Blue Zones tips for healthier living

The following is provided by the Blue Zones Project, part of Iowa's Healthiest State Initiative:The Blue Zones Project is coming to Iowa so that citizens like you can boost your own well-being now by adopting Power 9 principles into your daily routine. These are easy tips you can live by to help you get the most enjoyment and satisfaction out of life.You don't have to take on all nine of these lifestyle behaviors at once to enjoy their benefits. It's all about simplifying and doing the little things that add more meaning and purpose to your life--like slowing down, spending time with the people you love, eating foods that give you energy, and doing activities you enjoy.Stay tuned each month for smart tips based on Blue Zones principles that will inspire you to enjoy a healthier, more active, and possibly longer life.The secret to living longer and better can be found in the simple things you do every day, like the foods you eat, the company you keep and your overall outlook on life. The Blue Zones Project™ can help Iowans make these simple healthy choices become the easy choices in everyday life.

Stay tuned each month for smart tips based on Blue Zones principles that will inspire you to enjoy a healthier, more active, and possibly longer life.

What's the secret to a longer, healthier life?

The secret to living longer and better can be found in the simple things you do every day, like the foods you eat, the company you keep and your overall outlook on life. The Blue Zones Project™ can help Iowans make these simple healthy choices become the easy choices in everyday life.

5 Ways To Enjoy A Longer, Healthier Life      

1. Move More. Be active. Ride your bike instead of driving. Walk to the store. Take the stairs at work and park at the end of the parking lot. Being active simply means building more activity into your daily life by doing what you enjoy.
2. Do Something Interesting. Spend time thinking about what you're passionate about, what seems worthwhile. Whether it's focusing on your career, helping others, raising a family, or nurturing your creativity, your days will take on more meaning.
3. Cut Calories by 20 Percent. Decide that you will eat just enough so that you are no longer hungry - not so much that you are full. By adding more high-fiber plants to your diet, you can fill up and cut calories.
4. Love and Be Loved. Having a strong social network of friends and family can enhance your sense of well-being and give you purpose. So make it a point to get together often with the ones you cherish.
5. Take Time to Down Shift. Make time to slow down and enjoy life's simple pleasures-like a colorful sunset, a savory meal, or a glass of wine with a good friend. Life is short. Don't run so fast you miss it.

Discover the Fountain of Youth It all started when a team of researchers and scientists set out on a seven-year quest to uncover the secrets to leading longer, healthier and happier lives.The team, led by Dan Buettner, discovered five areas in the world, now called Blue Zones, where people enjoy healthy, active lives with less illness well into their golden years.Although each Blue Zone has its own recipe for living longer, there are nine common ingredients shared by the people in these communities.These Power 9 Principles and powerful lifestyle behaviors focus on:

1. Moving Naturally (be active without having to think about it)
2. 80% Full Rule (stop eating when you're 80% full)
3. Plant-Slant (eat mostly a plant-based diet heavy on beans, nuts, and green plants.)
4. Wine at 5 (1-2 glasses of wine daily if you have a healthy relationship with alcohol)
5. Purpose Now (know your purpose in life)
6. Down Shifting (slow down daily, rest, take vacation)
7. Belonging (be part of a spiritual community)
8. Putting Loved Ones First (make family a priority)
9. Right Tribe (create a healthy social network)

1. Moving Naturally (be active without having to think about it)
2. 80% Full Rule (stop eating when you're 80% full)
3. Plant-Slant (eat mostly a plant-based diet heavy on beans, nuts, and green plants.)
4. Wine at 5 (1-2 glasses of wine daily if you have a healthy relationship with alcohol)
5. Purpose Now (know your purpose in life)
6. Down Shifting (slow down daily, rest, take vacation)
7. Belonging (be part of a spiritual community)
8. Putting Loved Ones First (make family a priority)
9. Right Tribe (create a healthy social network)