Are you familiar with the Blue Zones?
As a healthcare professional I usually know about the latest in my field about 3 to 5 years before the general public is even familiar with this info. For example, I was all into the plant based diet about 6 years ago, but it wasn’t until 3 years later that I noticed it was becoming a familiar term to the public. While the plant based diet seems to have really gained in popularity, the Blue Zones are still a mystery to many.
I first heard about the Blue Zones maybe 8 years ago. I got all excited and even visited one and was interested in visiting more. Then I kind of forgot about them. And now I’m hearing the term come around again, so maybe this time it will catch on.
The Blue Zones, if you don’t know, are 5 cities in the world that have been identified as the healthiest. They include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and one I’ve visited, Loma Linda, California.
What makes these cities the healthiest? It’s mainly because these cities have a higher concentration of centenarians (people 100 years old and older) than other cities. And these people are a living, thriving one hundred years plus. They have a high quality of life. Otherwise, what would be the point?
The average life expectancy is 71.4 years, so what are these people in the Blue Zones doing that keeps them healthy and youthful for so long? Studies show that it’s mainly because they live by these 9 health habits.
- They exercise as a normal part of life. They walk or bike where they need to go. They live a life of movement. So a gym membership is not needed. Instead they are on the go throughout the day.
- They follow a mostly plant based diet. Although some do eat fish and dairy, it’s a very small part of the diet rather than the main course.
- They drink wine. I love wine. I love these people. Two glasses of red wine a day is the norm. With red wine being so high in antioxidants, they’re fighting cancer and enjoying life at the same time.
- They only eat what they need. They don’t overeat by eating until they can’t eat any more. So I’m guessing they probably don’t do a lot of buffets. And they’re not overweight.
- They practice stress reducing rituals. Stress creates inflammation which create illness and shortens your life. Instead of watching the nightly (negative and stressful) news, they do things that create peace and happiness, like take a nap, have happy hour, and pause to remember ancestors. They had me at nap.
- They make sure their life has purpose. So basically showing up at a job you dread everyday is a slow version of suicide. Get purpose. Live longer.
- They are part of a faith based community. The original study done on the people in the Blue Zones revealed that participating in a faith based program 4 times a month adds 14 years to your life. Oh Lawd. I stopped going to church and done cut my life short! Guess I better have 4 glasses of wine a day to balance this.
- They have a social life. And it’s not via the internet or the phone. They actually visit with each other. Genius.
- Family is a high priority for them. Many centenarians are totally healthy and independent, and have a life that involves dancing, dating, everything that anyone else does. But once an older family member needs care, they are cared for in the home and not sent away to be cared for by strangers. And the children are interacted with – not left to spend hours alone in a room bullying other kids on the internet or building bombs. What a concept, right?
Those seem simple enough, don’t they? Drink wine, take a nap, walk to the mailbox, take some girl’s trips, hug and talk to your kids, quit your dead end job, don’t eat the animals except once in a while, drink more wine. I think all of that is doable.
So I’m back to planning to visit these Blue Zones. I want to meet some of these people and get a taste of this life. Next summer I’m taking a group of ladies to Greece. Ikaria, Greece is one of the Blue Zones where there is a 50% lower rate of heart disease and the highest concentration of 90 year olds on the planet. So yep, I’ll be stopping by there as a side trip during our visit. And I’ll be drinking the wine there, and learning about the foods they eat. My daughter is going with me. We will do lots of walking. And I’ll be sure to take a nap. I think I’ve covered most of it. Would you like to join me? If so click here. I’m going to need some of you to live to be centenarians with me. So let’s go to Greece and learn how it’s done.
Are you familiar with the way of life in the Blue Zones? Have you been to any of them? What do you think of these simple health habits? Do you think there could possibly other Blue Zones that we don’t know about? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
