Innovation, self-motivation, and altruism when blended are a great combination, particularly in stressful times. Blue Zones Project colleagues from across the nation have been effective responding to the rapidly changing environment. Two examples, representative of many others, are below.
3 min read
Blue Zones Project Collaborators Support Essential Workers, Community Initiatives
Topics: Bulletin
2 min read
Belong to live long
“People who pay attention to their spiritual side have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, stress, and suicide, and their immune systems seem to work better … To a certain extent, adherence to a religion allows them to relinquish the stresses of everyday life to a higher power.”—Dan Buettner, Blue Zones
In the world’s original blue zones areas, all but five of the 263 centenarians studied belonged to a faith-based community. The act of regularly attending a religious service is a common thread among extraordinary cultures across the globe. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter—gathering with others to worship, even just once a month, seems to have a positive effect on an individual’s overall health and happiness.
Topics: Belong
2 min read
Practice the Okinawan Art of Eating and Mind Your Hara Hachi Bu
People living in the original blue zones region of Okinawa, Japan have a strategy for maintaining a healthy weight. Before each meal, they say “Hara Hachi Bu,” a Confucian teaching that instructs people to eat until they are 80 percent full. This mealtime mantra can help you cut calories and lead to better health and longevity.
Topics: 80% Rule Eat Wisely
4 min read
Drawing Longevity Inspiration from Okinawa, Japan Home to the World’s Longest-Living Women
The islands at the southern end of Japan, once called the land of immortals, have been studied for nearly 50 years. Residents of Okinawa have less cancer, heart disease, and dementia than Americans, and women there live longer than any other women on Earth. Over the decades, the lifestyles and genetics of more than 800 centenarians have been well-documented in an effort to answer the question: what is the secret to Okinawan longevity?
3 min read
What the residents of Ikaria, Greece can teach us about living longer
In Ikaria, Greece, life is sweet…and very long. Travel to this tiny island in the Aegean Sea and discover the secrets of residents who live eight to ten years longer than Americans, with half the rate of heart disease and almost no dementia.
2 min read
Southwest Florida Students Learn Valuable Mindfulness Techniques
During this unusual and stressful time, recalling positive and comforting experiences is therapeutic. Creating practices that can easily be reproduced at home to build tranquil environments is paramount, given schools closed across the nation with families confined to their homes.
Topics: Bulletin Healthier Outlook at Home
3 min read
Practicing the Power 9 for New Remote Colleagues
Many of us are now working from home, and it’s not always easy. You may have seen this funny video from an otherwise serious
BBC interview
and relate now more than ever.
Much has rapidly changed in a few short weeks as millions of us now experience “WFM.” This abbreviation for “Works for Me” or “Works from Home” are both appropriate in today’s new virtual work environment. For some of us, working remotely is not new.
Topics: Bulletin Healthier Connections at Home Healthier Movement at Home Healthier Outlook at Home Healthier Eating at Home
4 min read
Adopting the Power 9 While Social Distancing
Responding appropriately and positively to stress is healthy, satisfying, and could contribute to better outcomes. Certainly, the world is undergoing intense negative pressures which can be overwhelmingly damaging short-term or harnessed for good long-term.
Topics: Bulletin Healthier Connections at Home Healthier Movement at Home Healthier Outlook at Home Healthier Eating at Home
2 min read
Making healthier choices may be easier for people with strong life purpose
Many studies have sought to understand the correlation between purpose in life and health outcomes. Blue Zones researchers determined that individuals with a strong sense of purpose—a reason to get out of the bed in the morning—can live up to four good years longer than those without.
2 min read
Drawing Longevity Inspiration from Sardinia, Italy Home to the World’s Longest-Living Men
When Blue Zones researchers set out to identify and study the world’s most extraordinary populations, they were immediately captured by Sardinia, Italy—the “first” blue zones region in the world.
