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How to Live Over 100: Add More Years to Your Life and More Life to Your Years
Only about 10 percent of the average person's lifespan is determined by our genes. The other 90 percent is dictated by our lifestyle (1). Okay, let's start by taking a deep breath - we get it, it's kind of overwhelming to know that the choices you make in your daily life largely determine how long you'll live.
In a perfect world, we would know the answer to “what do I need to do to live to be over 100?” However, we don’t live in a perfect world, and no one has the answer to that. That’s because humans use cognitive biases when making decisions. We systematically make irrational choices, because we are not rational beings. In fact, that would be humanly impossible, because we make over 35,000 decisions in a day (3). But, all of these small decisions we make, when accumulated, can potentially influence the longevity of our life.
The dilemma is, who should you listen to and what is the right decision? Should you listen to your mom who says that if you don’t eat enough meat you will lack vitamin B12? Or should you listen to that nutritionist at Jimmy Joy who says that Jimmy Joy meals are vegan and still contain the optimal amount of B12? Well, we don’t want to be biased, so we’ll go ahead and introduce you to Dan Buettner, the National Geographic best-selling author who has spent his entire life studying populations with the longest life expectancy, otherwise known as The Blue Zones.
The fact is that humans were not created to live to an extremely old age. Blame it on evolution. We were created to procreate and are expected to live to see our second generation of offspring, and that’s it. We are not made to see 130 years. That’s why a 65-year-old ages at a rate about 125 times faster than a 12-year-old (1). Science tells us that the capacity of a male body is to live to 90 years old (for women, you can add a couple more years) (1). However, if we look at the Netherlands, for example, the average life expectancy is 81 (4). In other words, you could potentially live 9 more years. Yes, 9 years! So, what we prepared for you in this article is a summary of things you can do to increase your lifespan.
What are the blue zones?
The Blue Zones are communities whose elderly live with vitality and vigor to a record age. They live to be 100 years old. And the life expectancy is 110 years old, or even longer in some cases. They have been studied in detail by medical researchers, anthropologists, epidemiologists, and demographers and show the greatest longevity in all human populations on planet Earth. In such populations, disease and mortality are very unusual as a cause of death. The Blue Zones see the leading cause of death as simply “old age” (2). They are not “trying” to live to a ripe old age, it is just the standard way of life for them. They also experience extremely low rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other preventable diseases (5).
Let's cut to the chase. These are the places in the Blue Zone, where the sweet long life happens (6,7,8):
Okinawa, Japan , home to the world's oldest women. They eat mostly soy-based foods and practice a meditative form of exercise known as tai chi. The Ogliastra region of Sardinia , a region high in the mountains, where the oldest men in the world live. They work as farmers and drink a lot of red wine. Ikaria, Greece , an island where people enjoy the Mediterranean diet full of olive oil, wine and homegrown vegetables. Nicoya, Costa Rica - is a region where people do a lot of physical work, eat a diet based on beans, rice and corn tortillas. They have a sense of life purpose known as a "life plan." Loma Linda , California: A very religious community of people who only eat plant-based foods.
If you're about to type "one-way flight to Costa Rica" into your browser, we'll have to stop you right there. You won't need to move there to extend your longevity (but you can if you want to; eating tortilla chips on the beach in Costa Rica doesn't sound too bad to us either).
We’ve rounded up a list of 10 things that Blue Zone populations have in common based on research by Dan Buettner and other National Geographic scientists. We can all learn from it and view it as a compass guiding us through steps we can take in the future to lead a more proactive and healthy lifestyle. And, essentially, add a few years to our lives.
What do the populations of the Blue Zone have in common?
1. Have a strong life purpose
They follow a life purpose that they strongly believe in, known as “ikigai” in Okinawa or “life plan” in Nicoya. This “reason for living” helps them maintain a positive outlook on life and gives them something to look forward to each day. This is a very powerful factor, because research shows that having a strong life purpose can extend your life expectancy by seven more years (9).
2. Eat 95% plant-based foods
They don't count calories, diet, read labels or take supplements. They hand-pick and grow their own food. Most of it comes from their gardens and is seasonal. They eat whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables. And most importantly, they eat 95% vegan. This means that only 1 in 20 meals consumed includes meat-based products.
You might be wondering: why not 100% vegan? Well, some are 100% vegan. But most consume small amounts of free-range meat. It’s important to remember that while a vegan diet is great, unless you combine it with sufficient levels of supplements (i.e. what you can’t get from plants alone), you may be missing some important nutrients. It’s still foolish to believe that packaged meat at the grocery store contains all of those nutrients. There’s a high chance that, to some degree, animal products are artificially containing these supplements through injections or fortified livestock feed, which we then secondarily introduce into our bodies.
Blue zone populations don’t take any supplements or medications. All their nutrients are consumed from what they eat. So, 5% of meat could just be to get that vitamin B12 and enough omega from fish. Luckily, we have a solution for you. Jimmy Joy products are not only 100% vegan, but they are also enriched with vitamin B12 ( here you can read why B12 is so important); they contain a mix of the 27 most essential vitamins and minerals ; and our latest addition, ahiflower for omegas.
3. Drink alcohol, but in moderation.
Blue Zone populations drink 1-2 glasses of alcohol a day, mostly red wine. Well, research findings on this topic are quite contradictory. One stream of research says that drinking frequently but in small doses significantly reduces mortality, particularly from heart disease (10, 11). Natural red wine contains antioxidants from grapes, which help prevent DNA damage that contributes to aging (12).
However, another stream of studies has found inconclusive results on the relationship between longevity and alcohol consumption. One might believe that there are other factors (e.g., moderate wine drinkers lead a healthier lifestyle) that contributed to such results (13, 14). It is also important to remember that only moderate alcohol consumption could (if even) promote lower mortality. Higher levels of alcohol consumption are, in fact, associated with increased mortality (15).
4. Fast and follow the 80% rule
Along with fasting and long-term calorie restriction, they follow the 80% rule. That means they finish eating when they feel 80% full, rather than 100% full (or in some cases 110%, aka a full food coma ). They eat their largest meal at the beginning of the day and only eat something very small at night, and never right before bed. They also eat very slowly, which lends itself to better digestion and leaves you feeling fuller for longer. We also wrote an article on mindful eating and intermittent fasting – you should check that out.
5. Exercise
By exercise we don't mean going to the gym, running marathons, or lifting weights. Exercise is built into their daily routine, for example, through gardening, walking, cooking, and other daily tasks. Because they are so intertwined with nature, they work outdoors, raise animals in the fields, harvest crops, and perform tasks that require movement and physical activity.
They do low-intensity physical activities, for longer periods of time. What most of us probably do is sit in front of the computer all day, and then in the evening sweat like crazy doing a high-intensity workout for 45 minutes and then go back to staring at the screen. Low-intensity movement throughout the day versus short intense periods can help slow cellular aging (16).
6. Get enough sleep
They don’t hit “next episode” to watch that docuseries on Netflix at 1am, then wake up frantically hitting “snooze” about 16 times and drink 8 flat whites before it’s noon. They go to sleep with the sun and wake up with the sun. Their sleep time is built into their natural biological clock. The optimal amount of sleep is shown to be between 7-8 hours. They also take daily naps, 30 minutes or less.
7. Spirituality
These are usually religious or faith-based communities, which promote positive thoughts and feelings. Having a strong belief in a higher power can lead to greater longevity.
8. Have a strong relationship with your family and friends.
They take good care of their elders and take pride in being part of the family. Older people enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, as it keeps their minds young and sharp. Often, different generations live in the same house and spend time together.
They also have strong ties to their friends. They don't necessarily have a large group of friends, but a few close ones. Having close friends can reduce the chance of mental problems, prolong life expectancy, and decrease the risk of chronic diseases.
9. Have a healthy social network
Your social network can influence your health and well-being. If you surround yourself with positive people, you're likely to have a more positive outlook on life. But unfortunately, it works both ways. For example, if you surround yourself with a social circle that parties every night and follows an unhealthy lifestyle, we all know how it goes. It might be harder to say no to happy hour on a Monday night.
Another important factor is that their relationships are nurtured in person. They do not rely on technology. They are immune to social media because they are not exposed to these externalities in their life. That is believed to be a very important factor for their happy and stress-free life as well as having more genuine and stronger relationships.
10. Mitigate stress naturally
Chronic stress leads to inflammation, and inflammation is a contributing factor to the development of many chronic diseases. This is how the Blue Zones handle stress. In Ikaria they take a daily nap; the people of Lomo Linda pray daily; and in Japan they take time to remember their ancestors. They all also spend a lot of time outdoors. They are not exposed to technology or artificial light, nor do they stay in dark, enclosed spaces for long periods of time. Sunlight can increase the brain’s release of the hormone serotonin, which is associated with improving your mood and helping you stay calm and focused. Of course, we’re talking about exposure to sunlight in moderation and using sunscreen. Did you know that regular use of sunscreen can prevent skin from aging faster (17)?
Conclusion
It takes 21 days to adopt a new habit. We challenge you to pick one item from the ten listed above and try to make it your new favorite item. We also challenge you to pick something other than number 3 😏.
(7)Robertson, R. (2018).Retrieved from: Healthline
(8)National Geographic. (2017).5 “Blue Zones” Where the World's Healthiest People Live.Retrieved from: National Geographic
(9)Hill, P.L., & Turiano, N.A. (2014). Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood.Psychol Sci., 1482-1486.
(10)Klatsky, A.L. (1999). Moderate drinking and reduced risk of heart disease.Alcohol research & health,23(1), 15.
(11)Thun MJ, Peto R, Lopez AD, Monaco JH, Henley SJ, Heath CW Jr, Doll R. Alcohol consumption and mortality among middle-aged and elderly US adults. N Engl J Med. 1997 Dec 11;337(24):1705-14.
(12)Baxter, R. A. (2008). Anti‐aging properties of resveratrol: review and report of a potent new antioxidant skin care formulation.Journal of cosmetic dermatology,7(1), 2-7.
(13)Holahan CJ, Schutte KK, Brennan PL, North RJ, Holahan CK, Moos BS, Moos RH. Wine consumption and 20-year mortality among late-life moderate drinkers. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2012 Jan;73(1):80-8.
(14) Simona Costanzo, Giovanni de Gaetano, Augusto Di Castelnuovo, Luc Djoussé, Andrea Poli, David P. van Velden, Moderate alcohol consumption and lower total mortality risk: Justified doubts or established facts?, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 29, Issue 10, 2019, 1003-1008.
(15)Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, Bagnardi V, Donati MB, Iacoviello L, de Gaetano G. Alcohol dosing and total mortality in men and women: an updated meta-analysis of 34 prospective studies. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Dec 11-25;166(22):2437-45.
(16) Bas, G., Loisate, S., Hudon, SF, Woods, K., Hayden, EJ, Pu, X., . . . Uzer, G. (2020). Low Intensity Vibrations Augment Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation Capacity during in vitro Expansion.Scientific Reports, 9369.
(17) Hughes, MC, Williams, GM, Baker, P., & Green, AC (2013). Sunscreen and Prevention of Skin Aging.Annals of Internal Medicine, 781-790.
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