The Blue Zones

The most important determinant of longevity is our lifestyle, not our genes.

According to a famous Danish study, which looked at over 2,500 twins, genes only account for 25% of all the factors that determine how long we live.

No one carries longevity in their DNA.

What matters is our behavior and how we choose to live our lives.

If you can optimize your lifestyle (to be in line with how people in the Blue Zones live), you may gain back an extra decade of the good life.

Technology has gotten to the point where we can do basically anything just by the touch of a button.

We can shop, work, and even socialize from the comfort of our homes. But this comfort we enjoy comes at a great price: our health.

WHO: 85% of the world population does not engage in enough physical activity, making a sedentary lifestyle the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality.

Living an active lifestyle is essential to longevity.

Studies have shown that physical activity reduces major risk factors of death (hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and cancer).

When you are physically active, your body and mind will be in great condition and the process of aging will be slowed down.

We can make our lifestyle active by making life a little tougher.

• Start walking or riding a bicycle to the store instead of driving.
• Take the stairs instead of using the elevators, etc.

If workout is already part of your life, make sure your routine includes a combination of aerobic, balancing, and muscle-strengthening activities.

Follow the people of Okinawa (Japan), which happens to be the Blue Zone, to stop eating when you’re 80% full.

They don’t keep eating till they clear the plate, or till they are too full to take another bite. Be mindful.

Caloric restriction is an important factor in longevity.

Studies have shown that losing just 10% of one’s body weight helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

1. Trick yourself into eating less by making your food look bigger.
2. Use smaller vessels to serve your meals.
3. Do not rush your meals; try as much as possible to eat slower.
4. Avoid distractions while eating and focus on food. If you’re going to eat, just eat and leave everything else until you’re done.

Blue zones’ people diets are predominantly plant-based.

They never develop the habit of eating processed foods, soda pop, or salty snacks.

They avoided meat and other animal products except on rare occasions.

Worry that a plant-based diet may not provide enough protein? Not.

An average plant-based diet with legumes and fortified grains can meet our daily need for protein.

When we consume too much protein, the body takes the amount required to maintain it and convert the rest to calories or fat.

While most of us think that longevity is all about eating right and staying fit, that is actually not the case.

Living long also has a lot to do with the state of your mind.

Longevity is beyond your meals or staying fit.

Individuals who expressed a clear goal in a life lived longer and were sharper than those who did not.

People who know their goals, who have something to get up for in the morning — live longer, better lives.

In most of the Blue Zones, their children check up on their parents and the younger generation welcomes the older generation to live with them.

Research has shown that elders who live with their children, are:

• Eating healthier diets.
• Having lower chances of getting sick and levels of stress.
• Having a much lower incidence of serious accidents.

A sense of purpose may come from something as simple as seeing grandchildren grow up well or learning something new, such as musical instrument or a new language.

When it comes to family, cherish it above anything else. Invest time and energy in your children, your spouse, and your parents.

During weekend create a “sanctuary in time” to focus on God, families, and nature.

Spend time together with the closest ones and do things that bring them closer and make them feel closer to God.

Slowing down increase the ability of immune system to fight off minor illnesses, simply because you’re less stress.

Meditation increases concentration and allows us to see the world as it really is, instead of how we think it is.

To start meditation, create a space in your home that is quiet, not too hot and not too cold, not too dark and not too light. Get a meditation cushion to put in the space.