I Want to Move to Icaria

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I have been worried about my longevity of late. I am less than healthy, don't exercise, and love all the food that is bad for me. So here I am watching a show on cable about Icaria(or Ikaria), a tiny Greek island in the Aegean sea just 10 nautical miles southwest of Samos. In Greek mythology, it is said, that Icarus, son of Daedalus fell into the sea nearby and the island is named after him. Sweet, huh? These islanders fast about half of the year and cut 30% of calories out of the normal diet. One in three live well into their 90's with many living over the 100 range. Free of dementia and other chronic diseases that Americans find almost normal it seems that such factors as culture, diet, lifestyle, and outlook explain it all. There are also many natural hot springs strewn about the island which are said to have high concentrations of radioactivity in them. Scientists say this factor may give a boost to the immune system which in turn may help to eliminate such diseases. A Mediterranean diet of olive oil, stout red wine, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and potatoes also lends a helping hand. The islanders drink goat's milk instead of cow's. If they have access to chocolate I am there. They also engineer more mindless activity into their lives by walking and doing their own yard work. Sounds like a rough life to me. (Not hardly.) I just have to get the money together and I am out of here. Image courtesy of Flickr.com