[Dan] Buettner and his colleagues now are taking what they’ve learned from these bucolic locations to the cozy Midwestern town of Albert Lea, Minn. The aim of non-profit organization AARP, sponsor of the project with Buettner’s guidance, was to help the residents there “live longer, better,” as the Vitality Project’s tagline espouses.
The project’s strategies are simple: eat more fruits and vegetables, walk instead of drive, stay productive and social well into old age, and seek inner fulfillment ”” things we all know will improve our quality of life, but we don’t always do, he says.
“Optimizing where you spend most of your day, minimizing the opportunity to eat unhealthy food, and helping people find meaning and purpose is tied to healthier, longer living,” he says.