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The Happy Pear Podcast

How the Happiest & Healthiest People live w/ Dan Buettner

Season 7, Ep. 98

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


We are huge fans! This is our second episode with the amazing Dan Buettner, who’s new book on the lost American diet, The Blue Zones American Diet, is out today.


Dan’s extensive research on the healthiest and happiest living people on the planet is fascinating, we have personally taken a lot from it and if you are familiar with any of our online health and lifestyle courses (available on our app, Healthy Living) you will hear us quote him a lot!


Dan is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world – dubbed blue zones hotspots – where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic are two of the most popular for both publications.


Buettner now works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. Blue Zones Projects are well-being initiatives that apply lessons from the Blue Zones to entire communities by focusing on changes to the local environment, public policy, and social networks. The program has dramatically improved the health of more than 5 million Americans to date.

His books, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People, and The Blue Zones of Happiness were all national bestsellers. His new book The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 recipes for living to 100 is a New York Times Best Seller and fuses scientific reporting, National Geographic photography and 100 recipes that may help you live to 100.


Buettner has appeared on The Today Show, Oprah, NBC Nightly News, and Good Morning America, and has keynoted speeches at TEDMED, Bill Clinton’s Health Matters Initiative, and Google Zeitgeist. His speech in January 2018 at the World Economic Forum in Davos was chosen as “one of the best of Davos.”

Another brilliant episode! Enjoy!


Lots of love,

Sara & Dave x


To find out more about Dan and his work, check out: https://www.bluezones.com/

This episode is sponsored by Vivobarefoot Footwear. Vivobarefoot Footwear have given our listenders an exclusive 20% discount when you enter the code HAPPYPEAR20  


Genuinely these are the only shoes you will see Dave & Steve wearing!


Produced by Sean Cahill and Sara Fawsitt

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