More vital than stuff
In 2005, New York Times bestselling author Dan Buettner introduced the world to the concept of “blue zones”. Drawing on the work of Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain, who identified Sardinia’s Nuoro province as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians, he wrote an article in National Geographic identifying the five places where people live longest: the Barbagia region of Sardinia, Italy; the Greek island of Ikaria in the Aegean; Nicoya in Costa Rica; Seventh-day Adventists around Loma Linda, California; and Okinawa in Japan. In his later book, The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, Buettner describes the nine common denominators of these regions:
MODERATE AND REGULAR Pumping iron or running marathons is not a requirement.
MAKING PLANS The Nicoyans call it “plan de vida”. It’s what we might describe as “why I wake up in the morning”.
EASY DOES IT Long-term festering stress can cause chronic inflammation, associated with many age-related diseases – blue zoners all have ways to reduce stress, be it by remembering ancestors (Okinawans), praying (the Adventists), taking a nap (Ikarians) or enjoying happy hour (Sardinians).
STAY HUNGRY Stop eating when you are not entirely full. For the people in the Blue Zones the last meal of the day is also their smallest meal.
FULL OF BEANS Hit the beans (fava, black, soy and lentils); reduce meat to around five times a month – and even then in small portions.
WINE O’CLOCK Blue Zoners, bar the Adventists, drink alcohol moderately (1-2 glasses a day) and regularly with friends and/or with food. Bingeing on the weekend after a week’s abstinence won’t work.
KEEPING THE FAITH All but five of the 263 centenarians interviewed belonged to some form of faith-based community.
FAMILY FIRST Centenarians in the Blue Zones put their families first. They keeps ageing parents and grandparents nearby or in the home (this improves the health of their children, too).
THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR Finding a social circle that supports healthy habits has a knock-on effect. Smoking, obesity, happiness – even loneliness – are catching.