Longevity Lessons: How does one live to one hundred?
Photo by Nick Karvounis
This week I tuned into a webinar featuring keynote speaker Marcus Pearce. I've seen A LOT of these webinars lately, however this one in particular had a really positive message to share - regardless of your age, family history or genes, it's not all downhill from here and the best years are still ahead of you.
Marcus took us on a virtual trip to Greece, just a 1 hour flight from Athens to Ikaria. A lush island paradise with incredible Mediterranean food, a breath-taking landscape, exquisite beaches, old-world charm and a longevity culture like no other.
Ikarians experience 80% less dementia, 50% less cancer and 20% less heart disease than the rest of the world. But it's not just Ikaria where 100-year old residents live healthful lives.
National Geographic conducted a study to find the longest-living populations and, in addition to Ikaria, they identified four other locations: Barbagia, Sardinia; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California.
Interestingly, while these locations - dubbed the Blue Zones - are both geographically and culturally diverse, researchers found several commonalities:
Move naturally - The island of Ikaria has no flat land. Everyday Ikarians climb the rocky terrain to catch up with friends or go to the town. They are in the garden harvesting their own vegetables or making their own wine.
Eat plants - Residents of the Blue Zones consume a predominantly plant based diet with small amounts of dairy, fish and meat. The Ikarian diet is your quintessential Mediterranean diet.
Drink moderately - Ikarians gather almost every day and share food and drink their organic homemade wine together. They like to get tipsy, however they will never drink on an empty stomach and only drink in the company of friends or family.
Reduce stress - People in the Blue Zones live slow, mindful lives and have considerably lower levels of stress compared to other countries around the world. The Ikarians take naps to rest when they are tired and to restore their calm.
Find a tribe - The common thread that ties these world centenarians together is a sense of belonging and connection to each other and the land.
How can we adopt some of these practices into our lives?
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