Longevity thread and blue zones. most important thread you will read this year

[stevesmi]

I've noticed the past year or two more and more guys are asking about longevity. gone are the days when i first started coming on forums where it was all about 'getting bigger and bigger' and using tons of steroids. people are noticing how steroid abuse lowers your standard of living and shortens your lifetime. even guys like bostin lloyd, who i have interviewed 3X on my podcast over the years, changed his ways once he matured and realized that he does not want to die before 30. yes you can still use PED's smartly and do very well healthwise.

I started studying blue zones a couple years ago, before then i had never heard of what a blue zone was. There are officially 5 blue zones in the world. these are places where people easily live to 100 and have little to no obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other 'diseases' that are normal to us.

those blue zones are

Loma Linda, California
Nicoya, Costa Rica
Sardinia, Italy
Ikaria, Greece
Okinawa, Japan (yes where mr. miyagi is from)

there are common denominators to what these people do in their lives and what they eat.

1. strong family and community. if someone is having a tough time for whatever reason everyone rallies to help them, nobody is ever left behind like we do it in the USA.
2. Natural and organic Diets rich in vegetables and whole grains. some blue zones have fruit heavy diets too. little meat or dairy and any of it is naturally derived on small farms, not abused cows like in the US corporate owned farms.
3. No smoking, no alcohol, no drug use including rx drugs
4. lots of Fasting. in Ikaria they spend half the year's days fasting, in other spots they fast routinely once a week or a few times per month. they do not eat every 2-3 hours like we do in the USA. you can read more about fasting in my guide in my signature below by clicking the link https://goo.gl/Vy5WA7
5. Low stress. They do not live beyond their means or take on jobs that stress themselves like we do in the USA
6. meditation, martial arts and yoga. they practice this daily
7. sleep habits: they go to sleep early and wake up early, no staying up till 2am partying like we do in the USA. it is unheard of in those communities even keeping a store open past sunset. they also routinely take naps
8. Laughter and happiness: They are happy and smiling all the time, nothing gets them down or angry.
9. Sunshine: All the blue zone places are close to the same latitude line so they get plenty of sunshine and sun year round.
10. Gardening: they grow things instead of killing animals and each other

think about the list above and how many of these 10 you follow. imagine if you can nail these 10 things at how much better you will feel and the results you will get in this game we love. I can say that as i've gotten older i check mark more and more things on this list. my goal is to be 10 for 10

 

[Supermarc]

Stan Efferding has a video about a poor overseas community in which one part became prosperous and adopted a western lifestyle. That population became sick and obese while the rural area didn't. The biggest difference is the accessibility of food. The poor area had no choice but to hunt and grow crops, they used plant based medicine and stayed active. The community that had access to processed foods all died early. Good thread.

 

[stevesmi]

Stan Efferding has a video about a poor overseas community in which one part became prosperous and adopted a western lifestyle. That population became sick and obese while the rural area didn't. The biggest difference is the accessibility of food. The poor area had no choice but to hunt and grow crops, they used plant based medicine and stayed active. The community that had access to processed foods all died early. Good thread.

following up on this we can also look at the Native Americans out west during the 1800's into the 1900's. zero disease, unheard of.. zero obesity, zero diabetes, zero addictions. they ate only grassfed buffalo, lots of fruits and veggies.. plant based diet

once salesman started moving west and selling refined products, alcohol and refined sugars to them the % of diabetes, addictions, and obesity from near 0% to 85% in 1 generation. it is very striking and flies in the face of the myth that native americans are prone to more disease based on their genetics.. they were doing just fine when they ate off the land

 

[Supermarc]

Its my belief that virtually all diseases are due to diet and stress. I here it over and over with people getting their hormones and diet in check. "I simply dont get sick anymore". Personally since cleaning up my diet with consistency, being on TRT and dealing with stress I rarely get sick. A few years ago I caught everything that came around. Now I can shake it off in a day or two.

 

[stevesmi]

^^^ yes sir i agree 1000%

stress is one of the ones that people do not realize. it isn't just mental stress, but also physical stress too. people have to remember when you eat or drink something unhealthy you are stressing your body too. same with taking rec drugs or drinking alcohol.

unfortunately many of us live stressful lives with our jobs, we want a nice house, cars, furniture, clothes, etc. for me the gym and yoga are my getaway's.. without that i would be in trouble

 

[dylangemelli]

great write up brother

 

[Supermarc]

A great quote. "Stress is often determined by how well you control outcomes in your life". If i want money and cant get it, Here comes stress. If you want a promotion and cant achieve it, stress. Your spouse or kids dont act the way you think they should, stress. Its hard for us not to worry about everything. Financial, family, health are all things we worry about. Worrying slowly kills us and hinders our gains in and out of the gym. I think those places you mentioned with the beautiful weather play a part. We are so volitile with gloomy or great weather changing our mood and motivation.

 

[stevesmi]

^^ yes we evolved from the jungles of Africa with warmth and plenty of sun. when people started migrating to the lower latitudes they had developed the weapons and tools to kill a furry animal to make pelts. really not natural to live outside that latitude line which is why you see health freaks retire in the caribbean or central America. you don't see them retire to Siberia or Greenland lol

 

[Mobster]

following up on this we can also look at the Native Americans out west during the 1800's into the 1900's. zero disease, unheard of.. zero obesity, zero diabetes, zero addictions. they ate only grassfed buffalo, lots of fruits and veggies.. plant based diet

once salesman started moving west and selling refined products, alcohol and refined sugars to them the % of diabetes, addictions, and obesity from near 0% to 85% in 1 generation. it is very striking and flies in the face of the myth that native americans are prone to more disease based on their genetics.. they were doing just fine when they ate off the land

For the sake of argument while they did not have the issues you mention they didn't live a long time (with the odd exception).

 

[cbbram]

Thanks for sharing

 

[Frogznlogz]

Loma Linda is different for a few reasons. They are a tight knit community of Seventh Day Adventists, so they are vegetarian, don't drink, smoke, etc. But they do have really good medical care there as well, there is a huge cutting edge Hospital, Med school, dental school, etc. A lot of the community is employed there. So not only do they not have the bad habits, but they catch whatever illnesses sooner when they are more treatable.