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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Dan Buettner
Read between
September 29 - October 26, 2023
The overall goal is to get into the habit of doing at least 30 minutes (ideally at least 60 minutes) of exercise at least five times a week.
hara hachi bu—a reminder to stop eating when their stomachs are 80 percent full.
We typically consume more from big packages.
He also found that the size of the plates and glasses we use has a profound impact on how much we consume.
We tend to gain weight by eating just slightly beyond the caloric set point week after week. For most of us, the solution is to eat enough so that we’re no longer hungry, but not so much that we’re full.
The trick to maintaining a healthy weight is to eat foods with low caloric density.
Slowing down allows time to sense and react to cues telling us we’re no longer hungry.
“Extra protein gets converted to calories, and if not needed for activity or to maintain our bodies, it eventually becomes fat.
Beans, whole grains, and garden vegetables are the cornerstones of all these longevity diets.
The best nuts are almonds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, and some pine nuts. Brazil nuts, cashews, and macadamias have a little more saturated fat and are less desirable. But all nuts are good.
Put a beautiful fruit bowl in the middle of your kitchen table.
Make beans—or tofu—the centerpiece of lunches and dinners.
A daily drink or two has been associated with lower rates of heart disease, but alcohol use has also been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer, for instance.
If you can identify the activity that gives you this sense of flow and make it the focus of your job or hobby, it can also become your sense of purpose.
Once you get good at them, and they are no longer novel, then you move on to something else.
Why do you get up in the morning? Consider what you’re passionate about, how you enjoy using your talents, and what is truly important to you.
Part of it is that their bodies naturally slow down as they have aged, but they’re also wise enough to know that many of life’s most precious moments pass us by if we’re lurching blindly toward some goal.
Regular meditation can allow us to slow down our minds, ridding them of the incessant chatter in our heads.
It sets up our day and helps us to realize that rushing, worrying, and the urgency we give to so many things in our lives really aren’t so important. With that realization, all other strategies for slowing down come much easier.
Most electronic entertainment just feeds mind chatter and works counter to the notion of slowing down.
Plan to arrive 15 minutes early to every appointment. This one practice minimizes the stress that arises from traffic, getting lost, or underestimating travel time. It allows you to slow down and focus before a meeting or event.
The simple act of worship is one of those subtly powerful habits that seems to improve your chances of having more good years.
A code of behavior is clearly laid out before them. If you follow it, you have the peace of mind that you’re engaging in “right living.” If today goes well, perhaps you deserve it. If today goes poorly, it’s out of your hands.
Studies have shown that elders who live with their children are less susceptible to disease, eat healthier diets, have lower levels of stress, and have a much lower incidence of serious accidents.
It’s much easier to adopt good habits when everyone around you is already practicing them.
Know the people who reinforce the right habits, people who understand or live by Blue Zone secrets.
Likable old people are more likely to have a social network, frequent visitors, and de facto caregivers. They seem to experience less stress and live purposeful lives.
Building a strong friendship requires some effort, but it is an investment that can pay back handsomely in added years.
None of them wanted to die, but they didn’t fear it either. They’d all mastered the art of life and accepted the inevitability of its end.
