LESSONS FROM THE BLUE ZONES

Blue Zones are places in the world where people live longer compared to the rest of the world and are healthy for the majority of their lives. Here are what some lessons from the blue zones.

The other day one of the lectures on my education was about the Blue Zones given by one of the researchers Dan Buettner. If you have never heard about this concept before, it is 5 places in the world where people live longer and do not suffer from major diseases during their lives. These places are; Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Loma Linda (California), Nicoya (Costa Rica) and Ikaria (Greece).

Scientists went to these places to study what these people do that makes them live longer, and here are what they found out:

1. Move Naturally
   These people do not participate in crazy hard exercising, but are rather focused on more natural movement. They walk a lot, do garden work or have physical work in fields etc.
   
2. Right Outlook
   They pray, meditate, take naps etc. Tuning in, quiet time, and relaxing.
   
3. Know your sense of Purpose
   Many of these people know their 'purpose' in life. Fx in Okinawa, Japan, they don't even have a word for 'retirement', rather they have the word "Ikigai" which means 'sense of purpose'
   
4. Eat wisely
   Eat only till you are full, do not overeat
   
5. Eat a mainly plantbased diet
   These people live mainly on vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds. They also eat around a handful of nuts each day.
   
6. The 80 % rule
   Eat big meals in the beginning of the day, and little or no food towards the end of the day.
   
7. Connect
   Connect with other people, especially loved ones. Spend time with your friends and family, and connect.
   
8. Belonging to a Faith
   Many of these communities belong to a faith, and either go regularly to Church or have a spiritual practice
   
9. Right Tribe
   Think about who you hang out with, your social network. Those closest to you, are what you become similar to. Surround yourself with people who uplift you, and who makes you happy and feel loved

Question for you: Have you heard about the Blue Zones before? If not, what do you take from this? Is there one area where you can start to work on it in your own life?

Read also: Simply Healthy Habits