Ever Since Humanity Became Aware of Its Own Mortality, Longevity Has Been One of Its Most Coveted Aspirations.
From the mythical fountain of youth to the tales of folklore about necromancers extending their vitality, this search has permeated culture in a myriad of fashions. Just pay a visit to any chain drugstore, and you’ll probably stumble upon a shelf of “anti-age” products. But despite the high-end technological advances and medical discoveries of the contemporary age, there seems to be no easy way out regarding longevity. Ironically, the through line of some of the world’s communities with the highest age expectancy seems to be a partial rejection of what has become synonymous with “modern life”.
In 2004, a demographic study by academics Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain identified Sardinia’s Nuoro Province in Italy as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians in the whole world. They referred to this area as a “blue zone”, thus establishing the concept we now also apply to the other four areas, specifically Okinawa in Japan, Ikaria in Greece, Loma Linda in the United States, and Nicoya in Costa Rica. Despite their inherent cultural differences, studies have shown that common threads amongst them relate particularly to the activity level ingrained in everyday life, and balanced diets organically ingrained into each culture.
A new Netflix docuseries called Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zone shines a light on the specific habits and customs of four of these communities, a great opportunity to showcase internationally the atmosphere of wellness that permeates Guanacaste’s very own Nicoya Peninsula. Like its overseas counterparts, Nicoya’s “secret” has nothing exotic about it; it’s simply the centenary traditions of balance and sustainable living.
Historically, Nicoya was a hub for agricultural and cattle commerce between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, areas that to this day remain as the backbone of the local communities. The intense daily physical activity that comes from these labors, in addition to the natural bliss adjacent to year-long fresh fruit consumption and high calcium in water, complements the more intangible fact that is the close-knit nature of Nicoyans. As a form of subsistence and self-reliability, Nicoyans have always favored intergenerational relationships as a basis for their sociocultural identity, a feature that creates a solid support system even in old age, and bypasses the potential isolationist pitfalls of late-stage capitalism.
The main thing that sets apart Blue Zones like Nicoya is that their essence isn’t really a formula; it’s simply intertwined with their identity. You can learn and improve your lifestyle by following some of the general advice that comes first-hand from the centenary inhabitants of these miraculous corners of the world, but beyond conviction, there’s also a holistic sense to the locations themselves. The surroundings mold the flow of life in a way that makes perfect sense given how it is a great embodiment of paradise on Earth.