It's a warm spring day in Minnesota. And Dan Buettner is at his home near Lake of the Isles, lacing up his skates and heading out for some exercise.
"Now I prefer skating," says the world-reknowned cyclist and explorer.
It's remarkably easy for the 47-year-old Buettner to get into a "zone" during his workout. After all, he knows the secret to a healthier, longer life. A secret -- revealed in several "zones" of its own.
"We've done the homework to show why this adds years to your life and suggest ways to put it to work in your life. So I think that's a big difference," said Buettner.
The "difference" he's referring to is called the 'Blue Zones.' While literally that refers to the blue ink used to draw circles on a map, they are the regions where people have beaten disease, disability and frailty to live longer and healthier than anyone else in the world.
"In other words, these people have the longest, healthiest lives. They have what we want. They reach age 100 then they die in their sleep. So I thought, 'I wonder how they do that,'" he said.
For the last six years, Buettner and his team of doctors, demographers and photographers have studied the world. So far, they've found four regions they call "longevity hotspots," or "Blue Zones." The regions are: Okinawa, Japan; a mountainous region in Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica and Loma Linda, California.
Buettner says the people of each region live lives worth emulating, whether it be the elderly who still chop wood and play guitar in Costa Rica; the centenarians who herd sheep and beat Buettner himself at arm wrestling in Sardinia; or the elderly taking tea or a dip in the water in Okinawa.
"The biggest thing we learned was there was no pill, there's no supplement, there's no hormone, there's no short-term solution to adding years to your life," Buettner said.
The team boiled down what they consider the world's Blue Zone wisdom into several tips called "The Power 9."
"This is not a regimen. It is not a fixed menu, this is an a la carte menu," Buettner said.
On that "menu": move naturally, hide the TV remote or garage door opener, go on a walk, garden or play with the kids. Buettner also urges people to avoid eating meat and instead heap servings of vegetables, fruits and beans and nuts on smaller plates. And, while you're at it, he encourages adding a glass of wine or two to the meal.
The other tips -- more emotional in nature -- urge people to develop a personal mission statement, take time to reflect and reconnect with a spiritual community. At the end of the day, the tips suggest, you'll also want to make family a priority and keep friends who share your values and lifestyle.
"All these things are easy, naturally but profoundly effective ways to improve your life expectancy and be thinner and feel better along the way," Buettner said.
Buettner adds the "Blue Zones" advice will also help cut down on healthcare costs. For example, people in Costa Rica live longer but spend 1/15 the money on healthcare.
As for why Loma Linda, California made the list, Buettner said the location has the highest concentration of Seventh Day Adventists. The Protestant church is known for advocating a healthy, vegetable-based diet while abstaining from alcohol.
In conjunction with the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, Buettner and his team have also developed the "Vitality Compass." The online tool will give you a "starting point" to help you measure your "longevity lifestyle."
And Buettner, himself, follows his own advice. The world-record cyclist says, "the longest living people in the world never ran marathons, they never belonged to health clubs." Buettner, who admits to once being a maniac when it came to exercise, says he's slowed his pace. He now goes inline-skating, biking and does yoga.
By Karla Hult, KARE 11 News
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