For centuries, the greatest minds of mankind have been painfully twisting all their knowledge in order to discover the secret of eternal life. Some consider this a waste of time, some are still trying. The term itself may be a great target for jokes, yet maybe if the word ‘eternal’ was replaced, the whole concept would sound less ludicrous. Adventurer Dan Buettner has returned from his seven-year quest during which he visited four very different destinations, where individuals reach more than a hundred years of age.
On first hearing, no one would be able to find any connection between Loma Linda in California, Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, the Japanese island of Okinawa and the Barbagia region of Sardinia. The numbers prove that these places (also called “Blue Zones”) have the longest living individuals. Dan Buettner wanted to find out why.
Apparently, the biggest mistake one can do is to trust the ads offering the best-of-the-best pills and medicine that will secure a long and healthy life. That is nonsense.
The inhabitants of the “Blue Zones” have several things in common. They tend to eat less meat and their diet in general is rather light. Most importantly, they never overeat themselves. Moderate drinking with occasional sips of dark red wine have also proven very healthy. Smoking is definitely not part of their lifestyles.
One may think that a lot of sport activities will secure a long life as well. That turns out to be untrue. Too much physical exercise has the exact opposite effect. However, locals are not lazy to walk up the stairs rather than use elevators and lifts. Taking long walks and doing light exercise is the ideal approach.
Also, as Buettner’s research revealed, locals are always associated with an organized spiritual community. Whether it means going to church or gathering for warm sake, each community spends time on spiritual activities on a regular basis. This, they claim, is the right balance which leads to the “eternal life”.
