“The Blue Zones” is an interesting New York Times bestseller written by Dan Buettner, a longevity expert who traveled the world to meet the planet’s longest-living people in unique communities called Blue Zones, where common elements of diet, lifestyle, and outlook have led to a great quantity and quality of life.
Sardinia’s Blue Zone lessons (Italy):
Eat a lean, plant-based diet accented with meat. Drink goat’s milk. Drink a glass of red wine daily.
Put family first, celebrate elders, and laugh with friends.
Take a walk.
Okinawa’s longevity lessons (Japan):
Embrace an ikigai (purpose), secure social network, and affable smugness.
Rely on a plant-based diet and eat more soy.
Get gardening, enjoy the sunshine, stay active, and plant a medicinal garden.
Loma Linda’s Blue Zone secrets (California):
Find a sanctuary in time (ex: 24-hour Sabbath).
Maintain a healthy BMI and get regular, moderate exercise.
Spend time with like-minded friends and give something back.
Snack on nuts, eat in moderation, eat an early and light dinner, put more plants in your diet, and drink plenty of water.
Costa Rica’s longevity secrets:
Have a strong sense of purpose, keep a focus on family, maintain social networks, keep hard at work, and embrace a common history.
Drink hard water, eat a light dinner, and get some sensible sun.
Ikaria’s Blue Zone secrets (Greece):
Drink goat’s milk, eat a Mediterranean-style diet, stock up on herbal teas, and fast occasionally.
Mimic mountain living, nap, and make friends and family a priority.
9 lessons overall:
Move naturally and be active without having to think about it. Walk. Garden. Have fun.
Hara Hachi Bu– eat until you are 80% full. Serve yourself at your counter and put food away before eating. Use smaller plates. Eat more slowly, sit, and focus on food, not on work or tv.
Avoid meat and processed foods. Limit meat, increase your bean consumption, eat nuts every day, and showcase fruits and vegetables.
Introduce a glass of wine into a daily routine — high-quality red wine.
Take time to see the big picture and realize your purpose. Craft a personal mission statement. Learn something new.
Take time to relieve stress. Plan to be early, meditate, and minimize time spent with electronics.
Participate in a spiritual community. Be involved.
Make family a priority. Establish rituals. Create a family shrine.
Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values. Identify your inner circle, be likable, and create time together.
You can take a test to calculate your life expectancy and how long you’ll stay healthy here:
My intention is to post a Thoughtful Thursday column each week and share some of the insights I have learned in the past week. Here are some of the things I’ve learned this week:
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids- Don’t swallow gum! And other things parents say
This was an interesting episode covering myths parents tell their kids. The most interesting issue addressed was that people say you must wait one hour after eating to go swimming. I have heard this throughout life, and I just learned that this is a myth! There is no harm in swimming right after eating. The worst that could happen as a result is that, if you swim vigorously right after eating a large meal, you might vomit. Most swimming is not done vigorously, so there’s no need to wait to get back in the water!
For You From Eve- Wellness Hacks and Mindset Shifts that Actually Work & Changed My Life
These wellness hacks helped the host change her life:
Stop distracting yourself with media. Let yourself feel your feelings and reflect.
Journal and write affirmations.
Take cold showers for breathwork/calming down. It doesn’t need to be a full cold shower; you can start with 1-2 minutes of cold water before adjusting the temperature.
Exercise!
Invest in skincare/makeup/hair.
Meal prep and purchase healthy foods.
Set limits for time spent on social media. List to podcasts instead.
Read self-help books.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep.
Take vitamins and supplements.
Meditate.
I do many of these things, and they have helped me change my life! Exercising, journaling and writing affirmations, starting a skincare routine, meal prepping and clean eating, reading self-help books, listening to podcasts, prioritizing sleep, and limiting social media have benefited me greatly.
I am currently reading “1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently” written by Marc Chernoff. One thing that has stood out to me so far is:
Everyone gets upset and loses their temper sometimes. When you catch yourself passing judgment, add “just like me sometimes” to the end of a sentence. For example: That person is grouchy, just like me sometimes. She is being rude, just like me sometimes. Choose to let things go. Let others off the hook. Take the high road today.
Marc Chernoff
Sad to Savage- Things I Wish I Knew Sooner: Advice From Your Big Sister (Shelby Sacco)
Sad to Savage is one of my favorite podcasts and is mostly focused on habits. However, this episode contained so many things I needed to hear that are mostly unrelated to daily habits:
Being selfish is the most important thing you can do in your twenties. Do what’s best for you and be independent.
You are who you surround yourself with.
Growth is not linear. Life is a rollercoaster.
Quit the job you hate. If you need the income, spend a couple days or weeks updating your resume and applying to jobs. You spend a lot of time at work, so don’t tough it out in hopes that it will get better.
Find the fitness you like. If you’re miserable doing it, it’s not the correct fitness for you. You should not dread working out.
Cheating has nothing to do with you and has everything to do with someone else’s qualities.
If someone treats you badly due to addictions, you cannot control someone who does not want to change. You cannot make someone want a different life.
Do not leave your hardest tasks for the end of the day when you have less willpower. Be smart with your willpower. When you have formed daily habits, they don’t take willpower.
Invest in yourself and your future. You can educate yourself through reading.
Do not rely on motivation. The days you don’t feel like it are the days that matter most.
Not everyone is going to like you, and that’s okay. What people think of you is none of your business.
The red flags you choose to ignore won’t go away.
The words you say to yourself and about yourself make up how you see yourself, and they decide your actions, which ultimately decide your life.
You are never too good to apologize to someone.
No one is in charge of your happiness except for you. You need to find and do things that bring you happiness.
When having a conversation with someone, ask if they want advice or just want someone to listen. Same goes for when you are the one talking.
Your entire life can be completely different in one year if you choose to do the work.
Waking up early will give you the time you need to do the things that you currently don’t have time for.
Your habits make up your life. You have the power to choose/change/create your habits. Investing in yourself and your habits will be the best choice you will ever make.
Optimal Finance Daily- 9 Painless Ways to Trick Yourself Into Spending Less by Sarah Von Bargen
Unsubscribe from newsletters that tempt you.
Block yourself from websites where you spend too much.
Turn off your computer’s/phone’s autocomplete credit card option so that you have to be bothered to get up and retrieve your card every time.
Order online and do curbside pickup to prevent impulse purchases.
Eat something before you go shopping. Don’t go shopping while hungry.
Give yourself a three-day waiting period. If you forget all about it, you don’t need it. If you still find yourself thinking about it three days later, pull the trigger.
Put yourself on a cash-only budget. We are much slower to spend cash than use our credit cards, and cash is not an option when online shopping.
Put a reminder in your wallet. You could print a wallet-sized photo of something you’re saving for.
Unfollow social media accounts that tempt you to spend. Unfollow accounts that make you want to spend more to keep up, and fill your feed with those who provide value to you or who are in your tax bracket.
Personal tip: If you are concerned about unsubscribing to newsletters that tempt you, when you want to purchase something, look on milled.com and search for the company to view e-mails that have been sent to customers to look for discounts. You can also look up promo codes online for discounts.
I look forward to reading, learning, and sharing more with you soon!
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