I’ve dedicated much of my career to studying the factors that help people live longer, healthier lives—I’m a medical doctor specializing in longevity science, an advisor for RoseBar Longevity Clinic in Spain, and a registered yoga teacher focused on how movement can be medicine. While researching my next book on longevity, I became fascinated by Sardinia, an island off the coast of mainland Italy, is home to one of the world’s Blue Zones, renowned for its high concentration of centenarians and remarkable life expectancy. I felt compelled to visit and see what longevity secrets Sardinia holds.
Longevity in Sardinia thrives in a few remote mountain villages. In these towns, locals live without many modern conveniences—no elevators, no take-out. Instead, frequent uphill walks and time-honored traditions make longevity a way of life set to the rhythm of their daily routines.
After a weeklong stay in Baunei, a quintessential example of a village in the Sardinian Blue Zone, my perspective on longevity—and what’s important for living a long life—shifted. Here’s what I learned, and what I hope to take with me into my daily practice.