Why people in some areas live longer

If you feel the years are speeding past you, author Dan Buettner has some ideas about how you can try to slow things down.

Years ago, the National Geographic fellow noticed that people seemed to live a lot longer in some places than in others.

For 12 years, he isolated what he called 'blue zones' and delved into why they seemed to promote longevity.

In his book 'The Blue Zones,'he highlights many of the things 'zone' residents do that could be key factors in stretching their life spans.

For example, people who live in Ikaria, Greece, are three times more likely than Americans to live to see 90 years old.

In his research, Buettner discovered that napping is popular on the island. Further studies encompassing all Greeks confirmed that those who took naps for at least 30 minutes a day were over 35 percent less likely to die from heart disease.

For those in Okinawa, Japan, the key seems to be in the positive relationships they maintain. In Sardinia, walking seemed to be the magic bullet.

Other tips include moderate drinking, cutting down on meat consumption and 'having a purpose each and every day.'