National Geographic Searches for Long Life in the Blue Zones

There are certain parts in the world called Blue Zones. Dan Buettner and a team of researchers including a National Geographic team searched all over the world looking for these Blue Zones what they called the Blue Zones study. Blue Zones are the hot spots for longevity. Individuals living in these particular Blue Zones live to be over 100 years old. The overall life expectancy for Americans is about 77 years of age. The life expectancy for a woman tends to be approximately five years longer than a male. There are four hot spots and they all have something in common and something different than the others. Buettner and his team researched the Blue Zones and their similarities and differences for weeks.

The first Blue Zone is Okinawa, Japan. Okinawans have groups called moais. Moais are a lifelong group of friends. They also have Ikigai which is their purpose for living. People who live in Okinawa have herb gardens. They can garden all year long because of the mild temperatures. This means they exercise by taking care of their gardens. They have to walk everywhere because they don’t have cars. They walk to friends houses, to church and then they have to get back home so then they have to walk home. If they had enough money, they would be able to get a bicycle but riding a bike is also exercise. They were able to get exercise without running on a treadmill or swimming in a pool. They have a plant based diet which means they get all the vitamins and nutrients they need to be healthy and live longer.

Another Blue Zone is Sardinia, Italy. A Sardinian shepard can walk more than five miles each day tending to his animals. Such exercise improves mood and helps with muscle and bone metabolism. They drink at least one glass of Red Wine e...

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... healthy. Working makes them feel like they are contributing to their community which makes them feel good.

All of these communities share a couple of things. All four Blue Zones have a group like the Okinawan moais: lifelong friendships are hard to find anywhere else. They all focus on building strong relationships with their family and friends, making a very tight community. They have plant based diets. They have their differences also. The Adventists focus on God more than the other groups. The Nicoyans have cleaner water that they drink which is different than the other three Blue Zones. The Sardinians use meat as an accent to their meals instead of the main course which the other groups don’t really eat meat much. The Okinawans have their herb gardens and can garden all year long. The other places can’t garden all year long because of their weather conditions.