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How long do you expect you’ll live? Honestly ask yourself. And does your life expectancy matter to you? In addition, what quality of life would you like to have as you age?

In Dan Buettner’s The Blue Zones, we learn that, in specific regions of the world, people live much longer than the average. The book shares stories of each region and compiles nine lessons we can learn to achieve a “longer, better life.”

A team of demographers, medical scientists and journalists went to five of the healthiest places in the world. Below, I’ve summarized the lessons for you, although reading the book will provide great insight into each lesson. Learning and applying these lessons could even make our own Nonahood a Blue Zone someday.

Lesson 1: Move Naturally

According to Buettner, “Longevity all-stars engage in regular, low-intensity physical activity as part of a daily work routine.” Most of the individuals in the Blue Zones worked in a profession that allowed for hiking, gardening or nature walking.

Since many of us have sedentary jobs (I’m writing an article while sitting at a desk, in a room, on a computer – fail), Buettner suggests speaking with your doctor to incorporate a combination of aerobic, balancing and muscle-strengthening activities. He emphasizes balance since falls are a common cause of injury and death in the U.S.

Lesson 2: Hara Hachi Bu

Okinawan elders may say, “Hara Hachi Bu,” a Confucian-inspired adage as a reminder to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. It is not a diet in the “I’m on a diet” way of saying. It’s the difference between the American saying, “I’m full,” and the Okinawan saying, “I’m no longer hungry.” The book states, “We gain weight insidiously, not stuffing ourselves, but eating a little bit too much each day – mindlessly.” Tips for eating 20% less were to serve and store, make food appear bigger, or simply use a smaller plate.

Lesson 3: Plant Slant

Eating a plant healthy diet was common in the Blue Zones. Most centenarians in the Blue Zone regions didn’t have the opportunity to eat processed foods. Many avoided meats because they didn’t have much access to it. Although festive meals included meat, meat is typically eaten a few times a month. Incorporating four to six vegetables daily, showcasing fruits and veggies, and eating a small number of nuts daily allows you to add more plants to your diet.

Lesson 4: Grapes of Life

According to Buettner, people with a daily drink per day of beer, wine or spirits may accrue some health benefits, although consistency and moderation are key. So, the next time you are visiting Bosphorus’s Happy Hour, tell them you’re there for your health.

Lesson 5: Purpose Now

Why do you wake up in the morning? Work, kids, love? In an 11-year study following the lives of people between the ages of 65 and 92, the findings showed that people with a clear goal in life lived longer and were sharper than those who did not. Seeing your children or grandchildren grow up or learning a new hobby can be the purpose. In addition, doing new things exercises the brain, keeping it sharp in the later years.

Lesson 6: Take Time to Relieve Stress

Buettner states, “People who’ve made it to 100 seem to exude a sense of sublime serenity.” Slowing down may help keep chronic inflammation at check.

Buettner speaks of a 107-year-old woman peeling an apple while he asked her questions about her life. Her calm response to him was, “Life is short. Don’t run so fast you miss it.”

Tips Buettner gives are literally reducing the noise around you, be early to where you want to go, and meditate.

Lesson 7: Belong to a Spiritual Community

The Blue Zones says, “Studies have shown that attending religious services may make a difference in how long a person lives.” Buettner says, “The faithful are healthier and happier.” Finding a community and having a code of behavior that is clearly laid out allows for peace of mind that you are engaging in “right living.”

The centenarians studied all came from various faiths. The faith itself was unimportant; the sense of belonging and having a higher power provided relief from the stresses of everyday life.

Lesson 8: Make Family a Priority

Make your family the priority like many centenarians across the Blue Zones do. The Okinawans often furnish gravesites with picnic tables and benches, so family members celebrate Sunday meals with deceased relatives. This contributes to longevity because by the time centenarians become centenarians, they have become accustomed to showing that devotion and their children and grandchildren do as well. Buettner says, “Studies have shown that elders who live with their children are less susceptible to disease, eat healthier diets, have lower levels of stress, and have a much lower incidence of serious accidents.”

Lesson 9: Right Tribe
Find your healthy community. For people in the Blue Zones, they have their spiritual and family communities that align with their already healthy lifestyles. Buettner calls this the most important rule. Finding a community of like-minded individuals living in the same blue zone lessons reinforces the behaviors. “It’s much easier to adopt good habits when everyone around you is already practicing them.”

Natalia Foote is the owner of threeR, a company bringing mindfulness, meditation and yoga practices to the workplace. Her mission in life is spreading love and light in the world. When not spending time with her family, you can find Natalia taking and teaching yoga all around Lake Nona.