- Residents of Blue Zones, areas known for long life spans, don’t often go to the gym.
- They unintentionally incorporate exercise into their daily lives through activities like walking, dancing, and socializing.
- Making fitness social and enjoyable can lead to long-term adherence and improved overall health.
You don’t require fancy fitness studios or specialized equipment to live a long and healthy life.
The super-agers residing in the Blue Zones, regions with the highest life expectancy, manage to reap the benefits of exercise without ever stepping foot in a gym. This insight is revealed in the upcoming docuseries “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones,” set to premiere on Netflix on August 30.
The Blue Zones encompass areas in Italy, Greece, Japan, and Costa Rica, where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives.
Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer and the show’s star, informed Insider’s Hilary Brueck that our conventional approach of squeezing exercise into a few weekly gym sessions is misguided.
He explained, “America’s approach to regular physical activity has been going to the gym or, you know, I’m gonna get hyped up and do a triathlon or a 5K run, or a CrossFit, or yoga. And those work for a single digit percentage of people for long enough. They fail for almost all the people, almost all the time.”
The Super Agers in the Blue Zones maintain their strength, vitality, and health well into their 80s, 90s, and even beyond 100 years through simple activities like walking, climbing stairs, and dancing.
Walking – a Simple Path to Improved Health
For many residents of the Blue Zones, walking is an integral part of their daily routine. In places like Singapore, where car usage is expensive, it is common for individuals to accumulate over 10,000 steps a day, equivalent to about four miles or an hour and a half of walking.
Buettner mentioned, “They don’t even realize it, but they’re exercising. They naturally move throughout the day.”
If you spend most of your day transitioning from car to desk and then to the couch, achieving this level of activity may seem daunting. However, there’s no need to sell your car or relocate to another country to experience the benefits of walking.
Research indicates that incorporating an additional thousand steps into your daily routine can ward off premature death and diseases like heart disease.
Taking Stairs – Elevating Health through High-Intensity Exercise
While going for leisurely walks enhances longevity, many individuals in the Blue Zones take it a step further—literally.
Living in areas with high elevations, such as Sardinia, Italy, contributes to longer life spans. This relationship partially stems from the habit of routinely climbing stairs or hills in daily life.
Buettner suggests, “If we want to live longer, instead of paying for an expensive gym membership, maybe start by skipping the elevator and taking the stairs.”
A recent study found that performing one minute of exercise that raises your heart rate, such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries, multiple times a day can reduce the risk of early death. This offers a significant longevity boost in less time and with less effort than completing a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class.
Group Sports – Fostering Consistency in Exercise
According to Buettner, one major obstacle in workout routines is the difficulty of maintaining long-term adherence.
He noted, “In the United States, we spend billions on gym memberships that go largely unused. We’re well-intentioned, but we struggle to sustain exercise routines long enough to make a difference.”
In Loma Linda, California, another Blue Zone, residents have discovered a solution by turning exercise into a community event. They gather for group sports like pickleball or swimming.
Research suggests that finding a workout buddy is one of the most effective ways to stay motivated and committed to exercise in the long run, as highlighted by Harvard paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman.
Engaging in social exercise helps maintain accountability, fosters social bonds, and enhances the likelihood of regularity, whether it involves participating in a local recreational center’s kickball tournament or simply walking in the park with a friend.
Dancing – an Enjoyable Social Activity with Heart Health Benefits
Incorporating the best elements of the Blue Zones’ fitness strategies, such as socializing and finding organic means of movement, the region of Ikaria in Greece demonstrates how parties can become workouts.
People in Ikaria participate in traditional events called panegyris that last for hours.
“They dance all night long. And you might think, ‘Well, they’re just at a party,'” Buettner explained. “In reality, an hour of dancing burns a similar number of calories as an hour of running. But dancing is a blast.”
Simultaneously, the dancers engage in social interactions, appreciate music, and even enjoy wine, which is also associated with potential longevity benefits.
This Greek approach to physical activity highlights the contrast between how many of us view exercise as a chore versus how people in the Blue Zones integrate it into a pleasurable and consistent part of their daily lives.
“We’re discovering that physical activity can be joyful,” Buettner emphasized.
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