Here’s what we’ll cover in this blog post:
- What are blue zones?
- Blue zone longevity tips
- How to live like centenarians
While most of us won’t be traveling to a Blue Zone this summer, that doesn’t mean we can’t bring their longevity secrets home.
These regions,where people often live past 90 and even 100, offer simple, everyday habits that support a longer, healthier life. And the best part? You don’t need a plane ticket to start.
Whether it’s moving more, eating better, or finding purpose, the lessons from Blue Zones make the perfect addition to your summer health checklist.
What Are Blue Zones?
Blue zones are regions around the world where people more often have exceptionally long lives, or exceptional longevity. That means the population more frequently lives beyond the age of 100.
The term evolved out of a 1999 study, when researchers noticed the population of Sardinia had a higher average of centenarians than other regions.
Since then, scientists have proposed 5 total blue zones:
- Sardinia, Italy
- Okinawa, Japan
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
- Ikaria, Greece
- Loma Linda, California
But why do so many centenarians live in blue zones? What are the longevity secrets of blue zones?
While some of us might not be adding these luxury destinations to our vacation plans, there’s plenty of lessons from blue zones that we can adapt into our daily lives at home.
1. Sardinia
Lessons learned: Embrace an active lifestyle
Sardinians are well-known for having an active lifestyle. But Sardinians aren’t hitting the gym daily or running on the treadmill. Instead, they’re getting exercise from their daily routine.
Sardinia boasts a diverse but rugged landscape of mountains, hills, and sprawling coastlines. Though beautiful, the terrain is still demanding for locals, who largely rely on traditional occupations like fishing, farming, and for their daily needs.
Of course, not all of us live and work in an environment where we naturally get exercise. Still, it’s easy to add exercise to your daily routine. Even light exercise like walking or running is a good start.
However, incorporating exercise into your hobbies helps make exercise feel like less of a chore—a mindset that Sardinians have clearly adopted. Dancing, playing sports, or even gardening are perfect for sneaking exercise into the activities we already love.
2. Okinawa
Lessons learned: Give yourself a sense of purpose
There’s a term in the Japanese language known as “ikigai,” which roughly translates to “a reason for being.” The term has become so popular that the government of Japan includes it on their national website. But this philosophy has also permeated the culture of Japan, which research suggests may contribute to the exceptional longevity they see in Okinawans.
The idea is to find the things in your life that bring you value and joy, things that give you a reason to wake up in the morning. This can include children, family, friends, our passions, or even work. It’s all about finding a purpose to engage with daily life, which helps both our physical and mental well-being.
But how does a sense of purpose help us live longer? A 2019 study showed that patients with a better sense of purpose were less likely to die during the 4-year study period than other participants. Though the study is correlative, it’s easy to see how a sense of purpose can improve our health and help us live longer, if only to help us want to live longer.
3. Nicoya Peninsula
Lessons learned: Keep strong social connections
While all cultures value family and community, few cultures value these as highly as those living in the Nicoya Peninsula. Located on the western edge of Costa Rica, the Nicoya Peninsula fosters a community where residents actively engage with each other as part of their daily routines.
The close-knit communities often see families living in the same household for generations, while many Nicoyans hold a shared cultural mindset that cherishes neighborly affection. Elders are also highly valued and integrated into the daily lives of their family and friends, which helps maintain emotional well-being well into old age.
4. Ikaria
Lessons learned: Follow a healthy diet, or even a Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is popular for a reason: it’s among the most widely celebrated and scientifically supported diet, shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. And you can thank Greece for introducing this diet to the world.
Featuring a rich diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, and whole grains, the Mediterranean diet is simply known as “dinner” to the people of Ikaria. Combined with various plant-based dishes and locally sourced herbal teas, Ikarians enjoy a healthier diet every day than most do each week, which helps maintain healthy longevity throughout their lives.
5. Loma Linda
Lessons learned: Practice a stress-free lifestyle
If anyone has embraced and popularized the stress-free lifestyle, it’s Californians.
Located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire region, Loma Linda has a relatively low population compared to other cities in California. While this may contribute to statistical inaccuracies in the estimation of centenarians, the residents of Loma Linda regularly live 10 years longer than the average American.
Many think of sunny coasts and a beach mindset when they think of the stress-free lifestyles of California. But separated from the traffic, noise, and anxiety of city life, Loma Linda has a different approach to stress than many Californians.
The city hosts one of the largest concentrations of Seventh Day Adventists in the country. This fosters a sense of community and shared values among the residents, contributing to a relaxed, easygoing mentality. One resident even shared with CNN, “I never had stress.” This man lived to the age of 104.
Though it’s not a biomarker we can monitor like blood pressure, stress is still a major accelerator of aging. Stress doesn’t just lead to anxiety or depression. It can also trigger inflammation and contribute to age-related disease. In fact, some studies estimate the stress can reduce lifespan by 2.8 years.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see how the stress-free lifestyle of Loma Linda leads to longer life.
Bringing Blue Zone Wisdom Home
You don’t need to uproot your life, or move to Sardinia, to start living like a centenarian. The longevity habits of Blue Zones are rooted in simplicity: move more, eat mindfully, stress less, stay connected, and find purpose.
And thanks to modern longevity science, we now have even more tools to bring a blue zone-inspired lifestyle closer to home.
Blue zones have natural factors that lead to higher NAD+ and B12 levels, like stress reduction, regular exercise, healthy diets, and caloric restriction. But our NAD+ and B12 levels decline as we age, making it harder to maintain healthy levels. Supplementing with NAD+ and B12 can help us enjoy the health benefits of blue zones, without leaving home.
Advanced testing options like the Core Longevity Panel also allow you to gain deeper insight into how your strategies are working. By measuring 40+ key biomarkers, you can focus your efforts on areas that need more attention to elevate your health and personalize your path to healthy aging.
Longevity might look different outside blue zones, but the goals are the same: live longer, feel better, and enjoy more good years. Let science meet tradition this summer and start bringing the best of the world’s healthiest places into your own life.
Note: The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.