Albert Lea Residents Add 3.1 Years of Life Expectancy

AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project Inspired Residents to Make Simple Changes,
Transforming an Entire Community

ALBERT LEA, Minn., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The AARP(R)/Blue
Zones(R) Vitality Project sponsored by United Health Foundation today
announced that the life expectancy of the citizens of Albert Lea increased an
average of 3.1 years per person during the unprecedented 10-month city-wide
health makeover. The project was designed to inspire residents to take charge
of their health so that they can live longer, better.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070209/NYF043LOGO)

More than 2,300 residents followed the Vitality Compass(R) -- an interactive
tool on www.aarp.org/bluezonesproject that helps measure an individual's
projected life expectancy based on current behaviors.

"Congratulations to Albert Lea for showing that by taking on this project in
full force, one small town in America can become a model for improving
health," said Nancy Graham, Editor, AARP The Magazine. "We're looking forward
to sharing the results of their efforts with our 40 million members in our
January/February issue and coming back in 2010 for a one-year check-in."

"We at the United Health Foundation are proud to have underwritten this
project," said Daniel Johnson, executive director, United Health Foundation.
"The people of Albert Lea have demonstrated that by making modest changes, a
community can make meaningful health improvements."

Since January 2009, community leaders have been working to make changes to
their community that will promote health and longevity. The AARP(R)/Blue
Zones(R) Vitality Project was an unprecedented attempt to put into practice
the principles that Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner discovered while exploring
places around the world where people live extraordinarily long and healthy
lives.

"The key to success was staying away from guilt, struggle, and sacrifice.
Unlike other public health initiatives, we took much of the focus off of a
strict diet or exercise plan. Instead, we based the project on what I learned
in the Blue Zones and focused on improving habitat, social networks, community
infrastructure and the residents' sense of purpose," said Buettner.

As a result of the Vitality Project, important changes were made in the way
residents eat, work, exercise, and play.

First, the community infrastructure and environment was improved in Albert
Lea:

-- With the help of University of Minnesota's Dr. Leslie Lytle, school
district policies were changed to encourage healthy eating and more
physical activity;
-- A major walking/biking trail was completed around Fountain Lake to
encourage residents to make movement an everyday part of life. Local
government entities hastened work on their plans for more walking and
biking.
-- Dozens of school children used "walking school buses" as an
alternative
to driving and carpools where parents and grandparents walked
neighborhood children to and from school in groups.

-- 35 employers, with a combined 4,358 local employees, signed a pledge
to
improve their workplaces to increase longevity.

Second, individuals and families improved their habitat by making
intentionally subtle changes that encouraged healthy eating and natural
physical movement.

-- With the help of healthy eating expert Dr. Brian Wansink, the town's
employers transformed their workplaces by encouraging healthy
behaviors;
-- 68 percent of locally-owned restaurants improved their menus with food
that promotes longevity; and individuals learned how to make simple
changes in their kitchen and home.

-- Local grocery stores promoted "longevity tags" to showcase healthy
eating, and community leaders encouraged gardening in new community
gardens and at home.

Third, social circles were emphasized and encouraged, because who your friends
are has a powerful impact on your long-term health behaviors.

-- More than 600 citizens of Albert Lea joined walking "moais" -- or
social
groups -- to promote exercise while strengthening social bonds and
bringing neighbors together. Collectively the moais walked more than
75
million steps, or 37,558 miles.

And, finally, residents were given the opportunity to explore their "purpose"
in life and to give back to their community. Having a sense of purpose is a
key factor in increasing your life expectancy.

-- More than 150 volunteers joined as "Vitality Project Ambassadors" to
promote this project.
-- Citizens logged more than 2,200 hours worth of additional community
service hours.

-- More than 1,000 residents participated in a "Purpose Seminar" led by
national purpose expert Dr. Richard Leider.

The town leaders plan to continue the progress toward a healthier city and
AARP The Magazine will feature the project in its January/February issue, in
addition to returning to Albert Lea in a year to track the progress.
Additional information can be found at www.aarp.org/bluezonesproject.

About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+
have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and
affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates
for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or
candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+
Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 34.5 million
readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's nearly 40 million
members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S.
publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our
website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides
security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support
from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands.

About Blue Zones(R)
Founded by Dan Buettner as an ongoing project that is part of Quest Network,
Inc., Blue Zones(R) studies the world's longest-lived populations for wellness
information and lifestyle management tools that can help Americans live
longer, healthier lives. For each Blue Zones(R) expedition, Buettner and his
award-winning team journey to a specific region whose population is reaching
age 100 at an extraordinarily high rate. These longevity hotspots are called
"Blue Zones(R)" Buettner and his team of scientists identify and study the
regions' common threads in lifestyle behavior, diet, outlook and stress-coping
mechanisms. Through this ongoing study, Blue Zones(R) has developed a formula
of the world's best practices in healthy longevity that people can put to work
in their own lives. In short, Buettner aims to help everyone live within their
personal "Blue Zone." Buettner's research and his insight into enhancing
longevity has been published in his New York Times bestselling book, THE BLUE
ZONES: Lessons for Living Longer by the People Who've Lived the Longest, which
was published by National Geographic Book in 2008. Partially funded by the
National Institutes on Health, Blue Zones(R) is advised by an
internationally-recognized panel of academic and scientific experts on the
topic, and supported by the National Geographic Expeditions Council. For more
information, visit www.bluezones.com.

About the United Health Foundation
Guided by a passion to help people live healthier lives, United Health
Foundation supports activities that expand access to quality health care
services for those in challenging circumstances and partners with others to
improve the well being of communities. The Foundation also provides helpful
information to support decisions that lead to better health outcomes and
healthier communities. Since established by UnitedHealth Group [NYSE: UNH] in
1999 as a not for profit private foundation, the Foundation has committed more
than $160 million to improve health and health care. For more information,
visit www.unitedhealthfoundation.org.

SOURCE AARP

Laura Reynolds, +1-908-301-0006 (w), +1-202-669-1882 (c),
laura@reynoldspublicrelations.com, for Blue Zones(TM); or Amy McDonough of
AARP, +1-651-726-5644 (w), +1-651-492-5837 (c ), amcdonough@aarp.org