5 places in the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest. Here's their secret

"Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece and the city of Loma Linda in California are called blue zones - areas whose inhabitants enjoy good health and long lives. What is their secret?

 

 

 

The analysis of demographic data and conversations with seniors in selected areas around the world allowed us to distinguish five regions that were considered the most beneficial for healthy functioning for many decades of life.

 

 

 

The 5 mentioned places where people live to old age in full health were indicated by Dan Buettner, a longevity researcher and author of publications devoted to it. Inspired by a trip to Okinawa in 2000, aimed at discovering the secret of the longevity of the local inhabitants, he decided to discover other regions where life follows a similar rhythm. With the support of the National Geographic team and a group of demographers and scientists, he traveled around the world, trying to identify places where representatives of local communities are able to live to old age in good health.

 

Blue circles on the map

 

 

 

The analysis of demographic data and countless conversations with seniors in selected areas around the world allowed us to distinguish five regions that were considered the most beneficial for healthy functioning for many decades of life. When marking subsequent points on the map, demographers working with Buettner - Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain - drew blue circles around them to precisely indicate individual towns in their immediate vicinity. At further stages of research, the term blue zones was used to define these places.

 

 

 

The observations made, conversations conducted and analyzes of the indicated places allowed scientists to determine that the inhabitants of the 5 mentioned regions of the world have a number of common features, share similar values ​​and lead a lifestyle consistent with several principles. Specifically: with nine. They were called Power 9.

 

Strong nine

 

 

 

The above-mentioned principles are divided into four categories: movement, proper outlook on life, healthy eating and interpersonal relationships. As Dan Buettner emphasizes, at the top of the Power 9 list is natural physical activity (Move Naturally). Using the example of the Nicoya Peninsula, the author of the publication "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones" notes that for many decades people living in the indicated regions of the world did not have access to modern technologies or even cars, which resulted in the need to move around on their own. – These 100-year-olds never learned to drive cars. They traveled on foot all their lives - he emphasizes in an interview with CNN.

 

 

 

At the same time, he notes that the physical activity of people living in blue zones is not related to attending the gym or training beyond their own strength. It is a natural part of their lifestyle, resulting from working in the field, garden or regular walks.

 

Ikigai, i.e. a clear goal of action

 

 

 

In the "right outlook on life" category, the concept of a precisely defined purpose of a person's actions every day (Purpose) was distinguished. On the island of Okinawa it is called "Ikigai", on the Nicoya Peninsula it is called "plan de vida". Each of them can be translated as the phrase: "Why do I wake up every day?"

 

 

A clearly defined goal of action, belief in the meaning of one's existence and the need to get out of bed every morning allow one to start each new day calmly, which, according to Buettner and the scientists cooperating with him, contributes to extending life by at least seven years.

 

 

 

The next item on the Power 9 list is the ability to regulate stress levels (Downshift). Although representatives of blue zones experience difficulties and, like the rest of the population, are exposed to stress, they have developed ways to cope with its negative effects: residents of Ikaria find time every day for a regenerative nap, seniors from Okinawa - to remember their ancestors, while in Loma Linda regular prayers are common.

 

The "healthy eating" category opens with the 80% rule, which means ending a meal when hunger is satisfied by 80%. Among the people of Sardinia, the prevailing attitude is "lacscia il tavolo con un pizzico di fame", literally translated as: "leave the table with a slight feeling of hunger". The most abundant meal is eaten in the morning, and each subsequent meal is gradually smaller in volume.

 

 

In the evening you should avoid eating high-calorie, difficult-to-digest foods.

 

 

 

Not only the quantity, but also the quality of food consumed is important in blue zones. A balanced diet based mainly on vegetables and plants (Plant slant) includes, among others, corn, beans, pumpkin, lentils, soybeans. Meat - mainly pork - is eaten on average five times a month, and the portion size can be compared to a deck of cards. Although alcohol is not excluded from the diet, its doses are also considered moderate, which is another rule mentioned on the mentioned list.

 

The closest ones come first

 

 

 

In the category of interpersonal relationships, Dan Buettner lists three more principles concluding the Power 9 list: Loved Ones First, which allows you to give proper priorities to relationships with people who are part of your immediate family; membership (Belong), which allows people who belong to groups with similar views or religion and meet at least four times a month to extend their lives by 4 to 14 years, and Right Tribe, i.e. surrounding oneself with close friends who provide support at every level stage of life. The inhabitants of Okinawa call such groups "moais", to refer to the circle of five closest people outside the family, accompanying them in current events, supporting them in difficult times, but also sharing their friend's passions or interests.

 

Sardinia and Okinawa, Texas?

 

 

 

After reviewing the above rules, CNN Health journalist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, in a conversation with Dan Buettner, tries to determine whether it is possible to recreate the conditions prevailing in blue zones in other regions of the world and, therefore, to realize the dreams of longevity also beyond the five points on the map marked with blue circles. - Of course! – the author replies with full conviction, citing as an example the city of Fort Worth, Texas, where he and his team have been conducting regular research for five years since 2015. – After this time, we recorded an approximately 5% decrease in the obesity rate, a 17% increase in physical activity among residents who declared regular, at least half an hour of exercise three times a week, and a 31% decrease in percentage of people who smoke cigarettes.– Their well-being, stress resistance and approach to life have improved.

 

 

This happened not only because we convinced residents to eat beans, but mainly because of regular negotiations with local suppliers - restaurants, schools, grocery stores - to make healthy products more affordable, he explains.

 

 

 

The activity of Buettner's team was not limited only to ensuring that Fort Worth residents had access to healthy food. – We talked to the city authorities, convincing them of the need to create walking areas and bicycle paths, which would give residents the opportunity to move around on their own instead of using public transport. It all worked great! Although we don't have Sardinia or Okinawa in Texas yet, progress is visible, he assures.

 

 

 

Although Dan Buettner's team has not yet reached Poland, using the observations he made, it is worth gradually implementing the principles described. There are only nine of them, but the benefits are countless.

 

 

 

Sources:

 

https://edition.cnn.com/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

https://www.bluezones.com/"

 

„SpaceX“ raketa „Starship“ sėkmingai baigė pirmąjį grįžimą iš kosmoso

 „Bendrovė pasiekė svarbiausių ambicingų tikslų, atlikdama ketvirtąjį bandomąjį transporto priemonės skrydį, kuris yra esminis Elono Musko vizijos – siųsti žmones į Marsą – tikslas.

 

 Milžiniška Elono Musko raketa, paleista iš Starbase Boka Čikoje, Teksase, išgyveno ketvirtąjį bandomąjį skrydį.

 

 „SpaceX“ paleidusi milžinišką raketą „Starship“ ketvirtadienį pasiekė ambicingų tikslų, kuriuos bendrovės vadovas Elonas Muskas išsikėlė prieš bandomąjį skrydį, jo ketvirtąjį.

 

 Skrydis, nors ir nebuvo tobulas, buvo ženklas, kad pono Musko vizija sukurti galingiausią visų laikų raketą ir padaryti ją daugkartinio naudojimo gali vėl pakeisti pasaulinę paleidimo į kosmosą pramonę, kurioje jo įmonė jau dominuoja.

 

 Greičiausiai tai džiugina NASA pareigūnus, kurie savo „Artemis III“ misijos metu, kuri šiuo metu planuojama 2026 m. pabaigoje, naudos „Starship“ versiją, kad iškeltų astronautus į Mėnulio paviršių.

 

 NASA administratorius Billas Nelsonas pasveikino per X, socialinių tinklų svetainę, kuri priklauso ponui Muskui.

 

 „Mes esame dar vienas žingsnis arčiau žmonijos sugrąžinimo į Mėnulį per Artemidę, o tada žiūrime į Marsą“, – rašė jis.

 

 Viršutinės pakopos „Starship“ transporto priemonė buvo iškelta į kosmosą, apskrido pusę pasaulio, išgyveno sugrįžimo karštį ir, kaip buvo planuota, nusileido vandenyje Indijos vandenyne.

 

 Nusileidimo metu erdvėlaivio kameros užfiksavo spalvingą po juo įkaistančių dujų švytėjimą. Maždaug 30 mylių aukštyje dalis vieno vairo sklendės pradėjo byrėti, bet vis tiek išsilaikė. Vaizdas buvo užblokuotas, kai nuolaužos sulaužė fotoaparato objektyvą."

 

Žmonijai kelias į Marsą atviras, nes toks didelis erdvėlaivis gali apsaugoti žmones tokios tolimos kelionės metu.

 

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Successfully Completes 1st Return From Space

"The company achieved a key set of ambitious goals on the fourth test flight of a vehicle that is central to Elon Musk’s vision of sending people to Mars.

Elon Musk’s giant rocket, which launched from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, survived re-entry on its fourth test flight.

“We have liftoff.” “Vehicle is pitching down range.” “The Starship remains on a good entry trajectory.”

SpaceX’s launch of its giant Starship rocket accomplished a set of ambitious goals on Thursday that Elon Musk, the company’s chief executive, set out before the test flight, its fourth.

The flight, while not a perfect success, offered a sign that Mr. Musk’s vision of building the most powerful rocket ever and making it reusable could again transform a global space launch industry that his company already dominates.

 It is most likely encouraging for officials at NASA, which will use a version of Starship to take astronauts to the surface of the moon during its Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for late 2026.

Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, offered his congratulations on X, the social media site that Mr. Musk owns.

“We are another step closer to returning humanity to the Moon through #Artemis—then looking onward to Mars,” he wrote.

The upper-stage Starship vehicle was lifted into space, coasted halfway around the world, survived the searing heat of re-entry and then made a water landing in the Indian Ocean, as planned.

During the descent, cameras on the spacecraft captured the colorful glow of gases heating up below it, At an altitude of about 30 miles, part of one of the steering flaps started falling apart, but it still held together. The view then became obstructed when debris cracked the camera lens."

The way to Mars is open for mankind because such a large spacecraft can protect people during such a long journey.