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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03 Jun 2024
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Brain Health Is More Than Just Age

Brain Health Is More Than Just Age

Check out our Personal Kaizen Motivational Monday quote! This week our quote is from Dr. Daniel Amen, a physician, psychiatrist, and founder of Amen Clinics, which holds the world's largest database of brain scans for psychiatry. His mission is to create a revolution in brain health to end mental illness. Join the Personal Kaizen Community Our community is here to support and encourage both personal and professional continuous improvement, helping you to reach your goals and achieve new heights. We offer regular blog posts and a weekly newsletter that contains a range of content to help you become the best…
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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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05 Jul 2023
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Marshmallows and the Benefit of Delayed Gratification

Marshmallows and the Benefit of Delayed Gratification

Imagine a 4-year-old child sitting down with treats in front of them — one marshmallow on one side of their plate and two on the other side. Beside the child is a bell. The child is asked whether she would prefer one marshmallow or two. Most children say, “Two!” The adult then says: “Here’s how we play the game. I am going to leave the room. While I’m gone, if you can wait for me to come back, then you get two marshmallows. If you don’t want to wait, ring the bell, but then you get one marshmallow, not two.”…
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30 Nov 2022
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Why a Sense of Humor Makes a Great Leader

Why a Sense of Humor Makes a Great Leader

It is likely that we've all heard the saying, "laughter is the best medicine" once or twice in our lifetime. But did you know that a sense of humor is thought to increase trust in a leader? This week the Personal Kaizen team shares a TedTalk by behavioral scientist, Jennifer Aaker, and corporate strategist, Naomi Bagdonas, where they discuss the power of humor. https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_aaker_and_naomi_bagdonas_why_great_leaders_take_humor_seriously Laughter and Leadership In the past, we've shared Colin Powell's 13 Rules for Leadership, where optimism is a powerful piece of being a great leader. As we learned today, humor and laughter are also major keys…
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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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