Many of you may have heard of the Blue Zones. These are 5 places on Earth where many of the inhabitants live to 100 or more. These centenarians have many things in common that may explain why they live to so long and remain so healthy and robust.
Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest has now created a documentary series on Netflix (Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones) that takes us around the world to every Blue Zone, including Okinawa Japan, Sardinia Italy, Nicoya Costa Rica, Loma Linda California, and Icaria Greece.
The documentary is nicely filmed, the settings are gorgeous, the people are engaging, and the reasons for their longevity well presented. It all adds up to a strong argument for specific lifestyles that promote not only long life but vigorous living into older age. Buettner does a great service to those of us seeking to live in ways conducive to health and wellbeing.
The last episode is of particular importance when Buettner dives into the policy implications of the blue zones for the US. He moves beyond the individual and explores how we can change our communities to promote health and longevity. Worth the watch.
Keep in mind, the Blue Zones documentary is not hard science. It lays out suggestions that may be very helpful to each of us when evaluating our lives, whether it be diet, exercise, relationships, stress, community living, etc.
More research has to be done to verify which of the factors may be most important, what combination of factors work best, what genetic factors are at play, and what other elements may be influencing the blue zones. Is it geography, lack of pollution, etc.?
All in all, it is an excellent presentation of what health can mean for each of us living in a modern, urbanized world.
You can email me at healthingactions@gmail.com with any questions about this documentary or other health issues.
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Here’s to your health,