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The World’s Healthiest Places to Live (Last part)

Vilcabamba, Ecuador: The Valley of Longevity

Why can natives of Vilcabamba’s “Valley of Longevity” live longer, healthier lives? Maybe it’s the pollution-free environment or the highly oxygenated air. It could be the unique combination of minerals in the water or the abundance of negative ions emanating from the mountains and fast flowing rivers. Easy access to natural medicines, largely unavailable in developed countries, is another possibility.

While all these factors can contribute to a longer, healthier life, they aren’t the typical reasons expat residents give when they explain why they feel so much better living in Vilcabamba. A more typical response will reference the valley’s magnificent weather.

The health benefits may not be immediately obvious. But this consistently good weather means your body doesn’t have to expend energy adapting to climatic extremes. Windows can be open 24/7, filling your house and your lungs with crisp, clean air.

Vilcabamba’s idyllic year-round weather means anytime-access to fresh, tasty and inexpensive fruits and vegetables. And it’s easy to get up and go when the weather outside is so good. How can your doctor and your body not like that?

But it’s not just Vilcabamba’s atmosphere that helps make the area a healthy place to live; there’s also Vilcabamba’s “attitude.” Stress, the stealthy destroyer of a person’s physical and mental well being, is no match for the valley’s ambience. Residents laid-back approach, combined with Vilcabamba’s spectacular scenery, can make anyone’s disposition as wonderful as the weather.

Look and Feel Young Overseas

If you dream of moving to one of the overseas destinations that we write about, you probably look forward to a low-stress, affordable lifestyle. It’s likely to be a healthier lifestyle, too. Here are some reasons why.

Warm climate: Most of us dream of retiring someplace warm. Snow and cold are things we gladly leave behind with our old 9-to-5 lives. And when the weather is warm and sunny, it’s easy to spend more time outside in the fresh air. Before you know it, you may ease into an active lifestyle with lots of exercise…which health experts agree is key to keeping us looking and feeling young.

Some expats actually choose an overseas destination because they can practice a favorite sport there, such as golf, hiking or fishing. Others take up a new activity once they move. If you’re near the sea, for instance, swimming or strolling the beach may become part of your new routine. If you live in a city, you may soon be walking to shops and markets, or just exploring your new home town on foot. When adventure or fresh discoveries lie around every corner, long walks don’t feel like exercise.

Social life: Fresh air and sunshine can also help you make friends. (Health experts say that social networking helps us live longer, too.) Ever stayed home from a social event because you couldn’t face a cold, wet night out? In your new warm-weather home, you’re more likely to ask, “Where’s the party?” and enjoy the evening stroll there and back.

Healthy eats: With a warm climate comes a long growing season for fruits and vegetables. Expats often praise the quality and freshness of the produce they can buy locally. You can choose to eat junk food if you want. But fresh, exotic produce can tempt you to eat more healthily. If you do, your health—not to mention your taste buds—will thank you.

Of course, in warm weather it’s also tempting to lie by the pool and just do nothing. That’s okay, too—it lowers all that unhealthy stress.

Source: Internationalliving.com
Date of publication: 5th of August 2010
Remark: LEX posted only an abridged version of the article. For detailed information on this topic visit the mentioned source website

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