A book recently put out by National Geographic titled "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Live Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest". These 'blue zones' have been identified as places in the world where people have the best health and who live the longest. Places identified have been in Italy, Japan, California, and Costa Rica.
The secrets of course are linked to our lifestyle; particulary to the health of our diet, our minds, and our activity levels. People who live in these areas are found to eat mostly plant based diets, don't over-eat, have close-knit families, have low-stress levels, live in more rural areas, have some sort of spirituality, and lead an active lifestyle. This all adds up to one balanced life.
All of these qualities are practicaly common sense, however it is much harder to take these qualities and adapt them to our everyday life. What I mean by adapt, is that a life of this substance does not come easy to all, especially in the culture of most busy Americans. However, we can take steps to adapting some of these lifestyle qualities similar to those in the 'blue zones'. I think the easiest way to begin is through diet. We must always eat to nurish our bodies, so why not make it the best possible thing for us? Making sure we eat right in our busy lifestyles is hard to do. By taking steps to plan our meals and snacks throughout the day (there are tons of tips on the internet!), we can learn how to eat consciously. Even if we do have to stop for fast food, there are often healthier options (so there's no excuse!).
Here is an inspirational video, which explains in depth the secrets of the "blue zones". TED.com Video of Dan Buettner on the "Blue Zones"
