Hello Madisun….hope you enjoyed Sardegna…I now live here in Ogliastra, home of the Culurgione( potato ravioli) ! I go get water from the mountain springs her near by and my kids say it’s the best water ever. If you and family ever come back it would be a pleasure to show you some of the area and it’s benefits to long life.
I used to stress out over all the things, too. It took living in South Korea where the air quality was just horrible and I couldn’t do anything about it to realize there is just some stuff I can’t control. I had to let go. I don’t even stress about organic foods as much anymore. Not to say these things are not good…but I do believe the USDA organic label has become a sham and I just don’t trust it anymore. Growing your own food is a great option if you are blessed with the property to do so, but for those of us who can’t, just realizing how blessed we are not to be hungry puts a lot in perspective. Stress is a killer, too, so enjoying the life we are given is important!
I have been a nurse since 1999. I've worked in several nursing homes over the years. I worked in the nicest home in a very large city. The residents were very wealthy. We had so many patients in their nineties and several over 100 years old. I also worked in a nursing home in the same city with a lot of poor residents. They were much, much younger and died much younger. Being poor is incredibly stressful in the US. I think the wealthy folks were just happier throughout their lives and had less stress. They could afford vacations, healthier food, dental care and preventative medical care. They had the time and bandwidth to take walks and enjoy music, family and friends. The propaganda in the US tells us if we work hard and use our money wisely we'll prosper and if you don't you should try harder. The wealthy feel they deserve it. I believe the shame, fear and insecurities poor people feel shortens their lives as well.
True. I listen to Mimd Pump. They tell us to take walks. Walks in my neighborhood…it is Southwest Chicago. Just yesterday there was a shooting. We have great families that are just trying to rise their kids. They work hard. It’s just the gangs that ruin things here…
So true, even middle income families specially in this days, healthy food (vegetables etc) are getting so expensive. Healthcare is expensive, that most of us don't go for check ups and just try to live with our pains or sickness. Everything is so expensive.
" They could afford...healthier food..." That one I don't buy. So many people talk about how costly it is to eat healthy, it isn't. The people that say that are either parroting it or they are making poor choices in the items they select (wrong stores that are very high in cost, or picking organic everything or prepackaged vegan junk). I, literally, eat at least 4 pounds of whole plant foods per day and let me tell you, it is not expensive. Nutrient and calorie dense staples is what people need to focus on, but they don't. simple examples: Shopping at Albertson's when Walmart or Winco is right across the street or Grocery Outlet is down the road will immediately have you spending 25% to 50% more depending on the item. I cannot figure out why anyone shops at the Albertson's right across the street from Walmart where I moved from, but they do. Even my nephew who is young and really just starting out in adulthood shops there and some more costly places (similar to Whole Foods but local company). Like why? There is nothing that store offers that isn't at Walmart. Then you have people buying fresh fruit by the pint, like organic blueberries that might cost you up to $8.99 per pint (10 to 12 ounces). Get wild blueberries from Walmart for $8.89 for a 2.5lb bag....or you can stick to the price gouging non-frozen and chance some gnarly or rotten berries buried on the inside. Kale, broccoli, and other greens - frozen are about $1.50 per pound, and all the bit are edible. Fresh is $2 per pound and up and you still have to trim them down so actually much more costly. Mangos cost $2 per each at many stores for the small honey mangos and those yield about 3 ounces of edible fruit, or $8 per pound. Get a frozen bag of mango for $2.82 per pound instead. Frozen is as good as fresh and the store isn't taking the chance on throwing produce out. Also, "fresh" is picked way before being ripe so by the time they get to the store they hope that they are ripe, but often they are artificially made to look ripe via ethylene gas chambers. Calorie dense staples - rice, oats, dry beans, etc. can be had for $1.00 per pound or less. A one pound $1.00 bag of dry pinto beans is 1,300 calories. $1.00 of oats is 1,150 calories. And $1.00 of rice is just over 2,000 calories. Even very low income earners or SNAP users can build healthy meals for very cheap using high calorie dense staples with highly nutrient toppers. If one is concerned about missing out on some nutrient then take a $0.045 multivitamin (split in half is still almost certainly enough if you are eating nutritious foods) to bridge any gap. "The propaganda in the US tells us if we..." Strange since you then are also spreading propaganda, like eating healthy is expensive as well as you claiming to know how the wealthy think and assuming that their lives aren't filled with stress. Many of the wealthy are that way from working 50% to double the amount of hours that others work throughout much of their careers. As far as preventative care, you get free annual physicals from your health insurance every year so everyone gets that. Plus the majority of the population is getting a subsidized health insurance either through ACA or their employer picking up some, half, or most of the bill. " They had the time and bandwidth to take walks and enjoy music, family and friends" Strange. All the people that I know that were stuck in lower income jobs all their lives did one of several things - they didn't work harder than the people they worked with but just enough to keep the job that they also complained about all the time. And they also didn't acquire new skills in order to move up or move out into a better position. I saw this where I worked as well. We had people that were stuck in the same manufacturing plant for my whole two decades there while others came in and moved up in the company within a year to three years, including into other departments. The difference - the ones that seemed to get nowhere - almost always the first ones to leave and, even though they complained about money, when asked for a few hours of overtime to get caught up they were the first to complain about it. The ones that grew up with the company or out of the company to bigger things were the first to say, "What do you need me to do?" and not complain. Mindset and behavior keeps people poor more than anything else in their life. Along with that mindset is the stress that they create for themselves and give power to. Even in the video she tells you that the people in Sardinia that live the longest are the ones that are considered in poor areas. But ok, excuses.
me too! I feel like I cried so much while I was there and just couldn't even tell why ... and looking back I feel like it was that statement just really sinking in.
What a beautiful and enlightening video ❤ It has taken me 50 years to realize this is how we were meant to live. I grew up living very simply as a kid and teen out in the sticks of Mississippi. We had our own 2 acre garden and cows. We ate mostly our own food. I didn’t realize how good I had it then, but I do now. Trying to get back to basics.
Huge takeaway for me here in the video was when you said you (we) have to make a conscious decision daily to live simply or be in the moment. I think one of the biggest struggles presented to us living the way we do in so much wealth, access and ability and the constant battle going on in our mind. “Am I enough? Have I done enough? Am I giving enough to my kids? Have I poured enough into my marriage?” These people don’t strive because they understand what having “enough” means. We continue to strive because we are unable to satisfy an untrue desire of what actually matters.
I think part of our equation is the push of social media. Especially during our adult years that drift more heavily into comparison. I got off Facebook 9 years ago when my husband had a health crisis. I simply did not have time and people were less than helpful. I really haven’t missed it. I do feel happier, prettier, and I think healthier without it. I made a point to call people and have lunch not just send a message. I wanted to connect with people who mattered to my heart. So I have. It changed everything as much as changing diet has. Possibly even more.
Dear Madison, watching your lifestyle in Sardinia, the island I was born and I lived in for almost 30 years is a blessing. Thank you so much for showing me, as a Sardinian, how beautiful my island is, in the eyes and hearts of those who visit and live there as foreigners. I teach Italian to the Germans and German to the foreigners living in Germany. Teaching Italian gives me a special feeling of privilege, cause I feel the love of foreigners for my country and island. Thanks for your positive experiences about my country Greetings from Germany
I grew up in a very poor neighborhood, yet I am constantly thinking about how rich that experience actually was and am always trying to put into words the feeling of that environment. Your channel and especially all of your videos within the past year or so, remind me so much of that feeling. There was absolutely no rush to get anywhere. Our home was disgustingly filthy 😅 (my dad & Grandpa's home), we barely had any toys, i slept on a cheap cot instead of a bed, we rarely had home cooked meals.. yet it was so calm and peaceful and some of the best memories that I have. Our favorite past times were fishing and sitting on our porch steps just talking and laughing with each other and anyone that walked by. It was the best. Thank you for your videos, really enjoying your content ❤
Hi Madi! This is one of your most beautiful videos yet. Thank you for this gift to us all. I have been plant based for 16 years. What started as something for health reasons (pre-cancer, IBS, acne, high cholesterol all healed) ended up turning into me not wanting to hurt animals and then morphed into confusion with all the differebt dietary advice on the internet. It's coming at us from every direction! It's like health information and nutrition science went from helpful knowledge to obsession to a false idol. Enough is enough. Guess what i just did? I just unsubscribed from everything diet and health related on youtube. Ah, that feels so good! I think there is a way we can still live healthfully without putting so much thought and pressure on ourselves. Just be.
ooooo that sounds so much like me- I'm sure at some point I'll make more videos about this because I so agree! so agree. wish I had an answer but - I think you're so right and here's to you relaxing, enjoying and trusting yourself!
I’ve got to say that my family and I have been taking our dogs on daily walks through the paddock and next to the dry creek bed for a couple of weeks now, and it’s significantly improved our quality of life. It’s the getting out into nature with the sky and plants, the endorphins from exercise and watching the funny antics of the dogs and kids playing, it’s the quality time I spend with my husband holding his hand and chatting. Highly recommend it ❤
Literally started crying (actual tears rolling down my face) when I saw the man dancing… & then the whole group of people 🥲 Well done, once again Madisun 🌞❤️
I'm 41 and you are making me realize that life can be different than my parents, friends that think a full rushed life is the only way. I can not wait to see how you incorporate this lifestyle into your home lifestyle. (And totally going to follow suit) ❤❤❤
Oof, the obsession with health becoming unhealthy is real. I struggle with it too, and I have to remember to step back, trust God, and marvel at how amazing out bodies are at doing their thing and keeping me feeling good.
Real life goals! I feel I ve labeled myself “vegan” and I am 95% plant based I “let myself go” on my last vacation. It felt good to be not so constrained. Thank you for all your content. As a mom of adults we all strive for a minimal lifestyle. 😘
When I graduated from college in my early twenties, I decided to take a job in the Middle East after working at a small hospital in WA.. Everyone I knew called me crazy to leave the US and go on the adventure, but it was the best thing I ever did. I got to see the world and experience so many cultures including Crete, which is where my family was from. Your experiences were very similar to mine. They permanently changed my definition of happiness and my definition of what is enough for me to feel happy. When I had to get rid of everything I owned in order to travel, it made me realize that stuff was just something that was replaceable if it was really needed. The simpleness of a happy life is truly the element of keeping it simple. Thanks for your videos. Even as I aim toward retirement in my early 70's, I realize that the reason I am totally healthy is because the simpleness in my life won out over material posessions! Your children are lucky to have you and your husband as role models who were not afraid to grasp life and take adventures that others would never do out of fear.💌
So beautiful! At 63 I have lived with moderation. Yes I have sugar. Yes I eat bread! And I enjoy it all! I fortunately grew up poor and didn't have money for pop, fast food or all the latest goodies. Thank goodness! I am now blessed with great health!
Yep, Sardinia is absolutely the place to be, and I can't be grateful enough for being born and raised in this incredible island, and for Culurgionis of course, one of the best traditional food in Sardinia 😁 I'm glad you appreciate our culture and you have beautiful memories of this place.
This resonates so much with me rn! It’s an active decision to live life a little slower and at least for me, ignore the fast pace of the world around me and not feel rushed. Enjoy what God has given us, feel his peace and take in his beauty. His timing is everything, not mine ❤
Omg. Thank you. Our lifestyle is the key to it all. Food plays a key role in that but it’s not the main reason these people are living longer and healthier. Being in nature, having less stress, enjoying a healthy social life, giving focus to the things that truly matter. The food is just a byproduct of the life they live. I have been obsessed with being healthy for most of my adult life. I come from a very a unhealthy family…one where lifestyle and food choices are horrible. I became obsessed with be skinny because everyone else was overweight so my journey to health started in vanity, which led to an eating disorder in high school and a lifelong struggle with my body and mind. I’m 38 and still struggle with knowing what’s healthy. I feel better in those brief moments when I don’t focus on everything I eat, trying to be healthier and making sure my family is getting the nutrients they need at all moments of my waking hour. It’s stressful and overwhelming and literally exhausting. I’m sure the people of the blue zones don’t know what this exhaustion is. They just live their lives and eat food.
Could you make friends with an older woman who lives healthy so you can learn from her? You’ve never seen where normal on this topic lives from your description. I came from an untidy home. So that’s how I learned. I found someone who was really good at it and asked questions after watching the differences between how we did things. Plus FlyLady. Maybe there is a famous food person you gravitate toward and someone near you. I hope so.
I am so appreciative of you Maddie. You’re helping me to be the best version of me, to embrace the present moment & to be happy with my lot…not comparing myself to anyone else’s standards. I’m becoming more accepting of myself…not having to fit inside other people’s boxes. I’m also trying to find more comfortable clothing!….inspired by your ‘comfy clothing’ look. I loved your comments….’try to chill more, trust God’s timing.’ Thank you xx
Placebo effect is real.. the mind and gut connection... stress... life is fascinating!!! Thank you for this discussion. The present moment is the only moment we have! Cheers
You are speaking to my soul. I recently have relaxed on my ”healthy” food idea bc it was stressing me more than helping me. And instead focusing on being outside in the sun, slowing down etc.
Every time you make a video, I feel so light and strive to SLOW DOWN more in my life. Thanks for being such a breath of fresh air in this culture of hustle & convenience. 💛
Your content is magnificent! The way you speak and the information you share is always intriguing. It’s hard to get enough of the topic of slow living and minimalism! I’m looking further I think a huge key for the issues we have as Americans is the stereotypes and the classifications. Basing worth upon money and material possessions instead of focusing on people ( the whole person) and real connections. I would love to see more from you on the blue zones. Also have you seen Margaret Matheny? I think the two of you would make a great utube collaboration.
oh my gosh thank you so much! I am fascinated by it all as well so I'm glad that comes through. so funny you should mention Margaret, we just recennntly connected and I love her!
My grandfather has lived like this for all his life and he lives in WV. He grew his own food and had his own cows. He was incredibly active and still is for 92. He broke his back at 90 and one year later was going again. His son has made him a pull up bar to get out of bed. He refuses to take pain meds or any medication, he never uses supplements at all. He is the healthiest 92 year old I have ever seen.
I'll be in Sardinia in a few months. Can't wait to get there, have thoughts that I may never come back to US. In the US, we are destroying all the good things life should be about.
I am from Greece and have been living in the US (Tampa, FL) for the last 10 years. You are absolutely right to worry about the tap water in parts of the US since somehow they have managed to polute every single source of water in the country, but both Italy and Greece have extremely clean tap water. Another difference is that food in the US has been industrialized, whereas in a lot of the EU countries you can still get actually organically grown food (not US designated organic, which would still be considered industrialized food in the EU). United States has all the ingredients to become a wonderful place to live, but there is a mentality shift that needs to happen first. Excellent video and your insights are beautiful! I wish people would start understanding those simple life principles here in the US. Wish you the best for you and your beautiful family!
I’m crying watching this video. I miss Italy (my second home) so much. Due to health issues over the last 3 years I was unable to travel. And it makes me realize what I miss in general; the slow and intentional way of living and enjoying live. Thank you for making to beautiful video❤
The wording of "idolizing diets" really spoke to me. I do this. And I need to not do this. Sometimes it takes someone simply pointing out what you're doing in a new way that makes you realize how unhealthy it is. I also loved the idea of getting back to basics with food and meals. I'm always trying to plan a perfectly balanced meal that achieves one thing or another, and it makes meal planning so frustrating and overwhelming and it takes FOREVER. I recently traveled to Italy and our meals were so simple and "unbalanced" in terms of American standards, but they were so satisfying and made me feel... good. It was a real eye-opener.
Grateful for this; perfect timing. I’ve been working on a project, that’s filled with many tiny projects, for a couple months now. Feeling overwhelmed not knowing where to begin today, I took a break to watch your beautiful video. For the rest of this day I will be easier with myself, eat lots of summer fruits and relax. Thanks again for the reminder to enjoy life.
Reading through the comments here and seeing the emotion this has brought out in people speaks volumes doesn't it?! Whether we know it or not we ALL are starving for this in our lives. The lack of competition and pressure and actually living the days fully is a huge part of it. And it all comes so easily in these blue zones whereas in North America you really have to be intentional and work at it to live the way we were meant to live. 😥
❤❤❤thank you for the video.I miss my island very much and will soon be there. Once your feet touch the ground of the island time comes to a stop, is a slow living. I grow up sitting around with the elderly and enjoying their company , they had a lot of peace and abundance in them selves, it’s a healthy living for sure. Much love to you all ❤❤❤
Love this approach to life!! Your videos are amazing!! So calming and empowering!!! Thanks for your amazing job helping minimal people like us feel that we’re in right path!! Life is more simple than society makes us believe and all the joy is all around us buried in material things. Yes to simple living!! ❤
I think your statement "moved by a group of people not living that way and being so happy with what they have" is clutch. It's way to stressful for me to do ALL the things as a mom. Like you said, worrying about filtered water and 5G were concerns of mine...but it's really laughable. There is just so much I can control and I've just gotta live girl. Beautiful video!
Thanks for your honest heartfelt thoughts and lessons here. So much of it resonates in my soul. It’s not moving to Italy that’s key, it’s learning to adopt those same practices here which are very counter cultural. A worthy pursuit ❤
I grew up half in the mountains with a culture very similar to your description of Sardinia. I remember my great-great grandmother. The other half of my childhood was in the Metroplex of DFW. Two completely different cultures. When we moved back to the mountains I was able to learn the art of taking what you need and leaving the rest. I’m so happy that is what you brought home from Italy. More of us are choosing simple. We choose life over stuff. We are creating community.
I saw the top comment and have to add that I also have to watch your videos twice cause I'm always crying the first go round. These principles really touch my heart. Thank you for all you share with us
An other beautiful, peaceful, empowering video, thank you so much! I'm so conflicted about the vitamins. Being French and growing up with no vitamins and being healthy and now I'm living in America and there is an obsession of vitamins I'm not sure it actually works, but no one can answer me. So I'm conflicted about it. And Yes to the simple, slow lifestyle.💖💖
honestly me too! I don't have the solution haha sorry! "the obsession with vitamins" though hahahah I actually laughted out loud! it's so true especially since hanging out with people in a blue zone who don't even understand what a supplement is lol. Not discounting that their soil and water and all that stuff is just richer. i dont know.
@@MadisunGray I love that you met people who don't understand what a vitamin is, that is pretty amazing. yes the soil and water is more healthy in Europe, than here. All the GMO and chemical here. Even the wheat is different. Now I do one day with vitamins and one day without to experiment..lol
I have so many similarities to you Madisun, yet I am about 13 years ahead of you! These years with young children are to be savored and it looks like you are experiencing the beauty of mothering in a way that few people choose to do so. You and your family will be blessed because of your intentionality. I began simple living with my kiddos back in 2007 and I have always homeschooled them. It is getting more difficult to have a "simple" lifestyle with an extroverted oldest child (16) who just got her license and is excited to experience everything she can. Her younger siblings (13 & 11) are wanting to experience "more" also. It is exhausting to me. Do any of you who have parented teens have any advice, books, you tube channels, blogs, podcasts, where I can go for some inspiration for simple living with busy teens?!
I have read a few books about blue zones too! They are so interesting! It is interesting how you said you were obsessed with health which is not healthy. I think also, in those zones, they eat more fresh foods while we live in a more processed food nation with high sugars. Anyway, I loved the scenery and your video. Keep spending time outside with your family and loving one another. That definitely will bring long life :)
Welllll donneeeeee. Love this. Toxic positivity and toxic mental health/wellness are topics that need to be talked about. Thanks for another great video!
madi🌻 interesting takeaway about how we've been marketed the diet takeaway of health and longevity (speaking of which it has been noted that all of the blue zones have in common not only what they do eat but notably what they do not eat very much = meat) I wish to pose a thought here!.... okay so you go to a great place like Sardinia and wonderful things are everywhere... the wonderful countryside the beautiful scenery the weather the people the food the simplicity -I guess a big part of it is that we are on vacation visiting a place and that alone makes it quite lovely- but what I'm getting at here is the idea that just because you travel or move to a place doesn't mean that you get to attain all that-like people say I'm going to move to Ecuador because the pace of life is slower and more gracious for instance - but when we go someplace we bring our baggage with us...soooo if you show us a video from Sardinia and share all your great Madi brilliance!! with us. .. then we need to incorporate those into our lives right where we already are... I mean I'm just throwing this out there but we can't just travel and go someplace to find happiness n'est-ce pas
Hallo Maddie, I love your videos! Thank you so so much! We’ve never been meant to live forever, so I regard aging well and healthy as a privilege, not a given! I really appreciate your videos and the message. Kindest regards, From South Africa
I love this and need a daily reminder that it is ok to slow down or I get swept back into consumerism and being ‘busy’. I’d love to see more footage of Italy ❤️
Not sure why I'm a bit late to this video, but it was certainly worth watching. I have a ton of respect for Italians in general for being so strict on tradition, food and family. A lot of the best quality products I buy are from there, some of the best food I make has Italian origins, even down to the coffee I drink. (and ofcourse they have the very best in Italy itself ;) ) Thanks Madisun for showing us this beautiful island and giving us a small peak of what it's like being there. This surely brightened up my gray, rainy day here
This makes me want to cry. Me, my husband and our young kids are so stressed out by life all of the time. My kids are burned out from school, have been for weeks now and we still have over a month to go. I'm unable to homeschool them due to health issues. I wish I knew how to make things better. I long for peace.
I can relate sooo much to this! Especially the part about the obsession with being healthy becoming unhealthy! I love all your videos so much especially the ones that remind me that self care is within our lives, like when you’ve said self care can be toddlers and windows open. I’m in a similar season to you where I’m unlearning all of the attachments I had to health including so many things like massage therapy and food and water and supplements etc. it actually got to a breaking point for me where I felt like I just wasn’t living my best life anymore from being so focused on being healthy and rested. I went from being type A to setting up to much space and boundaries for rest that it was almost like I was waiting to feel good all the time to live my life and it actually isolated me. I’m happy to say I’m letting shit go and feeling like I’m living and finding real joy again. I still don’t know exactly what that will look like but I’m trusting that I’m on the right path in this moment. Sending you all the love. Thank you.
Yes I totally agree it can’t all be about food if people eat so differently, well beyond the fact that people in all these zones tend to eat a wide variety of foods that are organically grown and unprocessed for the most part. I found that a chronic and debilitating digestive disease I suffered from for a long time improved dramatically with going on a very strict diet (in ways medicine didn’t have any impact) but some symptoms of imbalance remained despite the improvements…until I realised profoundly one day when I was walking out of a mediation session that there was a link with my physical health and psychology- more specifically that a traumatic incident as a toddler had caused the physical imbalance. I sought help for the psychological aspects of the trauma and while all broke loose for a while, and major lifestyle changes made subsequent to all the hell breaking loose also caused stress and an initial worsening of my symptoms, I eventually came to a place of peace and acceptance and all my physical symptoms of imbalance disappeared. Now I can eat whatever I want and my life is drastically different to how it was. At least in my experience it’s not that diet has no importance but that what I feed my mind and body in thought form and emotionally has far greater impact. When I’m in balance emotionally so too am I physically. I naturally want to eat what is good for my body. I listen to my intuition about what I feed it. And I also listen to my intuition about what feels good emotionally and place huge importance on that. By the way, you look amazing. ❤
Hi Madison, my first time viewing your travels to Italy, the birth place of my mother! Would it be possible to share things that are also important for fellow travelers such as where you stayed (accommodation) where did you book and catch that airliner to Sardinia for example. While it is fantastic sharing your beautiful trip with us, do not forget we are also very interested in the smaller details so that we can also visit those magic spots.....Ciao.....Leon Knysna South Africa
I was definitely one of those people who became so concerned about diet when my mum had cancer. I took it to a place that caused me stress and made it the most important thing until I woke up. I still place it highly but not before the emotional self. Great video xx❤
"Trust God's timing"... it brought tears to my eyes. Many times I am eager to reach my dreams in the way "I" want but there are moments in my life that I realise that all the things that happen to me is actually what I asked for though in different way and different time. Nice video! Ikaria in Greece is one of those blue zones too.
Loved the video ❤ thank you. You reminded me of Jennifer at Daily connoisseur who just accepted that she will never give up sugar because she loves a sweet treat with her afternoon tea! But it’s a moderate habit she is not bingeing or anything like that. I also believe that moderation is healthy when it comes to exercise… can’t be good to push and punish your body until it’s painful and your heart feels like exploding in the name of exercise. Gentle to moderate exercise incorporated into the natural rhythm of life seems better for a longer life…
We traveled to Italy in 2005. It changed our lives. And I also learned a great deal about the Blue Zones. It's not just the food, tho that is important. Their food is local, fully ripe (not gassed or driven and/or flown thousands of miles). They eat seasonally. And it is about living life simply and in the present moment.
As I understand it, there is a big difference with tap water in the US and tap water in Europe. That’s why there are so many videos on TikTok right now about bottled water not being free in Europe, because we have so good tap water and drink that instead of wasting plastic on bottles.
this video and your other videos are so thoughtfully done - from the typeface to the wonderful shots, to how you emphasize colors and narrate. Y'all are doing something wonderful and unique on TH-cam!
I heard about the blue zones when I found yeshua... plus the SDA church we went to were mostly vegetarian, vegan and were supporting the blue zones, now? I don't understand whats happening because the health message doesnt seem important no more.. im so glad you found this place to visit..
Wow! This video is everything. Thankyou Madi for constantly pouring your heart into your content, and sharing such important topics about REAL life with us. This video made me so emotional!! I wait every week for your videos and they are always everything I need and more 💛 God Bless
I'm Italian but not from Sardinia specifically. My maternal grandfather's birthplace, a tiny town on the Appennines in the Latium region, has to be a micro Blue Zone, because the number of people who used to reach 100 up until some 30 years ago was stunning. My grandpa himself died at 96. In 2001, he was hit by a devastating brain hemorrhage, which deprived him of his memories and, eventually, of his own Self. But doctors were puzzled by how quickly he had 'recovered' from a cerebral event that has a fatality rate of nearly 100%. They were sure he would die in a month or so, instead he resisted for NINE YEARS. His mother died at 99 years and 10 months, his father at 89 (and people wondered how he could have passed 'so early, considering he was in good health'), and his twin sisters reached at least 98. Such longevity used to be so common there, that any death before the age of 75 was considered as 'premature'. The most incredible part of all this is that they used to remain lucid and active practically until the day they died. No wheelchairs, no medicines, no nothing. Lots of physical work and time spent in the open air, fresh spring water, a healthy diet dictated by poverty rather than any conscious choice, and BOY OH BOY, no cars, no TV, plus a lifestyle regulated by the natural alternation of the Four Seasons. My grandpa used to say, 'Remember to eat well but not a lot, drink clean water, breathe fresh air, walk alone in the woods any time you can, and especially don't waste your time by always being in a hurry'. I was too young to understand how can we waste our own time by being constantly in a hurry, which is what we do to avoid wasting time. He was right: everything has its own time-omnia tempus habent, said the Romans-and by being obsessed with the illusion of saving time, we actually forget to live. In the past 30 years, modernity has set foot there, too, and slowly but steadily, life expectancy has declined: they are still very longevous, some 85 years on average, but people over 100 are now rare. It does not take a genius to guess why.
This video resonates with me 100%! Biggest fear, having to drink tap water. Feeling like I have to break the bank each month for all the expensive supplements. I’m unhealthily worried about health all the time and the stress is taking a joyful mama away from my family 😔 Please continue making videos like this 🥰
This is so sweet 🤍 I admit it can be so tempting and is to me to strive for that perfect level of health and obsess over it! Our western culture has also created that! It’s refreshing to see someone else feel that, and want to let go of that, I needed that encouragement so thank you 🌷 I’m one of those people who doesn’t make all these goals and just wants to live a more simple, chill life! Like just living everyday as it comes. It’s crazy that people look at me as a homemaker as maybe lazy because I’m not doing 295929 things a day. Simply being around for my family and getting a load of laundry done is enough for me! For me, I want to stop the amazon shopping and clothes shopping! Oh and supplement obsession lol. We don’t need more tiny little things. It’s exhausting being inundated with the influencers and influences daily of STUFF. 🙏🏻
Wow this was such a nice video full of wisdom. I relate to this so much and it's nice to hear a different perspective. I tend to become so hyper focussed on health in a perfectionistic was. This was just what I needed.
What can you apply from the Blue Zones to your life?
To be present and thankful for each day ! Not focusing on tomorrow or “ the hustle “ !
Slow living, Whole Foods, and daily activities.
Hello Madisun….hope you enjoyed Sardegna…I now live here in Ogliastra, home of the Culurgione( potato ravioli) ! I go get water from the mountain springs her near by and my kids say it’s the best water ever. If you and family ever come back it would be a pleasure to show you some of the area and it’s benefits to long life.
I used to stress out over all the things, too. It took living in South Korea where the air quality was just horrible and I couldn’t do anything about it to realize there is just some stuff I can’t control. I had to let go. I don’t even stress about organic foods as much anymore. Not to say these things are not good…but I do believe the USDA organic label has become a sham and I just don’t trust it anymore. Growing your own food is a great option if you are blessed with the property to do so, but for those of us who can’t, just realizing how blessed we are not to be hungry puts a lot in perspective. Stress is a killer, too, so enjoying the life we are given is important!
@@litame3814 100%. The "hustle" is the biggest load of BS we've been sold as a generation.
I have been a nurse since 1999. I've worked in several nursing homes over the years. I worked in the nicest home in a very large city. The residents were very wealthy. We had so many patients in their nineties and several over 100 years old. I also worked in a nursing home in the same city with a lot of poor residents. They were much, much younger and died much younger. Being poor is incredibly stressful in the US. I think the wealthy folks were just happier throughout their lives and had less stress. They could afford vacations, healthier food, dental care and preventative medical care. They had the time and bandwidth to take walks and enjoy music, family and friends. The propaganda in the US tells us if we work hard and use our money wisely we'll prosper and if you don't you should try harder. The wealthy feel they deserve it. I believe the shame, fear and insecurities poor people feel shortens their lives as well.
So true and thank you for pointing this out. To strive to live simply is such an unrecognized privilege
True. I listen to Mimd Pump. They tell us to take walks. Walks in my neighborhood…it is Southwest Chicago. Just yesterday there was a shooting. We have great families that are just trying to rise their kids. They work hard. It’s just the gangs that ruin things here…
So true, even middle income families specially in this days, healthy food (vegetables etc) are getting so expensive. Healthcare is expensive, that most of us don't go for check ups and just try to live with our pains or sickness. Everything is so expensive.
" They could afford...healthier food..."
That one I don't buy. So many people talk about how costly it is to eat healthy, it isn't. The people that say that are either parroting it or they are making poor choices in the items they select (wrong stores that are very high in cost, or picking organic everything or prepackaged vegan junk).
I, literally, eat at least 4 pounds of whole plant foods per day and let me tell you, it is not expensive. Nutrient and calorie dense staples is what people need to focus on, but they don't.
simple examples: Shopping at Albertson's when Walmart or Winco is right across the street or Grocery Outlet is down the road will immediately have you spending 25% to 50% more depending on the item. I cannot figure out why anyone shops at the Albertson's right across the street from Walmart where I moved from, but they do. Even my nephew who is young and really just starting out in adulthood shops there and some more costly places (similar to Whole Foods but local company). Like why? There is nothing that store offers that isn't at Walmart.
Then you have people buying fresh fruit by the pint, like organic blueberries that might cost you up to $8.99 per pint (10 to 12 ounces). Get wild blueberries from Walmart for $8.89 for a 2.5lb bag....or you can stick to the price gouging non-frozen and chance some gnarly or rotten berries buried on the inside. Kale, broccoli, and other greens - frozen are about $1.50 per pound, and all the bit are edible. Fresh is $2 per pound and up and you still have to trim them down so actually much more costly. Mangos cost $2 per each at many stores for the small honey mangos and those yield about 3 ounces of edible fruit, or $8 per pound. Get a frozen bag of mango for $2.82 per pound instead.
Frozen is as good as fresh and the store isn't taking the chance on throwing produce out. Also, "fresh" is picked way before being ripe so by the time they get to the store they hope that they are ripe, but often they are artificially made to look ripe via ethylene gas chambers.
Calorie dense staples - rice, oats, dry beans, etc. can be had for $1.00 per pound or less. A one pound $1.00 bag of dry pinto beans is 1,300 calories. $1.00 of oats is 1,150 calories. And $1.00 of rice is just over 2,000 calories.
Even very low income earners or SNAP users can build healthy meals for very cheap using high calorie dense staples with highly nutrient toppers. If one is concerned about missing out on some nutrient then take a $0.045 multivitamin (split in half is still almost certainly enough if you are eating nutritious foods) to bridge any gap.
"The propaganda in the US tells us if we..." Strange since you then are also spreading propaganda, like eating healthy is expensive as well as you claiming to know how the wealthy think and assuming that their lives aren't filled with stress. Many of the wealthy are that way from working 50% to double the amount of hours that others work throughout much of their careers. As far as preventative care, you get free annual physicals from your health insurance every year so everyone gets that. Plus the majority of the population is getting a subsidized health insurance either through ACA or their employer picking up some, half, or most of the bill.
" They had the time and bandwidth to take walks and enjoy music, family and friends"
Strange. All the people that I know that were stuck in lower income jobs all their lives did one of several things - they didn't work harder than the people they worked with but just enough to keep the job that they also complained about all the time. And they also didn't acquire new skills in order to move up or move out into a better position. I saw this where I worked as well. We had people that were stuck in the same manufacturing plant for my whole two decades there while others came in and moved up in the company within a year to three years, including into other departments. The difference - the ones that seemed to get nowhere - almost always the first ones to leave and, even though they complained about money, when asked for a few hours of overtime to get caught up they were the first to complain about it. The ones that grew up with the company or out of the company to bigger things were the first to say, "What do you need me to do?" and not complain. Mindset and behavior keeps people poor more than anything else in their life. Along with that mindset is the stress that they create for themselves and give power to.
Even in the video she tells you that the people in Sardinia that live the longest are the ones that are considered in poor areas.
But ok, excuses.
"Letting what I have be enough." I love this takeaway
me too! I feel like I cried so much while I was there and just couldn't even tell why ... and looking back I feel like it was that statement just really sinking in.
What a beautiful and enlightening video ❤ It has taken me 50 years to realize this is how we were meant to live. I grew up living very simply as a kid and teen out in the sticks of Mississippi. We had our own 2 acre garden and cows. We ate mostly our own food. I didn’t realize how good I had it then, but I do now. Trying to get back to basics.
Yes, simpler times ❤️
Huge takeaway for me here in the video was when you said you (we) have to make a conscious decision daily to live simply or be in the moment. I think one of the biggest struggles presented to us living the way we do in so much wealth, access and ability and the constant battle going on in our mind. “Am I enough? Have I done enough? Am I giving enough to my kids? Have I poured enough into my marriage?” These people don’t strive because they understand what having “enough” means. We continue to strive because we are unable to satisfy an untrue desire of what actually matters.
well said Emily 🙌🏾
Wow!! Yes!!❤
❤️ so true
I think part of our equation is the push of social media. Especially during our adult years that drift more heavily into comparison. I got off Facebook 9 years ago when my husband had a health crisis. I simply did not have time and people were less than helpful. I really haven’t missed it. I do feel happier, prettier, and I think healthier without it. I made a point to call people and have lunch not just send a message. I wanted to connect with people who mattered to my heart. So I have. It changed everything as much as changing diet has. Possibly even more.
@@wendyduncan9084 🙌✨️😌
Dear Madison,
watching your lifestyle in Sardinia, the island I was born and I lived in for almost 30 years is a blessing.
Thank you so much for showing me, as a Sardinian, how beautiful my island is, in the eyes and hearts of those who visit and live there as foreigners.
I teach Italian to the Germans and German to the foreigners living in Germany.
Teaching Italian gives me a special feeling of privilege, cause I feel the love of foreigners for my country and island.
Thanks for your positive experiences about my country
Greetings from Germany
I grew up in a very poor neighborhood, yet I am constantly thinking about how rich that experience actually was and am always trying to put into words the feeling of that environment. Your channel and especially all of your videos within the past year or so, remind me so much of that feeling.
There was absolutely no rush to get anywhere. Our home was disgustingly filthy 😅 (my dad & Grandpa's home), we barely had any toys, i slept on a cheap cot instead of a bed, we rarely had home cooked meals.. yet it was so calm and peaceful and some of the best memories that I have. Our favorite past times were fishing and sitting on our porch steps just talking and laughing with each other and anyone that walked by. It was the best. Thank you for your videos, really enjoying your content ❤
Hi Madi! This is one of your most beautiful videos yet. Thank you for this gift to us all. I have been plant based for 16 years. What started as something for health reasons (pre-cancer, IBS, acne, high cholesterol all healed) ended up turning into me not wanting to hurt animals and then morphed into confusion with all the differebt dietary advice on the internet. It's coming at us from every direction! It's like health information and nutrition science went from helpful knowledge to obsession to a false idol. Enough is enough. Guess what i just did? I just unsubscribed from everything diet and health related on youtube. Ah, that feels so good! I think there is a way we can still live healthfully without putting so much thought and pressure on ourselves. Just be.
ooooo that sounds so much like me- I'm sure at some point I'll make more videos about this because I so agree! so agree. wish I had an answer but - I think you're so right and here's to you relaxing, enjoying and trusting yourself!
I’ve got to say that my family and I have been taking our dogs on daily walks through the paddock and next to the dry creek bed for a couple of weeks now, and it’s significantly improved our quality of life.
It’s the getting out into nature with the sky and plants, the endorphins from exercise and watching the funny antics of the dogs and kids playing, it’s the quality time I spend with my husband holding his hand and chatting.
Highly recommend it ❤
Literally started crying (actual tears rolling down my face) when I saw the man dancing… & then the whole group of people 🥲 Well done, once again Madisun 🌞❤️
oh I cried so much on this trip at moments just like that!
Me too!!
‘Swimming back to their Mama’ - this is THE CUTEST! thank you for another beautiful video Madi. ❤
gah! hahahah yes!
I'm 41 and you are making me realize that life can be different than my parents, friends that think a full rushed life is the only way. I can not wait to see how you incorporate this lifestyle into your home lifestyle. (And totally going to follow suit) ❤❤❤
Oof, the obsession with health becoming unhealthy is real. I struggle with it too, and I have to remember to step back, trust God, and marvel at how amazing out bodies are at doing their thing and keeping me feeling good.
YES 🙌🏾
Real life goals! I feel I ve labeled myself “vegan” and I am 95% plant based I “let myself go” on my last vacation. It felt good to be not so constrained. Thank you for all your content. As a mom of adults we all strive for a minimal lifestyle. 😘
When I graduated from college in my early twenties, I decided to take a job in the Middle East after working at a small hospital in WA.. Everyone I knew called me crazy to leave the US and go on the adventure, but it was the best thing I ever did. I got to see the world and experience so many cultures including Crete, which is where my family was from. Your experiences were very similar to mine. They permanently changed my definition of happiness and my definition of what is enough for me to feel happy. When I had to get rid of everything I owned in order to travel, it made me realize that stuff was just something that was replaceable if it was really needed. The simpleness of a happy life is truly the element of keeping it simple. Thanks for your videos. Even as I aim toward retirement in my early 70's, I realize that the reason I am totally healthy is because the simpleness in my life won out over material posessions! Your children are lucky to have you and your husband as role models who were not afraid to grasp life and take adventures that others would never do out of fear.💌
So beautiful! At 63 I have lived with moderation. Yes I have sugar. Yes I eat bread! And I enjoy it all! I fortunately grew up poor and didn't have money for pop, fast food or all the latest goodies. Thank goodness! I am now blessed with great health!
Yep, Sardinia is absolutely the place to be, and I can't be grateful enough for being born and raised in this incredible island, and for Culurgionis of course, one of the best traditional food in Sardinia 😁
I'm glad you appreciate our culture and you have beautiful memories of this place.
This resonates so much with me rn! It’s an active decision to live life a little slower and at least for me, ignore the fast pace of the world around me and not feel rushed. Enjoy what God has given us, feel his peace and take in his beauty. His timing is everything, not mine ❤
yes! I totally agree!
Omg. Thank you. Our lifestyle is the key to it all. Food plays a key role in that but it’s not the main reason these people are living longer and healthier. Being in nature, having less stress, enjoying a healthy social life, giving focus to the things that truly matter. The food is just a byproduct of the life they live.
I have been obsessed with being healthy for most of my adult life. I come from a very a unhealthy family…one where lifestyle and food choices are horrible. I became obsessed with be skinny because everyone else was overweight so my journey to health started in vanity, which led to an eating disorder in high school and a lifelong struggle with my body and mind. I’m 38 and still struggle with knowing what’s healthy. I feel better in those brief moments when I don’t focus on everything I eat, trying to be healthier and making sure my family is getting the nutrients they need at all moments of my waking hour. It’s stressful and overwhelming and literally exhausting. I’m sure the people of the blue zones don’t know what this exhaustion is. They just live their lives and eat food.
yes. just know I struggle with it too! I love your point about being in nature, having less stress, socializing, those are so true I think.
Could you make friends with an older woman who lives healthy so you can learn from her? You’ve never seen where normal on this topic lives from your description. I came from an untidy home. So that’s how I learned. I found someone who was really good at it and asked questions after watching the differences between how we did things. Plus FlyLady. Maybe there is a famous food person you gravitate toward and someone near you. I hope so.
annnnd I am crying watching this one madiiiii?!! 🥹
I love you so much 😘😘😘😘😘 don’t care who knows it
Why is this making me so emotional? Lol Beautiful video girl, thank you❤
Aw thank you so much!
I am so appreciative of you Maddie. You’re helping me to be the best version of me, to embrace the present moment & to be happy with my lot…not comparing myself to anyone else’s standards. I’m becoming more accepting of myself…not having to fit inside other people’s boxes. I’m also trying to find more comfortable clothing!….inspired by your ‘comfy clothing’ look. I loved your comments….’try to chill more, trust God’s timing.’ Thank you xx
Placebo effect is real.. the mind and gut connection... stress... life is fascinating!!! Thank you for this discussion. The present moment is the only moment we have! Cheers
ooo so good! thank you!
This was a beautiful depiction of Sardinia without highlighting what may be wrong with America. Nicely done.
The scenery is so peaceful❤
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You're a breath of fresh air! I love that you make me (and my way of simple/ modest living ) not feel so much like a weirdo 😂. Great video!
😂
I feel that so much😅 feeling alone with this mindset and living in my area sometimes 😒
You are speaking to my soul. I recently have relaxed on my ”healthy” food idea bc it was stressing me more than helping me. And instead focusing on being outside in the sun, slowing down etc.
Love this ❤️
The. Best. Video. Yet. Truly empowering and inspiring! Thanks Madi!❤🥺
You’re always encouraging me! Thank you so much!
Oooh another beautiful channel to follow♡ thanks to both of you!
Every time you make a video, I feel so light and strive to SLOW DOWN more in my life.
Thanks for being such a breath of fresh air in this culture of hustle & convenience.
💛
aw yes! thank you so much for watching and supporting me!
Your content is magnificent! The way you speak and the information you share is always intriguing. It’s hard to get enough of the topic of slow living and minimalism! I’m looking further I think a huge key for the issues we have as Americans is the stereotypes and the classifications. Basing worth upon money and material possessions instead of focusing on people ( the whole person) and real connections. I would love to see more from you on the blue zones. Also have you seen Margaret Matheny? I think the two of you would make a great utube collaboration.
oh my gosh thank you so much! I am fascinated by it all as well so I'm glad that comes through. so funny you should mention Margaret, we just recennntly connected and I love her!
My grandfather has lived like this for all his life and he lives in WV. He grew his own food and had his own cows. He was incredibly active and still is for 92. He broke his back at 90 and one year later was going again. His son has made him a pull up bar to get out of bed. He refuses to take pain meds or any medication, he never uses supplements at all. He is the healthiest 92 year old I have ever seen.
I'll be in Sardinia in a few months. Can't wait to get there, have thoughts that I may never come back to US. In the US, we are destroying all the good things life should be about.
I am from Greece and have been living in the US (Tampa, FL) for the last 10 years. You are absolutely right to worry about the tap water in parts of the US since somehow they have managed to polute every single source of water in the country, but both Italy and Greece have extremely clean tap water. Another difference is that food in the US has been industrialized, whereas in a lot of the EU countries you can still get actually organically grown food (not US designated organic, which would still be considered industrialized food in the EU). United States has all the ingredients to become a wonderful place to live, but there is a mentality shift that needs to happen first. Excellent video and your insights are beautiful! I wish people would start understanding those simple life principles here in the US. Wish you the best for you and your beautiful family!
I’m crying watching this video. I miss Italy (my second home) so much. Due to health issues over the last 3 years I was unable to travel. And it makes me realize what I miss in general; the slow and intentional way of living and enjoying live. Thank you for making to beautiful video❤
I’m so glad you enjoyed it
I am glad you got to enjoy and learn a different way of living in your family vacation ❤
❤️
The wording of "idolizing diets" really spoke to me. I do this. And I need to not do this. Sometimes it takes someone simply pointing out what you're doing in a new way that makes you realize how unhealthy it is. I also loved the idea of getting back to basics with food and meals. I'm always trying to plan a perfectly balanced meal that achieves one thing or another, and it makes meal planning so frustrating and overwhelming and it takes FOREVER. I recently traveled to Italy and our meals were so simple and "unbalanced" in terms of American standards, but they were so satisfying and made me feel... good. It was a real eye-opener.
Grateful for this; perfect timing. I’ve been working on a project, that’s filled with many tiny projects, for a couple months now. Feeling overwhelmed not knowing where to begin today, I took a break to watch your beautiful video. For the rest of this day I will be easier with myself, eat lots of summer fruits and relax. Thanks again for the reminder to enjoy life.
so beautiful. cheers friend!
Reading through the comments here and seeing the emotion this has brought out in people speaks volumes doesn't it?! Whether we know it or not we ALL are starving for this in our lives. The lack of competition and pressure and actually living the days fully is a huge part of it. And it all comes so easily in these blue zones whereas in North America you really have to be intentional and work at it to live the way we were meant to live. 😥
I’m very moved by the impact. Thank you for watching ❤️
You awaken the soul of living, true living. We adore you mama 💛🤍
oh my gosh thank you!
❤❤❤thank you for the video.I miss my island very much and will soon be there. Once your feet touch the ground of the island time comes to a stop, is a slow living. I grow up sitting around with the elderly and enjoying their company , they had a lot of peace and abundance in them selves, it’s a healthy living for sure. Much love to you all ❤❤❤
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I love your videos!! You have taught me so much and honestly I would LOVEE to move to Italy and live a slower paced intentional life
This is so true and beautiful. Faith, family and farming (even a small garden) leads to true wealth and health. Thank you Madi!
Love this approach to life!! Your videos are amazing!! So calming and empowering!!! Thanks for your amazing job helping minimal people like us feel that we’re in right path!! Life is more simple than society makes us believe and all the joy is all around us buried in material things. Yes to simple living!! ❤
aww thanks friend 😘
I think your statement "moved by a group of people not living that way and being so happy with what they have" is clutch. It's way to stressful for me to do ALL the things as a mom. Like you said, worrying about filtered water and 5G were concerns of mine...but it's really laughable. There is just so much I can control and I've just gotta live girl. Beautiful video!
Thank you ❤️
Thanks for your honest heartfelt thoughts and lessons here. So much of it resonates in my soul. It’s not moving to Italy that’s key, it’s learning to adopt those same practices here which are very counter cultural. A worthy pursuit ❤
I grew up half in the mountains with a culture very similar to your description of Sardinia. I remember my great-great grandmother. The other half of my childhood was in the Metroplex of DFW. Two completely different cultures. When we moved back to the mountains I was able to learn the art of taking what you need and leaving the rest. I’m so happy that is what you brought home from Italy. More of us are choosing simple. We choose life over stuff. We are creating community.
YES 🙌🏾
I love the way you describe Sardinia and the format of your videos! 😍By a Sardinian ❤
I saw the top comment and have to add that I also have to watch your videos twice cause I'm always crying the first go round. These principles really touch my heart. Thank you for all you share with us
oh my gosh I love it so much! so grateful to be part of the healthy release! haha cheers friend! thank you so much for the love!
An other beautiful, peaceful, empowering video, thank you so much! I'm so conflicted about the vitamins. Being French and growing up with no vitamins and being healthy and now I'm living in America and there is an obsession of vitamins I'm not sure it actually works, but no one can answer me. So I'm conflicted about it. And Yes to the simple, slow lifestyle.💖💖
honestly me too! I don't have the solution haha sorry! "the obsession with vitamins" though hahahah I actually laughted out loud! it's so true especially since hanging out with people in a blue zone who don't even understand what a supplement is lol. Not discounting that their soil and water and all that stuff is just richer. i dont know.
@@MadisunGray I love that you met people who don't understand what a vitamin is, that is pretty amazing. yes the soil and water is more healthy in Europe, than here. All the GMO and chemical here. Even the wheat is different. Now I do one day with vitamins and one day without to experiment..lol
I just stumbled across your channel and wow what a breath of fresh air you are!!!! This video breathed life into me.
Grazie per queste bellissime riflessioni sullo scorrere del tempo e su cosa sia veramente importante nella vita. Un abbraccio dalla Sardegna.
Come sempre voi siete d'accordo su cose inesatte e video snaturanti riguardo alla Sardegna, non ce la fate a non essere buonisti proprio
I have so many similarities to you Madisun, yet I am about 13 years ahead of you! These years with young children are to be savored and it looks like you are experiencing the beauty of mothering in a way that few people choose to do so. You and your family will be blessed because of your intentionality. I began simple living with my kiddos back in 2007 and I have always homeschooled them. It is getting more difficult to have a "simple" lifestyle with an extroverted oldest child (16) who just got her license and is excited to experience everything she can. Her younger siblings (13 & 11) are wanting to experience "more" also. It is exhausting to me. Do any of you who have parented teens have any advice, books, you tube channels, blogs, podcasts, where I can go for some inspiration for simple living with busy teens?!
I just ❤️ this!! Please never stop creating and sharing.
I have read a few books about blue zones too! They are so interesting!
It is interesting how you said you were obsessed with health which is not healthy.
I think also, in those zones, they eat more fresh foods while we live in a more processed food nation with high sugars.
Anyway, I loved the scenery and your video. Keep spending time outside with your family and loving one another. That definitely will bring long life :)
Welllll donneeeeee. Love this. Toxic positivity and toxic mental health/wellness are topics that need to be talked about. Thanks for another great video!
Thanks Annie ❤️
madi🌻 interesting takeaway about how we've been marketed the diet takeaway of health and longevity (speaking of which it has been noted that all of the blue zones have in common not only what they do eat but notably what they do not eat very much = meat) I wish to pose a thought here!.... okay so you go to a great place like Sardinia and wonderful things are everywhere... the wonderful countryside the beautiful scenery the weather the people the food the simplicity -I guess a big part of it is that we are on vacation visiting a place and that alone makes it quite lovely- but what I'm getting at here is the idea that just because you travel or move to a place doesn't mean that you get to attain all that-like people say I'm going to move to Ecuador because the pace of life is slower and more gracious for instance - but when we go someplace we bring our baggage with us...soooo if you show us a video from Sardinia and share all your great Madi brilliance!! with us. .. then we need to incorporate those into our lives right where we already are... I mean I'm just throwing this out there but we can't just travel and go someplace to find happiness n'est-ce pas
Hallo Maddie,
I love your videos!
Thank you so so much!
We’ve never been meant to live forever, so I regard aging well and healthy as a privilege, not a given! I really appreciate your videos and the message.
Kindest regards,
From South Africa
I love this and need a daily reminder that it is ok to slow down or I get swept back into consumerism and being ‘busy’. I’d love to see more footage of Italy ❤️
Thanks for watching ❤️
It does help doing things outside when the weather there is so nice as opposed to hoy and humid.
Oh this one made my heart smile❤ WELL DONE MAMA
Awww thanks 😘
Not sure why I'm a bit late to this video, but it was certainly worth watching. I have a ton of respect for Italians in general for being so strict on tradition, food and family. A lot of the best quality products I buy are from there, some of the best food I make has Italian origins, even down to the coffee I drink. (and ofcourse they have the very best in Italy itself ;) )
Thanks Madisun for showing us this beautiful island and giving us a small peak of what it's like being there. This surely brightened up my gray, rainy day here
Sardinia, my land. 10 years ago I left Sardinia for Lombardy for work reasons. I came back after 2 months. I will never leave Sardinia again.
I love your videos. This is how I want my life to feel like
Madisun, thank you!! Your class is so much more available than UC, anywhere! You’re an amazing scholar! Keep up the good work!!! 🙌❤️🙏
So happy when you post!!!!!!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ thank you
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Sardinia was used as a Nuclear test site by NATO just a few decades ago...
La dolce vita ❤
This makes me want to cry. Me, my husband and our young kids are so stressed out by life all of the time. My kids are burned out from school, have been for weeks now and we still have over a month to go. I'm unable to homeschool them due to health issues. I wish I knew how to make things better. I long for peace.
So glad it resonated with you ❤️
I can relate sooo much to this! Especially the part about the obsession with being healthy becoming unhealthy! I love all your videos so much especially the ones that remind me that self care is within our lives, like when you’ve said self care can be toddlers and windows open. I’m in a similar season to you where I’m unlearning all of the attachments I had to health including so many things like massage therapy and food and water and supplements etc. it actually got to a breaking point for me where I felt like I just wasn’t living my best life anymore from being so focused on being healthy and rested. I went from being type A to setting up to much space and boundaries for rest that it was almost like I was waiting to feel good all the time to live my life and it actually isolated me. I’m happy to say I’m letting shit go and feeling like I’m living and finding real joy again. I still don’t know exactly what that will look like but I’m trusting that I’m on the right path in this moment. Sending you all the love. Thank you.
Well said ❤️
Yes I totally agree it can’t all be about food if people eat so differently, well beyond the fact that people in all these zones tend to eat a wide variety of foods that are organically grown and unprocessed for the most part. I found that a chronic and debilitating digestive disease I suffered from for a long time improved dramatically with going on a very strict diet (in ways medicine didn’t have any impact) but some symptoms of imbalance remained despite the improvements…until I realised profoundly one day when I was walking out of a mediation session that there was a link with my physical health and psychology- more specifically that a traumatic incident as a toddler had caused the physical imbalance. I sought help for the psychological aspects of the trauma and while all broke loose for a while, and major lifestyle changes made subsequent to all the hell breaking loose also caused stress and an initial worsening of my symptoms, I eventually came to a place of peace and acceptance and all my physical symptoms of imbalance disappeared. Now I can eat whatever I want and my life is drastically different to how it was. At least in my experience it’s not that diet has no importance but that what I feed my mind and body in thought form and emotionally has far greater impact. When I’m in balance emotionally so too am I physically. I naturally want to eat what is good for my body. I listen to my intuition about what I feed it. And I also listen to my intuition about what feels good emotionally and place huge importance on that. By the way, you look amazing. ❤
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Hi Madison, my first time viewing your travels to Italy, the birth place of my mother! Would it be possible to share things that are also important for fellow travelers such as where you stayed (accommodation) where did you book and catch that airliner to Sardinia for example. While it is fantastic sharing your beautiful trip with us, do not forget we are also very interested in the smaller details so that we can also visit those magic spots.....Ciao.....Leon Knysna South Africa
I watched a video about centarian in different countries. It really interests me.
I was definitely one of those people who became so concerned about diet when my mum had cancer. I took it to a place that caused me stress and made it the most important thing until I woke up. I still place it highly but not before the emotional self. Great video xx❤
Thank you ❤️
This is such a fascinating topic and so beautiful... It definitely struck deep emotion. Thank you, Madi!
Thank you friend 😘
Could you do a video on simple food and how you make meals simple?
Thank you for sharing your experiences and travel beautiful places
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"Trust God's timing"... it brought tears to my eyes.
Many times I am eager to reach my dreams in the way "I" want but there are moments in my life that I realise that all the things that happen to me is actually what I asked for though in different way and different time.
Nice video! Ikaria in Greece is one of those blue zones too.
I did an honors project on blue zones last semester!
Loved the video ❤ thank you. You reminded me of Jennifer at Daily connoisseur who just accepted that she will never give up sugar because she loves a sweet treat with her afternoon tea! But it’s a moderate habit she is not bingeing or anything like that. I also believe that moderation is healthy when it comes to exercise… can’t be good to push and punish your body until it’s painful and your heart feels like exploding in the name of exercise. Gentle to moderate exercise incorporated into the natural rhythm of life seems better for a longer life…
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Thanks for sharing loved this sooo much!
LOVE, love, love it!!!
Your hair is beautiful in this video!!
thank you! so kind
I'm loving this serious about Italy. Inspires me.
Thank you 🙏
We traveled to Italy in 2005. It changed our lives. And I also learned a great deal about the Blue Zones. It's not just the food, tho that is important. Their food is local, fully ripe (not gassed or driven and/or flown thousands of miles). They eat seasonally. And it is about living life simply and in the present moment.
As I understand it, there is a big difference with tap water in the US and tap water in Europe. That’s why there are so many videos on TikTok right now about bottled water not being free in Europe, because we have so good tap water and drink that instead of wasting plastic on bottles.
Beautiful video…thank you ❤
this video and your other videos are so thoughtfully done - from the typeface to the wonderful shots, to how you emphasize colors and narrate. Y'all are doing something wonderful and unique on TH-cam!
I heard about the blue zones when I found yeshua... plus the SDA church we went to were mostly vegetarian, vegan and were supporting the blue zones, now? I don't understand whats happening because the health message doesnt seem important no more.. im so glad you found this place to visit..
This is fabulous, greetings from Darwin ❤
Beautiful video. Now i need to know where your host family is and how to book here. Its stunning!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
Beautiful video, really resonated with me, thank you xx
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Wow! This video is everything. Thankyou Madi for constantly pouring your heart into your content, and sharing such important topics about REAL life with us. This video made me so emotional!! I wait every week for your videos and they are always everything I need and more 💛 God Bless
oh my gosh thank you so much!!! I've cried so much lately just being in sardinia, editing this video and reading these comments! thank you
“They have a wonderful family support system” ❤
I'm Italian but not from Sardinia specifically. My maternal grandfather's birthplace, a tiny town on the Appennines in the Latium region, has to be a micro Blue Zone, because the number of people who used to reach 100 up until some 30 years ago was stunning. My grandpa himself died at 96. In 2001, he was hit by a devastating brain hemorrhage, which deprived him of his memories and, eventually, of his own Self. But doctors were puzzled by how quickly he had 'recovered' from a cerebral event that has a fatality rate of nearly 100%. They were sure he would die in a month or so, instead he resisted for NINE YEARS. His mother died at 99 years and 10 months, his father at 89 (and people wondered how he could have passed 'so early, considering he was in good health'), and his twin sisters reached at least 98. Such longevity used to be so common there, that any death before the age of 75 was considered as 'premature'. The most incredible part of all this is that they used to remain lucid and active practically until the day they died. No wheelchairs, no medicines, no nothing. Lots of physical work and time spent in the open air, fresh spring water, a healthy diet dictated by poverty rather than any conscious choice, and BOY OH BOY, no cars, no TV, plus a lifestyle regulated by the natural alternation of the Four Seasons. My grandpa used to say, 'Remember to eat well but not a lot, drink clean water, breathe fresh air, walk alone in the woods any time you can, and especially don't waste your time by always being in a hurry'. I was too young to understand how can we waste our own time by being constantly in a hurry, which is what we do to avoid wasting time. He was right: everything has its own time-omnia tempus habent, said the Romans-and by being obsessed with the illusion of saving time, we actually forget to live. In the past 30 years, modernity has set foot there, too, and slowly but steadily, life expectancy has declined: they are still very longevous, some 85 years on average, but people over 100 are now rare. It does not take a genius to guess why.
wow, Madi! Such a beautiful video 🤎
thank you so much!
This video resonates with me 100%! Biggest fear, having to drink tap water. Feeling like I have to break the bank each month for all the expensive supplements. I’m unhealthily worried about health all the time and the stress is taking a joyful mama away from my family 😔 Please continue making videos like this 🥰
This is so sweet 🤍
I admit it can be so tempting and is to me to strive for that perfect level of health and obsess over it! Our western culture has also created that! It’s refreshing to see someone else feel that, and want to let go of that, I needed that encouragement so thank you 🌷
I’m one of those people who doesn’t make all these goals and just wants to live a more simple, chill life! Like just living everyday as it comes. It’s crazy that people look at me as a homemaker as maybe lazy because I’m not doing 295929 things a day. Simply being around for my family and getting a load of laundry done is enough for me! For me, I want to stop the amazon shopping and clothes shopping! Oh and supplement obsession lol. We don’t need more tiny little things. It’s exhausting being inundated with the influencers and influences daily of STUFF. 🙏🏻
Wow this was such a nice video full of wisdom. I relate to this so much and it's nice to hear a different perspective. I tend to become so hyper focussed on health in a perfectionistic was. This was just what I needed.
Thank you 🙏🏻