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Frequent, natural exerciseThe most significant lifestyle factor shared by the centenarians of the Blue Zones, Buettner reported, was the frequency and gentleness of their exercise. These people, who often tended to their own gardens and farms, routinely exercised for more than five hours per day. However, their exercise was always based on natural movements such as moderate walking, gentle lifting and tilling the soil. Comparatively extreme exercise, such as weight lifting and marathon running, was non-existent.Simple, plant-based dietsAll of the centenarians embraced a simple diet that was high in fruits and vegetables (especially legumes) and low in fat, meat and refined sugar. They favored goat's milk to cow's milk, drank alcohol moderately (one or two glasses of wine per day with food was common) and only ate rich foods like meat and cheese around five times per month, if at all. Many of the plants they consumed were grown themselves, and very few of them ate fruits or vegetables that were out of season.Here is a more specific list of the foods favored by the centenarians of each Blue Zone:
A sense of belongingOf the 268 centenarians interviewed by Buettner, 263 of them belonged to a faith-based community (the denomination didn't seem to matter) and regularly conversed with other believers. Additionally, most of them enjoyed the company of a mutually-supportive network of friends and family members; none of them lived alone in nursing homes. All of these factors contributed towards an enormous sense of belonging, which appeared to boost their psychological health.Frequent exposure to sunshineAll of the Blue Zones are sunny, and all of the centenarians Buettner interviewed exposed themselves to sunshine regularly due to their outdoor lifestyles. Consequently, they received large amounts of natural vitamin D which, as studies have shown, is linked to improved mood and sleep, improved bone and eye health, and much more. Moreover, as Buettner and other researchers have noted, warm climates seem to promote a more relaxed "work to live" attitude to life."To make it to age 100, you have to have won the genetic lottery," Buettner concludes. "But most of us have the capacity to make it well into our early 90s and largely without chronic disease. As the [centenarians] demonstrate, the average person's life expectancy could increase by 10-12 years by adopting a Blue Zones lifestyle." Sources for this article include: http://www.bluezones.com/live-longer/power-9/ http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=1247 http://www.theguardian.com http://www.okicent.org/study.html http://science.naturalnews.com/Vitamin_D.html About the author: Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website, Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world's healthiest foods.
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