Buettner assembled a team of medical researchers – anthropologists, demographers and epidemiologists – to search for evidence-based common denominators among all places and they found nine, which he and his team refer to as the “Power 9.” These are: 1. Move Naturally The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work. 2. Purpose Knowing your sense of purpose is worth as many as seven years of extra life expectancy. 3. Down Shift What the world’s longest-lived people have that we don’t are routines to shed stress. Okinawans take a fewmoments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Icarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour. 4. 80% Rule “Hara hachi bu” – the Okinawan, 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80 per cent full. The 20 per cent gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more for the rest of the day. 5. Plant Slant Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat (mostly pork) is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3-4 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards. 6. Wine @ 5 People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine). 7. Belong All but five of the 263 centenarians whom they interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy. 8. Loved Ones First Successful centenarians in the blue zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home. They commit to a life partner (which can add up to three years of life expectancy) and invest in their children with time and love. 9. Right Tribe The world’s longest-lived people chose (or were born into) social circles that supported healthy behaviours. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness and even loneliness are contagious. The social networks of long-lived people have favourably shaped their health behaviours. Longevity delmanor.com I discovered that real independence means having the freedom to do what I want, when I want, without being tied to household chores and expenses. True independence means fine dining with friends and enjoying retirement in an active community of like-minded people. My new independence means less worry and more freedom. The real secret? I chose a Delmanor community. RICHMOND HILL (905) 770-7963 DON MILLS (416) 331-9797 ETOBICOKE (416) 233-0725 OAKVILLE (905) 469-3232 NORTH YORK (416) 225-9146 Discover My Secret... A Delmanor Resident CSANews | SPRING 2018 | 41
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