Instead of directly pursuing health, focus on creating an environment that naturally leads to health and longevity, as health ensues from the right surroundings.
Cultivate a strong sense of purpose (ikigai/plan de vita) that guides your daily decisions and eliminates existential stress, making it easier to navigate life.
Actively curate a circle of four or five dependable friends with whom you can have meaningful conversations and count on during tough times, as this can increase life expectancy by about eight years.
Understand that true longevity comes from consistently doing the right things and avoiding the wrong things for decades, rather than seeking quick fixes or magic diets.
Aim for 90-95% plant-based dietary intake, focusing on whole grains, nuts, tubers (like sweet potatoes), a wide variety of greens, and making beans a cornerstone of your diet.
When adopting a longevity diet, prioritize foods you genuinely enjoy, as taste is the most important ingredient for ensuring you adhere to healthy eating habits for decades.
Instead of intense workouts, aim for constant low-intensity physical activity throughout the day, keeping your metabolism running at a higher rate without feeling like a chore.
Ensure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep nightly and consider incorporating naps, as napping is associated with significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease and overall better health.
Take time to identify and articulate your life’s purpose into a single phrase, then write it down and display it prominently (e.g., on a bathroom mirror) to guide daily decisions and provide meaning.
Make family a top priority, actively spending time with children and partners, and keeping aging parents nearby, as strong family bonds contribute to happiness and well-being.
Adopt a dog, as dog owners have a 50% lower rate of obesity due to the daily nudge for walks, and petting a dog can lower cortisol levels and provide unconditional love.
If you are unhappy, the most statistically powerful action you can take is to move to a place with a higher reported happiness level, as environment significantly impacts life satisfaction.
Move to an environment where you feel safe, is green, and where you can curate social surroundings that are not lonely or unhappy, as these factors are measurably contagious.
Actively add healthy and happy individuals to your social network, as this can naturally shift your social environment and reduce the influence of less healthy friendships over time.
Actively join or create a ‘Moai,’ a committed social network focused on shared healthy activities like walking or plant-based potlucks, to foster strong social connections.
Organize your kitchen to make preparing plant-based meals fast and delicious, and integrate food rituals into your daily routine to ensure consistent healthy eating.
Consciously reduce reliance on mechanical conveniences in your home and daily life to create natural ’nudges’ for low-intensity physical activity, keeping your body in constant motion.
Recognize the vast undervaluation of walking and make it a priority for transportation and physical activity, especially in walkable environments.
After age 40, prioritize gentle, low-intensity physical activities that you enjoy, such as walking with a ‘moai mate,’ over high-impact activities like marathons to avoid injury and inflammation.
Transition to a diet that is 97-98% plant-based, with very infrequent consumption of fish or other animal products, reflecting the eating habits of the longest-lived people.
Engage in daily physical activities you genuinely enjoy, such as yoga, biking, walking, rollerblading, or lifting weights, rather than competitive or high-intensity routines.
Engage in a daily ritual, like ancestor veneration or a form of gratitude, for 10-15 minutes to remember your roots, feel part of a continuum, and relinquish daily stresses.
Make gratitude a part of your daily ritual, such as starting the day with a prayer or expressing thanks before every meal, to foster a long-term mindset of appreciation.
If single, strive to get into a committed relationship, as it is highlighted as a really important factor for overall well-being and happiness.
Get rid of large plates and use smaller ones (e.g., 10-inch plates) for meals, as this can lead to consuming approximately 15% fewer calories.
Take your toaster off the kitchen counter, as its presence can act as a reminder to eat unhealthy toasted foods, and removing it may lead to weighing less over time.
Actively seek to have one or two vegetarians in your immediate social network, as their lifestyle choices can positively influence your own.
Consider engaging with a faith-based community, even if occasionally, as it can provide social connection and a sense of belonging.
Find what you love to do and volunteer for it, as volunteers are generally happier, healthier, have a lower chance of heart disease, and measurably lower healthcare costs.
Utilize free online tools like the ‘vitality compass’ and ’true happiness test’ on bluezones.com to get a baseline measurement of your longevity and happiness, receiving personalized suggestions.
Consider taking Athletic Greens daily, particularly when rushing or traveling, as a nutrient-dense whole food supplement to ensure you meet your nutritional needs.
Choose to live in a neighborhood with bike lanes, sidewalks, public transportation, and clean parks, as this environment naturally increases physical activity levels by 20-30%.
Advocate for policies that create ’no-fly zones’ around schools, restricting fast food vendors and vending machines, and eliminate eating in classrooms or selling candy for fundraisers to reduce childhood obesity.
Employers should allow and ideally provide facilities for employees to take naps, recognizing the benefits for health, productivity, and overall well-being.
Experts suggest that adopting the right lifestyle can increase your lifespan by up to a decade, emphasizing the importance of daily habits.
Seek out or foster a community where people actively check in on each other, ensuring you have a strong social safety net and reducing loneliness.