Every person aims to live as long as possible. Studies are conducted every year on diets and lifestyles in an attempt to find the scientific fountain of youth. One study was conducted over the course of 20 years and found that frequent sauna baths are beneficial enough for the heart to help you live a longer life.
And world citizens have certainly been living long. Research shows that over 300,000 people around the world are living to be 100 years old. New York Times bestselling author, Dan Buettner, conducted a study on these exceptional elderly individuals with a fellowship granted by National Geographic.
Buettner and his team chose to study five locations where people are statistically proven to live the longest. These places, dubbed “blue zones,” are as follows: Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Okinawa, Japan; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.
Buettner’s book on the study, titled “The Blue Zone”, refers to blue zoning as an anthropological concept. Buettner looks to find links between the lifestyles of those who live in these environments and what they do throughout their days to have such an impact on the number of years they’re given.
From his collected data, Buettner concludes in his book that there are common lifestyle habits that aid the individuals in these “blue zones” to live longer lives. Buettner then breaks down these habits and diets into nine principles in a pyramid for readers to potentially follow to lead longer lives.
“The calculus of aging offers us two options: We can live a shorter life with more years of disability, or we can live the longest possible life with the fewest bad years,” says Buettner. “As my centenarian friends showed me, the choice is largely up to us.”
For those in Vicksburg, Mississippi looking to lead longer lives, Lorelei Books, The Church of the Holy Trinity, and Martin’s at Midtown will be offering a free and public study on Buettner’s “The Blue Zone” throughout the month of August.
The first session on food and wine began on Thursday, August 3 at Martin’s at Midtown. The next session on family, friends, and spirituality will take place at Holy Trinity at 900 South St on Thursday, August 10. The final meetings running up to August 24 will take place at Lorelei Books.
