Live Longer with the Power 9
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-by Seth Glingle
The Power 9 are characteristics commonly found in areas of the world where living to be 100 is unsurprising. The Blue Zones project have visited these areas, and have gathered information on how we can implement these characteristics into our own lives. The Power 9 are as follows-
- Move Naturally (Gardening, yard work, etc.)
- Know Your Purpose (Why you wake up in the morning)
- Down Shift (Happy hour, relax when stressed)
- 80% Rule (Stop eating when 80% full)
- Plant Slant (Beans and plants are the cornerstone of diets)
- Wine@5 (Glass of wine every day at 5)
- Family First (Keeping elderly relatives close by to help care for)
- Belong (Faith based community)
- Right Tribe (Social circle committed to one another)
I’m going to be taking a look at three of the Power 9, Moving Naturally, 80% Rule, and Family First, and how I can implement them into my life right away.
Moving Naturally
Moving Naturally is something I really want to focus on in my life. There are a couple factors as for why Moving Naturally is important to me. It will help me become healthier and in better shape, and will also help the environment. One way I’m going to get started is by riding my bike to class every day. Not only will this be good for my health, but also the environment. Also, I’m going to start gardening. Gardening is something I enjoy and will help both physically and nutritionally. And one thing I have already done to move more naturally is adopt a dog. Having a dog has me moving a lot more than I used to. What is challenging about implementing these into my life is Indiana’s unpredictable weather. Most all of these take place outside so they will be harder to do when it’s freezing out and snowing. Moving naturally is very appealing to me as each thing I would like to implement are things I enjoy doing. And luckily, warmer weather is right around the corner.
80% Rule
The 80% Rule is something that will be much harder to do in my life. The 80% Rule is fairly simple, quit eating once you are 80% full. This will be very challenging as I’m someone who has always eaten until I’m full, so it will be tough to break that habit. But at the same time I understand it is something I need to do to become healthier and get into better shape so that is why I have chosen it. A couple of things I’m going to try is eating more salads and drinking more water. Each will give me a more full sensation and are healthy. The 80% Rule is appealing to me as it has many health benefits.
Family First
Family First is the last three of the Power 9 I want to implement in my life. The main reason I’m choosing Family First is because family is of huge importance in my life. My Family has always been there for me so the least I can do is be there for them. I would like to start visiting my grandparents more often than I do now and do the same with my parents, especially when they are older. The only challenge will be when I have time to visit, but I should be able to work around that. My grandparents love when they get visits from their grandchildren so hopefully if I see them more often they’ll have more sense of purpose to keep waking up each morning.
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