Blue Zones
Live Longer, Better
51
Blue Zones Communities
4 Million +
Lives Impacted
13
States & Canada
The Secret of Longevity
What if it was easy to live longer, healthier lives because healthy choices were easy choices? Blue Zones employs evidence-inspired ways to help people live longer, better. The organization’s work is rooted in explorations and research done by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, who identified the blue zones regions around the world where people live extraordinarily long and/or happy lives. Not only are the people of these communities reaching the age of 100 at rates ten times greater than in the United States, they also report at the top quintile of well-being. Using original Blue Zones research, Blue Zones works with cities to make healthy choices easier through permanent and semi-permanent changes to a city’s human-made surroundings. Participating communities have experienced double digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. Currently, 51 communities across North America have joined the Blue Zones Project.
More from Blue Zones
The Blue Zones Project
Using the secrets discovered in the original Blue Zones, the Blue Zones Project helps people live longer, better® through community transformation programs that lower healthcare costs, improve productivity, and boost national recognition as great places to live, work, and play. For the past 12 years, Blue Zones has helped more than 3 million people live longer, better in 51 communities across 9 states and two countries through their Life Radius approach that transforms communities through People, Places and Policy interventions.
The Power 9
Residents of the original Blue Zones live in very different parts of the world but share nine commonalities with one another that lead to longer, better, happier lives. We call this the Power 9®.
- Move Naturally
The longest-lived people in the world don’t go to gyms or go on diets. They live in environments that naturally require movement throughout the day, with activities like gardening or lack of mechanical conveniences for daily chores. - Purpose
Knowing your purpose has been tied to an extra seven years of life. - Down Shift
Routines that shed stress, like prayer or siesta. - 80% Rule
Stop eating when you are 80% full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. - Plant Slant
Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat is eaten on average only five times per month.
- Friends at 5
People in all Blue Zones make time to unwind with loved ones. - Belong
Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy. - Loved Ones First
Successful centenarians in the blue zones put their families first. That means caring for their elderly, committing to a life partner and investing in time and love with children. - Right Tribe
Building your tribe–social circles that support healthy behaviors and commit to each other for life.
Life Radius
Through research, we’ve learned that individuals spend 90% of their time in the areas close to home. This means that in order to make the healthy choice the easy choice, the Blue Zones project focuses on impacting social networks (people), the built environment and places within the community, and municipal policies and ordinances. This is directly tied to the work of the Adventist Health Community Well-Being team.
