Do you want to live to be 100?
The better question is, “Do you want to live to 100…healthfully and with good quality?”
If you answered yes, then take a lesson from research done on Blue Zones, areas around the world where people are ten times more likely to live to the age of 100. Demographers Gianni Pes and Michael Poulain identified five geographic areas around the world where, statistically, people are living the longest.
– Okinawa, Japan
– Sardinia, Italy
– Nicoya, Costa Rica
– Ikaria, Greece
– Loma Linda, California; specifically among the Seventh Day Adventists
Although these longevity hotspots are distanced from one another, they share the following lifestyle and environmental characteristics.
Family – Grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles come first. Family is put ahead of other concerns and is the primary support system throughout life.
Life purpose – A reason to get up in the morning, be it work, volunteering, caring for family, or achieving a personal goal. In Japan, this is known as ikigai.
Moderate alcohol intake and minimal to no smoking – We’ve long heard about the health benefits of moderate drinking and not smoking. People living in the Blue Zones take this to heart and have given credence to the claim.
Semi-vegetarianism – Diets consist primarily of plants and include lots of legumes. Well-known American author Michael Pollan’s mantra supports this habit: Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.
Hara Hachi Bu – Eating to 80% full. Strategies to keep from overeating include being mindful of physical fullness, choosing to stop eating before you reach “full,” eating from small plates, and serving food from the counter instead of family style. The simplicity of this last strategy encourages extra movement (see the next characteristic) in order to indulge in seconds.
Consistent moderate physical activity that is integrated into life – Walking or biking to work, hiking in the hills, kicking around a soccer ball with friends, hauling wood, tilling a garden, raking leaves. All things that get your legs moving, your arms lifting, and your body bending throughout the day.
Social engagement – In the Blue Zones, all ages are socially active and involved in their communities. Young and old participate in shared activities, take time to listen and visit with one another, work together for the good of the community, and support each other in a multitude of ways.
Here’s a 20-minute TEDxTC video about the Blue Zones that’s worth viewing.
Now ask yourself, which of these Blue Zone characteristics are part of your life?
Which characteristics would you like to make a more significant part of your life?
Even if you don’t want to live to be 100, any one of these lifestyle shifts can help improve the life you’ve got right now.
Here’s to your health and vitality!
