The blue age

Story by Alea Wilkins

Blue zones, areas with a high concentration of centenarians, have been studied all over the globe, from Okinawa, Japan, to Sardinia, Italy. Journalist and National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner located these zones at the turn of the century, and his research identified the healthy lifestyle habits shared by its eldest members. Following those habits, he says, can grant people the power to “reverse engineer longevity.”

Buettner broke down the identified habits into four main categories: natural movement, wise eating, community connection and developing the right outlook. In the Lowcountry, locals prove the lessons from the blue zones can be applied to their everyday lives, prioritizing wellness to not just live longer but to live better. Discover how to adopt the blue zone habits for a life that never slows down.

🌿 Move Naturally:

Garden Your Way to Longevity: How Daily Movement Keeps the Lowcountry Thriving

Since Joan LaBoiteaux moved to Hilton Head Island in 2019, she’s gardened every day, and she’s never felt better. “I can’t tell you for sure if it’s because of the activity or just being outside three to five hours a day, but I never get sick,” she says, knocking on wood.

Combining physical activity with the outdoors, gardening exemplifies the blue zone habit of natural movement. Buettner found that regular low-intensity exercise through daily activities, like gardening, maintained the physical wellbeing of the blue zone centenarians.

LaBoiteaux, president of the Hilton Head Plantation Farmers Club, pointed out how the local members strengthen their bodies as they work. “Seventy-five percent of what we grow is in the ground,” she says. “You’ll see people out here well into their 80s, and they’re leaning over and pulling weeds and squatting and standing.” 

Although low-intensity, gardening’s physical demands have revealed substantial long-term benefits. A 2018 study published in Clinical Medicine reports that gardening “restores dexterity and strength” while also lowering blood pressure and increasing vitamin D levels from the sunlight. The study further referenced research that found gardening to be “more effective than walking, education or maintaining alcohol intake in moderate levels in protecting against dementia.” By helping the body maintain its strength and preventing physical decline with age, gardening exemplifies how the blue zone centenarians move naturally for longevity.

For prospective planters feeling lost in the weeds, LaBoiteaux recommends beginners first consider their passions. 

“You have to grow things you love. If you don’t care about vegetables, grow flowers.” she says. Though she’s confident everyone has a green thumb, she recommends using Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Home & Garden Information Center as an online resource specific to the area.  

Whether plotting rows of produce in the backyard or a single pot of herbs, gardening fulfills the blue zone healthy habit of moving naturally. Budding with potential for prolonged physical wellness, it’s a simple strategy to experience life in full bloom.

🥗 Eat Wisely:

Plant-Based Power: How a Lowcountry Diet Is Adding Years to Local Lives

In blue zones the world’s longest-living people eat green. Buettner’s research found that the centenarians across the globe shared a plant-based diet rich in locally grown, unprocessed foods. Despite being an omnivore, Blake Wearren, owner of Hilton Head Island’s exclusively vegetarian restaurant Delisheeyo, similarly encourages locals to reconsider what’s on their plate. “Each of us is on a journey to figure out what foods fuel our own body the best,” he says. “For me, knowing that my food was produced in a clean, natural and sustainable way is the most important.”

Even though Wearren occasionally eats meat, he advocates for centering meals around produce. He’s adopted the phrase “plants are medicine” to describe the natural health benefits of a vegetarian diet, the results of which he’s witnessed in his customers. “I’ve seen some people lose over 100 pounds from juice fasts. Many people heal their guts with plant-based diets. The people who beat the odds to survive cancer have always inspired me,” he says. These stories are backed by research from Harvard and Tehran University. 

In 2020, analyzing 32 studies of nearly one million people, the researchers calculated that “getting 3 percent more of total calories in the form of plant protein (like beans, nuts and whole grains) lowered people’s risk for premature death by 5 percent.” They concluded that because a plant-based diet lowers intakes of processed red meats, it also decreases the likelihood of conditions associated with those foods, like high cholesterol and blood pressure. This supports vegetarianism as a pillar of the blue zone lifestyle toward longevity.

Still, swapping steak for tofu is only one piece of the puzzle. Wearren acknowledges that the healthiest diets also prioritize mindful, balanced meals. “You could technically be plant-based and only eat french fries,” he says. “People need to educate themselves on how to eat a well-rounded plant-based diet.” To supplement the essential nutrients found in meats and animal products, Wearren opts for nutritional yeast and nut milks, which are high in B-12. He also suggests nuts, seeds and dark leafy greens to boost intakes of calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids. Above all, Wearren’s top piece of advice likens that of blue zones: invest in produce grown as locally as your backyard. “Truthfully, the ultimate way to adopt a diet based on plants is to grow them,” he says. “For some reason, things just taste better when they come out of your own garden.” 

Like the centenarians harvesting their own whole grains, veggies and fruits, the locals following healthy plant-based diets recommend digging in.

🤝 Connect with Community:

The Longevity of Giving Back: How Volunteering Fuels Health and Purpose

At 83 years old, Larry Sanders calls himself a “volunteer junkie.” For every week of his 23 years of retirement, Sanders has dedicated his free time to community service, volunteering at the Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island, Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity of the Lowcountry, Novant Health at Hilton Head Hospital, the Church of the Palms United Methodist Church and BlacQuity. Not only is Sanders an active member, he’s also a leader. From serving as president of the Rotary Club to his latest gig, mentoring young professionals, Sanders puts his all into his efforts. “Volunteerism is, to me, a way of life,” he says.

According to Buettner’s research of blue zones, volunteerism and community participation sustain physical and mental wellbeing with age. Through positive social interactions with like-minded individuals, volunteering raises confidence and builds a sense of fulfillment.

A 2020 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who volunteered at least 100 hours per year had a 44 percent reduced risk of mortality and were 17 percent less likely to experience physical functioning limitations. By routinely engaging with their communities, these people maintained their physical strength through building houses or hosting events, and they also reported better mental wellness and higher optimism. For Sanders, he feels the benefits of volunteering almost immediately. “Those are the rewards I get — seeing the smiles on all the faces when a task is completed and I’m ready to move to the next one,” he says.

For aspiring volunteers, Sanders advises locals to blend service with their own interests. When he first retired in 2002, he envisioned he’d dedicate the rest of his life to hobbies like golf and photography. Now he assists with the Habitat for Humanity’s annual golf tournament, and he takes pictures for the Rotary Club. “Everybody’s got some talent or skill or something that they may not know they can do,” he says. “It can start down small, but it can grow to be big.”

While Sanders admits not everyone has to volunteer as often as he does, he asserts that every second is worth it. Supported by the findings from blue zones, giving back improves both the health of volunteers and their communities — helping everyone for the better. 

“You have to go and make yourself available,” he says. “Believe me, once you start to serve, it will catch on and grow.”

🧘 Build the Right Outlook:

Mindful Living in the Lowcountry: Stress Relief Tips That Add Years to Your Life

To unlock the final blue zone key to longevity, look inward. Downshifting, defined by Buettner as a process of removing oneself from a stressful environment through calming techniques, can regulate emotional wellness for increased length and quality of life. 

Alicia Welch, a teacher and wellness coach at Mobo Yoga, has been striving to downshift as long as she can remember. “I have been building a personal toolbox of different stress-relieving and self-care practices over the last 10 years,” she says. “These tools have changed my life.” 

After years of chronic stress and anxiety, Welch turned to yoga. Private practice and hours spent meditating in the studio led to an eventual teaching certification, and now Welch inspires others to prioritize stress relief in their own daily routines. Activities like yoga, meditation, journaling, spending time outdoors, cooking, epsom salt baths and enjoying the company of pets all fit the bill, she says. With daily repetition, these moments can amount to lasting peace of mind and body. “I know people — myself included — would love a quick fix, but anything that’s going to last is going to take time,” she says. “The best investment you can make is in yourself.”

According to the blue zone researchers, stress is one of the greatest detriments to long, satisfying lives. Prolonged periods of increased cortisol and heart rate can trigger a number of health issues, but a 2005 study found that regular meditation remedied them. Published in “Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Anxiety,” the study revealed that participants who routinely meditated mitigated their conditions triggered by high levels of stress like poor blood circulation, headaches and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and menopause. Depending on the technique, participants also improved endurance, strength and flexibility through activities like yoga or walking. Meditation was also found to reduce the risk of anxiety and depression. A 2022 study published in Contemporary Buddhism found that up to 41 percent more participants who regularly meditated during the Covid-19 pandemic were in the normal states of stress, anxiety and depression compared to those who didn’t. Considering the physical and emotional health of the blue zones’ residents, stress-relief seems to effectively benefit, and possibly extend, life.

When beginning your own self-care journey, the best starting point is your happy place. Welch recommends familiarizing yourself with what activities bring you the most joy and to gradually incorporating them into your routine.

“It needs to be something that feels authentic to each person. At the same time, do it with playfulness and no real goal or outcome. Maybe you only do it for a minute, or maybe you pick up a journal and just write one page,” she says. Not only will these practices calm the mind, but they will renew your sense of purpose — another core tenant of the blue zone outlook. “Your purpose doesn’t have to be your job. It can also be a hobby, or it can just be simply to make people laugh or be helpful to others. We don’t want to overthink that,” she says. 

Whether working toward world peace or finding peace within ourselves, Welch agrees the right outlook can determine our future. “Our purpose can be so simple, but it can change the world.”

🖐️ The Fab Five

Blue Zones are regions around the world where people live significantly longer and healthier lives than the global average. The term was coined by National Geographic explorer and author Dan Buettner, who identified five such regions with the help of researchers and demographers studying longevity hot spots. 

1. Okinawa, Japan

Life expectancy: 90 years

Nicknamed the “Land of Immortals,” Okinawa is home to one of the highest concentrations of female centenarians. Their longevity is credited to a strong social support system (moai), daily movement and a nutrient-dense diet rich in sweet potatoes, tofu and leafy greens.

2. Sardinia, Italy

Life expectancy: 85 years

Particularly in the mountainous Nuoro province, men frequently live beyond 100. Their active lifestyle includes shepherding, walking steep terrain and a diet rich in goat’s milk, whole grains and red wine enjoyed in moderation.

3. Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

Life expectancy: 85 years

A deep sense of purpose, what locals call “plan de vida,” paired with physical labor and a traditional Mesoamerican diet of beans, corn and squash help Nicoyans stay healthy well into their 90s and beyond.

4. Ikaria, Greece

Life expectancy: 90 years

On this serene Aegean island, residents enjoy some of the world’s lowest rates of heart disease, cancer and dementia. Their longevity stems from midday naps, strong community bonds and a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, legumes and wild herbs.

5. Loma Linda, California

Life expectancy: 88 years

This Southern California city is home to a large population of Seventh-day Adventists, who live up to a decade longer than the average American. Their plant-based diet, weekly Sabbath rest and emphasis on community and faith are key factors.