"Blue Zones" by Dan Buettner - what did you think?

[shelivesthedream]

I'm wondering if anyone here has read "Blue Zones" (the story of how he explored longevity indicators for individuals in various 'Blue Zones' around the world which has extremely high numbers of centenarians and came up with lifestyle tips for individuals) and "The Blue Zones Solution" (how he tried to create towns in the US that were natural Blue Zones through environmental changes) and what you thought of it. I imagine a lot of Mustachians do a lot of these things anyway (biking, cooking whole foods...) but it's certainly given me a bit of a nudge on some things I was slacking at. I particularly found the latter book interesting because it includes advice on how to make 'Blue Zone living' a part of your personal environment in your home, and emphasises the importance of planning and building healthy cities.

I do find it hard to judge the actual success of his projects because the metrics in the book are so hard to compare and it's hard to see sometimes what the actual numbers are, but the books are written as a guide for people who want tips and solutions, I suppose. Still, nothing in the books struck me as outrageously contrary to other research on healthy living and I like the emphasis on gradual change and a holistic evolution of lifestyle, and how even small changes add up as long as you keep at them (e.g. apparently joining a group that meets even once a month increases your life expectancy and happiness some ridiculous amount) which makes it seem encouraging rather than daunting. It's particularly caused me to look at emotional health (stress and social networks) and how it's important for me to work at them consistently.

Anyway, if you've read the book, what did you think? Have you made any changes?

[avrex]

Thank you for sharing this info on "Blue Zones".
I didn't read the book,  but I did watch Dan's Ted talk,

Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+

His opening line is,
"Only 10% of how long the average person lives, is dictated by our genes.  The other 90% is dictated by our lifestyle."

He discusses the common denominators (found in the Blue Zones) that can lead to living longer.

Move naturally
Not vigorous exercise.  But regular activity.  Lots of walking.  Gardening.  They do physical activities they enjoy.

Have the Right outlook
- Downshift
When your lives are hurried/busy this causes unhealthy inflammatory response.  Long term studies have shown this leads to most of our long term health issues.  i.e. heart disease, dementia.  When you take time to downshift (even as little as 15 minutes at a time) this reduces this inflammatory response and increases our long-term health.
- Purpose Now
Have a sense of purpose.  What do you look forward to when wake up in the morning?  What gives you satisfaction? 
People who have this sense of purpose live, on average, 7 years longer.

Eat wisely
There's no longevity diet.  But moderation is important.
- Plant slant.  A diet of mostly plant based is better.  Vegetables.  You can still eat some meat.  Beans, nuts are better.
- Wine at 5.  Drinking a little is ok.  In one Blue Zone their was a high level of polyphenols in their wine.  Once again, moderation here.
- 80% rule.  Smaller portions.  Do not over eat.  They call it “Hara Hachi Bu,” which means to stop eating when you are 80% full.

Connect  i.e. Social
Isolation kills.  Connections are important.
- Loved ones first.  They put their Families first, taking care of their children and aging parents.
- Belong. Several of these Blue Zones were of a faith based community.  This is good in that it forces one to take a break from our hectic work lives.  Ex. one Sunday each week.  But more importantly it increases your social interaction.
- Right Tribe. Belonging to the right tribe.  Surrounding yourself with the right people/friends automatically affects your personal outlook.  ex.  hanging out with active friends means you'll probably be active and healthy too.

[big_slacker]

I've read it and made mention of it here, maybe even posted about it in the book section. The book if read in a widespread fashion would serve as a back to basics wakeup call. The developed world has convenienced and busied ourselves way, WAY out of the holistically healthy way of life that the blue zone residents live. I found the book a little bit tragic because it is a manual/formula for a long and healthy life but it will never gain traction against a sea of pills, powders, fad diets and 'research' promising good news about bad habits and quick fixes to problems that shouldn't even be problems.

[seathink]

I have added it to my library pile a few times but haven't finished it. Living in Los Angeles (truly often anti-Blue) one way I notice that MMM helps with this lifestyle is in the Community side of things, because when you have a short commute, you have evenings free.

You can't put a price tag on the monthly/bi-weekly gatherings and the great peace and contentment that comes from seeing your tribe often and in a leisurely setting. But if I say I'm going to a friend's movie night in the Valley, people think I'm nuts to drive 45/50 minutes just to hang out. I think they're nuts because they do that every day just to get home cranky and exhausted.

[dmd149]

I haven't read the book, but have read a few articles about the book and have some experience observing one the blue zones (my mother is okinawa and I have seen what the general lifestyle is like, at least in the more rural areas).

Fundamentally, it seem their lifestyles are based on subtracting negatives, rather than adding positives.

Instead of adding healthy foods, it just seems they eat less unhealthy foods, and less overall.

Instead of adding stress relief activities, they subtract the stressful activities.

There are, of course, some positive actions you might need to create to mimic some of the beneficial behaviors. Being a part of a community, for example, might require you to make some effort to find and participate one. If you are a 20-something urban dweller who spends a good amount of time at work, you'll have to find some time to participate in a charity or intramural sports league or something to that effect. Consistency and participation is most important. Of course, this is made easier by subtracting a stressful job and energy-sapping unhealthy foods.

You might enjoy reading about classical Epicureanism. Unlike the modern connotation, which is mainly about eating fancy foods and traveling to luxurious places, Epicurus seemed to focus on removing harmful things from one's life, rather than adding good things. The goal was to achieve ataraxia, meaning tranquility or freedom from worry.

With the risk of looking like I'm plugging my website, I did some writing about Epicureanism on my blog:

http://theancientwisdomproject.com/traditions/epicureanism/

Nassim Taleb's book "Antifragile" also talks about a subtractive approach to improving your life.

[tobitonic]

We live the principles as much as we can, in terms of diet, movement, purpose, and community. It's also why we have pretty much zero interest in super early retirement or building as much of a 'stache as possible; neither of those things inherently have much of anything to do with living a happy life. Per the BZ approach, that comes from the purpose and connections to others.

[shelivesthedream]

I've read it and made mention of it here, maybe even posted about it in the book section. The book if read in a widespread fashion would serve as a back to basics wakeup call. The developed world has convenienced and busied ourselves way, WAY out of the holistically healthy way of life that the blue zone residents live. I found the book a little bit tragic because it is a manual/formula for a long and healthy life but it will never gain traction against a sea of pills, powders, fad diets and 'research' promising good news about bad habits and quick fixes to problems that shouldn't even be problems.

It'll be an uphill battle for sure, but that's why I was particularly interested in the second book, The Blue Zones Solution. He talked about community environmental changes that make living a 'Blue Zones' lifestyle easy to do without much conscious effort - a bit like David Cameron's nudge unit, but organised on a grassroots level first and then with buy-in from the top down.