Here we look at the Blue Zones organisation, its lessons and projects, and how it’s helping people to live better and longer. This is part of our series on Living Sustainably.
Last time we reviewed Feedback Global, how they work, their vision for the food system, global campaigns, and ways to get involved. This time I thought we’d review the fantastic Blue Zones organisation that helps people to live longer and happier. I love their email newsletter so I hope you find this of interest.
What are “Blue Zones”?
The “Blue Zones” is an organisation inspired by the world’s longest-lived cultures, and it aims to help people from across the globe live longer and better. The organization was founded by Dan Buettner, who’s a New York Times bestselling author and a National Geographic Fellow.
Dan Buettner has discovered five different regions, known as Blue Zones, of the world where people live the longest. Not only do people from these regions live the longest but they also live the healthiest even in their old age. These five Blue Zones are:
Blue Zones Core Values
The way you spend every moment of your day affects your overall health and life, and as the part of the Blue Zones’ strategy, the organisation believes:
- The routine natural movement of your daily life contributes to longevity.
- A powerful sense of purpose that you have in life lengthens your lifespan.
- The plant-slant diet that you eat leads to a healthier and longer life.
- Your relationships with people of faith, friends, and family increase your lifespan.
Blue Zones Lessons
Now we’ll discuss different lessons that Blue Zones has to offer.
The Power 9
According to the 20 years of innovation and groundbreaking research of the organisation, people who live in Blue Zones have 9 attributes in common. These commonalities allow them to live happier, healthier, and longer lives, despite living in different regions of the world.
Move Naturally: These people don’t run marathons or pump iron. The environment they live in naturally makes them move without thinking about it. Not everyone can lift weight and that’s where moving naturally comes into place as it allows you to ensure your physical health.
Purpose: Having a sense of purpose and waking up every day to move one step closer to that can add up to 7 extra years of life expectancy.
Down Shift: Chronic inflammation is the most common health problem related to almost all the major age-related diseases caused by stress. You must have a solid routine in your life to shed that stress, just like the people living in the Blue Zone regions.
80% Rule: Never fill your stomach fully because “Hara Hachi Bu.” It’s a popular mantra that Okinawans say before they start eating each meal. It means you should stop eating when your stomach is 80% full.
Plant Slant: The most common foods that people living in the Blue Zone regions eat include beans and whole grains. They do eat meat, but only 5 times a month.
Wine @ 5: According to the organisation, moderate drinking habits can help you outlive non-drinkers. It’s especially true if you drink with your friends. For instance, people from Sardinia consume red wine in a moderate amount. It’s one of the five regions where people live longest and healthiest.
Belong: People living in the Blue Zone regions regularly attend faith-based services. The Organisation says that doing so can add up to 14 extra years of life expectancy, regardless of the denomination.
Loved Ones First: The world’s longest-lived people always put their families first, no matter what. They commit to a loving life partner and invest their time and energy in their children. Additionally, they also keep their parents and even grandparents with them, which rarely happens now in Western Societies.
Right Tribe: Centenarians of the Blue Zone regions always live in social circles to support healthy behaviours.
The Blue Zones Tests
The Blue Zones offers a couple of online tests that you can take to learn how to live longer, healthier, and, of course, happier.
True Vitality Test
You can start living a healthy lifestyle just like people from the Blue Zones by taking a three-minute True Vitality Test that the organisation offers. You’ll be provided with customised recommendations that will help you live longer and healthier.
True Happiness Test
It’s a five-minute Happiness test that provides you with recommendations on how to live happier. The information that you’ll share in this test will be kept private, and the organisation will send you personalised results to maximise your happiness and improve your environment.
Blue Zones Meal Planner
The Blue Zones meal planner is specially designed for people who want to follow the Blue Zones diet plan that the world’s longest-lived people eat. The diet plan that the Blue Zones Kitchen offers is pretty similar to the Mediterranean diet.
The best thing about this meal planner is that it asks you about your goals, serving size, the time you can spare for cooking, cooking skill level, meal types, favourite food items, and much more.
The Blue Zones meal planner focuses on whole foods, olive oil, sweet potatoes, fruits, oats, nuts, and barley, and advises people to avoid eating junk food regularly in order to live a healthy life. It increases the amount of good cholesterol in the body, boosts the immune system, and decreases the risk of heart disease.
It means that each meal plan will be customised depending on your unique needs. Not only will you enjoy following your Blue Zone diet plan, but it’ll also improve your lifespan. Each meal plan from the Blue Zones Kitchen is based on the following core principles.
- Delicious
- Nourishing
- Affordable
- Easy
Blue Zones Life Plan
The Blue Zones Life Plan is the first step that you can take to start living a healthier and happier life. This plan is inspired by the living style of the healthiest and longest-lived people in the world, and you can start it using the following steps.
- Understand what Blue Zones Life is.
- Read the Blue Zones life plan guidelines to follow.
- Gather Your Support System/Personal Network and connect to the Blue Zones community.
- Plan and Commit
- Get Started!
Blue Zones Project
Using the knowledge gathered from the original Blue Zones of the world, the Blue Zones organisation helps people live better and longer. The Blue Zones project aims to make healthy choices easy choices.
Most people spend almost 90% of their time within a 20 miles radius of home, and this is where the project focuses on with its community-wide approach. The project doesn’t only rely on a behavioural change of an individual. It aims to improve community health by making permanent changes on different levels.
The Blue Zones project educates people to improve city streets, sidewalks, side lanes, smoking policies, schools, public spaces, and so on to make a community sustainable, impactful, and effective.
The improvements that the project has brought forward are features in multiple media channels such as New York Times, NPR, and CNN. Lastly, the results this project has generated are also exceptional and include:
- Double-digit drop in BMI, smoking, and obesity
- Measurable and significant drops in employee absenteeism
- Savings of millions of dollars in healthcare costs
If you like the sound of Blue Zones you might like our piece on Purpose Can Help You To Be Happier that you can find at naffordjunction.co.uk/blog or naffordjunction.co.uk/podcast.
Here Is What You Can Do
- Check out bluezones.com
- Be inspired. We can help climate change if we do something about it
- Talk to your friends and colleagues
- Share this with others
Want to Continue Your Journey?
Where Next?
There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can:
- Read Our Articles
- Sign-Up to Our Free Email Newsletter
- Get Started and Vote with Your Money
- Try the Sustainability Roadmap
- Use the Company Directory
- Support Nafford Junction
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- Become a Patron to Give Regular Contributions
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Production Notes
This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.
Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.