Living to 100: The Secret of the Blue Zones

What if the secret to living to 100 wasn’t about good genes—but good habits? That’s what researchers discovered in five unique regions of the world known as the “Blue Zones.”

In these places, people live not only longer lives, but healthier and more vibrant ones. Many residents live well into their 90s and 100s, free from chronic disease and cognitive decline.

The Blue Zones

Identified by National Geographic explorer and author Dan Buettner, the five original Blue Zones are:

• Okinawa, Japan
• Sardinia, Italy
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Ikaria, Greece
• Loma Linda, California (large Seventh-Day Adventist community)

While these regions are unique, the principles behind their success are universal. You don’t have to move to the Mediterranean or Central America to benefit from their wisdom.

You can bring Blue Zone habits into your home by:

• Moving more throughout the day
• Cooking fresh, whole food
• Creating space for rest, prayer, and reflection
• Prioritizing family meals and worship
• Building friendships around purpose and shared values

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The wisdom of the Blue Zones offers a tangible glimpse into what that abundant life might look like—grounded in simplicity, purpose, and community.

Despite their geographic and cultural differences, these populations share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their exceptional longevity. Researchers call these shared behaviors the Power 9®—nine evidence-based habits that support long life and health.

The Power 9®

After years of on-the-ground research, Dan Buettner and a team of scientists identified nine common lifestyle practices shared by the world’s longest-living people. These habits, now known as the Power 9®, aren’t trendy health fads or extreme regimens. They’re time-tested patterns of living—rooted in culture, community, and purpose.

What’s striking is that these principles emerged across five geographically diverse regions, independently of each other. Yet they consistently contributed to longer lifespans, lower rates of chronic disease, and higher levels of life satisfaction.

The Power 9® offers a simple yet powerful roadmap for anyone seeking to improve their health and live with more energy, clarity, and joy.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these nine habits—and explore what the science says about why they work.

1. Move Naturally

In the Blue Zones, people don’t rely on gyms or structured workouts to stay fit. Instead, their environments naturally encourage movement. Daily life includes walking to a neighbor’s house, tending a garden, using manual tools, or climbing stairs. This kind of consistent, low-intensity physical activity keeps muscles engaged, joints flexible, and circulation strong. A 2019 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that replacing sedentary time with even light physical activity—such as walking or housework—significantly lowers the risk of death from all causes.

2. Purpose

Blue Zone residents live with a clear sense of direction and meaning. In Okinawa, it’s called ikigai—a reason to wake up in the morning. In Nicoya, it’s known as plan de vida. This sense of purpose has been shown to positively influence mental and physical health, providing motivation to stay active, eat well, and connect with others. A 2015 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that people with a strong sense of purpose had a significantly reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular events.

3. Downshift

Chronic stress is a major driver of inflammation, which contributes to most age-related diseases—including heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. Blue Zone cultures prioritize daily routines that help manage and reduce stress: prayer, naps, family meals, tea time, and evening walks are common. These intentional rhythms allow the nervous system to reset and the body to heal. Research confirms that stress can trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body, increasing disease risk over time.

4. 80% Rule

In Okinawa, a centuries-old saying—hara hachi bu—guides people to stop eating when they feel 80% full. This built-in pause allows the body to register satiety and prevents overeating. As a result, caloric intake is naturally reduced without restriction. Scientific studies have shown that caloric restriction without malnutrition supports healthy aging, improves metabolic markers, and reduces inflammation.

5. Plant Slant

While no Blue Zone is strictly vegan or vegetarian, all prioritize a largely plant-based diet. Meals are centered around vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts—with meat consumed sparingly, often just a few times per month. This dietary pattern supports longevity by providing fiber, antioxidants, and essential nutrients while reducing saturated fat intake. A 2019 study published in The BMJ confirmed that plant-based diets are associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease and premature death.

6. Wine at 5

Most Blue Zone cultures (with the exception of the Adventist community in Loma Linda) enjoy a glass of wine in the late afternoon or evening—usually with food and friends. While some research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may offer cardiovascular benefits, recent findings in The Lancet argue that no amount of alcohol is completely risk-free. That said, many of the social and health benefits associated with this habit can be replicated through alcohol-free options like herbal teas, grape juice, or simply sharing meals in community.

7. Belong

A sense of belonging and faith is one of the strongest common threads across all Blue Zones. Whether attending weekly church services, praying daily, or honoring ancestral traditions, spiritual life provides structure, hope, and community. In fact, those who participate in religious services at least four times per month live significantly longer and report better mental and emotional health. A review from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health concluded that faith-based involvement offers measurable health benefits—including longer life expectancy.

6 Biohacks to Living to 100

Longevity is no longer just about avoiding disease—it’s about actively supporting cellular health, reducing inflammation, and enhancing resilience. By integrating the latest science-backed strategies, you can maximize both your lifespan (how long you live) and your healthspan (how well you live).

1. Cellular Senescence & Senolytics: Removing ‘Zombie’ Cells to Slow Aging

Aging cells, known as senescent cells, lose their function but don’t die, leading to chronic inflammation and disease. Researchers have found that senolytic compounds (such as fisetin and quercetin) help clear these cells, improving health and extending lifespan.

2. NAD+ & Mitochondrial Health: Boosting Cellular Energy

Declining levels of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) are linked to aging, energy loss, and metabolic diseases. Supplementing with NAD+ precursors (like NMN and NR) can improve mitochondrial function, reduce oxidative stress, and enhance longevity.

3. The Role of Autophagy & Fasting in Cellular Repair

Fasting triggers autophagy, the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells and regenerating new ones. Research shows that time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting can reduce inflammation, enhance brain function, and increase lifespan.

4. The Gut Microbiome & Its Link to Lifespan

A diverse and healthy gut microbiome is now recognized as a major player in longevity. Studies show centenarians have a unique microbiome composition that helps reduce inflammation and protect against age-related diseases.

5. Hormesis: How ‘Good Stress’ Increases Lifespan

Mild stressors, like cold exposure, heat therapy (saunas), and exercise, activate protective cellular pathways that enhance resilience, repair DNA, and extend lifespan.

6. Epigenetics & Reversing Biological Age

Unlike genetics, epigenetics is the study of how lifestyle factors turn genes on or off. A landmark study showed that a specific diet, exercise, and stress-management protocol can reverse biological age by up to 3 years in just 8 weeks.

4 Abundant Life Killers

At this point, everything is against those of us who want to live our God-given Abundant Life potential. I call them the 4 Abundant Life Killers:

1. Toxic Living – You must eat fresh food, drink pure water, and breathe unpolluted air if you want to avoid toxins that will rob you of precious years. See a favorite water filter for clean water and a favorite air purifier for safe air.
2. Lack of Movement – As the world economy continues to evolve, lifestyles demand that people sit down all day at work, which is the antithesis of the constant motion our bodies were designed for. Exercise and body movement is part of our body’s design.
3. No Community – A growing number of people live relatively isolated and no longer live in symbiotic communities that ease the burden of raising a family and living a sustainable lifestyle. We are designed for community.
4. Broken Relationships – Lifelong relationships are becoming rare and people are increasingly becoming disconnected with the Earth.

Yet, there is hope. There is ALWAYS hope!

3 Simple Keys to Living to 100 Years Old

In addition to doing you best to remedy these 4 abundant life killers, here are 3 keys to living to 100 (and beyond!).

1. Live a Life Worth Living!

Believing that living a life worth living to 100 is possible is absolutely foundational. According to USA Today, a survey was conducted last year that tells us something shocking: people do NOT want to live more than 100 years!

• Just under 70% of interviewed Americans 18 and older said that they’d like to live somewhere between 79 and 100 years.
• The ideal (median) age is 90.
• Only 38% would utilize medical interventions to extend their life to 100 years old +.

Unfortunately, there is very little information out there explaining (2) why people don’t want to live past 100 years, but I deeply suspect that it is because people don’t see aging as a glorious process. Who wants to grow old in a nursing home sick, tired and unable to care for themselves?

And you can’t blame them!

2. No Retirement in the Abundant Life

“The first 25 years of my life are something I would rather forget, but the contrary has taken place. The older I get the more alive those years have become…. My 90s were the most productive years of my life.” ~ Harry Bernstein

In 2004, the British-born American writer Harry Bernstein first started his book when he was 93. Three years later, when The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers published, he gained almost immediate fame. He died at 101 after writing 4 books.

Remember, most people in the world do not even understand the concept of “retirement.” They simply work till it’s time to pass on like our ancestors have done since the beginning of time. If you’re privileged to retire, take advantage of this time and focus on staying productive as your best years are still ahead!

Remember: in the words of George Eliot: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

3. Stay Active

Jim ‘Pee Wee’ Martin, a 93-year-old WWII veteran who parachuted into Normandy 70 years ago, celebrated this years D-Day’s anniversary by taking one more leap out of a plane! And why did he do it?

“A little bit of ego, because I am 93 and I can still do it. Also, I just wanted to show all the people that you don’t have to sit and die just because you get old.”

Well said, point taken!

Studies have shown that most centenarians don’t exercise, nor do they stay inactive for long periods of time. They’re definitely not couch potatoes and keep busy with life. Don’t worry about a gym membership – Our Bible Health Academy includes the home workout class by Mama Z, Fit40 & Beyond to get you started.

Bottom line: The key to living to 100 years old is to stay active and keep your body and mind strong and constantly stimulated. This will keep you looking and feeling younger, longer! This will not only help you live a more enjoyable life, it will help prevent muscle atrophy and dementia well into your golden years!

Your God-Given Privilege

Living to 100 and the secrets to a long life are not as untouchable as you may think. Historically, Moses from the Bible was 120 when he died. And Caleb was in his prime when he said,

I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.(Joshua 14:10-11)

According to a report published by The Centenarian, Centenarians, people that are living to 100, are the fastest growing group of the population across the globe. Current estimates place roughly 450,000 people in this age category worldwide and the numbers are only expected to increase as modern medicine advances.

In the words of one reader,

“My grandmother is 104 years young and lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. Born in Guangdong province, China. Never ate processed food, grew her own vegetables, boiled her water and always active. Never touched alcohol or smoked…That’s the secret! Congrats to all Centenarians!”

Is this the trick? Is it that simple?

Is clean living, eating a nutritious diet, and enjoying an active lifestyle the recipe to living to 100 years old?

“And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.‘”~ Genesis 6:3

After the flood, God set in motion a physiological limit to human life: 120 years old. This is the reason why we’re seeing such a rise in centenarians today. Modern medicine is simply capitalizing on the natural boundaries of nature, and scientists are exploiting new ways to enable people to live to their God-given age potential in spite of harmful diet and lifestyle decisions.

For millennia, people regularly lived to 100 years.

Moses died at 120 years old, Caleb at 85 was as vigorous a warrior as he was at 45 (and we have every reason to believe that he died well into his 100s) and the list goes on. It wasn’t until people deviated from the natural lifestyle God outlined in Scripture that life expectancy started to drop on a mass scale. In fact, “Modern” civilization became so destructive that the average lifespan in the 19^th century was under 50.

What a far cry from the 120 years God set in motion!