The Key to Longevity: Exploring Blue Zones (Part II)

Last week, we talked about Dan Buettner’s research on the Blue Zones, the five places in the world where people are the healthiest and live the longest. It’s important to remember that our genes dictate 10% of our longevity and lifestyle controls the rest. You may have already read Buettner’s bestselling books The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest or The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People.

Perhaps you are one of the more than 300 million viewers of his TED Talk How to Live to Be 100+.

Back in 2008, Buettner designed a plan with AARP to apply the Blue Zones guidelines to American towns. The first chosen area was Albert Lea, Minnesota, and the plan of attack was to create a healthy environment rather than try to dramatically alter or overhaul individual behaviors. Part of the challenge of turning a community from “normal” to “health-promoting” included:

• Building newly connected sidewalks and trails that reach the downtown area
• Local hospitals
• Neighborhoods
• Parks

By adding as little as 1.7 miles of sidewalk, residents were able to cycle, skate, or walk to destinations rather than drive.

According to Buettner, 18 other American cities hope to be included in the Blue Zone project, which has already been shown to help residents lower their body mass index, stop smoking, exercise more, and make healthier eating choices. Cities like Albert Lea also save on healthcare costs when they adopt a Blue Zone lifestyle and focus on the ecology of wellness—which includes healthy natural foods and a more physically active way of life.

While Buettner was researching longevity in the Blue Zones around the globe, he found some interesting data.

For example, in Okinawa, Japan, about 6.5 people out of every 10,000 live to age 100. In the U.S., that rate is only 1.73 in 10,000. One of their unique approaches to health is they make sure to eat something from the land and something from the sea every day.

Unlike the other Blue Zones, their “longevity foods” include:

• Brown rice
• Green tea
• Shiitake mushrooms, and
• Tofu

Researchers concluded that their lengthy lifespans are because of a healthy natural diet, as well as regular activity and movement rather than competitive exercise.

According to Buettner, vitality is the intersection of a long life and an active life. It’s not only living for a long time but also being able to live in an engaged way so you enjoy your life. Here are five parameters of living to which Buettner wants all of us to aim:

• Being physically fit.
• Being cognitively aware.
• Living out our passions and values.
• Having a sense of contribution.
• Having a never-ending feeling of achievement.

For Blue Zone activity, the goal is to keep moving throughout the day, meaning less sitting. Your activities don’t have to be strenuous—but they should be continuous. When it comes to food, a modified Mediterranean diet—beans (especially black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, and lentils), fruit, honey, olive oil, vegetables, and small amounts of meat, dairy products, and alcohol—seems to work best.

Dan Buettner has reverse-engineered longevity for all of us through hard work, travel, and crunching numbers. Lucky for us, he’s more than willing to share his findings with anyone who is curious.

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