5 Eco-Friendly Places in the World: Good for Your Health

VIVA – It's nice to be able to live in a place that makes the body healthy, a place that can reduce stress levels, and do more of a healthier lifestyle.

As it turns out, there are places that are very eco-friendly and worth living in. It also good for your health. Ready to move?

1. Volcan, Panama’s “Shangri-La Valley”

Expat Patrick Greer, owner of eco lodge Lost and Found, says few places rival Volcán for verdant highland views and low-cost living.

This place has a warm climate. When the weather is warm and sunny, a young person spends more time outside to get some fresh air. Here, people can do various sports such as golf, hiking, or fishing.

The fresh air that this place has is able to make someone make friends faster. Not only that, this place also provides suitable land for growing fruits and vegetables.

2. Centenarians in Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula

The "Blue Zone" has been defined by scientists as the place where the world's longest-living people live. In 2007, researchers spent nine months there to determine why so many people are living well into their 90s and 100s—longer than anywhere else in Costa Rica.

Scientists studying Centenarians in Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula have found several reasons why this place is able to provide health and longevity. The diet of the people in Costa Rica is very successful, because they only consume corn and beans. Nicoya centenarians tend to live as a couple or with children and they support each other.

Another reason is that they don't have dinner. Then, in Nicoya it has a dry climate, because of this dry climate food doesn't spoil quickly, the sun is hotter so people here get more vitamin D. The centenarians here often get visitors and they know how to listen, laugh and appreciate what they have.

The final reason is, the centenarians enjoy physical work throughout their lives and find pleasure in daily work.



Ilustrasi pemandangan apik.

Photo :

• VIVA/Nevin Frisco

Why are the natives of Vilcabamba able to live longer and healthier lives? Maybe because of the pollution-free environment or the air that is very rich in oxygen. It could be the unique combination of minerals in the water or the abundance of negative ions coming from mountains and rushing rivers.

Here, people get access to natural medicines easily, most of which are not available in developed countries, is another possibility.

While all of these factors can contribute to a longer and healthier life, they aren’t the common excuses when they explain why they feel so much better living in Vilcabamba.

A more typical response would be to refer to the exceptional valley weather. The health benefits may not be immediately apparent. But this consistently good weather means your body doesn't have to expend energy to adapt to extreme climates. The windows can be opened for 24 hours, filling your home and lungs with fresh and clean air.

Off the Mediterranean coast of Italy, Sardinia is an island of 1.3 million people. It is often synonymous with the jet-set lifestyle. Because of their incredible number of centenarians, the close-knit villages in the interior have attracted several large research teams.

Most still live with one or more family members. The men were shepherds and continued that lifestyle. They typically walked five miles a day and ate a similar diet: whole grain bread, fava beans, tomatoes, leafy greens, garlic, various fruits, olive oil, and grass-fed lamb pecorino cheese (high in Omega 3). Among the elderly, meat is often kept for weekends and holidays.

Home for 4.4 million people, New Zealand and its amazing landscapes are far from North America. But since our winter is their summer, you might consider retiring here part time. In a pollution-free environment. It much easier to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Those of working age may have the skills New Zealand needs.

Most transplants find their work-life balance changing for the better. There is less stress, and health care is affordable and often free. For both sexes, the median life expectancy is two years higher than in the US. Here, 83 for women and 78 for men. Surveys show that 64% of adults are going for a walk.

Many families own small boats, and fishing and swimming opportunities abound. No matter where you live, nowhere is more than a 90-minute drive from the sea.

Halaman Selanjutnya

The "Blue Zone" has been defined by scientists as the place where the world's longest-living people live. In 2007, researchers spent nine months there to determine why so many people are living well into their 90s and 100s—longer than anywhere else in Costa Rica.