Lessons from Living in a Blue Zone to Take into the New Year - A Chent’Annos!
These are some tried and true life principles that could help you live longer.
Well, my friends, 2024 is coming to a close. This year was unexpectedly beautiful and not anything like I had planned. But that’s just how life turns out sometimes and also what makes it great. I’ve learned to let go, live in the moment, and embrace change as an opportunity for growth. At this time of year, we’re all inundated with messages of 2024 accomplishments and 2025 goals, resolutions, and intentions (or whatever you prefer to call them). While striving for improvement and showing gratitude for your wins both add immeasurable value to your life, I’d like to offer up an alternative, perhaps more accessible route for most.
A handful of tried and true life principles I’ve garnered from my time living in one of the world’s most stunning blue zones.
In case you’re not familiar with the term “blue zone”, it refers to areas of the world where there are exceptionally high concentrations of centenarians, a.k.a people who live to be 100 or more years old. Sardinia, Italy, the Mediterranean island where my husband is from, is one such blue zone. Though several blue zones have been researched around the world, the original research concentrated on 5 places:
The research project concluded there are 9 principles people living in blue zones have in common:
Move naturally.
Live with purpose.
Downshift - i.e. they have routines that help to shed stress.
80% rule - stop eating when you’re 80% full, or in other words they don’t overeat and don’t eat late meals.
Plant slanted diet.
Wine at 5 (all but the Adventists in Loma Linda drink alcohol regularly and moderately).
Belong/have strong communities.
Loved ones first.
Right tribe.
Lessons from My Time Living in a Blue Zone
Now, I’ve lived in Sardinia intermittently for the past 6 years, spending at least some time there each year. Since I’m fortunate to have insider access to the island, having lived with my in-laws, and participated in life as a local surrounded by people who have lived on the island the majority of their lives, I’ve garnered some first hand insights into what makes these people live so damn long!
And I thought, what better time to share some of these life principles than when we’re on the cusp of a new year. Because who doesn’t want to live a little longer?
My Sardinian lifestyle habits that I’m seeking to adopt are basically in line with what the research concluded and they are as follows:
1. Eat a lean, plant-based diet accented with meat and some fish.
Sardinians eat a diet that’s largely based on whole grains, vegetables, dairy and meat (but not meat every day) and some fish. Sardinia has a largely pastoral culture and all of the animals graze freely, so the meat there is of the highest quality. Even though it’s an island, seafood is eaten more so in some areas, but I’d say most Sardinians eat more meat than seafood.
Needless to say, skip all the fad diets and focus on eating a balanced diet. Personally, I follow more of a Mediterranean diet and try to eat more vegetables than whole grains. But my time in Sardinia has taught me to not shy away from carbohydrates and grains. Sardinians eat bread and pasta or grains pretty much every day and they are so fit. However, they live a much less sedentary lifestyle, but we’ll get to that.
Sardinians also usually have their largest meal of the day at lunch following a small breakfast (like an espresso and biscotti). Dinner is typically not the largest meal and something lighter so you don’t go to bed with a full stomach.
2. Put family first.
This one is huge and maybe should have been number one on the list. In Sardinian culture, family is everything. My in-laws made me feel immediately welcomed when they saw how happy their son was. They warmly welcomed me into their home when we first met and we couldn’t even communicate because we didn’t speak the same language at the time. They’ve been so generous in supporting us and our dreams ever since.
I celebrated my 30th birthday on my first visit to Sardinia and Marco’s family, extended family, and friends threw me a party and made me truly feel like part of the tribe. Marrying Marco and gaining this whole new family literally changed my life in the most special way and I can say from firsthand experience that putting family first as one of your life principles will enrich your life, too. Whether that’s your original family or the family you create for yourself.
3. Celebrate elders.
I am not kidding you when I say that the old people in Sardinia seriously know how to party. I’ve been to cookouts or social gatherings where someone's 90+ year old dad is there, talking to everyone, drinking with everyone, and staying just as late as the younger generations. It’s a spectacular thing to witness a 90+ year old still 100% mentally with it and physically fit. Our friend’s dad is 92 and he’s still out working in vineyards daily, and loves to hang out at social gatherings chatting everyone up. Elders really are embraced, respected, and cared for in Sardinia. Personally, I feel we always have so much to learn from the elderly, but celebrating our elders doesn’t seem to be as important to our American culture and I hope to see that change.
4. Strong sense of community and the importance of laughing with friends.
The community vibes are strong in Sardinia and traditions are well and alive. People love spending their time with friends, often friends they’ve known for forever. Whether it’s going to grab a coffee or enjoy aperitivo at the bar, or stopping by just to check in and catch up, people are living in the present and spending time together regularly (the complete opposite of being attached to our phones or stuck behind a screen). Sardinians are also very connected to their culture, evident in the centuries old traditional festivals everyone still loves to attend.
That being said, why not make it a goal in 2025 to strengthen your community and connect with friends more? You’ll feel better, your life will be more fulfilling, and apparently you’re more likely to live longer!
5. Take a walk and connect with nature.
Sardinians walk a lot. Well, they move a lot in general as part of their active lifestyle. As a pastoral culture, there were and still are a lot of shepherds who walk countless kilometers daily. However, many Sardinians remain connected with nature in other ways like gardening, tending to their vineyards, swimming in the sea, spearfishing, or trekking in their gorgeous mountainous zones. The point is, they are mobile and they are frequently amongst nature. Two worthy (and quite simple) intentions to set forth in 2025.
6. Drink a glass or two of red wine daily.
Now this is a new year’s resolution I know we can all get behind! Sardinians like to have a daily glass of Cannonau and it’s always enjoyed with food, whether at aperitivo or with their meal. If you’re not familiar with Cannonau, it’s the island’s Grenache and is known for having all sorts of health benefits. Cannonau is particularly high in antioxidant rich anthocyanins and beneficial polyphenols like resveratrol.
Get to know this longevity enhancing variety in this article on Cannonau and discover three of my favorite wineries for exceptional Cannonau. Then, let me know if you plan to drink more Cannonau in 2025!
Cheers to the New Year
That’s all she wrote for 2024! I have lots in store for you here on Sip with Nik in the new year, including giveaways, exclusive interviews, first dibs on offers from my new wine business, and in-depth food and wine guides for my paying subscribers. We’ll soon be celebrating Try January together and exploring off the beaten path varieties from a different country each week.
For now, I’m so deeply thankful to have you as part of this community and I’m wishing you a very happy new year!
In Sardinia, they toast with “A Chent'annos!”, which means “to a hundred years!”
Appropriate, no?
A Chent’annos!
Great read Nikki! I’m living the Sardinian life through you! I know you are aware of my love of Cannonau!🍷🍷