Monday, July 7, 2008

How to Live Longer

I just finished two books at lunch today...yes 2 books. I am always reading more than one book at a time and i have been near finishing these 2 for the past week and finally did it.

I have to recommend one of them: The Blue Zone: Lessons from Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest. This book is fascinating- who doesn't want to know how to live longer? The book examines different "blue zones" which are defined as areas where higher percentages of the population live astoundingly long lives. The author ten examines a few blue zones' peoples groups and cultures to try to figure out what makes them special-why they live longer than the rest of us. He comes up with some suggestions on how we might hold on for a few more years:
1. Move naturally-- be active in your life gardening, walking, hiking etc
2. "Hari Hachi Bu"- Eat until you're 80% full
3. Plant Slant- eat a lot of veggies and fruits
4. Grapes of Life- yay! a glass of wine a day
5. Purpose Now- have a reason to wake up in the morning
6.Down Shift- take time to relieve stress
7. Belong- become involved in a spiritual community'
8. Loved Ones First- make family a priority
9. Right Tribe- surround yourselves with others who have "blue values"
* all taken from The Blue Zone Chapter 6

So, I am going to pick a few of these things that I'm not already doing and start at it. I mean they're just common sense healthy things to do.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

liz! how fun to find your blog! and what an interesting blog it is at that! i will be a return reader. :)