Blue Zones of Longevity

Travel to a Blue Zone and learn how to live a long, happy life

Want to live longer, healthier lives? Live in a Blue Zone or better yet create your own Blue Zone! I just returned from a fabulous yoga retreat in Nicoya, Costa Rica – a “Blue Zone”, and can totally understand why people there live longer, healthier, & Happier Lives. Maybe it’s the beautiful jungle, sunsets, great surf and abundant yoga that make Pura Vida (Pure Life) their motto.

 

 

In 2004, NY Times best author Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people lived measurably better. In these Blue Zones, they found that people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States.

The five Blue Zones are:

• Sardinia, Italy
• The islands of Okinawa, Japan
• Loma Linda, California (Seventh-day Adventists)
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Icaria, Greece

After identifying the world’s Blue Zones, Dan and National Geographic took teams of scientists to each location to identify lifestyle characteristics that might explain longevity. They found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones residents shared nine specific characteristics. These characteristics are called the “Power 9”.

NUMBER 1. MOVE NATURALLY.

The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They live in places where they can walk to the store, to their friend’s house or places of worship. Their houses have stairs. They have gardens in their yards.

 

To start moving naturally, just walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to your airport gate instead of taking the moving walkway or park far from the entrance when you visit a store. Walk a dog.

NUMBER 2.  KNOW YOUR PURPOSE

Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy. The Okinawans call it “ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan de vida”—for both, it translates to “why I wake up in the morning.”

Begin investigating your own purpose, by creating an internal inventory of your life. Try to articulate your values, passions, gifts, and talents. Then incorporate ways to put your skills into action in ways that will add meaning to your life and the lives of others.

NUMBER 3 . DOWNSHIFT.

Stress leads to chronic inflammation, which is associated with every major age-related disease. Although everyone experiences stress, the world’s longest-lived people have routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour.

You, too, can find a stress-relieving strategy that works for you and make it a routine. You’ll be able to benefit both physically and emotionally! Personally, I recommend Yoga!!

NUMBER 4. 80% RULE.

Marketers try to tell us we can eat our way to health, but America has been eating its way to disease. The 80% Rule is a strategy that focuses on taking things out of everyday diets, instead of putting more things in. Saying “Hara Hachi bu,” the 2500-year old Confucian mantra, before meals, reminds Okinawans to stop eating when their stomach is 80% full. This 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it.

You can also replace your big tableware with 10″ plates and tall, skinny glasses, remove any electronic devices from your eating space, and remember that people in the Blue Zones areas eat their largest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then don’t eat any more the rest of the day.

NUMBER 5.   PLANT SLANT.

While most people in the Blue Zones areas only consume small amounts of meat on rare occasions, all of them eat a rich array of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are packed with disease-fighting nutrients. The cornerstone of most centenarian diets is beans, favorites including fava, black, soy and lentils.

You can eat meat if you want to, but try considering it as a condiment and make sure you buy the leanest, finest meat you can afford. Limit portions to the size of a deck of cards and don’t exceed serving it more than twice a week. This is consistent with the USDA’s MyPlate recommendations to make fruits, vegetables and grains the majority of your intake. You can also focus on eating nuts—a handful a day can give you an extra 2-3 years of life expectancy!

NUMBER 6. WINE AT FIVE.

Thanks to healthy plant compounds and antioxidants, wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

Wine consumption during a meal with friends leads to the full benefits of this Power Nine principle. Remember, however, that if you go overboard, the positive effects will be replaced with negative habits, so be mindful of your intake.

The last three characteristics for living a long, healthy, happy life are so easy — surround yourselves with loving family and friends who share your same values.

Namaste

 

🙏🏼 Namaste, Your Yoga Doctor