My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
by
Dan Buettner
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 b...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
April 21st 2009
by National Geographic
(first published March 25th 2008)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,284)
i am ashamed to say that i am writing this review of a book that is all about healthier living and living longer with a cigarette in hand. well, it is an american spirit light. those are healthier, right? i firmly believe in Harm Reduction as a model for living.
this is not the sort of book i usually read, although it is actually published by National Geographic (which somehow automatically gives it credence in my mind. why is that?). and it probably would have remained on my desk for...more
this is not the sort of book i usually read, although it is actually published by National Geographic (which somehow automatically gives it credence in my mind. why is that?). and it probably would have remained on my desk for...more
view all 4 comments
Lauren
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone who wants to live a long and happy life
Recommended to Lauren by:
National Geographic Adventure
Seriously one of the best (life-altering) books I have ever read. Much like "Omnivore's Dilemma" in the way that I think this book will have a serious effect on how I view things from this point on, and how I will live my life. It is nothing absolutely revolutionary, no, but the fact that it is all gathered in one place, and so accessible makes this book stand out for me. I have read many books like this, but this one seems one of the most palatable and the easiest to share... perhaps ...more
Interesting book looking at populations from around the world with the most people living to be 100. Basics seem to be:
5. Diet - lower in animal products (though they are included) and higher in fruits and veggies and whole grains
4. Work that incorporates being physically active versus no exercise or over exercising which wears out the joints.
3. Feeling that you are still valubly contributing to society
2. Religon/spirituality - not any one in particular but rather a feeli...more
5. Diet - lower in animal products (though they are included) and higher in fruits and veggies and whole grains
4. Work that incorporates being physically active versus no exercise or over exercising which wears out the joints.
3. Feeling that you are still valubly contributing to society
2. Religon/spirituality - not any one in particular but rather a feeli...more
Why do some people living in certain geographical pockets of the world tend to live very long, often in excess of a 100 years? What factors encourage longevity? Is it merely accident of birth? Something in the 'water' perhaps? It is genetic, surely? Or are there lessons for all of us that can be learnt and adopted for good results?
The author, assisted by a team of scientists, set out to study the lives and life-styles of such people living in three pockets of the world - a village in Sardinia in...more
The author, assisted by a team of scientists, set out to study the lives and life-styles of such people living in three pockets of the world - a village in Sardinia in...more
I don't care much about longevity, but this is a book about living well as much as long. The secret? You already knew it. Eat more plants than animals, have a purpose in life each day when you rise, stay socially connected, move your body every day, keep your sense of humor. (There are nine major recommendations in all, with numerous sub-components.)
The author describes four visits to Okinawa, Sardinia, Loma Linda California (a Seventh Day Adventist community), and Costa Rica, and i...more
The author describes four visits to Okinawa, Sardinia, Loma Linda California (a Seventh Day Adventist community), and Costa Rica, and i...more
An excellent and easy read about four areas of the world where there is a significant percentage of the population that live to be centenarians+. You may be aware of Okinawa. I have read the Okinawa Diet book a time or two. The other four places were a mountainous area of Sardinia, a remote area in Costa Rica, and a Seventh Day Adventist population in Loma Linda, California, of all places. I was so grateful that we had the Costa Ricans in the mix - at least that added corn tortillas, rice, a...more
What a fascinating read! Buettner does a fabulous job of reporting on Blue Zones and providing easily understandable conclusions regarding the lives of the centenarians the group had studied and their habits after years of research. I learned a lot from this book on not just potentially being able to live longer but to live better. The life styles and practices in this book should definitely be reenforced in more cultures today and if everyone were to read this book I think health care costs wou...more
One of the most striking things in this book was how incredibly simple it is to have the type of lifestyle that favors longevity. The centenarians featured in the book are from simple, almost primitive, cultures with strong family ties and daily sense of purpose -- that is, they feel a sense of importance and purpose from the moment they wake up in the morning (usually at sunrise) till they go to bed at night, well in to their later years. They don't have elaborate rituals or search for obscure...more
I received this as a gift--normally I steer clear of actually buying health/diet/lifestyle books (I would improve my health dramatically by eating less cookie dough.) But apparently, so says the giver, I tend to latch on the little health advice trinkets and fling them out at my friends, things about how healthy coffee and orgasims (enjoyed seperatly...I assume) can be for people. This book is a more organized version of these advice trinkets. Four examinations of very healthy lifestyles (hea...more
Okinawa, Japana. Sardinia, Italy. Loma Linda, California. Costa Rica. And Greece. All had small, insular communities in these areas that have an extremely high proportion of 100+ yr old centenarians relative to the rest of the world. The author and his research team traveled to these areas to find out why.
Some is not particularly groundbreaking (be active, eat your veggies) but it does offer an interesting look with in-depth interviews of these centenarians, most of whom "felt"...more
Some is not particularly groundbreaking (be active, eat your veggies) but it does offer an interesting look with in-depth interviews of these centenarians, most of whom "felt"...more
This was a very interesting read. I enjoyed hearing the authors experiences of visiting with centenarians. Rather than just plying the readers with data, he did a good job of bringing the individuals and their lifestyles to life. [return][return]One review of this book that I read gave it a poor rating, as there was no real new or astounding data. I think that was one of the best things about the book. People are always looking for a miracle cure, one magical thing that they can do to live fore...more
Emilie
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Overstressed urbanites, Boomers
Recommended to Emilie by:
Mama Oprah
The most important thing a health book can do is inspire me to make positive changes, and Buettner has achieved that especially well with this study of four centarian communities throughout the world. He approaches it with the enthusiastic, adventurous spirit of a National Georgraphic journalist who once spent several months biking from Alaska to Argentina. The book is engaging and gives life to a list simple behaviors that could translate into a much healthier and more emotionally fulfilling li...more
Veeeeery interesting. This dude (Dan Buettner, presumably) traveled to different places around the world to look at populations of people who live really long and try to figure out what they're doing that makes them live so long. It doesn't seem very scientific because I'd imagine that all the people nearby who didn't live so long kept similar habits (they're mostly in small, isolated communities without a lot of variation in lifestyle), but most of what he talked about made sense as things that...more
I learned some good things and found some of the characters mildly entertaining. Would have been happy to have read a summary of the findings instead of all of his tales from the journey. If you want to do quick read, you can read summary at end of each chapter and the end summarizes common findings across the blue zones. In all, not surprised to learn that the places where people still live the longest are places quite untouched by western influences, places where people still eat what they ...more
I find the whole idea of Blue Zones fascinating and definitely worth investigating. I think there is a lot to be learned from people who live simpler, healthier, more active lives. But I wish the book had focused more on the lessons learned from these people and the longevity habits they practice. As it is, the lifestyle habits and suggestions are presented as sort of an afterthought in the last chapter. I thought too much time was spent explaining how the researchers found these people, as well...more
While interesting, this book is not as original or well-written as much of what I've been reading lately, so it was a little bit of a let-down. It also fails to meet any standards of evidence-based health recommendations, although much of what it says is probably true and is pretty consistent with a lot else that's out there. It is a brief look at the 4 sites on earth known to have the highest concentrations of centenarians--Sardinia Italy, Okinawa Japan, just outside of LA in the U.S., and in...more
This book is part adventure/travel narrative, and part scientific discussion of the habits of those cultures where individuals seem to live the longest. Only 25% of our longevity is determined by genes?! Astounding. Overall, the book highlighted informaiton that I had probalby heard before (vegetarian diet, social support, effective stress management, purpose) it did so in a way that was impactful and made the idea of increasing those factors in one's life feel doable. It does feel a little ...more
A book that explores 4 groups of people in the world who have an extremely long lifespan. It takes a look at the possible lifestyle factors that result in such long lifespans. The four people groups are: (1) on the island of Sardinia, (2) on the island of Okinawa, (3) in a province in Costa Rica, and in Loma Linda, California.
Genetics apparently is only 25% of the longevity picture. The other 75% is in the lifestyle.
This book was kind of slow (it reads like a National Geo...more
Genetics apparently is only 25% of the longevity picture. The other 75% is in the lifestyle.
This book was kind of slow (it reads like a National Geo...more
I have really enjoyed this one, since one of my new goals is to live to be 100 so I can see my great-grandchildren. Also I just think it would be fun (The author of _The Hours_ said it best, that when it comes to life, "what we want, mostly, is more," -- or one of the characters in _Catch 22_, who did things he hated because it made the time pass more slowly and he wanted to live longer; when someone asked him why, he said, "What else is there?"). Lessons learned: eat most...more
Very interesting findings, however seems to point out that we are doomed as a civilization to not live long. The book points out various foods and lifestyles that modern individuals can incorporate to better their chances of longevity. But it also mentions that all four 'Blue Zones' are disintegrating as modern life and technology take over. At the end, the book mentions a website vitality test. I was pleased to find out I'd live a long life...especially if I drink more red wine. Overall, a ...more
Blue Zones is a fantastic account of the author's journey to visit hundreds of centenarians (people who are 100 years old or older) and the conclusions he and other researchers have drawn about the lifestyles that lend themselves to longevity. I especially appreciate the way Buettner and his colleagues are honest enough to refrain from drawing any definitive conclusions. The truth is that researchers can only make observations about the lifestyles of centenarians and pass the observations on to ...more
To live longer -
1. Move naturally - be active without having to think about it. Inconvenience yourself, have fun, plant a garden, enroll in a yoga class, walk, make a date to walk.
2. Hara Hachi Bu - painlessly cut calories by 20 percent. Eat until you're not hungry - not until you are full. Don't eat a little bit too much each day mindlessly. Serve yourself at a counter, then put the food away, make food look bigger, use small plates and glasses, make snacking a ha...more
1. Move naturally - be active without having to think about it. Inconvenience yourself, have fun, plant a garden, enroll in a yoga class, walk, make a date to walk.
2. Hara Hachi Bu - painlessly cut calories by 20 percent. Eat until you're not hungry - not until you are full. Don't eat a little bit too much each day mindlessly. Serve yourself at a counter, then put the food away, make food look bigger, use small plates and glasses, make snacking a ha...more
This is a fascinating book. Buettner and a team of people studied several groups of centenarians around the globe – from Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda, California, and the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica.
What was it about the lifestyles of these people that kept them healthier for longer? That was the operative question. Some of the common threads shared in some way by these four cultures are (please pardon this oversimplification):
1 – move naturally – lo...more
What was it about the lifestyles of these people that kept them healthier for longer? That was the operative question. Some of the common threads shared in some way by these four cultures are (please pardon this oversimplification):
1 – move naturally – lo...more
The book rekindles a feeling of disappointment from not having listened more carefully to my grandparents' stories during my younger, more naive, days. It motivates a feeling of desire to understand my roots and my purpose in life more clearly today. Nevertheless, this book wants to be a story, not a lesson book. This book contains stories, from the people who have lived the longest. The only unsatisfying moment is when it attempts to transform its story into a lesson.
The book quote...more
The book quote...more
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 our life. Shahid mentioned that the author identified four blue zones: Sardinia, Okinawa, Costa ...more
Seriously one of the best (life-altering) books I have ever read. Much like "Omnivore's Dilemma" in the way that I think this book will have a serious effect on how I view things from this point on, and how I will live my life. It is nothing absolutely revolutionary, no, but the fact that it is all gathered in one place, and so accessible makes this book stand out for me. I have read many books like this, but this one seems one of the most palatable... perhaps because of the focus o...more
The author looks for places in the world with a longer than average life span, and tries to find lifestyle patterns among them. He offers some tips, like: make movement part of your normal daily routine; don't eat too much; eat more whole grains, plant-based foods, and less processed foods and meats; drink red wine; make family a priority; have a reason to get up in the morning; decrease stress; have a community that reinforces healthy habits; etc.
I thought the book had some good...more
I thought the book had some good...more
Simone Smith
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Simone by:
The Martha Stewart Show
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
What an interesting book! The author traveled to all the different areas of the world where people were living to 100 years and more and interviewed them. Each chapter told stories about the people he met and then ended with a summary of what the people's life styles were which could have contributed to their old age. The last chapter is written with the 9 most important things a person could do to live to a healthy old age spiritually, physically and from the food they eat. Loved it!
This book was a very quick read. I love to read books that keep me focused on things I could be doing better to stay healthy. Though I realize that there are many, MANY theories out there as to the best way to live, this book investigates real people (centenarians... people who are 100+), living real lives, and asks the question, 'Why do these people live so long?' The insights and observations were interesting. The interviews were entertaining. It doesn't just focus on one diet... in fact,...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity. "
More about Dan Buettner...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
