[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” background_animation=”none” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]By guest contributor, Dr Anne Blacklaws

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]“Blue Zones” were originally identified by Dan Buettner when he was looking at age distribution of seniors across the globe, and discovered several small places where an unusually high number of people seemed to live an unusually long and healthy life.

He was surprised at how different these communities are, and he went looking for common factors to explain why so many of these residents enjoyed a long life.  National Geographic and Dan did studies on what it takes to live longer, healthier and happier (not just longer!).

Do take a listen to his TED talks or read his books about Blue Zones, but here are some of his and others’ research findings and conclusions.

These places on this map are the original exemplary “Blue Zones”, but as I will explain, there is more to a Blue Zone than geography or happy chance.

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Take a look at what most elderly people in Blue Zones do

in Sardinia, Italy:

The world’s highest concentration of male centenarians (men aged over 100 years).

• Drink red wine in moderation
• Share the work burden with their spouse
• Eat pecorino cheese and omega-3 rich foods
• Walk up and down hilly streets every day

In Okinanwa, Japan:

• They are committed to mutual support of a small group of lifelong friends
• Eat small portions, they have a main lunch and a very light dinner
• Are expected to have a personal goal

In Loma Linda, USA, a Seventh Day Adventist town

• Eat nuts and beans
• Observe the Sabbath day of rest
• Have faith
• No alcohol

In Ikaria, a Greek island

• Have a daily nap, especially in the heat of summer
• “Wine goes with food and friends” (not alone)

In Nicoya peninsula, Costa Rica

• People are not wealthy
• They have a “plan de vida”, roughly translated “why I get up in the morning”

So clearly it is not only faith or diet or drinking soda water that contributes to long life.  The common factors of the lives of most people in Blue Zones are that they

• Don’t smoke
• Put family first
• Are active every day
• Keep socially engaged
• Eat (mostly) fruit, veg and grains, and nuts as a snack

And these are things that we can all review in our own lives.  People living in Blue Zones do not endure an old age, they enjoy it.  So it is worth living to 100![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Create your own Blue Zone

When you look at your own life, there are sure to be Blue Zone factors that you have in abundance, but also things that you do have or don’t do.

What we’ve learnt from the Blue Zone research on how to live longer & happier is:

Design your life, your home, your habits with little changes that make a great difference.

• In your home

Do more simple chores that require you to bend and move. Do chores together with your spouse. Arrange your home to make chores easier and do a little every day. Have pictures of you or other people being active on your walls to encourage you! Organise your exercise bicycle, shoes, or walking stick to make it easy to find and use, and to act as a reminder to keep moving.

Belong to a small tribe

• “If you want a friend, be a friend”

In other words, cultivate an uplifting small group of a few good friends that bring you happiness.  People who have similar habits, interests and encourage you to stay active (mentally, physically, socially) over the years.  They are people who have your back.

Multi-generational living

Sharing lives with other generations can be a challenge if they are in the same household, or a different challenge if family members live far away or are very busy.  But in these Blue Zone villages, older people act as mentors, listeners and gossips for the whole community.  Some of our retirement communities have a serious drawback in that they are don’t actively encourage multi-generational activities.  Many of them are well arranged, neat and tidy and too quiet, with few sounds of playing, fun or laughter.   Other people’s noise can be very annoying, but we also can enjoy being part of other people’s lives.  The current trend in people moving into wider family households due to financial problems caused by Covid-19 and exorbitant housing price rises across the world may have good consequences for some elderly people.

Even if we can’t/don’t want to live in a multi-generational household, we can reach across generations to people younger and older than ourselves.  We might not know what to say, but we can all listen.

It’s never too late to put the right things in your mouth

The research on Blue Zones seems to show that the key to healthy living is not getting the perfect ingredients or any miracle diet, but eating and drinking a variety of foods in moderation.  A benefit of social eating is that it includes talking and waiting, so we eat slower.

And the common factor that overrides everything …

Have a purpose for living longer

Happiness makes a bad goal, like the end of a rainbow however you try you never quite reach it.  But like a rainbow, it is a wonderful surprise that lights up any day.  Long-lived and happy people in Blue Zones seem to savour their slowing-down life and be less cynical or regretful about their current lives.  They are not wealthy people travelling the world or monitoring their investments.  Which is food for thought.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” background_animation=”none” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”About the author | Dr Anne Blacklaws”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

Anne has extensive practical management experience in the Banking, Oil and Gas, FMCG/Retail, Management Consulting, and Engineering sectors in South Africa, Qatar and Oman.  She is currently “semi” retired, but she still does management tasks for the African Wild Bee Institute, and consulting for management succession planning for companies in Africa and the Middle East.

Anne’s doctorate looks at plans people need to make, in order to successfully live in their own homes as they grow older.

www.fulfillingretirement.co.za[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]