ENIGMA OF BLUE ZONES

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to listen to a talk by an eminent doctor and social entrepreneur of our city on the subject of healthy ageing which was quite interesting and of great value to retirees and senior citizens like me. The doctor started his address in his usual eloquent style highlighting the five blue zones in the world where people have exceptionally long life spans. The term “blue zones” was coined by longevity expert Dan Buettner and five such zones that have been identified by him, are - (a) Icaria, Greece (b) Ogliastra, Sardinia, Italy (c) Okinawa, Japan (d) Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica and (e) Loma Linda, California, USA. There could, of course, be other places as well around the globe where people live for many years beyond what is normal. It is believed that the longer life expectancy in these blue zones, where most people become nonagenarians and centenarians, is primarily due to their healthy way of living in peaceful natural surroundings. A common thread running through all these five zones is the predominantly plant based diet of the people and their healthy practice of intermittent fasting. This doesn't mean that people living there are all vegetarians. Far from it; some of the communities take small portions of meat, seafood and even red wine especially in places like Icaria in Greece and Ogliastra in Italy but all that in moderation. Only the Seventh Day Adventists a tightly knit community in Loma Linda in USA are said to be strict vegetarians. In Okinawa, Japan they follow the 80 % Rule which means they stop eating when they are 80 % full which prevents them from taking too many calories and thus they are able to maintain high levels of fitness. Studies have shown that eating very slowly can satiate hunger more effectively than eating rapidly which also contributes to high fitness levels. It is a fact that people living in the blue zones do a lot of physical work including walking and running long distances on errands. Their healthy lifestyle of physical work, plant based diet derived extensively from home grown gardens, intermittent fasting as well as the peaceful natural environment are all good reasons why they live longer in this world. ........ While talking about the ways of healthy ageing the doctor emphasized on the importance of building strong and long lasting relationships like they do in the blue zones, to lead a worry free life. Good and trusting relationships help in reducing risks of depression and in building positive self-esteem. There are many other benefits of relationships & social connections and not the least amongst them is that it reduces stress which in turn strengthens one's immune system to aid in effective recovery from various old age ailments and diseases. The doctor therefore rightly emphasized on the importance of social interaction with friends, relatives and acquaintances as much as possible. He encouraged organized groups or forums of retirees and senior citizens to make it a point to meet and get together as often as possible by arranging parties, picnics, sports & games, group tours, community projects and so on. There is nothing more delightful for seniors than being able to meet up with friends and laugh together. ...................... According to the doctor, apart from strong social relationships, senior citizens have to develop a keen sense of purpose in life. In their middle ages, people were busy building careers, accumulating wealth, raising children, taking care of ageing parents etc and generally getting used to a fast pace of life. However, there is a marked change of pace and lifestyle after retirement which calls for resetting or reinventing goals in life and searching for new opportunities to engage in. The search for new meaning and purpose of life after retirement can be an exhilarating task leading to activities and projects that could fulfill the urge to do something worthwhile. There have been studies to show that creativity can play a crucial role in guiding retirees and senior citizens to find new purpose and meaning in their lives. It is certain that there are various forms of creativity that everyone can explore and get immersed in. Going back to old hobbies or exploring entirely new ventures can be extremely satisfying to elders and they should put their heart and soul in them. Retirement is after all an opportunity for seniors to do things they always wanted to do like traveling to exotic places or taking up community welfare work in real earnest or actively engaging in philanthropic and spiritual pursuits and many other such interesting endeavors. ...... The good doctor, in conclusion, talked about adversities and misfortunes one had to go through in life and at times were compelled to carry the burden of grief even after retirement. He came out with the profound statement that we are all children of God on whom we have to put our trust completely and unequivocally to take care of our woes and worries over which we have no control. We are after all mere human beings and do not know what the future holds for us and so we must put our complete trust and faith on the supreme being to guide us in this long and arduous journey of life.