Globetrotter Nick Buettner, executive producer of Blue Zones Expeditions, has traveled to key places where people are living long, productive lives. As one of the 2014 Environments for Aging Conference (May 3-6, Anaheim, Calif.), keynote speakers, he’ll share his experiences, what he’s learned from these populations, and how their rewardingly "inconvenient lives" can influence the design of senior living communities.
Environments for Aging: Your presentation in May, “Blue Zones: A Cultural and Visual Global Study on Longevity and Happiness,” will share research on common traits of the longest-lived and healthiest places around the globe. Why do you think it’s important to discuss this topic?
Nick Buettner: There are a lot of different things when it comes to looking at longevity. There’s not only how long do you live but how do you live without the chronic disease and pain that make your life unbearable? How can you live a longer life without those issues so you can spend more time doing the things that you enjoy and being with the ones you love? In the Blue Zones, they’ve succeeded; they’re still active people well into their 90s and 100s.
Where are the Blue Zones and what are some of the common lifestyle and cultural traits of these locations?
Blue Zones are five areas of the world [Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; and Loma Linda, Calif.] that are demographically confirmed places where people have the greatest life expectancy. We worked with National Geographic and a team of medical researchers, anthropologists, demographers, and epidemiologists to search for evidence-based common denominators among these five places. We call these traits the Power 9, and the importance of them is that they all work together and support one another. When we talk about environments, it’s not just the physical environment but the social and personal aspects, as well.
Can you give us an example?
A sense of purpose is one of the things we saw in the Blue Zones that gets people motivated and allows them to live a longer life. In America, the most dangerous period of your life is the year after you retire—you’re three times more likely to die that year compared to your last year of work. The reason is that people start losing that reason to get up in the morning. In the places we went to, they could articulate their sense of purpose, whether they were 20 or 102, and being able to do that actually adds up to eight years of extra life expectancy. (See sidebar below for more on the Power 9.)
A lot of your work centers on the idea that we are products of our environment, but in today’s culture, that environment is full of messages that encourage us to eat things that aren’t healthy or to replace physical activity with more sedentary actions. How are these areas of the world different?
Staying young and living long is mostly a function of your environment, and the good news is that, to a great extent, we each have control over that environment. In the Blue Zones, people live in places where walking is the main means of transportation; where they eat locally grown, organic produce; and where there have established social norms that bring people together in supportive groups or clubs. These environments are extremely unique, and the people there live rewardingly inconvenient lives.
What do you mean by “inconvenient lives?”
They don’t have remote controls or garage door openers. They have to get up and change the TV channel or open the door. When it comes to things like mowing the lawn or shoveling, it doesn’t matter how old they are, they’re not hiring some neighborhood kid to do the work. This forces them to be active and move. In most other places, we have those conveniences that encourage us to be more sedentary.
What key features can designers and architects include in senior living environments to make them more beneficial places to live?
When you look at the built environment, the goal is to try to change the environment in a way that makes the healthy, active option the easiest option. I think one of the most powerful things you can do is set up a garden. It’s a good, low-impact exercise that gives people a sense of purpose and something to do with their friends—and you get fresh fruits and vegetables. Another idea is walking paths around a community that encourage exercise and getting out with your friends in a social setting. What are those things around you that can help to motivate you and keep you moving?
Sidebar: Traits to live by
After traveling the globe researching the world’s longest-lived cultures, Blue Zones Expeditions compiled a list of common traits of these populations, called the Power 9.
- Move naturally. Find ways to keep moving throughout your day, such as walking, gardening, and using fewer labor-saving devices.
- Find purpose. The Okinawans of Japan call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans of Costa Rica call it “plan de vida.” Know why you wake up in the morning and pursue it with passion.
- Downshift. Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. But the world’s longest-lived people also have routines to shed that stress. Learn how to work less, rest, take vacations, and slow down.
- Follow the 80 percent rule. Stop eating when you're 80 percent full. People in the Blue Zones also eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening, and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.
- Eat more plants. Eat more veggies, and less meat and processed foods
- Drink wine. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The key is to do it consistently and in moderation (1-2 glasses per day).
- Belong. Join a group and create healthy social networks.
- Put loved ones first. Make family a priority. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home, which lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home, too.
- Feed your soul. Engage in spiritual activities. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter, but attending regular faith-based services will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.
For more information on the speakers and educational sessions at the Environments for Aging Conference, as well as registration details, visit EFAconference.com.
Anne DiNardo is senior editor of Environments for Aging. She can be reached at [email protected].
