For thousands of years, humans have longed to live a longer life. With medical science advancing, this dream is becoming a reality thanks to new biological and nutritional information as well as the latest “bio-hacks” available. The idea of living a healthy, long life to 100 seems unimaginable, however there are “Centenarians” who are alive and kicking in several places in the world known as Blue Zones.
Maybe you’ve heard of these special places? Not many have so I’d like to share what I know about them as I happen to be lucky enough to live in one, the Nicoya Peninsula here in Costa Rica.
What’s a Blue Zone?
Blue Zones are areas of the world in which people live exceptionally long lives (100+ years). These regions are home to some of the oldest and healthiest people in the world. The 5 designated Blue Zones in the world are:
Okinawa (Japan)
Sardinia (Italy)
Loma Linda (USA)
Nicoya (Costa Rica)
Icaria (Greek Islands)
Residents of these places produce a high rate of Centenarians, suffer a fraction of the diseases that commonly kill people in other parts of the developed world, and enjoy more years of good health than the rest of the population.
So what’s their secret and what are they doing or not doing that the rest of us could learn from?
Studies have found that genetics only play a 20–30% role in longevity so clearly there are some key lifestyle factors that are contributing to their long, healthy lives.
The people inhabiting Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity. The Venn diagram below highlights the following six shared characteristics among the people of the Blue Zones.
Although their lifestyles differ slightly, they mostly eat a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, get enough sleep and have good spiritual, family and social networks. Here’s the full list of the most common lifestyle practices found in Blue Zones.
Regular physical activity
Life purpose
Stress reduction
Moderate caloric intake
Plant-based diet
Moderate alcohol intake
Engagement in spirituality or religion
Engagement in family life
Engagement in social life
How many of these 9 practices do you implement into your lifestyle? Implementing these key lifestyle factors into your life is easier than you think once you have the knowledge and structure.
Understanding and appreciating the importance of these, we have designed and structured our programs at the ALIVE Experience around these important lifestyle practices. During our transformational trips we share information and coaching so that our guests can learn to live the Blue Zone life when they return home.
If you’d like to know more about the program that we offer at the ALIVE Experience please email us at travel@thealiveexperience.com