TODAY

Living an active life to age 100 and beyond isn’t a secret, it’s a way of life for people in five specific places around the world that have been dubbed the “blue zones.”

In these communities, there’s a combination of traditional whole foods and close-knit community that contributes to successful aging and what appears to be lower incidences of serious illness, according to author Dan Buettner.

Can following the traditions of places like Okinawa and Costa Rica translate to longer life for people in the U.S.? A group of people in Naples, Florida, set out to test the theory for 10 weeks. See what they found, the simple powerhouse ingredients in all the diets and how friendship helps below.

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It’s easy to gain weight around the middle, especially as our activity levels or hormones change. Belly fat is worse than other fat, like the kind around your hips and thighs, because it can trigger inflammation and change your hormone balance, which can then contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

Though it can be stubborn, you can start shedding belly fat without feeling like you’re starving. In fact, you can eat more of certain foods that are rich in the right kinds of nutrients like vitamin D, probiotics, prebiotics and calcium to help. Read more about how adding these specific foods can help you trim your waist.

Even when we know people’s names, why do we go for days without using them? By using someone’s name, you help them feel seen and acknowledged — and that’s an act of kindness. According to kindness.org’s research in collaboration with the University of Oxford, doing a kind act increases happiness, well-being, trust and compassion. And it can have the same powerful effect on those who receive the act. Try it, and put a smile on both your faces.