Hello Everyone,
How's the new year going so far?
Recently, I saw a news story about the oldest living person. Her name is Kane Tanaka and she just celebrated her 119th birthday on January 2nd. Below is a photo of her taken in 1923 at the young age of 20. Beautiful, isn't she?
Kane has been living in a nursing home in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan since September 2018 and she still gets around on her own two feet, taking short walks in the hallways. Pretty amazing!
Can you imagine living as long as she has?
I got to thinking about this and was reminded about geographic regions known as Blue Zones, which are home to some of the world’s oldest people.
The term "Blue Zone" was first used by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times bestselling author, who was studying areas of the world where people are living much longer than the average person. While doing their research, Buettner and his colleagues drew blue circles around these regions on map, hence Blue Zones.
Originally, there are five known Blue Zones:
- Icaria, Greece
- Ogliastra, Sardinia, Italy
- Okinawa, Japan
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
- Loma Linda, California, USA
Buettner discusses these area in his book, The Blue Zones, published in 2008, but there could very well be more unidentified Blue Zones areas in the world waiting to be discovered.
So, why those five regions?
Studies of these areas have found that they contain incredibly high rates of people who live over 90 and 100 years of age, with genetics accounting for 20–30% of longevity. This means that environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, play a significant role in determining one's lifespan.
In fact, it was discovered that all blue zones areas share nine specific lifestyle habits referred to as the Power 9®. These habits are:
1. Move naturally - no crazy exercise routines, just moving without thinking
2. Purpose - i.e have a life purpose
3. Down shift - practicing ways to de-stress
4. 80% rule - stop eating when you're 80% full
5. Plant slant - eat a 95% plant-based diet
6. Wine at 5 - drink alcohol moderately, one to two glasses of red wine per day
7. Belong - i.e. to some sort of faith-based community
8. Loved ones first - i.e. investing time and love into family first
9. Right tribe - associate with people who support healthy behaviors/lifestyles
As I consider those nine habits, some are certainly easier for me to put into practice, while others... I honestly don't know if I can pull them off. I just know that simple is better as I get older. I don't have patience for fussing about; it's too exhausting. I want to live better, and -- barring any unforeseeable circumstances -- that will translate to living longer.
So, as I bring this post to an end, I'd like to share this Ted-Ed video where Dan Buettner talks about How to live to be 100+.
Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
All the best for 2022.
Until next time,
Eddy
