Quotes from Dan Buettner

Serve yourself, put the food away, then eat.

The brutal reality about aging is that it has only an accelerator pedal. We have yet to discover whether a brake exists for people.

Walking is the only way proven to stave off cognitive decline - it works.

The secret to longevity, as I see it, has less to do with diet, or even exercise, and more to do with the environment in which a person lives: social and physical. What do I mean by this? They live rewardingly inconvenient lives.

Diet and supplements and exercise programs aren't what is achieving longevity. Having a faith-based community can add four to 14 years.

None of the longest-lived people ran marathons or pumped iron. They live exactly as their grandparents before them - surrounded by family and friends.

The newness effect of a new thing wears off in nine months to a year, but financial security can last a lifetime.

Of course, Minneapolis, we think, 'Oh well, it's cold there, lethally cold.' But the reality is you adapt to weather... Humans are consummately adaptable creatures.

I think we live in a culture that relentlessly pursues comfort. Ease is related to disease. We shouldn't always be fleeing hardship. Hardship also brings people together. We should welcome it.

Eat your vegetables, have a positive outlook, be kind to people, and smile.

Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.

A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits.

The more things for which you develop a fondness the richer the life you live.

Having a purpose and knowing exactly what your values are will add additional years to your life.

Gratitude always comes into play; research shows that people are happier if they are grateful for the positive things in their lives, rather than worrying about what might be missing.

One of the big things I've learned is that there's an advantage to regular low-intensity activity.

People who are making it to 100 live in environments where they are regularly nudged into physical activity.

Select your friendships carefully. Gather people around you who will reinforce your lifestyle.

I have always followed exactly what interests me and never really worried about the money. And when you think about it, to be able to travel the world... on an expense account and do exactly what interests you, it just doesn't get much better than that.

The longest-lived people eat a plant-based diet. They eat meat but only as a condiment or a celebration. Nothing they eat has a plastic wrapper.

Drink without getting drunk Love without suffering jealousy Eat without overindulging Never argue And once in a while, with great discretion, misbehave

Have fun, be active. Ride a bike instead of driving, for example.

Exercise, from a public health perspective, is an unmitigated failure. The world's longest-lived people live in environments that nudge them into more movement. They don't use power tools, they do their own yard work, they grow a garden.

Inconvenience yourself: ditch the remote, the garage door opener, the leaf-blower; buy a bike, broom, rake, and snow shovel.