Blue Zone Living

As I’ve become more conscious about healthy living, I’ve been interested in learning more about Blue Zones, areas around the world where the average longevity of residents is well above average.

In fact, people who live in these Blue Zones reach age 100 at a rate ten times that of the United States.

One of these areas is Sardinia, Italy (the other top 5 Blue Zones are Loma Linda, California, Nicoya, Costa Rica, Ikariam Greece, and Okinawa, Japan).

I’ve been fascinated with Sardinia for awhile, and it is on my bucket list of places to visit as it has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

Palau, Sardinia, courtesy of Ana Marta Jorge

Sardinia is also home to Earth’s longest living men.

So, that is it that the people are doing differently in Sardinia and these other Blue Zones?

The top three commonalities among the people living in these Blue Zones are…

• Natural Movement
• Sense of Purpose
• Stress Management

Natural Movement

In Sardinia in particular, many people are quite active with their daily lifestyles.  It is common for many people to walk several miles every day performing daily errands and tasks.

Many of the men living in the interior of the island are goat herders, who walk upwards of five miles every day up and down hilly terrain.

Other people tend to large gardens on a daily basis, that provides fresh food to their diets.

Aside from Loma Linda, the other Blue Zones share this common thread of a lot of natural movement throughout the day.

Most Americans, on the other hand, are quite sedentary, as we spend ours sitting at work, watching TV, playing video games, etc.

Sense of Purpose

In each of these Blue Zones, many people wake up each day with a strong sense of purpose.  This is the reason they wake up everyday.

That sense of purpose may involve religion, work, a hobby, or caring for other people.

Having a strong sense of purpose is associated with higher levels of happiness, self-esteem and a positive outlook on life.

For much of my life, that sense of purpose was becoming the best golfer I could be.  Whether it was a tournament, a normal round of golf with friends, or just a practice session on the driving range, I always had something to look forward to.

Over the last couple years, just getting stronger and more fit has been my primary sense of purpose.

More recently, I’ve been motivated to get other people motivated to get moving!

If you don’t have a particular hobby, job, or anything else that really gets you motivated, perhaps take a look at kung fu.

Learning the movements and then improving your ability to perform them may just be a good enough reason to get up in the morning.

Stress Management

I read recently that over 70 million Americans are medicated for mental health reasons.

That’s nearly 25% of our population.

The American lifestyle of trying to live the American Dream is clearly not working out for many people.  The fact of the matter is that it’s become awfully expensive to acquire a home, a car and all the gadgets available to us.

This forces us to work harder and harder, and that simply increases our stress.

People who live in Blue Zones manage their stress in a variety of ways.  Meditation, prayer, naps and meeting with friends after work are common ways to reduce stress.

One thing I’ve noted in my study of Italian culture is how many Italians meet in their common spaces after work to chat with friends over a glass of wine or a beer.

Other characteristics of Blue Zones

Another of the characteristics I’ve noted among people who live in these Blue Zones is they are not so focused on food consumption as we are in America.

Italians clearly know how to eat and make some of the best food on the planet.

But, Blue Zone people don’t live to eat… they eat to live.  One common thread among Blue Zone people is that they tend not to eat until they can’t eat another bite.

They are content to eat until satisfied, and stop.  It is not a contest to see how much they can eat at one sitting.

In America, we have a five week ritual at the end of the year where it seems the goal is to eat as much as possible.

It starts with Thanksgiving, and ends on New Year’s Day as people settle in to watch college football all day.

It’s also fascinating to see all the social media posts that are centered around food.  I’ve participated in that in the past myself on occasion, but it seems to be a habit among many Americans, and they tend not to be the most fit among us.

Speaking of food, most people in Blue Zones also eat a plant-centric diet.  Yes, they still consume meat, fish and poultry, but nowhere near the quantity of most Americans.

They also aren’t eating processed food so common in American diets.

Other important commonalities among people living in Blue Zones is that they are very family oriented and spiritual.

Final Thoughts

America faces an ever worsening obesity epidemic, yet the government, big pharma, and the medical community seems to be fixated on nothing but prescribing new medications to alleviate symptoms related to obesity.

In the meantime, the cost of healthcare continues to spiral, and our healthcare system is becoming overwhelmed.

Yet, the answers to better health are staring at us right in the face.

We can certainly learn alot from Blue Zones.