The Blue Zones Teach Us How to Live a Better Life
The Blue Zones Teach Us How to Live a Better Life
“Sardinia’s strong family values help assure that every member of the family is cared for. People who live in strong, healthy families suffer lower rates of depression, suicide, and stress.” -Sardinia, Italy - Blue Zones
Dan Buettner, who has worked with National Geographic, written bestselling books about longevity and Blue Zones, and who holds a record for distance cycling, did a documentary on Netflix called “Live to 100, Secrets of the Blue Zones”.
He travels all around the world to research what traits the communities have where the most centenarians live. His aim is to help people live longer, happier and healthier lives. Blue Zones are parts of the world where people live who have less chronic diseases and a longer life expectancy. His research finds that our lifestyles have more to do with the quality of our life and life span, than genetics.
There are original blue zones where the healthiest and longest living people live: Okinawa, Sardinia, Nicoya Costa Rica, Greece and Loma Linda, California. Buettner shows us how we can also live this type of lifestyle to help our own physical health and mental well-being.
I will list the key takeaways found in these blue zones.
- Have very, very little dementia and fewer chronic diseases that seem to be rampant in American people.
- A good number of them live into their 90’s and 100's.
- They enjoy red wine and have a relaxed pace of life.
- They have clean air and warm weather, so they get outside and stay active.
- They stay active by gardening, walking, doing yard work; “exercised mindlessly”.
- Make family and friends a priority. Connections are important and so is spending time with like-minded people. Visiting with neighbors.
- Occasionally do fasting and cutting down on calories is said to help slow aging.
- Sipping on herbal teas.
- Ate more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, olive oil, and potatoes. Ate very little meat, sweets, and processed foods.
- Regular exercise.
- Spiritual practices.
- Giving back and contributing to others.
- Maintaining a lower BMI for weight control.
- Laugh with each other!
- Celebrate elders.
- Walking five miles a day like Sardinian shepherds do.
- Having purpose, reasons to get up in the morning, and having clear roles that allow them to feel needed even into the ages of 90 and 100.
- Having social networks for financial and emotional support. This leads to less stress and feeling less lonely and more secure knowing you have each other’s backs. (Okinawa)
- Get outside and enjoy the sun.
- Younger and older aged people mix together and can live together in households through the years.
- Having a sense of purpose.
- Contribution.
- Drinking more water.
- Appreciate what you have.
- Finding joy in physical chores each day.
I have just recently been learning more about Blue Zones and I find it fascinating. If you would like to learn more about this lifestyle and to find recipes, I have put links in the resources below.
Together, we can work on setting up our own lives in the blue zones way so that we can be happier, healthier, more supportive to others, and more lighthearted as we learn from others in the world that we didn’t know existed until now and from those who have gone before us.
Love,
Sharon
"A hardship-tempered attitude has endowed Okinawans with an affable smugness. They’re able to let difficult early years remain in the past while they enjoy today’s simple pleasures. They’ve learned to be likable and to keep younger people in their company well into their old age." -Okinawa, Japan - Blue Zones
Resources
Home - Live Better, Longer - Blue Zones
New York Times Bestselling Author & Explorer | Dan Buettner
Why People in "Blue Zones" Live Longer Than the Rest of the World (healthline.com)