The Blue Zone
What is the Blue Zone? There recently was an article in the Fort Myers News-Press about the work that Dan Buettner has provided to the world. He has spent years researching the healthiest “groups” of people on the planet. Let’s get clear that by “healthy” we aren’t talking about being “ripped” or “hot” or whatever, but rather a state of being in good health, having vitality and strangely enough, being happy.
Rather than finding one “secret”, there was a common sense denominator. Was it a fad diet, crazy workout or some syrupy self help cliché? The world's longevity all-stars practice simple, common-sense habits as a natural part of their daily routine. The common denominator seems to be that all the groups he discovered having the qualities of good health, vitality and happiness had customs or practices that were moderate, natural and “made sense”, at least from my point of view.
Mr. Buettner provides us with nine behaviors of those who live the longest:
1) Move naturally -- be active without thinking about it. Identify activities you enjoy and make them a part of your day.
* Inconvenience yourself: ditch the remote, the garage door opener, the leaf-blower; buy a bike, broom, rake, and snow shovel.
* Have fun, be active. Ride a bike instead of driving, for example.
* Walk! Nearly all the centenarians we've talked to take a walk every day.
2) Cut calories by 20 percent. Practice "Hara hachi bi," the Okinawan reminder to stop eating once their stomachs are 80 percent full.
* Serve yourself, put the food away, then eat.
* Use smaller plates, plates, bowls, and glasses.
* Sit and eat.
3) Plant-based diet. No, you don't need to become a vegetarian, but do bump up your intake of fruits and veggies.
* Use beans, rice or tofu as the anchor to your meals.
* Eat nuts! Have a 2-ounce handful of nuts daily (it'll stop you from digging in the chip bag).
4) Drink red wine (my favorite) (in moderation)
* Keep a bottle of red wine near your dinner table.
* Keep the daily intake to two servings or less.
5) Plan de Vida: determine your life purpose. Why do you get up in the morning?
* Write your own personal mission statement.
* Take up a new challenge�learn a language or an instrument.
6) Down shift -- take time to relieve stress. You may have to literally schedule it into your day, but relaxation is key.
* Don't rush - plan on being 15 minutes early.
* Cut out the noise - limit time spent with the television, computer, or radio on.
7) Belong / participate in a spiritual community.
* Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.
* Seek out a new spiritual or religious tradition.
8) Put loved ones first / make family a priority.
* Establish family rituals (game night, family walks, Sunday dinners).
* Show it off: create a place for family pictures and souvenirs that shows how you're all connected.
* Get closer: consider downsizing to a smaller home to promote togetherness.
9) Pick the right tribe -- the people surrounding you influence your health more than almost any other factor. Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values
* Identify your inner circle. Reconsider ties to people who bring you down.
* Be likable!
Um, not too complicated! Almost sounds too simple. Have we come to believe that in order for something good to work in our lives it has to be either expensive or difficult? Most importantly here, we get to take a look at “what makes us happy?” And isn’t happiness what we all want out of our lives? Have we come to accept someone else’s definition of happiness?
Mr. Buettner wrote: “ 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.”
So check it out, you can read about Mr. Buettner’s work at: www.bluezones.com. Get up and get happy, it’s all up to you!
LouAnn Good
Fitness Together Fort Myers
0 comments:
Post a Comment