The concept of blue zones grew out of the demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain outlined in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology, identifying Sardinia as the region of the world with the highest concentration of male centenarians. Pes and Poulain drew concentric blue circles on the map highlighting these villages of extreme longevity and began to refer to this area inside the circle as the blue zone.

CHALLENGES WE FACE TOGETHER...

CONNECTION is the Elixir to longevity. Clue, No one living towards longevity is trying to do it alone.

8 BLUE ZONE COMMUNITIES

Here is how; the five regions identified in Buettner’s book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest are:

1. Okinawa in Japan
2. Sardinia in Italy
3. Icaria of Greece
4. Costa Rica’s isolated island—Nicoyan Penisula
5. Seventh-Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California
6. Hunza Valley, Pakistan
7. Vilcombamba Valley, Ecuador
8. Abkhasia, Couscous Mountains

When you have the time, google these locations and see if you can see the differences between them all. Notice their geographic location (global, can be anywhere),  notice their cultures (all different), notice their GDP (all different) and notice anything else that might have been a usual measure of health and wellbeing. Access to hospitals, vaccination rates, salaries, and wages. It's important to realise that none of these factors impact the health, happiness, and connection of the people you see below as w whole.

Now take a minute to zoom out and see if you can spot what is similar between all of these places and people. The people live in close connection with nature and as communities, not individuals. Abundance of health and happiness is found in a connection to nature and each other.

9 PRACTICES OF BLUE ZONE COMMUNITIES

Out of the top 9 core medicines for longevity hotspots, living communities live their truth and have the outcomes in this reality and this time. Connection is the core of medicine, food is foundational, where movement and the absence of movement (stillness) are essential. Lastly, work, and lifestyle, is a way of living and being connected to a heart and soul and a deeper spiritual purpose.

1. Right Tribe (Connection)
2. Family First (Connection)
3. Belonging (Connection)
4. Eat more plants (Food)
5. Keep moving (Movement)
6. Slow Down (No Movement)
7. Work in Purpose (Work, Lifestyle, Spirit)
8. Enjoy Healthy Moderation—80/20 Rule (Lifestyle)
9. Wine at 5 (Lifestyle)

How does this change the way you view your longevity, health, and well-being?

7 TRAITS OF SUPERCENTENARIANS

Beyond geography, these longevity hotspots have 7 simple correlations, when it comes to living beyond the age of 100 years.

1. They lived with an abundance of fresh food from natural sources, grown in nourishing environments free of chemicals and toxic pollution. (Food and nature)
2. They had fresh air and natural spring water with higher alkalinity. (Food and Nature)
3. Having friends and family around, connection, was a key (Connection)
4. People lived with a stress-free sense of lightness, laughter, and fun. Simply living (Lifestyle).
5. They lived functional lives, movement was a way of life, not a chore or exercise regime. (Movement)
6. They lived with a sense of purpose, beyond the materialistic world. It kept their minds sharp and active until their final breath. (Work, Lifestyle, Spirit)
7. They had a sense of faith in the goodness of life and spiritual connection to their version of the “source” and circulation of energy in our lifetimes. (Spirit)

What do you see here as the core medicines to live beyond 100? Nature and food are foundational medicines. Connection again is the elixir to longevity. Movement is a way of living, not a chore. Lifestyle and the way we live is just as important as being connected to something beyond the physical world, the spiritual and energetic duality.

SUMMARY

The summary and key point is that self-care is not about perfection. It’s about finding what works for you in the context of your life. Where longevity is a WE game, not just an individual ME game.

Each of the communities and locations above understands what health truly is built on. It takes "a village to raise a child" and a "community to heal the sick". It also takes a "community to survive and thrive over our lifespans". Connection is the elixir to longevity, a connection to self, each other, and our primary life support system, which is the natural world. For humans to survive, nature must thrive.

REFERENCES

This is directly referenced from the best-selling Amazon SelfCare Book "Lifestyle Medicine For the People" by Rory Callaghan.  If you would like to read more content like this. Grab the free online chapters of the book or a hard copy.

We have done our best to reference everyone’s expert opinions, peer-reviewed science, and original thoughts, all references available here and referenced in the text. I also understand that most thoughts are not our own and there is a collective unconsciousness, unconsciousness, and universal mind stream of energy that is always at work.