The longevity secrets of the Blue Zones centenarians
Do you dream of living long and healthy until 100 years old? What if we told you it’s possible? There are places where life expectancy is higher than the world average: these areas are called “Blue Zones”, and they are land areas where the combination of environmental and human genetic factors allows people to be healthy and live longer.
The concept of “Blue Zones” comes from the colour of the pen that researchers Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain used in the 2000s to map the world areas with the highest concentration of centenarians. Their study was then continued by Dan Buettner, the National Geographic Society researcher who identified five sites that are considered longevity oases:
- Ogliastra in Sardinia
- Icaria in Greece
- Okinawa in Japan
- Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica
- the Adventist community of Loma Linda in California.
Why do the populations of the Blue Zones live longer?
The combination of genetic elements, healthy nutrition and a simple, active lifestyle in contact with spirituality and nature characterises the people who live in these areas. Indeed, our habits and the environment that surrounds us have an impact on our psycho-physical well-being. In the frantic and consumerist Western society, more and more people suffer from anxiety, stress and neurodegenerative diseases. This happens because they constantly feel unsatisfied and inadequate and are overwhelmed by their day-to-day problems. In fact, they are desperately looking for a kind of wellness that requires body and mind to slow down and enjoy the here and now.
How to maintain the balance between body and mind?
Being isolated and having little contact with stress factors, the peoples of the Blue Zones can derive energy and vitality from the encounter with themselves and their community. In addition, the practice of meditation allows them to appreciate the importance of rest and to slow down the ageing process. As a matter of fact, mindfulness is widely used nowadays as one of the main practices to cultivate greater self-consciousness and train body and mind to effectively deal with stress and anxiety.
Our Brain Training programs
At Starpool, we strongly believe that to live longer and in good health it is necessary not only to have a sound lifestyle, but also to start taking care of oneself early, training body and mind to be well. Our commitment in this direction has in fact led us to develop, together with neuroscientist Nicola De Pisapia, five audio-guide programs to use during the wellness sessions. The goal is that of helping people to favour focus, relax the body and leave behind the chaos of daily life.
The centenarians of the Blue Zones teach us a valuable lesson on the importance of focusing on our physical and mental health through simple and yet effective lifestyle and practices such as meditation, which can make a difference for a healthy and long life!