By : Taffy Hawkins
As we age, our focus in terms of health, wealth and happiness change. I will be celebrating my 38th birthday in a few short weeks. My focus has changed, and I have a big new goal……living to see my 100th birthday. This goal is totally possible as there are many centenarians, those people living beyond the age of 100, living happy, healthy and vibrant lives without disease. This “project” began in my life a few years ago when I taught the Blue Zones principles in a health class at the local college as a portion of my health and wellness coursework.
The Blue Zones are areas of the world, as discovered by Dan Buettner, where the happiest and healthiest people often living to 100 or longer live and thrive. How interesting! He traveled extensively to these areas to learn what makes them different from most of the people on the planet. Through this research, he and his team are working to replicate the conditions to create Blue Zones projects all over the United States. I had the privilege of meeting Dan in 2018 and I had to see for myself how the Blue Zones plan could work for a working mom living in South Carolina. The principles are basic, and I am working to incorporate them into my own life as I pursue the title of centenarian, class of 2081.
You may be asking where the Blue Zones are located. There is one location in the United States, Loma Linda, California, with other locations around the globe in Sardinia, Ikaria, Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula, and Okinawa, Japan. So, what sets them apart? These individuals move naturally, though not usually as a part of a formal exercise program. During my visit to Costa Rica, I discovered that the citizens incorporate functional activity into their daily lives with much walking and tending to gardens for fresh food. These Blue Zones populations also have a sense of purpose or Ikigai as noted in Okinawa. If you have a purpose, it helps you to jump out of bed in the morning and tackle the day. Each population also choses to decrease stress in different ways whether through prayer or socialization, as through happy hours in Sardinia, or with a simple nap. Stress management is crucial for the prevention of disease. Eating is a bit different with a diet heavily reliant on beans, fruits, and veggies, with meat being reserved for special occasions, and eaten no more than five times per month. Blue Zones residents also only eat until they feel 80% full; much different from the gorging on buffets that is a common experience in the United States. Wine is also recommended, though limited, to a glass or two per day. Socially, centenarians also encourage a sense of belonging, with many regularly attending a church or faith-based group. They encourage close ties with family and friends by caring for their aging parents or grandparents, and through the creation of “moais” which are close-knit social circles of five people or so that are committed to being there for each other for the duration of their lives. Seems easy enough, right?
First, I needed to find out where I stood, so I took the quizzes for life expectancy and happiness on www.bluezones.com. Based on my health factors, current weight, and lifestyle, it showed a healthy life expectancy of 71.4 with a total life expectancy of 84.3 and a potential life expectancy of 96.8 years. That is close, but I am pushing for 100. Following the quiz, you are given Blue Zones suggestions to increase life expectancy overall and years free from disease. The happiness quiz is similar and asks questions based on your current level of happiness and fulfillment. My score was B-……not terrible but I am working on an A! Check out the website to take the quiz and incorporate the principles into your own life.
I am also trying more unconventional, though scientifically supported, methods of eating and recovery from exercise. Intermittent fasting is the adherence of eating only during a certain window of time per day and abstaining for the remainder. Benefits are weight loss, increased energy levels, lower blood sugar and cholesterol, improved mental clarity, and a host of other benefits. It is recommended for women that we fast for 14 hours and keep our eating window limited to 10 hours per day. For example, I may break my fast at 10 am and eat all of my meals before 8 pm. My method of muscle recovery includes Epsom salt baths three days per week and cold showers daily. Cold showers improve alertness, decrease stress levels, boost immune system and may lead to weight loss. The cold also helps aid in muscle recovery which is the primary goal as I exercise at night. I hop into a warm shower to clean myself and then turn the water to only cold for 2.5 minutes to receive the benefits of a cold shower as outlined by Wim Hof, the leading authority on cold training. You can find more information at : www.wimhofmethod.com.
You may have no desire to live to be 100 but there is great benefit in challenging yourself to live a happier and healthier life. Whether you follow this plan that I have designed for myself, or another, it is important to care for your own physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health. Ask yourself these questions, and I highly recommend taking the quizzes on the Blue Zones websites: “Do I have a moai, and who is in this close social circle? How am I making 2019 the year that I begin the behaviors that will have a positive effect on all of the other years of my life? What behaviors do I need to eliminate to be happier and healthier?” We only get one life. This is YOUR daring adventure. Are you ready?
Taffy Hawkins is an author and certified life coach specializing in helping women during transitional seasons in life. She is the founder of Your Daring Adventure, a coaching, speaking and retreat company encouraging women across the globe to embrace a spirit of adventure. Her book, Living Out Your Bucket List Right Now for The Adventure of a Lifetime available on Amazon, is designed to help people of all ages begin their own bucket list adventure! http://www.amazon.com/Living-bucket-right-adventure-lifetime Her website is www.yourdaringadventure.com. You can contact her at yourdaringadventure@yahoo.com. Find her bucket listing book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/ Living-bucket-right-adventure-lifetime/dp/1519120516/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461343365&sr=8-1&keywords=taffy+hawkins.