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On April 28, your Fox Cities Performing Arts Center will welcome The Blue Zones: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity with Photographer David McLain. But before seeing the show, what should you know about “Blue Zones,” and how might they affect the way you live and thrive? We have the answers.

What are Blue Zones?

The term “Blue Zones” refers to five specific geographic areas where people don’t just live a long time; they also live well. In these communities, reaching 100 is not a medical miracle that rarely happens. Instead, it’s the norm.

The five original Blue Zones identified by researcher Dan Buettner and documented by David McLain are:

• Okinawa, Japan: Home to the world’s longest-lived women.
• Sardinia, Italy: Boasting the highest concentration of centenarian men.
• Nicoya, Costa Rica: Where middle-aged mortality is the lowest in the world.
• Ikaria, Greece: An island where people “forget to die.”
• Loma Linda, California: A community of Seventh-day Adventists who outlive their neighbors by a decade.

Those who live in Blue Zones often live by unwritten rules known as the “Power 9.” What are these rules?

1. Move Naturally: The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron or run marathons. Instead, they live in environments that nudge them into moving. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.
2. Purpose: The Okinawans call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan de vida”; both translate to “why I wake up in the morning.” Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.
3. Downshift: Even people in Blue Zones experience stress, but they have routines to shed it. Okinawans take a moment to remember ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians nap, and Sardinians do happy hour.
4. 80% Rule: “Hara hachi bu” is the 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra said before meals, which reminds Okinawans to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.
5. Plant Slant: Beans (fava, black, soy and lentils) are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat is eaten on average only five times per month, and even then, the serving size is only about the size of a deck of cards.
6. Wine @ 5: Except for Adventists, people in Blue Zones drink alcohol moderately and regularly. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day with friends and/or with food.
7. Belong: All but five of the 263 centenarians interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month adds 4-14 years of life expectancy.
8. Loved Ones First: Successful centenarians put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby, committing to a life partner, and investing in their children with time and love.
9. Right Tribe: The longest-lived people chose (or were born into) social circles that supported healthy behaviors. Okinawans created “moais,” which are groups of five friends that are committed to each other for life.

Okay, you have my attention. How can I implement these practices into my own life?

Find out when you join us for The Blue Zones: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity with Photographer David McLain, coming to your Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on April 28! This show is presented as part of the Viewpoint Speaker Series in partnership with Changemaker Talent.