Blue Zones Project Blog

August is Happiness Happens month. Happiness is an essential quality for a good life and a positive measure in successful Blue Zones Project communities. But what exactly is happiness?  

Over the years, coffee has had a variety of reputations from the very negative—allegedly stunting your growth, causing anxiety, elevating blood pressure, inducing miscarriages, causing heartburn—to the very positive: improved athletic prowess, reducing the risks of gallstones, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.  

“Can relationships boost longevity and well-being? You probably know there are many ways to improve your well-being and chances of living longer such as exercising more or eating better. But did you know that maintaining meaningful relationships also may play an important role in health, happiness, and longevity?” These thoughts were shared in a Harvard Public Health article based on eight decades of research reminding us of the important connection between our physical and emotional health.

Brevard, North Carolina answered the question, “What is the price of poor well-being?” by investing in the work to make a lifestyle change for the entire community. Much like a pebble tossed into a pond causing ripples, a small group of leaders including Lex Green, Mark Burrows, Sarah Hankey, Tammy Hopkins, and CEO of Gaia Herbs Jim Geikie transformed people, organizations, and entire regions.

Ever have trouble recalling a word or a name? Have you or a loved one ever been concerned about mental deterioration or Alzheimer’s disease? If you answered “yes,” you are in the majority! Most people have had these concerns. The question is: what is part of the normal aging process, or what may become a progressive, debilitating disease?

Does complementary and alternative (CAM) medicine have any efficacy? The answer is that no one knows for sure but most everyone has an opinion, and many are making a handsome living from the gullibility and naivety of the public combined with the lack of scientific evidence. 

One out of every three Americans over the age of 65 falls each year. Fortunately, most falls do not result in serious injuries, yet almost half of these falls can be prevented. There are many causes for falling but the primary trigger is loss of balance. In fact, about forty-five percent of people over age 45 experience dizziness or balance problems.

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” While this quote was part of a statement following the WWII destruction of Britain’s House of Commons, many have shifted the words over the years to read, “We shape our homes and then our homes shape us.” Not exactly a historically accurate quote, but no less true today.

We are gaining weight as a nation. About eighty percent of illnesses are self-induced, with diet contributing heavily to our misery. About seventy-four percent of Americans are currently overweight. Our country spends $147 billion a year to treat obesity, $116 billion to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more on cardiovascular disease therapies. The many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called “Western diet” that accounts for billions more, according to a recent Nature article.

Among the most difficult and uncomfortable topics to discuss is, “How am I going to die?” Yet no one leaves this earth alive. As part of the national debate on health care reform, thinking about the cost of the last year of life and dying itself has moved to the forefront.