Skip to playerSkip to main content
Refinery29
This week on Try Living With Lucie, our host, Lucie Fink tries living like people who live in the "Blue Zones" of the world. Their lifestyles enable them to live longer and Lucie adopts those habits to improve her longevity. Press play to learn how to live longer!

#athomewithme

ABOUT SERIES
Try Living With Lucie follows our favorite R29 millennial, Lucie Fink, as she dives headfirst into social experiments — five days at a time. From a week without sugar to full-blown street performing; there is nothing she won't try!

ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life.

RELATED CONTENT
5 Days Of Becoming More Organized
https://youtube.com/watch?v=X3U1v-woUqc
5 Days Of Meal Prep
https://youtube.com/watch?v=DWaU47V3rMU
5 Days Of A Capsule Wardrobe
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Di9Bjf_OPj4

SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29

TALENT
Follow Lucie Fink on Instagram: https://instagram.com/luciebfink/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
Follow OnHerTurf on Instagram: https://instagram.com/onherturf/
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Transcript
00:00I'm Lucy Fink and this week is 5 Days of Living Longer.
00:03Hey everyone and welcome back to Refinery29's YouTube channel.
00:06Give this video a thumbs up if you want to see more episodes of Try Living with Lucy.
00:10And if you haven't done so yet, click right here in the corner and join our family.
00:14Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe.
00:16Alright, so there aren't many updates here with me except for the obvious fact,
00:20which is that my hair is blonder.
00:21I really want it to be blonde for my upcoming wedding, so let me know what you think.
00:24I'm growing it out because I want it to be really long.
00:27But I know that all of you are here today because you want to learn how to live the longest
00:30life possible,
00:31so let's stop messing around and just get into the episode.
00:34Just about a year ago, I came across a book titled The Blue Zones,
00:38Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest.
00:41So this week's episode is going to be a full deep dive on the Blue Zones.
00:45Let's do it.
00:49Normally I spend the intro section on these episodes introducing the topic and giving you background,
00:54and then when Monday comes, I'm already diving into the challenge.
00:56This week I feel like there's a lot of upfront information that you need to know
01:01before we get into the challenge, so I'm going to start on Monday by just explaining the topic.
01:06Some scientists not too long ago were studying longevity,
01:08and they were trying to figure out where the healthiest people lived.
01:12And they found these clusters of areas in the world that had the highest population of centenarians,
01:16or people who lived to 100 years of age.
01:19And they circled these various regions on the map using a blue pen.
01:22Pretty soon, because of that blue pen, they started referring to these regions as the blue zones,
01:27and thus the phrase was coined.
01:28And there are five regions in the world today that are the most well-known blue zones.
01:32Number one, Icardia, Greece.
01:34It's an island just eight miles off the coast of Turkey that has one of the lowest rates of
01:38middle age mortality and dementia.
01:40Number two, the Oleastra region of Sardinia.
01:43These are the mountainous highlands of an Italian island,
01:46and this region has the highest concentration of centenarian men in the world.
01:50Next, Okinawa, Japan.
01:52A large island towards the bottom of all the Japanese islands that's home to the world's longest lived women.
01:57The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica,
01:59which has the lowest rate of middle age mortality and the second highest concentration of male centenarians.
02:05And finally, Loma Linda, California.
02:07A California community and the only blue zone in the United States.
02:11Many of Loma Linda's residents live 10 more healthy years than the average American.
02:15So one thing that's important to note about these blue zones is
02:17it's not just about people who are living the longest lives,
02:20but it's also about people who are living the healthiest lives.
02:23By this point, you're probably wondering,
02:24okay, so what is the secret?
02:26Well, as it turns out, these people are not following any special diets.
02:29They don't have any secret workout regimens that we don't know about.
02:32And no, their genes are no different from my genes or your genes.
02:36And I'm talking genes, not genes.
02:39So scientists have basically pulled together years and years of research
02:42and come up with a list of lessons that we can learn
02:45from all the different people that live in these regions.
02:47So now that we got all the basics out of the way,
02:49this episode is going to teach you how to turn your home,
02:52your life, and your lifestyle into that of a blue zone.
02:55Let's go.
02:58When I first started studying the blue zones,
03:00the first question that I personally had is,
03:02what do these people eat?
03:04Tuesday is going to be all about the rituals surrounding food.
03:07And then on Wednesday, I'll get into the nitty gritty of what food they're eating.
03:11One thing that's pretty standard across all of the blue zones is that growing,
03:15preparing, serving, and eating your food are all sacred practices.
03:19And there are so many different things about the way we eat,
03:22or at least the way I sometimes eat in modern day New York City,
03:26that they just wouldn't do in the blue zones.
03:28Things like eating on the go,
03:30picking up food from a fast food restaurant,
03:32eating while working, and so much more.
03:34So if you want to apply some of these philosophies to your life,
03:37and start eating as if you lived in a blue zone,
03:39here are the tips you can follow.
03:41Number one, breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day.
03:44Lunch is usually a mid-sized meal,
03:46and then for dinner it's the smallest meal.
03:48Nicoyans in Costa Rica sometimes eat two big breakfasts and then a light dinner,
03:52and the Okinawans often skip dinner altogether.
03:55In all of the blue zones, food is a very special thing,
03:58and cooking is celebratory.
03:59And if you're not convinced yet that you should be cooking at home,
04:02here are three reasons why it's great for your health.
04:04Firstly, you know what's going into your food.
04:07Number two, you know that you can use the highest quality ingredients.
04:10And thirdly, even though it can be very minimal,
04:12chopping your food and preparing things and moving around the kitchen
04:15helps you get in some physical activity.
04:17Number three, make your meals social.
04:20People living in the blue zones do not often eat meals by themselves.
04:23So they don't grab food on the go,
04:25and then eat while they're chatting on the phone to a client.
04:27They don't hold food in one hand and then put the other hand on the steering wheel and drive.
04:32No, no, no.
04:32Meals are eaten with family and friends, sitting down, not doing anything else but eating.
04:37And then they eat very slowly, and they talk, and they enjoy the food,
04:41and enjoy the flavors, and enjoy the ambiance.
04:44And that social aspect of mealtimes is very important.
04:47Number four, follow the 80% rule.
04:49With the abundance of food options around us,
04:51and the giant-sized plates that are being served to us in America,
04:54it's no wonder that many people are just taking in far too much food than their bodies actually need.
05:00So the 80% rule asks you to stop eating when you feel 80% full.
05:04The thought process behind that one is that apparently it takes about 20 minutes
05:07for that feeling of fullness in your stomach to travel up to your brain.
05:11So if you stop eating when you feel 80% full,
05:14hopefully by the time that feeling of fullness catches up to your brain, you'll be fully satiated.
05:18I've never tried the 80% rule. I usually go until I'm a full 110.
05:23But comment below if you've tried it and let me know how it's made you feel.
05:26Number five, don't take your food too seriously.
05:29Most people in the blue zones do not count calories, they don't take vitamins,
05:33they don't weigh their protein grams, record their macros, or even read labels on food.
05:38Of course, many of these people have the luxury of not having to do this
05:41because they're not surrounded by processed food in their grocery stores.
05:45But many people in the blue zones live in areas where they don't even go to grocery stores,
05:49they just grow their own food in their gardens.
05:51They're eating locally sourced food that's pesticide-free and organically raised,
05:56and they just don't have too many processed food options.
05:59Instead, they follow time-honored recipes and they just celebrate and enjoy life through food.
06:06Naturally, each of the blue zones eats a little bit differently,
06:09and that's because much of the food choices in these regions are based on the terrain
06:13or on the plants and animals that live nearby.
06:16But after analyzing a ton of dietary studies, the blue zone researchers were able to distill this
06:21information down to share with us what on average these people are actually eating.
06:25So number one, there's a plant slant.
06:28A huge majority of the food that these people eat comes from plants.
06:31Number two, their meat is clean.
06:33So even though there is this heavy emphasis on plants,
06:36these people do eat meat or animal products if it's available in their environment.
06:39So any meat that's eaten in the blue zones comes from free-roaming animals.
06:43They're raised with no hormones, no antibiotics.
06:46They're chewing on grass that has no pesticides on it.
06:49Fully clean meat.
06:50Icaria and Sardinia use sheep's or goat's milk to make fermented yogurts that have no added sugars in them.
06:56And the Okinawans actually eat a lot of pork.
06:59Number three, they eat high-quality eggs.
07:01Any eggs in the blue zones come from cage-free chickens
07:04that eat a wide variety of natural foods.
07:06They have no hormones or antibiotics.
07:09And these chickens produce eggs that are higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
07:13Oh, and one more thing, it also takes these chickens two times as long to breed eggs
07:17as it does for the chickens making factory-produced eggs.
07:20Number four, their fish isn't farmed.
07:22In most cases, people in the blue zones choose fish that are abundant and are not threatened by overfishing.
07:27Fish like sardines, anchovies, and cod.
07:30These are middle-of-the-food chain species that aren't exposed to high levels of mercury or other chemicals like
07:35PCBs.
07:36Number five, they eat a ton of cooked beans.
07:38Humans have been eating beans for over 8,000 years,
07:41and they're a great source of protein and complex carbs.
07:43Number six, cut down on sugar.
07:46Try to get all of your sweet intake through fruits and don't add any processed sugar to meals.
07:50Also, try avoiding the processed foods that have an excess of sugar,
07:54things like sauces, dressings, or ketchup.
07:56Number seven, eat a lot of nuts.
07:59People in the blue zones eat almonds, peanuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, and so much more.
08:04And if they're ever in need of a snack, it's pretty much always nuts.
08:08And number eight, their main bread is either sourdough or 100% whole wheat bread.
08:13They don't touch any refined flours.
08:15Instead, their bread is filled with nutrients and minerals, and they mostly make it from scratch.
08:19So here's a quick rundown of the 10 most popular blue zone foods.
08:23Beans, greens, sweet potatoes, nuts, olive oil, oats, barley, fruits, green or herbal tea, and turmeric.
08:32As for their beverages, the findings are firstly, drink a ton of water to stay hydrated.
08:37Secondly, drink coffee.
08:38Turns out good quality coffee is sipped in pretty much all of the blue zones.
08:42Next is tea, and people in all of the blue zones drink tea.
08:45Different herbs are known to have different anti-inflammatory properties.
08:49And lastly, number four, drinking red wine in moderation.
08:52Some people in the blue zones have between one and three glasses of red wine per day.
08:56And it's always with a meal and with family and friends.
08:59It's unclear if it's because of the plant-based antioxidants in red wine,
09:03or the fact that drinking wine helps to reduce your stress levels, which is good for you too.
09:07So you don't have to start drinking red wine if you don't like it or if you don't currently drink.
09:12But if you do like it and you are of age, you can continue enjoying a glass of red wine
09:16in moderation.
09:19This is the moment in the video where I'd like to mention that I'm not just teaching
09:22you about this subject as the days go by, but throughout this five-day challenge,
09:26I was actually challenging myself to live like I lived in a blue zone.
09:30So on Monday through Wednesday of this week, I made sure that every single meal I ate
09:34was a blue zone recipe.
09:36You'll have to get the blue zones book for the full recipes,
09:38or I'm positive you can find a ton of them online.
09:41But here's a quick glimpse into what I ate.
09:43On Monday, I had steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast.
09:46I put tons of blueberries on top, sprinkled cinnamon all over it, and then drizzled honey on top.
09:52For another breakfast this week, I branched out and I made homemade miso soup.
09:56This is something that I had for breakfast a bunch when I visited Japan,
09:59and I loved having it for breakfast, so I made it myself using miso paste, tofu, and scallions.
10:05One day for lunch, I made a coconut curry tofu dish,
10:08and a homemade minestrone for dinner on Monday, which fed me for two nights.
10:12I also made sure that most of my meals were enjoyed with other people.
10:16Michael and I invited our friends over for dinner last night,
10:18and we cooked dinner for them, and then we had a really fun game night together.
10:22Time for a nice evening game of Catan.
10:28And I even made a homemade loaf of bread.
10:30So now that we've explored the food, it's time to look at some of the other lifestyle commonalities
10:35in these blue zones, starting with movement.
10:37Movement is key in these regions, but one thing that I find really interesting is
10:41these people don't lift weights, they don't do high intensity interval training,
10:46they don't run marathons, and they don't have gym memberships.
10:49They actually likely don't even have gyms in many of these areas.
10:53They're healthy because they're just getting in natural movement throughout the course of the day
10:56by being physically active and by not leading sedentary lives.
11:00They garden, they do their own house and yard work, they walk almost everywhere,
11:05they carry heavy things around.
11:07They're generally just on their feet, moving around, doing physical work.
11:10And I did hear somewhere that the steeper the hill the people lived on,
11:14on average, the longer lives they lived.
11:16Not sure if that's just because it adds some more resistance to your daily movement,
11:20or if it's because you're less likely to drive in a mountainous region,
11:24so these people are more likely to just walk everywhere,
11:26or maybe it's both.
11:27But whatever the reason, on Thursday I lived my life as if I lived in one of these places.
11:32So I did not let myself sit at a desk all day.
11:35Instead, I had a full day of physical activities.
11:38Starting with a walk to the plant district,
11:40because I needed to refresh some of the plants in my apartment.
11:43Then once I got home, I repotted those plants as if I was tending to a garden.
11:47Then I watered all of my plants.
11:49I had a meeting in downtown Manhattan, followed by a shoot uptown.
11:52And I just planned a lot of extra time to let myself get there by foot.
11:57So I walked everywhere, no public transportation.
11:59When I got home, I had to do a little bit of housework.
12:02I had to rehang some photos that were not straight, and I wanted to wash my windows.
12:06Normally I would have waited for Michael to do some of this housework with me,
12:10but instead I just took out our toolkit and got to work.
12:13Alright, so aside from getting in some natural movement,
12:15some other lifestyle habits that these people have are,
12:18they have routines and systems in place to help bring their stress levels down,
12:22thus reducing the inflammation in their bodies.
12:24Now just because they live in these regions doesn't mean these people have no stress.
12:28I mean, these are still regular people we're talking about,
12:31so they still do have normal everyday stresses.
12:33In Icaria, they take naps pretty much every afternoon.
12:36The Adventists in Loma Linda pray.
12:39The Sardinians have a happy hour every day.
12:41So taking a quick nap, doing something spiritual, and having a happy hour
12:45are three things that I incorporated into my life on Thursday.
12:48And the last thing that's a common thread through all the Blue Zones,
12:51is that these people have a strong sense of purpose.
12:54In Okinawa, it's called Ikigai.
12:56I have an entire book about it.
12:58In Costa Rica, it's called Plan de Vida.
13:00It's overall just why you get out of bed in the morning,
13:03and a lot of these Blue Zone books cite studies saying that you can add
13:06seven healthy years onto your life just by knowing your purpose.
13:10So if you know it already, comment your life purpose below.
13:14Happy Friday!
13:16Okay, so we've covered a lot here.
13:18We've got food, beverages, physical activity, stress relief, purpose, and a lot more.
13:24But one of the cornerstones of the Blue Zone lifestyle has yet to be mentioned,
13:28and that is community.
13:30Having people that you trust, that can trust you,
13:32and overall just having this support network in life is imperative.
13:36In Okinawa, they create moais, or small groups of four to five friends
13:39that commit to each other for life.
13:41There are a lot of people in my life that I love and trust,
13:43but I've got to say my 10 bridesmaids plus my twin sister, who's my maid of honor,
13:48that is my moai, and these are going to be the women that are my support system
13:52for the rest of my life.
13:53And when I say your community, I don't only mean social circles.
13:5698% of the centenarians interviewed for these books belonged to a faith-based community.
14:01And it didn't even matter what faith or religion they were,
14:04but it just showed that attending faith-based services four times a month
14:08can add four to 14 years to your life expectancy.
14:11And lastly, family comes first.
14:13These centenarians often commit to a life partner,
14:16and they also often keep aging parents or grandparents nearby or even in their home.
14:21So Friday for me was about community and family.
14:23I enjoyed a nice walk with Michael before he had to go off to class for the day,
14:27and I made big weekend plans to get all of my best friends together for a homemade meal at my
14:32apartment.
14:32If you don't have a faith or a religion, I believe that building a community at a yoga studio or
14:38a meditation center
14:39can have the same effect as attending faith-based services.
14:41I think it's all about just being around some of the same people over and over again,
14:46getting to know them really well, and practicing the same thing together.
14:49So my twin sister, Allie, and I did a Friday evening yoga class together at our favorite yoga studio,
14:54where we pretty much know all of the instructors, and we've also gotten to know a lot of the other
14:59students that go regularly.
15:00About to do yoga together. Our classic class.
15:10If you're interested in longevity research, there is so much more research inside these books,
15:15and there's also so many inspiring stories of people who live in these regions,
15:19so I would highly recommend that you get the Blue Zones book either online,
15:23or I'm sure they have it at many of your local bookstores.
15:25I'm personally intrigued by the fact that even if you don't live in these regions,
15:29because let's face it, we can't all live in these regions,
15:32you can essentially engineer a Blue Zone for yourself just by making some big changes to your community.
15:37And some places around the world are already doing this by making biking more accessible,
15:42creating community gardens, making interest-based clubs, and so much more.
15:46And if all else fails, we can just move to Greece and live happily ever after.
15:50Thank you so much for coming back to Refinery29's channel.
15:53Comment below and let me know what other five-day challenges you want to see from me,
15:57and I'll see you then on Try Living With Lucy. Bye!
15:59Hey YouTube, thanks for watching 5 Days of Living Longer.
16:03Click here for another five-day challenge, here to subscribe to Refinery29 on YouTube,
16:08and right here for my personal YouTube channel. See ya!
16:12Bye!

Recommended