Lessons from "The Blue Zones"

They eat a diet rich plant foods.

This includes fresh fruits and vegetables, locally farmed grains, and beans and legumes. If they eat animal products, they are largely caught or raised by the people who consume them.

Many people in these communities spend a lot of their days on the move.

They are either working physical jobs like farming, or choose to walk or cycle to get around their towns. However, they also understand the value of quiet time and true relaxation. These populations tend to make rest and relaxation a part of their lifestyles.

Community and family are strongly emphasized in most of these geographic regions of the world.

Family dinners, a “village” mentality with many people coming together to help one another, and a focus on supporting and cooperation among neighbors are incredibly common.

In Okinawa, Japan and Nicoya, Costa Rica in particular, people believe in finding and embracing their reason for being (ikigai or plan de vida, respectively) is . Roughly translated, each of these phrases means to find the reason that life is worth living. One may be lucky enough to find that their career is fulfilling and can fit that description, but if not, these cultures believe that you can identify and live for some other thing, even if you aren’t able to dedicate much time to it. Typically it ends up being an entity or activity outside of yourself.