If I told you that there was an evidence-based way to add 10 years of healthy living to your life, would you want to learn more?
For eons, the idea of finding the fountain of youth, or at least a way to live long and healthy, has fascinated people. Even in today’s world, many still hope for such a miracle. Yet, with the fast pace at which most of us live, some have resigned themselves to exhaustion, overwhelm, and mere survival. When we focus only on surviving, and not thriving, we may find that we’re just barely getting by, mentally and physically. It’s like we’re running with our gas tank on empty. It’s just not sustainable.
Not only that, feelings of mental and physical exhaustion and overwhelm can contribute to discouragement and even lead to depression.
What if there was a way to switch things up so that each of us could enjoy not just longevity but also the vitality and well-being needed to actually enjoy and savor a rich, long life? Well, guess what? In 2005, National Geographic magazine shared a cover story, "THE SECRETS OF LONG LIFE." The article began with the words, “What if I said you could add up to ten years to your life? A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits.” The article went on to say that if you adopt the right lifestyle, you could add ten years or more to your life. And they weren’t talking about ten years of poor health and mental decline; they were speaking of living at least a decade longer with optimal mental, physical, and emotional wellness.
The article described a worldwide study that began in 1999 to find the world’s oldest and healthiest people. It was conducted by the National Geographic Society, author/journalist Dan Buettner, and funded in part by the U.S. National Institute on Aging. Researchers and scientists searched the world over to find several regions where people lived to age 100 and longer. Age was not the only qualifier to participate in the study; these centenarians also had to be mentally agile (without dementia), happy, physically healthy, and actively engaged in life and in their communities. Whenever they found clusters of these healthy centenarians, the researchers circled the map in blue, thus the name “Blue Zoners” stuck as a descriptive term for the healthy, happy, fit communities of centenarians across the globe. In their studies, five Blue Zones were discovered:
Researchers found nine specific lifestyle habits that the Blue Zone communities had in common to help them add at least 10 years of healthy, happy living to their lives:
You might be asking, is it really possible to do this, or do these five communities of Blue Zoners just live in a place with magic water or special longevity air to breathe? Well, we’re here to tell you that it really is possible. For over 20 years, since the 2005 article was posted in National Geographic, hundreds of communities around the world have begun to adopt evidence-informed Community Well-Being programs which include the healthy lifestyle habits of the Blue Zoners and have seen incredible results in the health and longevity of their participants and the communities in which they live. The goal of these community efforts is to empower everyone everywhere to live longer through community well-being.
Here are a few statistics:
For over 20 years, Blue Zones communities have been forming, implementing the evidence-informed community well-being programs to help people and communities practice the healthy habits of the five Blue Zones. This has shown to improve population health as well as to reduce health care costs in participating communities.
The initiative is in 61 U.S. communities, and hundreds more have applied.
In 2014, Fort Worth, TX was ranked as one of the most unhealthy cities, ranking at #185 out of 190. By 2018, since becoming a Blue Zone project, their community has seen a transformation in the health of their residents. They now rank at 31st place, which puts them in the top 20% of America’s healthiest cities. Here are a few more of their statistics: Childhood obesity dropped 6%. Smoking dropped 31%. Gallup estimates the initiative saved the city $250 million annually in lower health care costs.
Other Blue Zone projects can be found in the following places with the following positive results:
- Albert Lea, Minnesota was the first to become a Blue Zone project. For the past 10 years, their community physical activity and lifespan have both increased dramatically.
- In Beach Cities, California, childhood obesity has declined by 50%, smoking declined by 17%, and stress by 8%.
Over the next weeks and months, we’ll share tools and motivation to help you develop your own healthy habits, inspired by the Blue Zoners, so that you can improve your own health, well-being, and longevity and that of your family, so that you can truly begin and continue to Thrive at Life.
We’ll share evidence-based, sustainable strategies to help you build a foundation for better nutrition, exercise, and stronger relationships in family life and other social settings. We’ll also help you learn skills and practices in stress management for better mental and emotional well-being that will extend your lifetime by years. In our podcasts and courses, you’ll also learn strategies for getting more restorative sleep, increased energy, and how to achieve and maintain your optimal weight and wellness.
Thanks for joining us on the I Thrive At Life podcast. We’ll see you next time!
- Okinawa (Japan)
- Sardinia (Italy)
- Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica)
- Icaria (Greece)
- Loma Linda (California, United States)
- Prioritizing family life and family relationships. Families are everything to the Blue Zone communities, which goes along with recent research (some of which we reviewed with you in last week’s podcast) that shows that the number one predictor of happiness in life is the quality of your relationships.
- Engagement and regular participation in spirituality and/or religious activities (most belonging to faith-based communities and attending church services several times per month). These communities provided worship opportunities that nurtured and strengthened individuals' faith, families, and friendships.
- Engagement with friends and service in their communities.
- Purposeful living – meaning that they felt a passion and drive to contribute to the lives of others, to their communities, and in life. It’s about having a mission in life and a reason to wake up in the morning.
- Regular (moderate) physical activity. Many moved naturally as part of their daily living practices; others made intentional choices to exercise.
- Blue Zoners eat a plant-based diet (or at least plant-rich diet) that helps them maintain a healthy body mass index – so that they have an appropriate weight for their height. Their diets are centered on whole, unprocessed foods, such as fruits and vegetables (plenty of greens), legumes, whole grains, and a small handful of seeds and nuts a few times each week. Water was the drink of choice. If they did eat meat, it was sparingly, only a small amount (3-5 ounces once per week at most). Their healthy diet and regular exercise helped them maintain lower blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol, and less cardiovascular disease.
- Moderate caloric intake and not stuffing themselves to the point of being overfull. Instead, they ate until only 80% full at meal times.
- Regular daily stress management practices – taking time to unwind, relax, do something that relieves the stressors of daily life, renews, restores, and rejuvenates.
- As we mentioned, the only Blue Zoners group in the United States was found among members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, California, who adhere to a code of health. Here are some amazing statistics about this Blue Zone group: They have the lowest rates of heart disease in the U.S., the lowest rates of diabetes in the U.S., and very low rates of obesity. They follow a "biblical" diet, which includes grains, greens, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, and they drink only water.
- In Beach Cities, California, childhood obesity has declined by 50%, smoking declined by 17%, and stress by 8%.