At first, it might seem a bit odd for a financial planner to be writing about life expectancy and healthy lifestyle, but really it isn’t.
Before diving into the article, will you allow me to clear up a common misconception?
Financial planners don’t actually want you to accumulate money for the sake of it.
Instead, if they’re doing their job properly, they’ll help you spend your money on the things that bring you happiness.
Of course, happiness is essential for a long and healthy life.
There is ample evidence that being stressed and unhappy leads to inflammation and disease. Therefore being happy and purposeful does the opposite.
Financial planners want happy clients, who are using their money as a tool to make their lives better.
So really, it’s not that odd at all.
Blue Zones
With that out of the way, I’d like to share some learning I’ve found about ‘Blue Zones’.
Blue Zones are places in the world where residents have exceptionally long life expectancy compared with other people around the world.
Residents in these areas typically live to 90 - 100.
Interestingly, these areas comprise not only the oldest groups of people on earth, but also the healthiest and happiest.
They typically don’t take medication, nor develop cognitive decline conditions like Alzheimer's or Dementia. They also often work well into their 80’s.
There are 5 blue zones around the world: Okinawa prefecture (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica), Icaria (Greece) and a Seventh-Day Adventist community in California (USA).
The lifestyles of residents in these places all share ‘power 9 principles’, or common characteristics. These are:
1. Plant-Based Diet
Whole Foods: Diets are rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.
Limited Meat Consumption: Meat is eaten sparingly, often only a few times a month.
Carbs: like pasta and some types of bread make up a large part of diets.
2. Regular Physical Activity
Natural Movement: Daily activities involve regular, low-intensity physical activities like walking, gardening, and housework.
No Structured Exercise: Physical activity is integrated into daily life rather than being a separate, structured activity.
3. Strong Social Connections
Family and Community: Strong family ties and a sense of community provide emotional support and purpose.
Social Engagement: Regular social interactions and maintaining a robust social network.
4. Purpose and Stress Management
Sense of Purpose: Having a clear sense of purpose, which can add years to life expectancy. Research shows someone with clear purpose typically lives 8 years longer than a ‘rudder-less’ person.
Stress Reduction: Regular routines for managing stress, such as prayer, meditation, naps, or socialising.
5. Moderate Alcohol Consumption
Wine in Moderation: Some Blue Zone populations consume alcohol moderately, particularly red wine, often with meals and social gatherings.
6. Sufficient Rest
Sleep and Rest: Prioritising adequate sleep and taking time to rest during the day, including naps.
7. Moderate Caloric Intake
80% Rule: Practices like "hara hachi bu" from Okinawa, which means eating until you are 80% full, help prevent over-eating.
Front-loading caloric intake: Eating smaller meals, particularly in the evening, with higher calorie meals for breakfast and then tapering off throughout the day.
Smaller daily eating windows: Eating the last meal of the day early enough to have a 14-hour fasting window before breakfast.
8. Spiritual or Religious Involvement
Faith and Belief Systems: Many Blue Zone inhabitants participate in spiritual or religious practices, which contribute to a sense of community and purpose.
9. Environmental Factors
Clean Environment: Living in areas with clean air and water.
Agricultural Lifestyle: Proximity to nature and engaging in agricultural practices.
What does this have to do with financial planning?
Whilst the people living in these blue zones are typically healthy, they’re usually not wealthy, at least not in the conventional sense of being wealthy; how much money they have.
They usually have more modest means and homes.
But they’re happy and healthy because they have ‘enough’ and live richly in the other areas of their lives.
This provides further proof that money does not necessarily equal happiness.
What can I do?
Our modern day UK society doesn’t really lend itself to providing many of these ‘power 9’ for us.
However, with the knowledge about how impactful these lifestyle factors are, you can be more intentional about how you live.
If you can incorporate some of the ‘power 9’ traits into your life, whilst balancing the demands of daily life, you’ll be acting in service of a longer and healthier life.
Sure, we can't all go and work in the garden all day harvesting tomatoes for a healthy and delicious pasta with our extended family in the evening, but we can make changes which have a similar impact. Such as buying organic ingredients and having quality time together at meal times at the table, instead of sitting on our devices or watching TV, for example.
After all, blue zone research found that only 20% of our longevity and healthiness can be attributed to genetics, the other 80% to the lifestyle choices we make.
I don’t know about you, but I find that pretty compelling evidence to think carefully about how I live my life!
If you are interested in learning more about Blue zones, you can go to the website dedicated to the research and its findings here:
If you'd like to talk to us about your situation to see if our Financial Planning service could help, you can book in a free initial consultation here:
Otherwise, see you next time.
