Three ways to live in the Blue Zone from Dan Buettner, Twin Cities–based explorer and longevity researcher who’s traveled the world to find what he calls Blue Zones, regions and cultures with the highest percentage of centenarians. Buettner is author of this year’s New York Times bestseller The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. More from Dan at bluezones.com.
one
Eat a handful of nuts a day. One of the most surprising findings in the Blue Zones research is that people who eat a handful (two ounces) of nuts a day, four days a week, live two to three years longer than people who don’t eat nuts. It may be because most nut oils contain omega-3 fatty acids and/or properties that reduce inflammation in the body. Or more likely, if you’re eating nuts you’re therefore not eating Doritos.
two
Take time for happy hour. Done right, happy hour connects to at least three longevity behaviors: moderate drinking, building social networks, and shedding stress. The key is to do happy hour every day, with genuine friends, forget about work and focus on humor and camaraderie, and cut yourself off after two drinks. If you can do it outside on a terrace where you’ll get some vitamin D–rich sunlight, so much the better!
three
Start sleeping seven to eight hours a night. People in the Blue Zones and the longest-lived people everywhere sleep seven hours a night. If you’re sleeping less, your metabolism isn’t working as well as it could, you have less energy, and you literally speed up the aging process because your body doesn’t have the time to rejuvenate and repair.
