Everyone wants to live a long, healthy life, right?
However, for a busy college student, living healthy isn’t a top priority after Red Bulls, long hours of cramming, late-night hangouts and before you know it, graduation is only a semester away. The little things like body aches and wrinkles on your forehead while accepting your diploma are early signs that maybe you should have been treating your body better. In fact, don’t you want to be in perfect condition for Damon Salvatore and Edward Cullen?
The question becomes, is it possible to live to the age of 101 with a few lifestyle changes? Genetics plays a role, but healthy habits will prologue a good quality of life.
Zac Efron hosts a documentary called “Down to Earth,” where his team and he explore the city of Sardinia, a small town in Italy. He interviews two scientists who developed the Blue Zone system and gathers testimonies from community members.
In the documentary, Efron discusses how Sardinia has unlocked the secret to longevity. The city is classified as a Blue Zone, with the highest concentration of male centenarians, or people who live to 100 years old. The town’s secret is composed of moving naturally, citizens finding their life purpose, incorporating daily mental health care such as laughter, eating a Mediterranean diet under the 80/20 rule and developing a support system.
Moving Naturally
The first step to living a healthy life is to prioritize daily activities. Many professions often require busy, sedentary lifestyles. According to Dr. Laskowski, a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic, 30 minutes of moderate daily exercise is recommended to maintain health goals. It can be challenging to carve out dedicated time with a busy schedule. The centenarians in Sardinia value long walks and daily stairs to maintain their health. Walking 10,000 steps a day is a goal that translates to moving naturally.
Ways to achieve this goal:
- Parking your car in the back of the parking lot.
- Planning a 30-minute daily activity into your calendar.
- Choosing the stairs over the elevator.
- Investing in a standing desk, especially for graduate students who spend long hours studying.
- Cleaning your house or apartment for 30 minutes.
- Developing an outdoor hobby like hiking or gardening.
Finding your Purpose
According to the Sardinian centenarians, the secret to happiness is waking up every day to fulfill a purpose. For some, life becomes a ritual of going through the motions to finish the day, the daily stresses of life shadows the little joys of a person’s goal. A component of living a long life is to look forward to a task or activity in your day. It can be a part of your daily routine or motivation, but it must spark joy.
Self-Care Now for Future Mental Health Later
It is essential to develop self-care practices to promote mental well-being. Health is composed of three components: physical, cognitive and social health. A balance of these three aspects leads to a healthy lifestyle. The Sardinians promote shifting to a less stressful life filled with laughter, like daily happy hours with red wine. This is certainly not the American culture; however, Americans can transfer self-care practice to those in high-stress occupations. According to the Blue Zone article, developing a routine or simple meditation technique can result in long-lasting cognitive function past retirement. When people retire, they choose to relax and complete passive hobbies like watching television or movies. While this activity is an option, it can lead to cognitive decline due to reduced engagement in stimulating activities. Daily self-care now and intellectual stimulation in retirement will result in better cognition in the future. Listed below are care practices that college students can develop to preserve their social and emotional health.
Self-Care Tips for Busy Students
- It takes one minute to complete five deep breaths to center yourself and clear your mind for the next task.
- If you have a more extended break, you can…
- Take a pause from social media and water the one plant on your desk that you got for the aesthetic.
- Make yourself a priority and say ‘no’ to social events when needed.
- Plan events with friends and family.
- Go outdoors, take a walk, go to the gym and get yourself moving.
- Even take a midday nap when necessary.
The Mediterranean Diet: Low Protein High Carb Diet
The American diet is filled with highly processed foods packed with sugar. It is considered that a high protein and low carbohydrate diet is the ideal food regimen. The secret anti-aging in all Blue Zone cities is a high carbohydrate and low protein diet, according to the Down to Earth documentary. This diet contains small amounts of meat, a rich assortment of fruits and vegetables packed with fiber, antioxidants, nutrients, a serving of complex carbohydrates and red wine. The protein sources come from beans such as fava, black, soy and lentils rather than chicken and eggs. The objective of this diet is to consume more colorful fruits and vegetables with a balance of bread, cheese and meat.
Red wine is composed of antioxidants that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Food Examples to Try
- Mediterranean pizza made with whole wheat pita bread and topped with cheese, vegetables and olives.
- Whole grain sandwich with hummus and vegetables.
- Noodles with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Oatmeal with fruits of choice, such as blueberries.
- Greek Salad
- Saganaki, which is fried cheese in filo pastry covered in honey.
- Spanakopita, which is spinach pie.
- Salmon with brown rice and vegetables.
- Grilled chicken with vegetables, sweet potato fries and fresh fruit.
Okinawan, Japan, another Blue Zone city, is the home to the most female centenarians. These citizens believe in the 80/20 rule of eating. The saying “Hara Hachi Bu” means to pause eating when their stomach is 80% full. This 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between bloating after eating too much or not eating enough to be satisfied until the next meal. Another tip for Blue Zone citizens is to eat their last and smallest meal in the early evening to prevent indigestion. These eating habits can result in higher longevity.
The Anti-Ageing Team: The Support System
The third component of health is social well-being which consists of maintaining relationships that assist in the growth of oneself. Making time with loved ones and developing strong connections with others leads to a happier life. In Sardinia, the elderly gather almost every day for red wine happy hour to discuss the day’s events and catch up with one another. One of the best activities for laughter is eating meals with friends. This leads to cognitive function after retirement and daily motivation.
I encourage everyone to adopt these tips into their daily lifestyle. The Blue Zone’s secrets are simple to follow: moving naturally, finding their life purpose, daily mental health care practice, eating a Mediterranean diet and developing a support system.
Once you follow these tips, you’ll be the next girlfriend for your favorite attractive vampire.