The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner

From Barnes & Noble

Oprah Winfrey was so captivated by Dan Buettner's The Blue Zone that she devoted an entire hour-long show to the author's findings on longevity. It's easy to see why: The explorer/ documentarian's fascination with longevity led him to seek out the world's "blue zones," his term for the far-flung regions where people are likely to enjoy long, disability-free life expectancy. The Blue Zones can translate those lessons for readers wherever they live.

From the Publisher

With the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are that you may live up to a decade longer. What’s the prescription for success? National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives. And in this dynamic book he discloses the recipe, blending this unique lifestyle formula with the latest scientific findings to inspire easy, lasting change that may add years to your life.

You’ll meet a 94-year-old farmer and self-confessed "ladies man" in Costa Rica, a 102-year-old grandmother in Okinawa a 102-year-old Sardinian who hikes at least six miles a day, and others. By observing their lifestyles, Buettner's team has identified critical everyday choices.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Interviews & Essays

Table of Contents

Interviews & Essays

I also think the trend toward isolation is a mistake. Drive down any American street at 9:00 pm and you can see the greenish glow of the television or the computer in people's window. We've become an increasingly isolated society. Fifteen years ago, the average American had three good friends. Now it's down to two. We know that isolation shaves good years off of your life. In The Blue Zones, I advocate reconnecting with your religious community and proactively building friendships with the right people.

Q Is there something about the physical landscape that contributes to an area being a Blue Zone, or can people make their own personal Blue Zones, regardless of where they live?
A Staying young and living long is mostly a function of your environment…and the good news is that to a great extent, we each have control over that environment. In the Blue Zones around the world, people live in places where walking is the main means of transportation, where the sun shines strong all year long so they get enough vitamin D; where they have established social norms that bring people together in supportive groups or clubs. The Blue Zones book shows you how to take about two hours and set up your home, your social life and your work place to help you get up to 10 more good years out of life (and look younger along the way!).

Q Are Blue Zones about living longer, or living better?
A Both. The same things that get you to a healthy 100 get you there better. The Blue Zones offers a completely different way to think about longevity and youth maintenance. If you look at the Power9- the common denominators of the longest-lived people-you see that they tend to put their families first, they belong to a faith-based community and they know their sense of purpose. All of these behaviors are associated with 3-6 years of life (which is better than any diet can promise) and they're good years. In other words, the same Blue Zone tenets that will help you get to a healthy age 90 will help ensure those years are vital and enriching.

Q If considering all nine habits at once seems overwhelming, what's the first step someone could take toward living a more enriching, longer life?
A The good news is that the Power9 is an a la carte menu: by no means do you have to do all nine to gain more good years out of life. In fact, do six of them and get about 90% of the benefit. The most important thing you can do is building your own Right Tribe. Which is to say-all of the world's longest-lived people were born into, or consciously chose to associate with, the right people. The Framingham Studies show us that if your three best friends are obese, there's a 50% better chance that you'll be obese. The reverse is true too. If you dine with people who eat healthy food, you're more likely to eat healthy food; if the friends you spend the most time with play a sport, you're more likely to join them. As your mother said, "You're known by the company you keep." You're also likely to resemble them.

About the Author
Journalist and longevity expert Dan Buettner, in conjunction with the National Institute on Aging and top researchers in the field, has done exhaustive research to locate and learn from the extraordinarily long-lived communities he now calls blue zones.

Buettner is currently reporting from Ikaria, Greece, where he has discovered his latest blue zone. On this so-called island of longevity, the secret is lifestyle. More than one third of northeastern Ikarians live past age 90 and experience almost no cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or dementia. Like all blue zones, Ikaria, offers recipes for longevity we can all follow.