The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest | 
| Author: Dan Buettner
Publisher: National Geographic
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $15.46
You Save: $10.54 (41%)
New (43) Used (13) from $14.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 2438
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 1426202741
Dewey Decimal Number: 613
EAN: 9781426202742
ASIN: 1426202741
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A New York Times Bestseller!
With the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are that you may live up to a decade longer. What’s the prescription for success? National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives. And in this dynamic book he discloses the recipe, blending this unique lifestyle formula with the latest scientific findings to inspire easy, lasting change that may add years to your life.
Buettner’s colossal research effort, funded in part by the National Institute on Aging, has taken him from Costa Rica to Italy to Japan and beyond. In the societies he visits, it’s no coincidence that the way people interact with each other, shed stress, nourish their bodies, and view their world yields more good years of life. You’ll meet a 94-year-old farmer and self-confessed "ladies man" in Costa Rica, an 102-year-old grandmother in Okinawa, a 102-year-old Sardinian who hikes at least six miles a day, and others. By observing their lifestyles, Buettner’s teams have identified critical everyday choices that correspond with the cutting edge of longevity research—and distilled them into a few simple but powerful habits that anyone can embrace.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Stay In The Blue July 23, 2008
A good read. The information is presented in such an interesting format, with personal stories along with the advice for longevity, that you forget this is a "health manual". Some of the advice is about diet and exercise, lifestyles and habits, but the best information comes from people's attitudes. We have a lot to learn!
WISDOM OF THE BLUE ZONES July 10, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The "Blue Zones" are the places in the world where people live longer, healthier, more vital lives. This book reveals the wisdom of staying young as practiced in parts of the world where people enjoy long life-spans. Author, Dan Buettner, takes us to these cultures where people live the longest and healthiest and reveals their secrets by distilling them into practical tips we can use. The book combines the lifestyle choices naturally ingrained in these long-lived groups with the latest scientific research.
The book includes stories of people in their nineties and those who have lived beyond one-hundred from such places as Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma, Linda, CA; and Costa Rica. The author observes how people eat, exercise, deal with stress, and view life. He also discusses the impact of their lifestyle on their health and longevity.
Healthy lifestyles and healthy choices seem to be at the root of what keeps people in certain cultures living healthy longer. The healthy lifestyle choices these Blue Zone people live under include eating vegetables; limiting sugar, fat, and meat; a high level of physical activity and physical labor though out their lives into old age; a plethora of social and familial relationships; and an ability to deal with stress through supportive relationships and physical activity.
Aging does not need to be a dismal journey into the abyss. This book is a great reminder that by making healthy choices in all aspects of our lives we can affect not only our lifespan, but our quality of life as we push past the century mark! Other inspirational books I also recommend are: THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreamsand THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures.
 Interesting, engaging June 23, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I read Dan Buettner's book with great interest. He has spent much time studying "pockets of longevity" and his stories are informative and entertaining. We can learn much from the book, the value of caloric reduction, eating mostly plant based foods, working all your life etc.
From a scientific standpoint however, his approach is badly lacking. Studying an outlayer group (black swans) does not lead to valid conclusions for the majority. Summarizing commonalities (called "lessons,strategies")among four groups of centenarians does not constitute science. No doubt there are good conclusions, as mentioned above. But it also leads to "soft" conclusions (e.g. "explore a new tradition", "create family shrine", "be likable", "craft a personal mission statement".....), which are questionable. Good journalism, but mediocre science. But do buy the book.
The Geography of Healthful Living and Extreme Longevity June 22, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Let's begin with content unmentioned by previous reviewers. In the United States, only about one male per 20,000 reaches age 100 (p. 44). The almost-daily consumption of nuts is important to good health and long life (e. g., p. 130). On the other hand, supplementation with DHEA, human growth hormone, or melatonin is questionable and probably harmful (p. 13). Friendly intestinal bacteria are important, and these are thwarted by processed foods, excessive consumption of meat, surgery, etc. (p. 92).
The geographical format of this book takes the reader to "Blue Zones" (areas with high concentrations of long-lived people) all over the world. One of them is right in the USA--the Seventh Day Adventist community 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Now consider the Okinawans. Though not Japanese themselves, they had been conquered by the Japanese, and forced to fight against the Americans. Many Okinawans, frightened by tales of American atrocities, committed suicide upon the approach of the American forces. Instead, the Americans helped the Okinawans. Ironically, however, the Okinawans were subsequently hurt by the Americans--but in a totally unexpected and unintentional way. Americans built a lot of fast-food joints, and the health of the Okinawans--especially the younger ones--began to decline.
This book not only provides suggestions for extending one's lifespan, but also gives the reader an invaluable set of geography lessons. In the end, centenarians really cannot tell us why they lived to an age of 100 or more (p. xxi). But this book is fascinating nonetheless. There is a bibliography at the end of the book for further reading on the topics of longevity, better health, stress-free living, etc. The citations come from magazine articles, books, and scientific and medical journals.
INSPIRATIONAL, MOTIVATIONAL READING June 9, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I know we all have the capability to extend our lifespans if we are motivated to do so. I have spent the last ten years or so reading everything I could on the subject longevity. Even though I thought I "knew it all", this book taught me much. I especially enjoyed the personal stories and specific information on living a longer, happier, healthier life. I highly recommend it. Pamela D. Blair, author The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Mid-Life And Beyond
|
|
|
