Blue Zones

That Little Voice

Want to live to be over a 100 years old and remain in good mental, physical, and emotional health? Well, move to a Blue Zone.

Where and what are blue zones, you ask? They are areas in the world where high percentages of residents live to be 100+ years of age.

Surprisingly, there are pockets of such places around the world, even including in the U.S., and various reasons may contribute to this phenomenon of long life.

Money, environment, diet, and relationships vary in each culture, and yet, in these elder oasises people work, play, dance, labor, dine, and love without a high rate of diabetes, aches and pains, high blood pressure, fractures, and other ailments those living in non-blue zones complain loudly and often about.

Some blue zones are in remote and isolated areas, while others thrive in the midst of large populations. But, blue zones can be created with a bit of desire and thought.

One of the most meaningful things that resonates with me about blue zones is the need for relationships, friendships, connecting with others, creating and interacting in a community.

Studies show loneliness is one of the major causes of many health problems, and as we age we often become more isolated, separated from the people and activities that keep us involved in living. Of course, Covid added to the stress of being alone, cut off from our neighbors, family, and our friends.

Another important factor is described as living your purpose, knowing what you are going to do each day, having a reason to wake up every day.

I encourage everyone to watch a documentary titled “Live to 100, Secrets of the Blue Zones” (found on Netflix). It focuses on how people live, what they eat, how they play, and how they work in the existing blue zones providing insights on how to lengthen age expectancies, lower health costs, and enjoy those extra years of lively living.

My recommendation is to watch this film … maybe you can extend your healthy life a few years.