Fitness, Longevity…
and the Blue Zones

While the work was before COVID, Buettner noticed a paradox. In the USA, the wealthiest country in the world, average life expectancy is in the 77-79 range. More than a decade fewer years than in these “less prosperous” areas of the world. 

How could this be?

Buettner embarked on a mission to study these regions to understand why.  

Over the past two decades, Buettner developed an organization to continue research and share ideas, Bluezones.com.

“Our work is rooted in our research and identification
of the world’s longest-lived cultures and most extraordinary populations.”

The Fitness - Longevity - Blue Zones Connection 

In watching Episode #1 of the Netflix series, I wasn’t necessarily surprised at some of Buettner’s findings. It’s their diet, right?

In Okinawa, Japan, for example, 60% of their calories came from one food, the Okinawan sweet potato. (Did not expect that…) 

In Sardinia, Italy, 65% of calories came from bread, pastas, potatoes or beans. A lot of carbohydrates! Ah, one key difference: In Sardinia, bread was made from high-protein, low-gluten durum wheat. Buettner describes the difference in his 2017 book, The Blue Zones Solution:

“This high fiber, complex carbohydrate bread does not cause a sugar spike like processed or refined grains do and it’s easier on thepancreas, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes.”

Here are highlights of of the diets in the other areas:  

• Loma Linda, CA. Plant-based with small amounts of dairy or fish.

• Nicoya, Costa Rica. 68% carbohydrates, mainly from rice, corn and beans.

• Ikaria, Greece. 64% greens, beans and fruit, very little fish. 50% of fat energy comes from olive oil. 

Another “diet” habit Buettner describes like this:

“Hara hachi bu” – the Okinawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80 percent full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.

The Big Surprise: Diet Is Only One Small Part…

Buettner’s extensive studies resulted in nine (9) habits that were common across all zones. He calls it the “Power 9®”.  You can see the diagram below that includes the 80% rule, plus: have a purpose, make sure to take down time, eat a plant-based diet, take time for “wine at 5”, hang out with the right tribe, put your loved ones first, and belong…

What’s at the top of the circle?

Move Naturally. 

What Fitness Experts Already Know!

Like diet, it seemed obvious that “moving” would be a key component of longevity. What caught my attention was this quote from Buettner:

“The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.”

On the Netflix Okinawa episode, I jumped to attention when Buettner casually mentioned an observation about the home of the centenarian he was interviewing. 

It had no chairs.

In his book, Buettner described the home of Gozei Shinzato, age 104. She lived alone in a furniture-less, three room house partitioned by rice-paper doors. In the day he spent with her, she made a meal for Buettner and his team:

“We watched her spring up and down from her tatami mat more than a dozen times.” 

104-year-old Gozei was doing SQUATS a dozen times a day.

The Power of Movement in the Blue Zones

Here’s a snapshot of how the other zones “moves naturally”:

• Sardinia, Italy. The population lives on the rocky slopes of the Surpramonte mountains. Daily, the townspeople walk to greet friends, but most notably, work their glutes to walk to church at the top of the village.  
  

• Loma Linda, CA. The city was started by Seventh-day Adventists, a religion that “evangelize(s) with health.” Built into their religious practice is time to de-stress, gather with friends, and exercise. Loma Linda is home to the Drayson Center, as a 100,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art recreation and wellness center promoting physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness.
  

• Nicoya, Costa Rica. The individuals still follow daily rituals of their native Chorotega ancestors. They harvest their own foods, prepare them from scratch. They walk everywhere. In the Netflix program, one centenarian still rounded up cattle on horseback.
  

• Ikaria, Greece. One scene stood out on the program: a regular get-together with the family where, yes, a buffet of the great Mediterranean diet was served. But perhaps more importantly, in celebration of just getting together, the family and friends danced all night.

Fitness As Our Own Blue Zone

Blue Zones offer insights into how individuals have learned over years, and centuries, how to live to be 100. For those of us in the business of helping people move, we kind of have our own “blue zone” when we work with clients - to give them a sense of purpose, to welcome them into a great tribe, and of course, to help them move in a natural, strong and healthy way.

NOTE: BLUE ZONES is a registered trademark owned by Blue Zones, LLC. All rights reserved. Kinotek is not affiliated with Blue Zones and does not endorse or sponsor the company.

About the Author

Pat Panaia spent 30 years in the veterinary industry focused on keeping pets healthy. In 2022 she switched to directly helping humans as CEO of Kinotek, a digital health platform that provides fast, easy, comprehensive musculoskeletal analysis used by fitness, sports and medical professionals.