Blue Zones have several overlapping characteristics that contribute to the longevity of the
populations. Most surprisingly, none of the populations exercise. Instead, they live a lifestyle that
centers around being physically active on an everyday basis, such as the centenarians of
Okinawa who sit on the floor, exerting their muscles to get up and down from the floor around
30-40 times a day. These populations appear to enjoy walking as a leisure and as physical
activity; they have gardens and actively tend to them. There is no diet for longevity however, the
communities tend to eat a plant-based diet, drink a little every day, and have rules to stave off
overeating. One of the cultures have an 80 percent rule for eating; when they are approximately
80 percent full, they stop eating. They allow time for the food to travel down the esophagus and
reach the stomach, this prevents overeating. Some of these cultures also use smaller plates for
portion control, some serve dinner and then put away the food before sitting down to eat. Each
culture takes time to be slow down their fast-paced life, be in the moment, or have a sense of
purpose. The Sardinians have a day of sabboth while the Okinawans have a word for sense of
purpose, ‘ikigai.’ The main characteristics that connect these cultures are they put families first,
take care of children and aging parents, are involved in some sort of faith-based community. The
‘grandmother effect’ can be seen in the Sardinian culture. That is, their families keep their aging
parents close to the family, adding four to six years of life expectancy, and research shows that it
is also good for the children of the family, who have lower rates of mortality and disease.
I hypothesize that the major difference between much of the U.S. population and the Blue
Zones is a sociocultural difference. American society tends to not value the same lifestyle
choices as seen in the Blue Zone. American workforce is a fast past and never-ending cycle;
work, home, sleep, repeat. This type of environment breeds the idea that Americans are not
allowed to slow down and take time for family and/or self. This is a risk factor for being
involved in faith-based communities and prioritizing children and aging parents. There are many
sub-cultures in American culture that promote unhealthy lifestyles to make money. Fast food
restaurants enforce overeating by providing larger and larger portion sizes to try and out-sell
their competitors. Make-up lines constantly advertise new creams/ointments the falsely promise
to reverse the effects of aging. Gyms promote extreme exercise routines, extreme diets, and
unhealthy body images to the children of America. These fundamentals in American culture do
not increase the populations longevity; I contend that these differences are a risk factor to the
American population’s longevity. There is too much focus on the fast and fabulous life style that
society promotes and too little attention to what science and research tells us.
I incorporate a few Blue Zone activities into my lifestyle however, I could probably
incorporate those more heavily into my daily routines. I am overweight and would like to tone
my body at the gym however, in the meantime, I encourage myself to be as active as possible in
my daily routine. I currently work two waitressing job, which are fast paced and keep me active.
In the summertime I go hiking, camping, fishing, and walking with my dogs. I struggle with stay
active in the winter months; this is one aspect of my life I wish to change. Like those cultures
labeled as Blue Zones, I would like to push my self to live my life in ways that keep me more
active than I already am. I have since started to stretch in the morning. Another characteristic I
incorporate into my lifestyle is putting my family first and taking care of aging parents. I have
always valued family immensely and strive towards putting them first, above all else. I helped
my mother care for my grandfather as Dementia took a toll on his mental health. As time passed,
his physical health began to decline. We no longer had the resource to care for him and had to
turn to a nursing home for support. Shortly after we lost him. It is extremely important to me to
be able to care for my parents as they age, I want them to be able to live their fullest lives in the
comfort of their own home, surrounded by those who love them.
There are two characteristics of Blue Zones I wish to incorporate into my life going
forward, faith and taking time to down-shift. I grew up in a Catholic household, it was more
forced than embodied. However, I recognize the impact and importance of religion on mental
and physical health. Faith not only provides persons with a sense of purpose but also creates a
support system to fall back on. Often faith-based communities promote a sense of well-being and
connection that help to support those who are struggling, and those who are not. I am currently
more spiritual than I am religious, though when I find myself falling I tend to turn to the lessons
that really stuck with me in religious education. I would like to be a part of a community and
have a community support again, while a faith-based community might not be the only way for
me to obtain this, I think it is the first step in the right direction. The most important
characteristic for me to incorporate is taking time to destress. I am very well aware of the need
for self-care and taking time to slow things down. However, I cannot seem to slow myself down.
I am always on the go, I hope to change that about myself. I hope that looking for faith-based
communities in my area will help me obtain the social support and self-care that I want for
myself.