Discover gentle Blue Zones lifestyle lessons, healthy aging habits, and simple daily practices that help you live longer with purpose, vitality, and joy.
An elegant description! Once again, you tread lightly on the very same path where I stumble and lurch forward! Ha! But what I mean by that is that, for dropping my weight from 240 down to 155, I first got off fast carbs, then did intermittent, then some efficient exercise, then full fasts, then shifted from a keto-style diet to a longevity diet. My guru there is Valter Longo, who actually grew up in one of those Blue Zones, and later went to the same college in Texas that I attended long ago. He became quite expert and his "Longevity Diet" book covers the blue-zone ground.
I found changing from keto to blue-zone to be a bit of a struggle, gaining slightly as I relearned what to eat, but now it's my new reality. I use basic pirate food frequently: beans and bacon like Billy Bones requested at the Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island. Plus try to make at least half my food from veggies and crunchy salads. I'm getting the hang of it.
But I was unable to do the blue zones with their inclusion of grains or dairy. I'm just too much of a junky for these, dammit. When I finally bit the bullet and dropped them, my weight loss resumed, and now I'm down to post-college weight. If it continues, I'll hit my optimum, military-grade body fat level, and incidentally my slender highschool weight which is somewhere around 138 to 146.
So, for anyone wanting longevity, Blue Zone is about the best we have for a formula for the food (and other parts), and you've described it concisely and well. Thanks so much. I'm going to repost it because it's exactly the kind of info I want my folks to see. Once again, superbly well done, and thank you!
Thank you very much for your support and kind words. I am very happy to see that we click and have this mentality in common… I am on the same page with you… and I do my best as well… just like you… and well done on your journey… you are definitely an inspiration and an example to many…
My therapist just recommended The Blue Zones to me last week! We were talking about the new spiritual path I've been walking recently and the satisfaction I've been getting and he said it sounds exactly the same. I love when coincidences like this reaffirm everything I've been working on, like the universe is just telling you to keep doing what you're doing. It feels right. Thank you for sharing this.
The pattern across every Blue Zone is not a wellness routine, it is a life structure where health is a byproduct of how everything else is set up. Community, purpose, movement, rest. None of it is tracked or optimized. It is just built into the daily environment so naturally that it requires no extra effort to maintain. That is the part most people miss when they try to copy the lessons without actually changing how their life is structured.
This is such a grounding read. You’ve perfectly captured the difference between adding years to life and adding life to years, reminding us that health isn't a goal to reach, but a way to live. The idea of living so fully that you 'forget to die' is a stunning perspective that shifts the focus from fear to presence.
I really enjoyed this. The Blue Zones are not a discovery. They are a memory of what human life used to look like everywhere.
What strikes me most is that researchers had to go find these places. Had to seek out what was once simply ordinary. That is the real data point. This is exactly why I write. These ways of living, and the medicine that grew from them, are still here. We cannot afford to lose them. This conversation needs to continue 💙
I agree with your point… Blue Zones are indeed what used to be the norm… unfortunately with the new society and systems we live by, we lost “the norm” and became “blinded”… hence I believe that more “noise” we make the better…
Really enjoyed reading this! It’s such an important distinction that life isn’t just for surviving, it’s for creating meaning! That’s exactly what I’m working ok building now, a life rich in meaning, that feels natural not forced.
Hi Desi, it’s very good that you are moving on building this kind of healthy life. It’s amazing reading this. You can also inspire others.
“There is a difference between surviving and truly living long. Choose the kind of life that lets you keep moving. Keep loving. Keep laughing. All the way through.”
An elegant description! Once again, you tread lightly on the very same path where I stumble and lurch forward! Ha! But what I mean by that is that, for dropping my weight from 240 down to 155, I first got off fast carbs, then did intermittent, then some efficient exercise, then full fasts, then shifted from a keto-style diet to a longevity diet. My guru there is Valter Longo, who actually grew up in one of those Blue Zones, and later went to the same college in Texas that I attended long ago. He became quite expert and his "Longevity Diet" book covers the blue-zone ground.
I found changing from keto to blue-zone to be a bit of a struggle, gaining slightly as I relearned what to eat, but now it's my new reality. I use basic pirate food frequently: beans and bacon like Billy Bones requested at the Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island. Plus try to make at least half my food from veggies and crunchy salads. I'm getting the hang of it.
But I was unable to do the blue zones with their inclusion of grains or dairy. I'm just too much of a junky for these, dammit. When I finally bit the bullet and dropped them, my weight loss resumed, and now I'm down to post-college weight. If it continues, I'll hit my optimum, military-grade body fat level, and incidentally my slender highschool weight which is somewhere around 138 to 146.
So, for anyone wanting longevity, Blue Zone is about the best we have for a formula for the food (and other parts), and you've described it concisely and well. Thanks so much. I'm going to repost it because it's exactly the kind of info I want my folks to see. Once again, superbly well done, and thank you!
Thank you very much for your support and kind words. I am very happy to see that we click and have this mentality in common… I am on the same page with you… and I do my best as well… just like you… and well done on your journey… you are definitely an inspiration and an example to many…
My therapist just recommended The Blue Zones to me last week! We were talking about the new spiritual path I've been walking recently and the satisfaction I've been getting and he said it sounds exactly the same. I love when coincidences like this reaffirm everything I've been working on, like the universe is just telling you to keep doing what you're doing. It feels right. Thank you for sharing this.
The Blue Zones way of living helps us very much… for health, energy and longevity… I have no doubt…
The pattern across every Blue Zone is not a wellness routine, it is a life structure where health is a byproduct of how everything else is set up. Community, purpose, movement, rest. None of it is tracked or optimized. It is just built into the daily environment so naturally that it requires no extra effort to maintain. That is the part most people miss when they try to copy the lessons without actually changing how their life is structured.
Thank you @Data Frank … that’s a very good point… and I agree with you…
You are welcome
This is such a grounding read. You’ve perfectly captured the difference between adding years to life and adding life to years, reminding us that health isn't a goal to reach, but a way to live. The idea of living so fully that you 'forget to die' is a stunning perspective that shifts the focus from fear to presence.
thank you for reading and sharing your view… I am very happy that it resonates with you… and that you enjoyed it…
I really enjoyed this. The Blue Zones are not a discovery. They are a memory of what human life used to look like everywhere.
What strikes me most is that researchers had to go find these places. Had to seek out what was once simply ordinary. That is the real data point. This is exactly why I write. These ways of living, and the medicine that grew from them, are still here. We cannot afford to lose them. This conversation needs to continue 💙
I agree with your point… Blue Zones are indeed what used to be the norm… unfortunately with the new society and systems we live by, we lost “the norm” and became “blinded”… hence I believe that more “noise” we make the better…
Really enjoyed reading this! It’s such an important distinction that life isn’t just for surviving, it’s for creating meaning! That’s exactly what I’m working ok building now, a life rich in meaning, that feels natural not forced.
Hi Desi, it’s very good that you are moving on building this kind of healthy life. It’s amazing reading this. You can also inspire others.
“There is a difference between surviving and truly living long. Choose the kind of life that lets you keep moving. Keep loving. Keep laughing. All the way through.”