Blue Zones- Where People Live to 100 and Stay Healthy

I love to read, you should too. Here's my recommendation, I loved this book and found it extremely interesting, if you aren't a healthy afficionado...don't fret, this book makes a great easy and interesting read, great for flights and great for a gift.

This book is about something called blue zones – places in the world where people live longer and healthier than anywhere else on earth.  Several of these blue zones exist, and in each of these places people living to 90 or even 100 years is common.  And they aren’t just living long either – these people are living healthy – without medication or disability.

Five blue zones have so far been identified and thoroughly researched by journalist Dan Buettner in a partnership with National Geographic during more than five years of on-site investigation.  So what is the secret to longevity and health underlying these fascinating communities?  Do they possess modern technology, do they take massive amounts of supplements, do they run on treadmills, do they have special genes?  As you may have guessed, the answer is none of these.

The five blue zones are as follows:

• The Italian island of Sardinia
• Okinawa, Japan
• Loma Linda, California
• Costa Rica’s isolated Nicoya Peninsula
• Ikaria, an isolated Greek island

The “secrets” to blue zone longevity and health are no surprise.  In fact, for many years now it has been known that choosing the right lifestyle can have a dramatic impact on longevity and health.  The hard part (for many people at least) is actually doing it!

I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say this.... Although it may seem hard to achieve this lifestyle, the absolute simplicity and power of it should actually be refreshing and uplifting.  People are always thinking that complicated medicine and expensive modern technological therapies are required to live long and healthy.  But it simply isn’t so.  The gift of a long and healthy life is already in the hands of each and every one of us. 

If you are really interested, you can see the National Geographic Article here