Dear Friends,

I suspect many of you are familiar with Blue Zones, a non-scientific term describing areas in the world where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives.  There are claims of people living beyond 100 years and still going strong.  The five Blue Zones in the world are:

  1. Nuoro Province in Sardinia, Italy; Reputed to have the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians
  2. Okinawa Prefecture in Japan; Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world
  3. Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; Reputed to have the second highest concentration of male centenarians and the world’s lowest rates of middle age mortality.
  4. Icaria in Greece; the world’s lowest rates of dementia; and also, very low rates of middle age mortality
  5. Loma Linda in the US (California). Large population of Seventh Day Adventists and they live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts.

The term was introduced by Dan Buettner, a journalist who in 2004 studied regions of the world with high longevity.  There have been many studies of why people who live in these places outperform the rest of the world in terms of longevity.  These Blue Zones share the following characteristics:

  • They eat foods rich in vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts.
  • They are physically active every day: walking, gardening, taking care of grandkids, etc.
  • They have close-knit communities where friends and families look after one another and help each other with social, financial and emotional support.
  • They have a sense of purpose (Okinawans call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan de vida”.)

A few weeks ago, I was struck by an article about the Okinawan “moai”, a social support group that like the Amazing Care Network, helps its members withstand, endure and transcend life’s tough challenges and celebrate key milestones and successes.  You can find the article here:  https://www.bluezones.com/2018/08/moai-this-tradition-is-why-okinawan-people-live-longer-better/

No surprise, a sub-group of the Hawaii chapter of the Amazing Care Network is forming such a group and I am so happy to support it and celebrate it.   The group found its members among attendees of the Amazing Care Network teas.   Let me know if the moai idea sparks an interest.  I would be delighted to help you start one.

Best,
Cora