How to Be Healthy? Learning from Cancer Survivors & Centenarians

With all that’s been happening, are you more concerned about your health and the health of your loved ones than ever before? Do you wonder what you should be doing differently? If you’re like me, you may feel like there’s a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there!

So I want to share an interesting comparison between what I’ve learned about people who live to be over 100 years old AND people who’ve survived cancer against all odds. There are some fascinating common themes that we should probably consider when it comes to staying healthy.

The Blue Zones

In his New York Times best-selling book, The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’veLived the Longest, Dan Buettner shares his findings from his journey of traveling the globe to uncover the secrets of longevity. He discovered a few communities that have the highest rate of centenarians (people who live to be 100), experience few diseases commonly found in developed countries, and enjoy more years of good health. The book lists the nine common themes these places share.

Radical Remission

Kelly Turner was curious why some people recovered from so-called “terminal” cancer. So she decided to investigate this topic for her doctoral thesis. She was amazed at what she discovered and has since dedicated her life to the research and sharing what she’s learned. In her book, Radical Remission, Surviving Cancer Against All Odds, and her newest book, Radical Hope: 10 Key Healing Factors from Exceptional Survivors of Cancer & Other Diseases, Dr. Turner shares the common factors that these people felt made a difference in their survival.

What do these two lists have in common? Let’s take a look.

How interesting that positive emotions, life purpose, and social support are topics in positive psychology! Which areas could you improve in?