It's usually not the young among us who are focused on improving their lifestyle and achieving longevity. Why? Simple: longevity's just not on your mind at a young age.
But our research in the Blue Zones has shown that it's never to early to start developing healthy habits that will pay off much later in life.
We used a forensic approach – looking at how Blue Zones centenarians lived the first half of their lives. Uniformly we found that the people who survived into their 100's had solidified their lifestyles early on. Take Okinawan women over 70 – the longest-lived population on the planet. After the US Base was established in Okinawa following World War II, the food culture completely changed – from plant based to, quite literally, Spam-based. Today, men under 55 (reared immediately following WWII) have the shortest life expectancy in all of Japan's 43 prefectures while women just 15 years older (reared before WWII) have the highest in the world.
If you're young, even though old age seems infinitely far away, remember that the habits you develop now will pay off in a big way thirty, forty or fifty years from now.
Less is More for the Okinawans
For the past six years I have explored parts of the world where people live the longest healthiest lives—regions called Blue Zones—and tried to decipher their secrets. When visiting the Okinawa region, it was obvious that the community’s secret was diet.
An Okinawan Centenarian
For the past six years I have explored parts of the world where people live the longest healthiest lives—regions called Blue Zones—and tried to decipher their secrets. During one Quest, I visited Okinawa, that’s where my team met Ushi Okushima.
5 Things You Can Do TODAY To Get Happier!
Studies show that money can buy happiness, but only until the point where you have enough to cover expenses for food, shelter, health care, and transportation. After that, more money brings diminishing returns. So, where to put your energy and resources if you want to maximize your happiness?
