Secrets of the Blue Zones

Imagine living a long life without the commonly associated poor health and mental decline. Sounds too good to be true? Well according to my medical nutrition therapy professor and Dan Buettner who is the author of The Blue Zones it's something that is achievable and there are communities throughout the world to prove it!

Sardinia, Italy

Okinawa, Japan

Loma Linda, California

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

Ikaria, Greece

Besides being breathtakingly beautiful, these five places have several things in common:

- Healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, seafood, and nuts. Low on meat, sugar, fat, and processed foods. Essentially, it's the Mediterranean diet. 

- Daily exercise

- Little stress

- Ample amounts of sleep

- A sense of purpose

- Importance of family

- Spirituality

I don't care so much about the number of years that I live. What matters to me is the quality of my time spent on earth. I never want to be a burden to someone or to live in pain, depression, or immobility. There is no predicting the future and anything can happen but I definitely want to give my best shot at the best life possible. So if this means that I need to eat better, catch a few extra zzz's, and take a deep breath every so often, then so be it.  Are you with me? 

Keeping Fit When Traveling

Whenever I travel, I always try to take part in some form of physical activity. It's an amazing way to try something new and to take in your surroundings. 

Skiing in the French Alps

I must admit that I am far from being a great skier. There are green, blue, red, and black slopes. I'm most comfortable skiing on the blue and green slopes since they are the easiest. Red is intermediate and black is for those who are advanced. Of course, my cousin tricked me into going down red and that turned into quite the spectacle. I ended up on my tush with my skis and poles scattered in every direction! Nonetheless, I had a phenomenal time and would go again in a heartbeat. By the end of the trip, my entire body was firmer and stronger. To maintain my balance I was forced to use my core and thighs or else I'd do way more falling than skiing. 

First time on the board...

Paddle boarding is something that I've been wanting to try for the longest time and finally got around to doing it this past winter. Just like with skiing, it was important that I used my core and thighs to maintain balance. I didn't fall once but paid the price in soreness the next day, so worth it! 

Paddle boarding in St. Maarten

Skiing and paddle boarding are just two examples of things that one can do to stay active when traveling. Sight-seeing by foot in Paris, riding a banana boat in the Caribbean (yes, it's a workout!), hiking in Canada, etc. The point is to do something different, explore your environment, get moving, and have fun!