Looking for longevity? Consider the ‘Blue Zone’ lifestyle

 

Looking for longevity? Consider the ‘Blue Zone’ lifestyle

A family hiking together. Mountains and windmills are shown in the background.

When it comes to living longer, the DNA running through your family tree might not have as much influence as you might think.

There is growing evidence that shows the lifestyle choices you make can help determine your lifespan.

Researchers have been studying “Blue Zones,” a handful of areas around the globe where people live longer, stay healthier longer into their old age and have lower rates of chronic disease.

These areas include, Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California; and the island of Ikaria in Greece.

Common traits

In these Blue Zones, there seem to be several diet, exercise and lifestyle patterns that the areas have in common, in addition to having a higher-than-average number of people celebrating their 100th birthday.

From what makes up the bulk of their daily diet to how involved they are in their communities, the core traits of each of these places appear to be in sync.

Let’s take a look at some of these characteristics and how easy it can be to make a few simple changes to take steps toward making your home into a Blue Zone.

Plates of healthy, colorful foods sit on a table in front of a person.

Eat plenty of whole plant foods

People filling their plates with nutritious, whole foods and a high percentage of plant-based food is a key characteristic of Blue Zone communities.

Take Okinawa, for example, where women live longer than any place else on Earth. Centenarians there have eaten diets that rely on sweet potatoes, stir-fried vegetables and soy-based and fermented foods.

Loma Linda, California, has a high population of Seventh-day Adventists, many of whom choose to be vegetarians or vegans as a way of practicing their faith. On the Greek island of Ikaria, more than 60 percent of their Mediterranean diet is made up of fruits, vegetables and greens.

To follow this Blue Zone path, fill up a big section of your own plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal and pick plant-based snacks.

Eat slowly; stop before you are full

Another key marker is how people in Blue Zones eat. Research shows they typically take their time, treating meals as social events when they sit down with family and friends to enjoy conversation along with their food.

They are also careful not to stuff themselves. In Okinawa, there is a saying called “hara hachi bu,” which is a reminder to stop eating when they are 80 percent full.

Three women cook in a kitchen while sipping moderates amount of wine.

Alcohol in moderation

Alcohol consumption is a bit different in each Blue Zone community. In four of these zones, people drink alcohol regularly, but they do it in moderation. And if they are having a drink, it’s with a meal or with friends.

Exercise regularly

Whether it’s the physical work the people of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula continue to do into their old age, or the martial arts enjoyed by the centenarians in Okinawa, an active lifestyle is a big part of these communities.

What’s the best exercise for you? It’s probably a mix of a few different types that you like well enough to stick with as you make your way toward your 100th birthday. For some advice, read Exercise and be healthy for life.

Sleep well

In Blue Zones, sleep is a necessity, not a luxury only to be enjoyed once a lengthy to-do list is finally done.

People who live in these zones typically sleep 8 to 10 hours a night, and in at least a couple of these areas, afternoon naps are also common. The takeaway here is to be kinder to your body and treat a good night’s sleep as very important to your health.

Need some help? Read 7 tips for getting a better night’s sleep.

Two couples talk and laugh while taking a break from a run in the city.

Build a good support system

Blue Zones are best described as areas where groups of long-lived people are enjoying their lives, and they’re doing it as part of a social network.

Whether it’s coming together to exercise, to enjoy meals, or to practice their faith, people are enjoying each other’s company in these tight-knit communities.

Research shows that having a strong social network is important to people’s well-being. Learn more by reading Social Health: Friends and family can make all the difference.

Learn more

The common traits of these Blue Zone communities can give us insight into how to embrace lifestyle changes that bring better health and wellness and the possibility even more birthdays to celebrate in our future.

To learn more about how Amway and Nutrilite can help you on your path to a healthier lifestyle, visit Amway™ to look at the discovery of great products for you and your families health.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tips for keeping the ‘winter blues’ at bay

Image
  Tips for keeping the ‘winter blues’ at bay During the heat of the summer, we slather on the sunscreen , worried about getting too much sun. In the winter, when the weather is chilly and the days are shorter, we should be just as concerned about getting too little. While spring will be here sooner than you think, the lack of sunlight during these months of short, dreary days can affect our health and wellness. Why we need sunlight The sun is a key source of vitamin D because sunlight triggers our bodies to produce the essential nutrient. Vitamin D supports our bodies’ normal function associated with bone health, heart health and immune system support. The National Institutes of Health recommends 5 to 30 minutes of sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at least twice a week on the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen. Following that recommendation can be challenging when winter’s gray skies block the rays that start the process of vitamin D synthesis in the
Read more

Need tips to decrease your mental stress?

Image
  Quick tips for decreasing mental stress Are you exhausted but still have difficulty falling asleep? Are life’s daily annoyances becoming huge obstacles? Are you having trouble concentrating and seeing things through? Under normal circumstances, you might answer no to all those questions. But these are not normal circumstances and the stresses you might be experiencing are likely not normal, either. Sometimes everyday stresses can be handled with a strong cup of coffee. But if that doesn’t help, and they are persistent and recurring, don’t ignore them. Your mental health is one of several factors that comprise your overall wellness. The others are dietary, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, financial and environmental health – and they all need to be maintained. “Mental health is your ability to properly think about and process information,” said Dr. Keith Randolph, a fellow with Amway Global Discovery. “It affects how you interact with others, make deci
Read more

Social health: Friends and family can make all the difference

Image
  Social health: Friends and family can make all the difference Good relationships with friends and family do more than just enrich your social life—research shows they are key to a person’s overall health and wellness, specifically their social wellness. A team at Stanford University, led by Dr. Catherine Heaney, an associate professor of psychology and medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, interviewed 100 people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds about “levels of well-being.” While their responses were scattered across several categories, including physical health , spirituality and mental health , Heaney said social connectedness was the dominant topic. Need for social connectedness is universal People talked most about the extent to which they were well-integrated into the social fabric of their community—with their loved ones, their family and friends,” she said in an interview for Stanford’s Be Well program. Heaney said the finding makes s
Read more