192: how to live longer according to the Blue Zones

how-to-live-longer-blue-zones

Right now Carla is reading a book called Ikigai,  so naturally ‘how to live longer’ has been a topic of our conversation ever since she started.

The Japanese island of Okinawa (one of the Blue Zones), where ikigai began, is said to be home to the largest population of people who live to 100 in the world. 

Ikigai (pronounced Ick-ee-guy) meaning… a reason to jump out of bed each morning is like how we’d say Follow Your Bliss (words thanks to Joseph Campbell). It’s finding something in life that brings you joy and purpose. 

Stuff we talked about…

  • What are the Blue Zones: the Italian island of Sardinia, Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda in California, Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula and the Greek island Ikaria.
  • How to live longer according to the blue zones… diet, community, movement, more outside time, slower living and less stress.
  • What actually is ikigai? It is the cross-section of the following… what you love (your passion), what the world needs (your mission), what you are good at (your vocation), what you can get paid for.
  • Discovering your own ikigai is said to bring fulfilment, happiness and make you live longer. Cool, we should all do this then.
  • We chat more on community and how western culture can sometimes make us lonely and disconnected.
  • The importance of presence. It is the real magic.
  • How we can actually bring these Blue Zone lessons into our lives. 

This podcast episode is brought to you by Bean Ninjas. If you make your ikigai (your passion) your business we highly recommend you get on top of your bookkeeping right from the start! Check them out HERE.

Find all the Get Merry podcast episodes on iTunes and Stitcher for Androids. Plus we are on Spotify over HERE!

Always merrymaking,

Emma + Carla

Photo by Antonina Bukowska on Unsplash

 

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