Living longer is easier said than done. The secret to longevity lies in many environmental factors such as: incorporating small habits daily in your lifestyle, healthy diet, exercise, avoid smoking, etc. You need to understand there are no shortcuts to health, wealth, and happiness.
A few places in the world are called “Blue Zones.” The term refers to geographic areas in which people have low rates of illness and live longer than anywhere else.
This article describes the common lifestyle features of people in Blue Zones, including why they live longer.
Stop Overeating
Overeating can easily spiral out of control and lead to various negative health consequences. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for longevity.
Long-term calorie restriction may help longevity. Eating fewer calories may be contributing to the longer lives in some of the Blue Zones.
Follow the 80% full rule, which means stop eating when you feel 80% full, rather than 100% full. This prevents them from eating too many calories, which can lead to weight gain and illness.
Here are two tips you can apply to your life:
Practice mindfulness during meals: Therefore, by eating slowly and mindfully can help you better recognize when your full, you may eat fewer calories and feel full longer.
Have heavier breakfasts/lunches, eat light at dinner: Light dinner options are salads, zucchini boats, stuffed peppers, and salmon. This will help you avoid indigestion and heartburn when you are trying to fall asleep.
Increase the Intake of Plant Based Foods
One thing common to Blue Zones is that those who live there primarily eat a 95% plant-based diet. Diets in the Blue Zones are typically biased toward plant-based foods, including nuts, legumes, vegetables, and whole grains. People in the Blue Zones only tend to eat meat around five times per month.
Start slow by adding more plant-based foods to your diet. Try meatless Mondays and once you feel ready try the other days of the week.
Exercise Is Built into Daily Life
Aside from a healthy diet, exercise is an important factor in aging. In the Blue Zones people do not stick to a structured exercise routine. It is built into their daily routine like gardening, walking, cooking, use your hands instead of machines, park further from an entrance, and other daily chores.
Get Rid of Tension Levels
Blue Zones and in general the people around the world experience tension. This may significantly decrease your life expectancy. Laughter and Optimism are two factors to introduce when you are dealing with tension. Some tension relief techniques you could include in your daily routine are meditation, yoga, and aromatherapy.
Social Relationships
Social Relationships play a special role in establishing healthy outcomes. Having emotional and social supportive connections from others can be beneficial for health. A great way to have social relationships is by:
Having a life partner
Being involved in your children live and aging parents
Spending quality time with friends and family
Having A Life Purpose & Healthy Social Network
People in Blue Zones tend to have a life purpose, known as “ikigai” in Okinawa or “plan de vida” in Nicoya. If you don’t have one, find one. One could be exploring your passions or interests. What do you enjoy doing or good at? Second, go out and network, do not be afraid to start conversations with them. This expands your horizons and opens opportunities you never even knew existed.
Your friends can affect our health choices. One of the reasons why the Blue Zones choose social circles that will support longevity enabling lifestyle habits such as not smoking, drinking in moderation, and being spiritual. Take a moment and ask yourself are my friends good for me? Or are they benefiting my lifespan or affecting it? It that is the case you might need to find a new social circle.
Bottom line, the secret of longevity depends on many factors such as healthy eating, peaceful life, healthy social relationships, and exercise. To boost your longevity, you must incorporate these healthy habits. Here are a few articles in our blog that could help you with that: