SheSue Experience

Okinawa, Japan

The AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project would like to see you live a longer, healthier life.  They have put together a program to help you do just that.  It is all online, so you don’t even have to leave your house to participate.  You’ll find lots of useful tools plus support to help guide you.  Instead of focusing on just diet and exercise, the Vitality Project encourages you to live like communities with the world’s greatest percentage of longevity.

Dan Buettner, an educator and explorer, is the co-director of the Vitality Project. The idea for the Project came from his Blue Zones Quests which he launched in 2005 in order to research the reasons people in small geographic areas live so long.  The term ‘Blue Zone’ came about by accident when a demographer used a blue marker to highlight a region where a lot of centenarians lived.

Costa Rica

So far, Buettner has studied three regions:  Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and the Greek island of Ikaría.  He found  that not only do these people live longer; they also have a much lower rate of heart disease and cancer.  Some of the lifestyle habits he finds common among all the regions are:  eating lots of greens, drinking herbal tea, napping daily, plenty of exercise, close friends, eating produce fresh from the garden, spirituality and not stressing about time.

The Vitality Project has chosen a small American community to become America’s healthiest town.  In January, Project experts began working with the town leaders of Albert Lea, Minnesota to change the way the residents eat, work, exercise and play.   In May, the residents were asked to sign the Vitality Project Pledge.  In September, Albert Lea will go online for six weeks issuing videos, photos and narratives on their progress.

You are invited to join the town of Albert Lea.  You will be asked to sign a pledge agreeing to follow the guidelines set forth by the Vitality Project.  Next you will be asked to take the Vitality Compass which consists of answering questions about your current lifestyle.  Using your answers, the compass calculates your biological age, life expectancy, Blue Zones years, and extra years of life you can add if you optimize your lifestyle.  Once you have completed the Compass, you qualify for a Vitality Coach who will guide you via email through your lifestyle changes.  You can also sign up for Longevity Tips, a weekly email giving you tips and information about the program.

The Vitality Project is sponsored by United Health Foundation.  With the desire to help people live healthier lives, the foundation provides information and support to the project.  They hope to see other towns follow in the footsteps of Albert Lea in pledging to become healthier.

Are you ready for a longer and healthier life?  Head on over the Vitality Project!

Ikaria