Green Zone residents live long because they know how to enjoy life.

People in the Blue Zones live long lives because they often dance, rest, spend time on hobbies, and connect with family, instead of overworking.

Blue Zones are the five regions in the world with the longest and healthiest populations, including Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece) and Loma Linda (USA). Longevity expert and National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner has spent years studying the lifestyles of people in these areas, finding out why they live to be 100.

He points out that the key to longevity is not always expensive diets or intense exercise. Blue Zone residents have extremely simple habits in their 80s, 90s, and 100s, such as enjoying wine, dancing, and even eating lots of carbs.

“Their secret is to enjoy life, rather than work themselves to the point of exhaustion,” Buettner writes in his new book , Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones .

Eat lots of carbohydrates

Ikarians consume a lot of carbohydrate-rich foods from whole grains, beans, and vegetables. They also favor raw, unprocessed honey, which may have health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol.

Not only Greece, Okinawa region, Japan also considers carb-rich foods like purple sweet potatoes as the key to a healthy body in middle age.

Dancing

Another common trait of Blue Zone residents is the habit of "exercising without going to the gym". Areas like Nicoya, Costa Rica have a strong festival culture. They regularly hold dance parties.

The Greeks have a traditional event called panegyris. According to Buettner, they dance all night long, doing a lot of exciting activities together. In fact, an hour of dancing burns the same amount of calories as an hour of jogging. According to Harvard Health, dancing can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.

Dancing has health benefits comparable to jogging. Photo: Insider — Dancing has health benefits comparable to jogging. Photo: *Insider*

Take time to be lazy

People in the Blue Zones love the freedom of work. They often take “quiet quits,” doing minimal work to spend more time on activities they enjoy, and building strong relationships with family and friends.

“People won’t choose to work a few extra hours when they could use that time to spend with family, take a nap or socialize with friends,” Buettner explains.

In Sardinia, Italy, people have a concept called “happy hour,” which lasts from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and people in Nicoya, Costa Rica, work for a few hours in the morning, then take a nap.

“Part of the overall value of Blue Zones is slowing down and enjoying life. This helps them reduce stress while still being productive and active,” says Buettner.

Drink alcohol in moderation

Mr. Buettner discovered that people in Ikaria, Greece, regularly enjoy wine. However, there is currently no research concluding that drinking wine is a good habit for health. Buettner believes that the wine in Ikaria is of higher quality, and the environment and context in which people enjoy wine are also different.

According to research, wine produced using traditional methods, without added chemicals, contains small amounts of essential minerals such as potassium and iron, plus antioxidants, reducing the risk of heart disease.

However, many experts warn that “no amount of alcohol is safe.” People who have never drunk alcohol should not start doing so thinking it will be healthy. Alcohol is beneficial for socializing, reducing stress, and is a source of antioxidants, especially high-quality, natural wines.

“That's enough for me to enjoy a glass of wine every night,” Buettner says.

Thuc Linh (According to Insider )

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