Secrets to living a longer life! These are some of the best tips from people in the Blue Zones-where people live to be over 100!

(Picture from huffingtonpost.com)

Today on the show, we learned some great tips from people in the Blue Zones, which is where there are great amounts of people who live to be over 100.

“Common themes among the Blue Zones, which include Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, a community of Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California and Okinawa, Japan include these nine principles. These pillars of a long, healthy life are known as the Power 9 principles.”

The First 3 Principles are:

Move Naturally: The benefits of regular exercise are seemingly endless. Physical activity boosts weight loss, improves mood and more, but you don’t have to rush to the gym or run a marathon to reap these benefits. Instead, residents of the Blue Zones, allow their environments to help them move in the garden, washing dishes and more.
Purpose: Let’s face it—going through the motions of your day-to-day life can be exhausting, and even a bit boring. Luckily, something as simple as finding your sense of purpose can add up to seven years to your life. And that’s not all—a sense purpose can improve your heart health and protect your brain from disease.
Looking for simple ways to find your purpose? Decide what you’d love to do most, and set specific goals.
Down Shift: We all experience stress—even people who live in Blue Zones. Not all stress is bad, but chronic stress can take a toll on your health, leading to conditions like depression, high blood pressure and heart disease. Take a page out of the BZ book and find a way to decompress.
The Sardinians, for example, enjoy happy hour to relax, while Ikarians take a nap. If you’re feeling stressed, take a walk, try praying or spend time with your family and friends.

See the entire list here!

Don’t forget that First Friday is THIS FRIDAY! WNZR will be there giving away our Clean up, Dress Up Prize Package.

Look for Big Blue near the public square. Stop by and register to win! The basket features:

An entire house cleaning from Carefree Cleaning Company. Amy Kessler gives you 4 hours of house cleaning! (Valued at $100)!

Two $15.00 gift certificates for Premier Designs Jewelry with Amberly Frye
Plus WNZR goodies including an “On the Road with Big Blue t-shirt, jar openers, keychains, candy jar, Frisbee, guitar flyswatter and more! The prize package is valued at over $135!

First Friday events are from 6 to 9 p.m. in downtown Mount Vernon. Find out more at wnzr.fm

WNZR R.E.A.L. (Rachel, Eddie, and Lilly) will be preforming at the South Stage (Buchwald Plaza) as well! Come and hear them sing and play a variety of songs!