Do you want to live up to 100 years? Experts say that if longevity is common in your family, you are more likely to live longer. But genetics is only part of the equation. The rest? Choice of lifestyle. According to a 1996 study on pairs of Danish twins, scientists have found that genetics represents 25% of longevity and environmental influences represent 75%. Researchers have studied people’s lifestyle habits in fields with a large amount of longevity – called “blue zones”. Dan Buettner, national geographic scholarship holder and founder of the Blue Zones project, identified five original blue zones: Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya peninsula, Costa Rica; And the Adventists of the seventh day of Loma Linda, California. He says that these current lifestyles of residents of these areas can have a major influence on your longevity. Moving people naturally in blue areas are “burning calories” while walking from 8,000 to 12,000 steps a day, said Buettner. “Not because they go to the gymnasium or crossfit or by doing pilates lessons, it is because every time they are going to work or the house of a friend, it happens a walk,” said Buettner. 2. Have a goal from Okinawa, Japan, residents call it “ikigai”. In Nicoya, in Costa Rica, the inhabitants call it “Vida plan”. The two sentences essentially mean: “Why I wake up in the morning.” A study by the University of Boston in 2022 revealed that those who have the strongest sense of life lowered their risk of death by more than 15% compared to people with the least sense. 3. Being capable of descending blue areas have daily routines to relieve their stress. Buettner says that the Okinawans take a few moments every day to remember their ancestors. Adventists pray. And the Ikarians take a nap in the afternoon. 4. Eat healthy blue areas, people mainly eat a diet filled with whole food, plant ingredients and “cheap,” said Buettner. These include garbanzo beans, lentils and soy. 5. Having a solid and united community, living in a strong source of social support can have a strong influence on mortality rates. According to a 2015 study of the Mayo Clinic procedure, the reception of social support for parents and partners reduced the risk of mortality by 19% of the 3,220 study participants. The study also revealed that participants reporting social contact with six or seven friends on a weekly basis presented a lower risk of death of 24% than those in contact with zero or a friend. “Make the effort to find three friends whose leisure idea is something active: tennis, pickleball, cycling, gardening,” said Buettner.
Do you want to live up to 100 years? Experts say that if longevity is common in your family, you are more likely to live longer.
But genetics is only part of the equation. The rest? Choice of lifestyle.
According to a 1996 study on the pairs of Danish twinsScientists have found that genetics represents 25% of longevity and environmental influences represent 75%.
Researchers have studied people’s lifestyle habits in fields with a large amount of longevity – called “blue zones”.
Dan Buettner, national geographic scholarship holder and founder of the Blue Zones project, identified five original blue zones: Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya peninsula, Costa Rica; And the Adventists of the seventh day of Loma Linda, California.
He says that these current lifestyles of residents of these areas can have a major influence on your longevity.
1. Move naturally
People in the blue areas are “burning calories without thinking” while walking from 8,000 to 12,000 steps a day, said Buettner.
“Not because they go to the gymnasium or crossfit or by doing pilates lessons, it is because every time they are going to work or the house of a friend, it happens a walk,” said Buettner.
2. Have a goal
In Okinawa, Japan, residents call it “ikigai”. In Nicoya, in Costa Rica, the inhabitants call it “Vida plan”. The two sentences essentially mean: “Why I wake up in the morning.”
A 2022 Study of the University of Boston have found that those who have the strongest sense of the objective in life have lowered their risk of death by more than 15% compared to people with the least sense.
3.
Residents of blue areas have daily routines to relieve their stress.
Buettner says that the Okinawans take a few moments every day to remember their ancestors. Adventists pray. And the Ikarians take a nap in the afternoon.
4. Eat healthy
In blue areas, people mainly eat a diet filled with full food, plant ingredients and “cheap,” said Buettner.
These include garbanzo beans, lentils and soy.
5. Having a strong and united community
Having a strong source of social support can have a strong influence on mortality rates.
According to a 2015 study by Mayo clinic procedureReceiving social support from parents and partners reduced the risk of mortality by 19% of the 3,220 study participants. The study also revealed that participants reporting social contact with six or seven friends on a weekly basis presented a lower risk of death of 24% than those in contact with zero or a friend.
“Make the effort to find three friends whose leisure idea is something active: tennis, pickleball, cycling, gardening,” said Buettner.