Live to 100 Secrets of the Blue Zones is a travel and lifestyle documentary series released on Netflix on August 30, 2023. It is directed by Clay Jeter and is inspired by Dan Buettner’s bestselling book The Blue Zone: 9 Lessons of Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. There are 4 episodes with a runtime of about 30-45 minutes.
The documentary features various experts and centenarians including Umeto Yamashiro, Marion Nestle, Dr Gianni Pes, Dr Joan Sabate, Eleni Karimali, Dr Zhou Sherong Chou, Chen Heng Chee, Douglas Foo, Zayda Bustos and several others.
Live to 100 Secrets of the Blue Zones Review
The purpose of the show is to travel around the world to investigate the diet and lifestyles of those living the longest lives and Dan Buettner acts as the host and researcher. We see him travel to Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California, as they have been recognised as the Blue Zones with the highest rates of living centenarians.
By spending time with them and witnessing their day-to-day lives, Dan points out a few things that could have contributed to their long age. Be it Japan or a small village in Costa Rica there were some key things that were similar in each culture. The first thing that the show focused on was the food. Whether it was a meat-based diet or plant-based, the main key was to have a balanced meal with all the required nutrients. And most of the ingredients were either freshly picked or self-made, instead of packed and processed.
The other important similar aspect was to move naturally. Either the geographical location where they live required them to walk around more or their work included manual labour. Instead of forcing themselves to go to the gym and burn calories, these centenarian’s days were filled with activities that kept them moving up and down, keeping them healthy without even stepping into the gym or deliberately exercising.
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They also found out how their outlook on life was comparatively less stressful than an average individual in a big city. They mainly focused on the things that they could do or solve in the present rather than worrying about the things that they had no control over. Lastly, the importance of connection and community came up as a contributing factor to life’s longevity. Most of the elderly were living with their families or had a group of friends, whom they could rely on and enjoy various recreational activities.
By taking account of these factors, Dan Buettner implemented them in Albert Lea, Minnesota in 2009. He tried to replicate what he had learnt and help the people living in cities for a better lifestyle and some significant results came out. Since then, the Blue Zone Project has been tried at various different places in the US and through the show, Dan wondered what it would take for a whole country to bring a change.
Looking at various people from different cultures, the most prominent thing seen everywhere is a wholesome life. They eat food that’s partially therapeutic, they keep moving and connecting with other people, finding joy in mundane things. Also, a lack of modern technological devices contributes to that. Meanwhile, in big cities, it’s all about time efficiency and getting things done at a fast pace. Thus, pushes us to get that new gadget that would make our life easier and save us time. But what one does with that saved time, makes all the difference.
Are we scrolling it away on social media or utilising it in going out, pursuing our hobbies or just completing simple tasks before they pile up and become too stressful? The secret to a long life isn’t something that we don’t know, but everything comes back to the choices that one makes in their life that will decide their course.
Rating: 3/5
Live to 100 Secrets of the Blue Zones is available for streaming on Netflix.
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