10 Jul 2024
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Blue Zones: Longevity Miracle or Just Bad Data?

Blue Zones: Longevity Miracle or Just Bad Data?

A few months ago we shared lessons from bestselling author Dan Buettner’s series, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. There are several lessons I have applied to my plans for a long, happy life. Just this past week I heard an interview that questioned whether the Blue Zones are real, or instead a case of bad data. Here is what I found out through a bit of research. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones Dan Buettner’s Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones describes areas of the world with higher life expectancies and…
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12 Jun 2024
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Surprising Unconventional Tips for Better Sleep

Surprising Unconventional Tips for Better Sleep

Our previous post shared ways to improve sleep by optimizing the quantity, quality, regularity, and timing – the QQRT factors – of sleep. Sleep is critical to health and wellness, and research shows optimizing all four of these factors will keep you well-rested. We learned about these factors from research on the work of Dr. Matthew Walker, Professor and Founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science. This post will focus on additional factors that impact your sleep and includes several surprising unconventional tips for better sleep recommended by Dr. Walker. Before we mention the unconventional tips, here are some basics…
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15 May 2024
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Improve Sleep by Optimizing Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing

Improve Sleep by Optimizing Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing

Until very recently, science has been unable to explain why we spend over one-third of our lives sleeping. Dr. Matthew Walker tackles that topic in his 2017 bestseller, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science and has recently shared his updated research as a podcast guest. Sleep is a key factor in our health, wellness, and longevity – this post will focus on how to improve sleep by optimizing quantity, quality, regularity, and…
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21 Feb 2024
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Live the Secrets of the Blue Zones for a Long, Happy Life

Live the Secrets of the Blue Zones for a Long, Happy Life

Photo Credit: Blue Zones A few months ago we shared bestselling author Dan Buettner’s video introducing some of the biggest secrets to why people living in “blue zone” have much higher than normal life expectancies. It was a promotion for his new four-part Netflix series, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones that we just finished watching. This post shares a few of the secrets from Buettner’s Netflix series. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and bestselling author who has found five “blue zones” in the world where people live…
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24 Jan 2024
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Strategies for When You Are Feeling SAD

Strategies for When You Are Feeling SAD

Many people in New England and other northern states struggle with increased feelings of sadness and depression beginning in November. The holidays can be a stressful time for many, but some of your symptoms are likely caused by seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression affecting people in very northern (and very southern) latitudes due to the reduced sunlight exposure from the shorter, colder days of the winter months. Symptoms include low mood, fatigue, loss of interest in activities, and changes in appetite or sleep. Here are some of our top strategies for when you…
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27 Dec 2023
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Personal Kaizen: The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life

Personal Kaizen: The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier Life

The second rule of our 10 Rules for Life is to take care of your body and mind. Personal Kaizen has several upcoming posts focused on longevity – the secret to living a longer, healthier life. We will summarize the new book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity and share our research on behaviors and habits to adopt for a long, happy life. Today’s post shares highlights from bestselling author Dan Buettner’s research into why people living in “blue zone” have much higher than normal life expectancies. He has a new Netflix series we will be watching this winter.…
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14 Dec 2022
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Lessons from the Happiest Countries in the World

Lessons from the Happiest Countries in the World

The Personal Kaizen team has recently reviewed the tenth annual rankings of the happiest countries in the world and read several books that examine what these countries do that is different and better. Over the next several weeks we are going to review some of the differentiators we observe with the governments and people in these countries. 2022 Rankings of the Happiest Countries in the World Below are the 2022 United Nations Rankings for a few of the Happiest Countries in the World. We share a few of the positive outcomes that contributed to the high ranking and one defining…
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16 Nov 2022
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New Lessons Learned From Another 3-Day Fast

New Lessons Learned From Another 3-Day Fast

Earlier this year I experienced my first 3-day fast and shared tips on fasting with the Personal Kaizen community. I recently needed to fast to prepare for a medical procedure so decided to turn this into my second 3-day fast. I did a few things differently and experienced different results. Here are some new lessons learned from my second 3-day fast. First, you may want to review our posts describing the concept of fasting and different ways to fast, the scientific benefits of a 3-day fast, tips on how to prepare for a fast, and my experience and video journal…
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13 Apr 2022
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12 Small Habits that will Change Your Life for Good

12 Small Habits that will Change Your Life for Good

I recently saw a new book in my local library that I knew I had to read and share with the Personal Kaizen community. Liquids Till Lunch: 12 Small Habits that Will Change Your Life for Good by MaryRuth Ghiyam is a 2021 release with a title that made me skeptical and a subtitle that made me interested. I wondered – how many of her 12 small habits would agree with the Personal Kaizen 10 Rules for Life? The author is a certified health educator and nutritional consultant with several episodes of personal loss as defining life experiences. This post…
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06 Apr 2022
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Eight Ways to Exercise Your Brain

Eight Ways to Exercise Your Brain

Rule 2 of The Personal Kaizen 10 Rules for Life is to develop good habits around eating, exercise, learning, and meditation that will last throughout your life. Last week we shared a 20-minute-per-day physical fitness routine that will help you maintain your body. This post shares eight ways to exercise your brain. Cognitive Health Declines as We Age Cognitive health – the ability to think, learn, and remember - is critical to performing everyday tasks. Most of us realize that cognitive health declines as we age. But it is not clear what causes this decrease, or why some people are…
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