If you're interested in anti-aging treatments and living to 100, consider moving to a Blue Zone location. Blue Zones are areas of the world where people tend to live to 100 with good health at twice the rate of the rest of the world. Blue Zone locations are Loma Linda, California; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Author Dan Buettner has studied these areas' centenarians to uncover their longevity lifestyles.
Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica
Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula is home to descendents of the Chorotega, the indigenous residents of Nicoya when the Spanish arrived in 1522. Few remnants of the Chorotegan culture remain, though local artisans still craft pottery and art in the Chorotega tradition.
The Nicoya peninsula is located on the western side of the Central American Republic of Costa Rica. The major city of this peninsula is Nicoya, supposedly named for a chief of the Chorotega who is said to have initially welcomed the Spanish.
Dan Buettner and Natural Health
Buettner's web site indicates the "people in Nicoya, Costa Rica are - by at least one measure - the longest-lived, healthiest people on the planet. "Through personal interviews, Buettner and his research team identified characteristics and lifestyles of Nicoya's centenarians that might account for their longevity and good health. One characteristic in common to the centenarians of Nicoya as well as those of the other Blue Zones is faith.
Faith in a higher power seems to allow these people to avoid the high stress of assuming total responsibility for life, instead allowing them to believe that there is a higher power watching over them and managing life.
Lifestyles of Centenarians
In "Healthy Living to 100" (AARP, The Magazine, May/June 2008), Buettner quotes his associate, Elizabeth Lopez: "Dan, these Nicoyans are so incredible, they are so positive and so devoted to their families. They have a wonderful support network...a large number of visitors...almost every afternoon."
Based on his centenarian research, Buettner suggests eight natural health lifestyle practices everyone can adopt.
- Have a strong sense of purpose. Costa Rican centenarian's call this their plan de vida.
- Eat or drink natural sources of calcium. Nicoya water has a high concentration of calcium, perhaps explaining their low rates of heart disease and hip fractures.
- Focus on family. Most Nicoya centenarians live with their families, surrounded by children and grandchildren.
- Eat light meals. Nicoyans have a low calorie, light dinner. Their traditional diet includes fortified maize and beans.
- Maintain a social network. Nicoyans regularly mingle with family and friends.
- Keep active. The Nicoya centenarians tend to have worked hard all their lives and continue to work at advanced ages. One featured interviewee, Panchita, is a 100-year-old woman who still fixes her own meals and chops wood daily.
- Take in sunshine sensibly. Nicoyans live an outdoor-oriented life, with regular exposure to the sun. (Light-skinned people, though, must guard against over exposure to UV which can contribute to skin cancer.)
- Embrace your history. Nicoyans have faith and pride in their roots as descendents of the Chorotega.
Related Articles: Life Purpose Begins With a Eulogy, HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Nicoya map and Arenal volcano courtesy of GoVisitCostaRica.
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