living following a diet of no meat, no smoking, no alcohol. that made them the perfect control group for the adventist health study. is there a tangible number you say you re going to live this much longer, have this much of a health benefit? well, five simple habits together, no smoking ideal weight, eating nuts regularly, and regular exercise, that s adding eight to ten years to your life. each contributes about two years. one day. adventists observe a strict saturday sabbath. it s a time to unplug and unwind and share time with other like-minded people. someone listening to this saying, i want to adopt i don t live in loma linda, i m not an adventist, but i want to adopt that in life. what do you say? first thing to do is to assess your social network, who are you hanging out with? are the people bellied up at a bar or sitting on the tv,
how big a role does stress play, did it play in your life? you asked the wrong person. i don t go for the stress theory. no? no. i never had stress. i have a philosophy you do the best you can and the things you can t do anything about, don t give any thought to them. as far as i m concerned, stress is a manufactured thing. his positive take on life was inspiring. it reminded me that so much of what affects our health and how long we live is mental. i m a surgeon. like you. because of that similar background, you may know someone like me better than most. what somrt of advice do you giv someone like me? you have to realize that it s a choice. you get up in the morning and you choose to be happy, you just choose it.
in the morning. that s going to keep you taking your meds, keep your well being and zest for life. you re not saying that the purpose has to be something that s changing the world, but it could be a hobby? could be something you re passionate about? the easiest mix and stir way to live out your purpose is to volunteer. he s taken what he s learned from the world s demographers and scientists and condensed that into an easy how-to list. he calls it the power nine. number one on the list? move naturally. the world s longest live people don t go to gyms. they move without thinking about it. next, have that sense of purpose. knowing what gets you out of the bed in the morning adds up to seven years on your life. he also says to down shift, find a way to shed the stress. make it part of your routine. follows 80% rule. in other words, don t stuff yourself. stop eating when you re stomach is 80 % full.
plant slant, eat less read meat and more plants. wine at five. share a glass with friends, moderate drinkers outlive nondrinkers. belong. attending faith based services add years to your life. put loved ones first. invest in family time. reap the rewards. finally, find your tribe. remember, you can t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. find ones that support healthy behaviors. these are time tested principles about how to be healthy, and they are so understandable to the layperson. the blue zone formula is being tested on entire communities. so this is beach cities. this is a place that invited you to come to try to help them change how they do things here. redondo beach, manhattan beach, 125,000 people, it looks healthy, they are no healthier
sitting on the couch watching tv on the weekends, or are they belong to a gardening club, bike, or walk? we all know we ought to eat better, what to do, exercise, lose a few pounds. most of us fail to do it because we don t have the drive, the purpose. i think that comes with saying i m part of something bigger. i have a purpose with my life. i really believe that the secret to longevity in the blue zone and everywhere else is not so much eating a particular diet as it is having a purpose in what you re doing. in addition to creating sense of belonging and purpose, seventh day adventists say their religion helps them deal with stress. if your life is god directed, you see, you don t interfere with him, he s a pretty big person. let him do it, and accept what he gives you.