Dan Buettner: Blue Zones Secrets, Actionable Lessons, and Transforming Communities By Changing Local Environments and Social Networks

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Dan Buettner
Blue Zones Secrets, Actionable Lessons, and Transforming Communities By Changing Local Environments and Social Networks

Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world – dubbed blue zones hotspots – where people live the longest, healthiest lives.

Buettner now works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. Blue Zones Projects are well-being initiatives that apply lessons from the Blue Zones to entire communities by focusing on changes to the local environment, public policy, and social networks. The program has dramatically improved the health of more than 5 million Americans to date.

We are obsessed with the Blue Zones and were delighted to dig into Dan’s new book, The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer. Simple nutrition, natural movement, and strong social circles play into the increased lifespan for people in these areas, and it’s all without a conscious pursuit of health or longevity.

For more info, check out the Blue Zones Projects, Dan’s website, and follow him on Instagram.

Points of interest in the episode: 

06:50  Dan is a 3x Guinness world record holding distance cyclist; Cannondale
09:25  Self sufficiency and empathy
10:15  Defining the Blue Zones; National Geographic
12:12  The ecology of health
13:30  Nowhere in the Blue Zones are the people consciously trying to affect their longevity, they are simply a product of their environments
14:45  Peasant foods
15:50  Instead of trying to change people’s behavior…change local environments and social networks
16:00  The first Blue Zone Project: Albert Lea, MN
18:16  Gallup’s Well-Being Index
25:50  Blue Zone Projects – any city can apply
26:52  Singapore Blue Zone 2.0
31:17  Moai – a committed social circle
38:00  In Blue Zones, older folks always stay with their children but aren’t just recipients of care
41:50  Diets of Longevity Around the World
43:58  Exercise is a good business model but terrible heath model
48:05  The higher the walk score, the lower the BMI; Complete Streets Program
49:40  Sensible sun exposure
51:25  Community level changes
52:15  Curating your social circle for longevity
53:00  Dan’s socials

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