What is a Blue zone and what can it teach us about Exercise?

A recent CBC episode of The Current exploring exercise and going to the gym discussed the concept of a 'Blue Zone' - a demographic or geographic area where people live measurably longer lives.  Author and researcher Dan Buettner spoke specifically about the physical activity patterns of people in Blue Zones, as part of an argument against going to the gym to be healthy.  The reality of life in the Blue Zones is that physical activity is woven into everyday life - people live in environments that press them into movement every 20 minutes or so.   This frequent, low intensity movement is in contrast to current practices of going to the gym a few times a week to make up for the rest of our general inactivity.  I should point out here that I am certainly not telling anyone to stop going to the gym or going out for a run - there are many known benefits to exercise as we know it, outlined very nicely in this "visual lecture" from 2011.  However, given the reality that many people don't get the often recommended 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day, it is certainly worth considering some of Buettner's suggestions to adapt our modern environments to more closely achieve the activity levels of people in the Blue Zones.  He argues we can achieve a 30% increase in a population's physical activity levels by incorporating planning principles such as cleaning parks, narrowing traffic lanes, creating bike lanes and widening sidewalks - in essence, designing built environments to be more walk-able.  On a more individual level, some strategies you may have heard of before, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking at the far end of the parking lot are still good ideas.  Buettner adds to this list with suggestions such as taking out garage door openers, using hand tools instead of electric tools, moving your TV as far away from the snacks you might want - many little things that through the day add up to more frequent, low intensity exercise.  Research is also demonstrating the negative health effects of sitting itself, regardless of the amount of physical activity you get.  If you have a sedentary job, think about some of the following tips from the American College of Sports Medicine for moving more at work:

1. Take a walk break every time you take a coffee break.
2. Do some leisurely walking with colleagues after you eat lunch together at work.
3. Stand up and move whenever you have a drink of water at work.
4. Whenever possible stand up as opposed to sitting down.
5. Stand up and talk on business phone conversations.
6. Stop at the park on your way home from work and take a walk.
7. Walk to a co-worker's desk instead of emailing or calling her/him.
8. Walk briskly when headed to meetings.
9. Take the stairs whenever you can.
10. Take the long route to the restroom at work

While there are still benefits to regularly scheduled physical activity, we can all benefit from breaking long periods of sitting with some movement, something people in the Blue Zones work into their daily lives by necessity.  To learn more about the other common features of the Blue Zones, visit www.bluezones.com.