For the past 20 years, I’ve traveled across the world to study the five Blue Zones — areas in which people live exceptionally long lives: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California.
Based on my interviews with 263 people ages 100 or older, I’ve found that the world’s longevity champions conduct themselves based on what I call the “Power 9.”
Here are nine non-negotiables that help add years to their life:
1. Move naturally
The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving.
They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work. Every trip to work, to a friend’s house, or to church starts with a joyful walk.
2. Purpose
The Okinawans in Japan call it “ikigai,” and the Nicoyans in Costa Rica call it “plan de vida.” Both translate to “why I wake up in the morning.”
Residents in every Blue Zone I visited had something to live for beyond just work. Research even shows that knowing your sense of purpose can add up to seven years to your life.
3. Downshift
4. The 80% rule
“Hara hachi bu” — the 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra that Okinawans say before meals — reminds people to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.
People in the Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening, and they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.
5. Plant slant
Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most Blue Zones diets. Meat is eaten an average of only five times per month, and in a serving of three to four ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards.
6. Wine at 5 p.m.
People in Blue Zones, even some Adventists, drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive nondrinkers.
The trick is to drink one to two glasses per day with friends and/or with food. And no, you can’t save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.
7. Belong
All but five…
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