Do we exercise enough?
Do you wake up in the morning with a purpose?
Are we easily stressed?
Do you over indulge on every meal?
Are we eating enough vegetables, or plant based food?
Do we drink less alcohol?
Or do we have a network or community we meet up with each week for exercise, cards, café rituals, or heaven forbid a weekly catch up at the pub?
Are our loved ones close to where we live now?
Are we mixing with the right group of friends?
If you answered yes to all of the above, you are on your way to living in a “blue zone”.
WHAT IS A BLUE ZONE
Blue Zones, identified by explorer and author Dan Buettner, are longevity hot spots throughout the world that are responsible for humans living to 100+.
- Barbagia region of Sardinia – Mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia with the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians.
- Ikaria, Greece – Aegean Island with one of the world’s lowest rates of middle age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia.
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica – World’s lowest rates of middle age mortality, second highest concentration of male centenarians.
- Okinawa, Japan – Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world.
But if you’re kicking back in Australia, how can you recreate your own ‘Blue Zone’ down under. Stoked you asked. There are 9 pillars, commonly referred to as The Power 9, which form a pathway to longevity for human life.
- Move Naturally
- Purpose
- Down Shift
- 80% Rule
- Plant Slant
- Wine @ 5
- Belong
- Loved Ones First
- Right Tribe
You can work yourself into your own mini Blue Zone by working on The Power 9 and applying simple tasks each day to enhance each aspect. Start with the simple tasks below, and expand on them as you gradually bliss out. Namaste and see you in 2119.
- Move and walk yourself to the shops, ditch the car.
- Write down a goal and understand your purpose, why are you getting up in the morning.
- Let someone in the lane rather than road raging them out of the line, should they push in.
- Don’t eat the fries with the burger.
- Eat a little more broccoli, green beans, quinoa, or try some kale chips for a snack.
- Wine O’Clock, that doesn’t mean the whole bottle, 2 glasses with a close bunch of friends.
- Get yourself into a healthy community, like the 440 run club for example.
- Rather than giving your kids the XBox, take them to the park for a game of Frisbee, or cricket.
- Cut those people in your life that bring you bad energy, surround yourself with good energy.
