorie-restricted diet has on longevity (disease prevention, joint health), is more easily achieved by eating less rather than working out (and thus burning more calories than non-exercisers).

Changes in hormones that occur when mice eat significantly less may play a prominent role in longevity.
Derek M. Huffman, the recent studies lead author, said in a report, “We know that being lean rather than obese is protective from many diseases, but key rodent studies tell us that being lean from eating less, as opposed to exercising more, has greater benefit for living longer.”

Why?
His reasoning is that eating less across the board seems to be a better deterrent from multiple diseases than exercise alone. Another theory rooted in Huffman's study is that exercise places stress on the body, stress on the joints and potentially stress on the heart, and this damages tissue and DNA. A third hypothesis is that caloric restriction creates physiological changes that benefit the body. Want to learn more? Read all about his research here.

Written by Siddarth Saikia

One of the four Blue Zones originally highlighted was Loma Linda in California, home of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Part of the Adventists' belief is a strong emphasis on health and diet. They even had a large part to play in breakfast cereal becoming common daily consumption (John Harvey Kellogg was an eager health promoting Adventist).

However one food group in particular has been highlighted as a key aspect of a diet that helps Adventists live much longer than average Americans: Nuts. Almost 25% of Adventists eat nuts five or more times per week. Regular consumption of nuts is particularly helpful for those at risk or suffering from Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) caused by high levels of cholesterol.

Studies showed that Adventists who eat nuts five or more time per week had half the risk of CHD than those who ate once a week or less. These results repeated themselves no matter what other things were taken into account. Whether you're a smoker or not, fat or thin, hypertensive or normotensive, vegetarian or non vegetarian, eating nuts regularly will help you live longer no matter what condition you're body is in.

The reason behind this is that nuts have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids (the "good" fatty acid) and their regular consumption can reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol from 5% to 15%. Other advantages of nuts include healthy skin and hair, blood pressure control, immune response and blood clotting.