A Blueprint for Living Well: Insights from Blue Zones
Move often, eat natural, have a good outlook and connect with people
First, I apologize (to a certain extent) to my faithful readers and followers who signed up for and expect content on youth athletic development. Topics and issues on LTAD, youth sports and pediatric exercise science still remain my primary expertise - and I have some writings in the works, but the last several months I have gained some interest in (adult) fitness and health, and longevity; perhaps for the selfish reasons of being a 50-something. Of course, I could argue how these topics of LTAD and longevity are related and intersect with each other (and I did here - Can we outlive LTAD?) but for now, here’s more information on living well in adulthood - specifically, my recent run-in with “Blue Zones”.
Honestly, I was not aware of this idea of “Blue Zones” until I started my Peter Attia kick last January. Given the power of social media and Google algorithms, the book by Dan Buettner came across one of my feeds. I gave it a quick look but was focused on the content from Attia at the time. Then a few weeks ago, I saw there was a Netflix documentary released about Blue Zones [Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones - trailer here]. Although I’m an avid reader, like many, I perceive myself to also be time-starved. So, I grabbed my AppleTV remote and started watching. It’s excellent and probably a summary of the book; however, I am still going to give the book(s) a go.
What and where are Blue Zones?
Blue Zones are geographic pockets around the World where the healthiest people and most Centenarians live. The term was coined by Dr. Gianni Pes, who was studying longevity in Sardinia (Italy), along with Michael Poulain. They found communities in Sardinia that had 10x more 100 yr olds than similar populations in the U.S. When these communities were mapped, they would place a blue dot on the regional map to represent it. As the accumulation of these populations grew in Sardinia, the term Blue Zone was introduced in a 2004 scientific publication (M Poulain, G Pes, et al. Identification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia island: the AKEA study. Experimental Gerontology. 39 (9): 1423–1429, 2004).
Besides Sardinia, four other Blue Zones have also been identified in Okinawa, Japan; Icaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California.
Secrets of the Blue Zones
Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer and Fellow and journalist, has been observing, researching and writing about these groups over the last few decades. He has also been credited with the term and has trademarked it. For everything Blue Zones see the website.
Buettner stars in the documentary telling the complete story, visiting with older people in the communities, and interviewing the scientists who he has worked alongside.
Here is a listing of the episodes:
Episode 1: The Journey Begins - 32 min - focuses on Okinawa
Episode 2: An Unexpected Discovery - 45 min - Sardinia and Loma Linda
Episode 3; The End of Blue Zones - 39 min - Imari and Nicoya
Episode 4: The Future of Longevity - 40 min - a summary of key factors, Singapore and bringing it to the U.S.
At the start of episode 4, a summary of the key factors from each location was provided (left) and then these factors were further delineated into the four core aspects of how to live well.
The four central themes to living well based on the observation of Blue Zones were:
move often and naturally ….you don’t need a “gym” membership or a personal trainer; you don’t need HIIT training or Olympic lifts .. you just need to move often by walking, gardening, manual labor (get rid of your riding lawnmower, etc.)
eat natural and mainly plant-based foods -- shop the perimeter of the store or better yet, grow your own or volunteer with a community garden - and eat in moderation (eat until you’re 80% full)
have a good outlook, don’t be angry, manage stress and have a purpose
connect with others - partners, family and your inner circle of true friends
As stated by Buettner “they're not on diets, they're not on exercise programs, they don't take supplements; they don't pursue health.. it ensues by setting up your surroundings the right way”
The 156 minutes or roughly 2.5 hours was worth it. Watch it, take notes, think about your lifestyle … and most importantly, how can you change or tweak something to improve health and well-being … regardless if you live to 100 .. just make every day and every year of your life QUALITY!
Be well peeps.
Related blogs from the IronMan:
Small, consistent doses of Exercise is Medicine
A Summary of Key Ideas from Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
A Father’s Day To-Do List, Every Day of the Year
Aerobic Fitness & Heart Health for Adults