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The Outer Banks is in the early stages of becoming a “Blue Zone” community – a place where people live longer, are happier, and enjoy a greater sense of well-being than other places.

Blue Zones is a global movement that strives to improve the health and well-being for whole communities through nine principles that enhance the way people live, work, learn and play.

At the “Ignite Outer Banks” event September 10 at Jennette’s Pier sponsored by Outer Banks Health and Dare County, Danny Buettner Jr., executive vice president and chief development officer of Blue Zones and son of founder Dan Buettner, gave a presentation about what it means to be a Blue Zones community and what the process will look like for the Outer Banks.

In 2000, Dan Buettner traveled to Okinawa, Japan to research the longevity of the people. Buettner, his team of scientists and demographers, and National Geographic then set out to search for other communities where people lived a long time and experienced a high quality of life. Their research led them to identify four additional places on the globe where life expectancy is significantly higher than in other places in the world – a place known as a blue zone.

The five communities are Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; the highlands of Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; and the Seventh Day Adventist community in Loma Linda, California.

What makes these communities unique, and is it possible to replicate?

Researchers discovered nine lifestyle habits that Blue Zones calls Power 9. These habits have been detailed in several best-selling books and a Netflix series.

The first is to move naturally. Those who enjoy the longest lives don’t work out in gyms; they have natural movement as a part of their everyday lives. This includes walking (particularly on uneven terrain), gardening, and regular home and yard work.

A glass of wine or two a day is also linked to a long life. “Wine @ 5” made it into the Power 9, but the key is moderation and enjoying the drink with friends and/or with food.

The longest-lived communities were not vegetarians, but they did have what Blue Zones call plant slant – meaning the majority of their food comes from beans and lentils. Meat is eaten only about five times per month and the serving size is only about the size of a deck of cards. In all meals, people in the blue zones generally follow the 80% rule. They stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.

Interestingly, food and movement principles make up less than half of the Power 9.

People who live the longest have a sense of purpose and a reason to get out of bed in the morning. In Japan it’s called “Ikigai” and it’s worth up to seven additional years of life. They also have patterns of life that help them deal with stress. Blue Zones call this downshift. This can be prayer, naps or even happy hour.

An overwhelming majority of centenarians interviewed by Blue Zones (258 out of 263) belonged to a faith-based community. Attending regular faith-based services of any denomination was shown to increase life expectancy by 4-14 years.

People who live in blue zones put their families first – this can mean living with or close to aging parents, committing to a life partner, and investing in children with time and love.

The ninth element – right tribe – means being a part of a healthy social network and maintaining close friendships.

Much of the lifestyle habits of the Power 9 are done in community. What’s more, making the healthy choices comes easily because that’s what everybody else is doing. This means creating a life radius, or a 10 to 20-mile area where “the healthy choice is the easy choice,” said Dr. Christina Bowen, medical doctor at Outer Banks Health.

Blue Zones is now working directly with communities in a three-phased approach to incorporate these practices as a community. The Outer Banks is entering phase 1: The Readiness Assessment. In the next 60 days, Blue Zones will work with local leaders to gauge community readiness and willingness for change. They will identify community strengths, challenges and opportunities, and then present a plan for transformation.

The next steps will involve training and community engagement in all spheres, but focusing on three pillars: people, places and policy.

This is being done throughout the country in places like Fort Worth, Texas; Albert Lea, Minnesota; and in beach cities throughout California. There are currently about 90 American Blue Zone cities.

Find out more at bluezones.com/ignite-obx/.

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