The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life

by Dan Buettner

In this companion to the number one New York Times bestseller The Blue Zones Kitchen, Dan Buettner offers a four-week guide and year-long sustainability program to jump-start your journey to better health, happiness, less stress, and a longer life. Get started on the path to a longer, healthier, happier life with this quick start to building your own Blue Zones lifestyle. Dan Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones and author of the New York Times number one best-selling Blue Zones Kitchen, offers the challenge of a Build a foundation for better nutrition, more exercise, and a stronger social life that will extend your lifetime by years. In this easy-to-implement guide, you'll start with the rules of the Blue Zones Challenge, including tips and tricks from the five Blue Zones--locations around the world where people consistently live to 100--advice for setting up a successful kitchen and pantry, and resources for expanding you support network. Then, follow week-by-week prompts to Change your diet Increase your activity Update your living spaces Build your social life. After four weeks--and with the help of journaling tips and delicious recipes--you'll see results in your weight, your well-being, and your general health. From there, follow the Blue Zones challenge through the rest of the year with an 11-month sustainability plan that will continue to encourage you and build upon the foundation you've already started. What you'll find is living to 100 is easy--it just takes following the Blue Zones way!

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Food, Personal Development, Fitness, Mental Health

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2022

About the author

National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find a sanctuary in time. Get regular exercise and have a healthy BMI. Snack on nuts.
Avoid meat, eat more plants. Eat dinner early.
Drink plenty of water. Eat oatmeal, soy milk, broccoli, spinach and apples.
Also bananas, dark chocolate, tofu.
Improve gut bacteria with tempeh, kimchi and kombucha.
Drink green tea.
Sit on the floor.
Use a scale.
People of faith live 4 to 14 extra years.
Volunteer.
Meditate.
Floss.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book as I start another year full of hope and health goals I need to achieve. One of my goals is to get started on the path to a longer, healthier, happier life.

This is the perfect book for me because if it’s not easy I really cannot sustain. Thankfully, the Blue Zones Challenge has an easy-to-implement guide, that starts with the rules of the Blue Zones Challenge, including tips and tricks from the five Blue Zones--locations around the world where people consistently live to 100! One of those places is here in Southern California - Loma Linda!

Additionally, there are week-by-week prompts to
* Change your diet
* Increase your activity
* Update your living spaces
* Build your social life.

[Donna Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blue Zones Challenge is a companion to the other Blue Zones books (I read The Blue Zones Kitchen). It reviews crucial points in a way that relates them to the challenge plans. The challenge is a workbook that helps readers move into the lifestyle over the course of 4 weeks. It then continues forward to encompass a whole year to reinforce your decisions.
I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to trying it all out with my husband.

[Yelena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow! I am doing something seriously wrong with my life! Did you know that if you write a sentence, then re-write it 50 more times, add a few "revelations" that have been written a thousand times before - you can publish a book and make a ton of money?? Yeah, I didn't know that either until this "book".
I mean, can we really call it a book? Sure, it has pages of words and binding and all. But I think it was really more of a very very very veeeeeryyy long flyer. Bc the amount of "information" on it could have fit about a 3x5 index card.

And finally, I don't know what is more troubling - the fact that it was published or the fact that it has been getting 4.36 rating on GR.

Well, good luck to all of you who will spend your money thinking that you will discover something new!

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this in the library when I was looking for the Blue Zones cookbook and decided to check it out. It's pretty similar to a lot of other diet/lifestyle challenges, except in this case meat is the no-no. It's probably a decent place to start if you want to embark on a whole food, vegan diet. The biggest new takeaways for me were 1) the concept of Hara Hachi Bu (stop eating when you are 80% full) and 2) sitting on the floor improves posture and getting up after sitting on the floor can burn up to 130 calories/hour!

[meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone with a diet altering autoimmune disease and a laundry list of other dietary challenges, the first time I heard of The Blue Zone diet I was entranced. People following these lifestyles do in fact live longer, which to me shows some bits of validity. On top of that, they eat everything main stream media typically scares you away from. I have been trying to adopt some of the general Blue Zone Diet guide lines into my life for some time now so I thought this book would be a perfect way to expand on my knowledge.

This book really is the perfect beginner guide. It not only gives you the background on the lifestyle itself, but it gives you data to show you the why and a guide to show you the how. I have always focused on the diet aspect of the Blue Zones but this book really introduced me to the importance of the mental aspect. Stress, a feeling of belonging, and community are all things that effect your well being. This book really focuses on how improvement in these areas can benefit your life.

Overall I enjoyed this read. One of my favorite parts was a breakdown of the top foods people eat in each Blue Zone and what they focus on to have better mental health. These felt like takeaways I could really apply to my life. It also is a fill in the blank journal for you to track your journey. It feels holistic and I love the break away from main stream diet culture.

Thank you National Geographic for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In March, 2020, I had the privilege of reviewing Dan Buettner's The Blue Zones Kitchen, which I loved so much, I bought copies for friends and family, so I was excited about this book, The Blue Zones Challenge, not the least because we've all developed some Pandemic Pudge.

What I love about Buettner's work is that he's passionate about his subject. The Blue Zones represent parts of the world where people practice clean eating as a way of life, and live longer, healthier lives because of it. Dan Buettner suggests that if we alter our diets to emulate those found in those zones, we, too, will live longer, healthier lives.

My familiarity with Buettner's previous work meant that I was expecting these recipes to be mainly vegetarian, with seafood as the dominant animal protein. But this book isn't just a cookbook. It has some recipe suggestions, but it's really a holistic approach to a better lifestyle overall.

The best part is, the suggestions in the book aren't difficult, and there's no judgement in the author's tone. Rather, there are guidelines on how to do small things to improve your overall health. Move more. Eat mindfully. Choose foods that aren't processed. Make sure your social needs are met as well.

With the new year and "resolution" season approaching, this book could not be better timed. The Blue Zones Challenge is the perfect way to begin 2022 as you mean to go on.

Goes well with: Pumpkin Pancakes.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Blue Zones ideas and was very inspired to add to my collection of books after hearing Dan Buetner speak recently, however, this book was disappointing to me since it had little information and WAY too many "filler" worksheet pages inside for my taste.

I did get a few new ideas from it, though.

[Matt Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, quick reading guide surveying the world's Blue Zones in which people frequently live to age 100. Easy, quick reading sections combined with activities, challenges, step-by-step guides, recipes and online tests to use as self-evaluation. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to make some science based changes for a healthier and happier life.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

listened to the audio version. It seemed quite short and repeated itself. Perhaps there would be more value in a hardcopy where you could see the charts/worksheets - but those are also available on the website for free.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels more like a guided journal than a book. I’m glad I already read the “big book” about the blue zone study. If I picked this up at the library and ONLY this I’d miss out on so much important material.

[Arianne Padilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the simple message of this book that the healthiest parts of the world have many common habits. I didn't do the whole 4 week plan with fidelity and just read through the text, but I found it pretty insightful.

[Marsha McPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Gentle reminders to help kickstart 2024.

[Junkie for the Written Word · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband daughter and I all just finished this challenge and we've had some amazing results.

My daughter (who was just barely into the overweight category) lost 6lbs.

I lost 19lbs.

And my husband, who works a very physical job, lost a ridiculous 40lbs in just these 4 weeks.

I don't even know what to say about that. I also did intermittent fasting but my husband and daughter both ate all three meals and snacks.

So that is amazing in and of itself. But the challenge wasn't just about food, it was about lifestyle and I can't tell you how it has opened my eyes as to how much time I'm wasting staring at a screen! Seriously, even though I thought I was the "good" one in my house, I still felt like I was having withdrawal with only 1 hour a day.

I'm going to carry several good habits away from this challenge, and though it was REALLY REALLY HARD, it was absolutely worth it.

[Deborah Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the actual book better, but if you are looking to jump start your health and wellbeing this plan may help get you motivated!

I am fascinated how those who live in Blue Zones are that much healthier than the rest of the world! Good stuff.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exercises, such as those found in "The Blue Zones Challenge," are always useful. It's always good to evaluate where one is at at a particular stage in one's life. And, because we age and our needs and circumstances change, doing this from time to time can often yield new and interesting results.

I had read "The Blue Zones Kitchen" (and found it really fascinating) prior to recently reading "The Blue Zones Kitchen" and participating in a "moai," where we took a deep dive into the book for six weeks and gathered once a week to discuss how it was going and to support one another. I didn't find much that was earth-shattering here, but it was a worthwhile endeavor participating in the challenge and the moai.

Takeaways:

1. I disagreed with one of the central premises of this book. The five original "Blue Zones" are those places in the world where the greatest numbers of centenarians live. Daniel Buettner has studied these areas, these individuals, and their lifestyles in order to discover the reasons for their longevity. The problem I see is that these individuals grew up and lived in a different time than we do. The world has changed, lifestyles have changed, the availability of certain foods has changed, etc. We can see, perhaps, why these people have lived so long. But, given the changes that have occurred, is it even possible for those of us who are younger to live such an existence?

2. I also had difficulty with the assertion that our protein must come mostly from legumes and plant-based proteins. No eggs? No dairy? No, or very little meat (not even fish and poultry)? I just finished reading "The Whole Body Reset," another well-researched book focused on our needs as we age. One of the central assertions of this book is that we need more protein as we age for muscle health - especially earlier in the day. While it asserts that there are certain proteins that are healthier than others, it does not put the restrictions that "Blue Zones" does on eggs, dairy, meat and fish.

3. I really liked that the Blue Zones focuses on all aspects of ones life - not just diet. It's pretty hard to argue with the Power 9.

4. Though this is a fast read, actually preparing to incorporate these principals into one's life, then actually living the proposed guidelines for four weeks, and permanently adopting them is much more challenging and time-consuming.

Anyway, looking for, discussing, and incorporating things into my life that might lead to living a healthy, fulfilling life is a good exercise and made this worth the read. Again, I don't necessarily agree with everything I found here, especially after examining these ideas as a large group, the book was definitely worth the read.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't know about the Blue Zones, they are five areas around the world where people generally live much longer, healthier lives--many up to 100 years. The five blue zones are: Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece), and Loma Linda (California). Each zone has a list of Top Longevity Foods, regular activities to move the body, living spaces set up for health, and a sense of community. These are the things that Buettner and The Blue Zones Challenge recommend you incorporate into your life for four weeks to take the challenge. There are a Power9® list of habits to practice such as eating with a "plant slant"--leaning to vegetables, beans, tofu and other non-meat proteins with lean meats and proteins being an occasional indulgence versus the bulk of the diet, or knowing your Purpose--why do you get up in the morning? There are Four Always (foods to eat daily: whole grains, nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables) and Four to Avoid (foods to stop eating entirely or drastically limit: sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, packaged sweets and processed meats). There are about 17 recipes included for some basic dishes to try: Miso Soup, Dan's Longevity Dal Palak, Breakfast Cookies...) and Daily Scorecards to track daily practices and weekly recaps to note Three Big Wins, Lessons Learned, Gratitude, and Notes. For 240 pages, there is a lot of information packed in and QR codes that lead to more resources (like a Live Happier 5-minute test). Finally there is a section on sustainability of habits after the 30 days.

Health and wellness books are only as useful as you chose to make them, so this book may not be for everyone, but I think it has good and sensible advice and recommendations for making sustainable changes in to live a happier and longer life. I'll try some of them soon and update this post with what I learn.

[Ajay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For full disclosure, I read the book in its entirety and completed the online tests, but I have not filled out the logs yet. This book is an excellent guide for long-term lifestyle changes to live longer. The Blue Zones are locations where people live longer, but their lifestyles and practices can be replicated in most any place. Most of the recommendations in the book are fundamental, such as getting sufficient sleep, take downtime, eat less, eat more plant based, exercise daily, have good quality friends and social groups, volunteer, and have spirituality or religion in your life. Foods such as beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts are staples to keep in your home at all times. The "not to dos" are also important, such as minimizing sugar, minimizing meat, minimizing dairy, and minimizing eggs. The process requires patience and consistency. In today's technology world we are inundated by the internet, tv, radio, video games, etc. Technology can be a benefit if we use it to learn and grow, but can also be a major distraction and hindrance on one's lifestyle.

This is a book to keep in your life and to revisit on a regular basis. As a supplement, I would recommend following Dr. Peter Attia's Podcast and MindBodyGreen Podcast. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

[Kristi Kinasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is great in theory but it doesn't seem to follow through on what it's trying to say.
The first problem I had says that people in the blue zones eat eggs but we shouldn't because "they're not good for you." Which, to me, contradicts what the entire book is based on. If people in the blue zones do it, then why should I eliminate it? The same thing happened with dairy products. Blue zone people eat a lot of dairy but for a mysterious reason I should not.
The next problems deal with recipes. One rule is to avoid added sugars but one of the very first recipes has chocolate chips in it. Another contradiction.
In the Adventist (the group of people that does not drink alcohol) soup recipe it calls for wine or bourbon.
All these silly things make it seem like they just invented all their recipes and are just packaging them to look like what these people actually ate. And they're doing it with a vegan bias so strong that they ignore what the reader is trying to learn to force feed them veganism instead.
I got sassy there at the end. It was a fun read and I did learn a lot. Im going to add some of the ideas into my life. But I'm not going to recommend the book. It just doesn't seem trustworthy.

[Carolin M. Hafen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man kann das Rad nicht neu erfinden. Es ist klar, gesunde Ernährung, Bewegung, gesunde Beziehungen führen zu mehr Wohlbefinden und im Besten Fall dann auch zu einem langen Leben. Einen Sinn im eigenen Tun zu finden schadet auch nicht. Das alles wird im Buch beschrieben, relativ oberflächlich. Der Autor beschreibt die Blauen Zonen und die Lebensumstände der Leute bzw. wie sie es schaffen, so alt zu werden. Was dabei ausgelassen wird: Geld. Es wird an keiner Stelle erwähnt wie wohlhabend die Menschen in besagten Regionen sind. Eine alleinerziehende Mutter mit zwei Jobs gärtnert wohl nicht in ihrer Freizeit. Die Ziele sind für die LeserInnen hoch gesteckt. Es gibt einige QR-Codes, die zu Umfragen führen. Hier kann man seinen Ist-Zustand erfassen und schauen wo das eigene Potenzial liegt, sein Leben zu verbessern. Dann gibt es immer wieder Listen und Checkpoints zum reflektieren. An sich eine gute Sache, ich weiß aber nicht wie realistisch es ist, das alles zu schaffen und ob das dann auch erstrebenswert ist… ich nehme gute Anregungen und Tipps mit, aber das Szenario, dass ich die Listen auch noch in einem Jahr gewissenhaft ausfülle, sehe ich nicht.

Das Buch ist mit Listen und Platz für Notizen aufgeplustert. Anfangs fand ich das schöne Layout und diesen Arbeitsbuch-Charakter noch gut. Zum Schluß hin kommen aber nur noch Listen. Da nervt es dann.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I think this book misrepresents many of the cultures it talks about and does not accurately portray the amount of animal products these cultures rely on for diet and traditional meals. It seems like a lot of their research came from depression era meals (and that generation) when rations were popular in many countries during the great wars and animal products were hard to acquire. I appreciate the approach of this book and will try to implement some of the recommended aspects of the challenge (like getting active and being mindful) but I don’t think we should overcomplicate the lives of the 100 year olds. Many people in blue zones and elsewhere have been interviewed for the “secret” of a long life. What do most of them say? Move your body, eat home-cooked (fresh) food, and most importantly BE HAPPY AND LOVE OTHERS. You don’t need to eat two ounces of meat a week to grow old and happy, or cut out eggs and milk. Just make your food with love and enjoy it, preferably with other people, followed by dancing, praying, or a walk 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Mary Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook which is not listed here on Goodreads. The reader drops the endings of his words sometimes.

This is basically common sense which we have all heard before. This book tells you how to shape your environment so you can eat a plant-based diet, have social connections and move naturally. They tell you to take tests which are on their website, but good luck with your user name and password. The only really proven way to extend longevity is calorie deprivation, but I don’t think they tell you that it has also been proven that that reduces gray matter in the brain. That and the hunger wouldn’t be worth it to me. The most interesting part to me was that people in Okinawa don’t have much furniture and always sit on the floor. They can get up off the floor very easily. We should probably do more of that. They also say that drinking red wine is good.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you know what? I really love this book actually. I like learning about other cultures and how they live and what they do every day. I really want to slow down my life and enjoy the small things and work for pleasure. I like the challenges in here. This book is making me become the person that I’ve always wanted to be. I’ve also noticed by eating the way it suggests I don’t feel hungry anymore and I’m very fulfilled with what I do eat. I’ve never ate so many vegetables and beans/hummus in my whole life! Haha. My body looks and feels so much better. I’ve also volunteered more now than I ever have! Maybe this book isn’t for everyone but for me it has really helped me achieve goals and feel better as a whole.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. My college roommate showed me her Blue Zones cookbook when I visited her this fall and I looked for it in our library, but they didn't have it. When I saw this book last week, I was very excited about it, since she had spoken so highly about the cookbook. This book had recipes and a plan to help you live a longer and healthier life. I liked that it was broken down into easy steps and that you had accountability from friends and from recording your food intake. I also liked that it encouraged people to volunteer, move your body more, and try to eat a more plant-based diet. I know that I won't do everything that was suggested, but I will do many of the activities in the challenge.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a little bias because I work pretty closely with the Blue Zones concepts for my professional career, but overall I think this is a great challenge to help kick off your well-being journey, especially if you're someone that needs a bit of structure and guidance. This booklet is interactive with checklists, worksheets, and QR codes to access additional resources online. If you're interested in learning more about the Blue Zones, I highly recommend checking out www.bluezones.com for articles and recipes to assist you on being your best self, or www.bluezonesproject.com to find a Blue Zones Project community near you.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm interested in the ways that our behaviors affect our general longevity. The author of this book undertook to find the places in the world where people tend to live longer, healthier lives. He found five "zones" and he went to each of the zones and interviewed people while taking an in-depth look at their behaviors and food habits. This book reviews this information and then creates a challenge for the reader to follow a month (his activities) to see if they feel better. #1 take away is that while what we eat and don't eat is important; natural activities and a good social interaction (especially having a purpose) is critical to a long healthy life.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the content and simple and executable ideas, don’t love the format and assignments. Eating 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables, a handful of nuts and a cup of beans daily + eliminating sugar and reducing or eliminating animal protein, especially meat, poultry, and dairy makes intuitive sense and flows from the research. All in on that piece. The big wins, lessons learned, gratitude list, and other self-help-y stuff felt like Dan needed to stay in his lane or put in a different book. I do that stuff but it doesn’t really have a place here for me and it felt like exercises that didn’t flow from the focus of the book.

[Jane Dennish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really excited to try out this book. Yes I read the whole book in one day, but that’s not it. The process now begins to implement it and that will take a month. This book has you start out by learning about the healthiest areas of the world based on life expectancy. It looks at food, exercise, friendship, faith and mental health happiness. I’m inspired to make a change and see if I can lose weight and add years to my life!

I will track my progress in the book and you can follow me on my journey on Instagram @americanlitteacher. Thanks to TLC Booktours for a copy of this book!

[Erin Matson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you want to live a long, happy life? Perhaps this self-help workbook is for you.

Dan Buettner’s work deserves appreciation, particularly because he shows how multiple cultures following different practices have nailed the long-life thing. The Blue Zones Challenge shares those nuggets of wisdom and tactical practices, with some repetition, along with trademarked suggestions to engage deeper with Buettner’s brand.

He seems like a nice guy, and I hope he is. You never can tell with self-help.

[Jean Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the Documentary so the book was just that but it was a workbook to do what ppl that live to 100 and older do. Basically eat mostly black beans, vegetables and fruit. Less meat 2-3 ounces 3 or less times a week.

Also, to have stronger human connections through community, volunteering and religion.

To buy a scale and weigh yourself everyday. Exercise, to put your walking/running shoes where you can see them everyday to help you use them.

You’re basically tracking all that for 12 months.