The city of Loma Linda, California, located in San Bernardino County, makes a bold assertion with its tagline: “A city focused on health and prosperity.” But it’s not without reason. Loma Linda is home to some of the longest living people on the earth.

Dan Buettner, New York Times bestselling author, and his team of demographers famously developed the concept, Blue Zone. It’s a term describing the five regions of the world where people live the longest.

For a city to be labeled a Blue Zone, it must meet specific criteria. Until he began researching Seventh-Day Adventist, Buttner hadn’t found anywhere inside of the U.S. that qualified.

He discovered Seventh-day Adventists live seven to eleven years longer than the rest of the North American population. And one place, in particular, provides an accurate sampling of this group.

“The highest concentration of them (Seventh-Day Adventists) is in or around Southern California, specifically Loma Linda. I [qualified] it as a Blue Zone namely because these were verifiably the longest-lived Americans, given available data in 2005,” explained Buettner during an interview with NBC.

It forces us to ask the question: what leads to a long life?

Most people would say it all begins at birth: it’s all about the genes you’ve inherited from your parents. Seventh-Day Adventists and the rest of these Blue Zone populations must have superior genetic makeup.

Fortunately, as you’re about to find out, that’s not the case.

I’m going to explain what’s so unique about Seventh-Day Adventist, what makes a Blue Zone, and how you and I can possibly achieve the same results even if you’ve been dealt a bad batch of genes.

Blue Zones

In 2004, Dan Buettner along with National Geographic partnered with the world’s top longevity researchers to uncover areas of the world containing the longest living people. The regions they uncovered were labeled Blue Zones, home to people who reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than the United States’ population.

What are blue zones?

Blue Zones are the regions of the world identified by Buettner and his team where people live longer on average. Specifically, these people adhere to nine unique lifestyle practices, identified as the Power 9.

The term “blue zone” first appeared in Buettner’s November 2005 National Geographic magazine cover story, "The Secrets of a Long Life".

How many blue zones are there?

They have identified five places in the world that meet their criteria. These five regions are Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California.

What’s so unique about Seventh-Day Adventists?

Other than living longer than most, what makes Seventh-Day Adventists so unique?

“In all five of these zones, the reason they're living long is not because of one special diet or one other thing; they're living longer because of a cluster of mutually supporting factors than enable [residents] to do the right things long enough and avoid doing the wrong things long enough so as to [lower risk] of developing a chronic disease,” explains Buettner.

In general, this group of people places a large emphasis on nutrition and health. They also tend to focus on community and see the importance of rest.

Habits for living longer, fuller lives

Contrary to popular belief, lifestyle has a far greater impact on lifespan than genetics according to the research. A Danish study involving more than 2,500 twins revealed that, for reasons leading to longevity, genes contribute only 25%.

With this in mind, Buettner and the team of National Geographic scientists spent time in each of the five Blue Zone locations to study what led to their longevity. They found that each population followed a specific set of lifestyle characteristics much different than the rest of the world.

For example, they found Blue Zone cultures embrace a slower way of life. In western cultures, we celebrate being overworked. It’s so ingrained in our culture it’s become the rote introductory response in an exchange between peers…

Peer 1: “How have you been?”

Peer 2: “Busy. You?”

Peer 1: “Same.”

But within these unconfirmed societies, they’ve realized the importance of stress relief.

Chronic stress, as we know, leads to many adverse health problems. Part of the Seventh-Day Adventist’s typical week includes observing the Sabbath: from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday they abstain from all work.

Between answering emails, tying up loose ends from the previous week, or preparing for the next, most of us view a 24-hour-work-free time period impossible.

But along with eliminating stress, I’m going to share the habits these centurions cultivate to ensure a long healthy life.

7 habits of the longest living people

So if you feel you’ve been dealt a bad batch of genes, you can still live a long, full life simply by following these seven habits.

Hydration

First, you should drink more. No, not alcohol, but water. The residents inhabiting Blue Zones drink at least 5 to 6 glasses of water each day.

But if you want to know exactly how much water you should drink each day, check out my Daily Water Intake Calculator.

Nutrition

People living in Blue Zones follow a mostly plant-based, low-calorie diet. They also front-load their calories each day. Their main meal is breakfast or lunch followed by a light dinner. This helps them avoid weight gain and helps their body use the calories more efficiently throughout the day.

Obesity is non-existent among these groups of people. They’ve discovered and follow simple methods of avoiding obesity. In Okinawa, people eat until they are 80% full to prevent overconsumption.

Purpose

In Nicoya, they call it “plan de vida” and in Okinawa, they call it “Ikigai” and both translate to “why I wake up in the morning.”

A lack of purpose can be a death sentence. In fact, evidence reveals more Americans die during their first year of retirement than in the last year of work.

This is clearly seen in the Costa Rican Blue Zone of the Nicoya peninsula. No matter what age, people believe they have a purpose. It’s what motivates them to wake up each morning and drives them throughout their day.

Family

Centenarians of every Blue Zone place family first. It motivates them to work harder because the fruit of their labor provides for their family.

There is a mutual give and take among family members throughout their entire lives. In Sardinia, Italy multiple generations live together. In fact, 95% of inhabitants who live to 100 live with their children or grandchildren.

Family is a large part of their purpose. In later years, inhabitants spend their time supporting the next generation financially and even through more practical ways such as childcare.

Community

The old adage that you're the average of your five closest friends is never seen more clearly than within the social constructs of the Blue Zones. The reasons Seventh-Day Adventists are able to adhere to such strict guidelines – abstaining from alcohol, caffeine, and meat, observing the Sabbath, – is because they live in a community that supports these ideologies. There is little temptation to stray outside of these social constructs since everyone around them is doing the same.

Community also offers a sense of belonging. In Okinawa, the formal system of Moai entails meeting together over shared goals. This community provides companionship, a deeper sense of purpose, and as a result, lower stress levels.

Slowing down

Life can be exhausting…

Without a deliberate practice that forces us to slow down and practice awareness, life becomes a seamless stream of events.

Today, we have a piece of technology trying to make every area of our lives more efficient. Calendars, schedulers, planners, but the result...we continue to become busier. This busy, fast-paced lifestyle leads to increased levels of stress.

But in the Blue Zones around the world, life is lived at a slower pace. Less hurry and more focus on intentional moments. These groups of people seem to make more time for friends and family, enjoy moving at a comfortable pace, and as a result, they enjoy longer lives.

Movement and exercise

Exercise is without a doubt one of the most effective ways to eliminate stress and alleviate anxiety. In addition to decreasing stress, it also improves sleep: both essential components for long life.

It’s in our society’s nature to find a good thing, boil it down, and try to concentrate it into the smallest, most potent dose possible. That’s our prescription for exercise.

However, an active lifestyle is defined differently in the Blue Zones. Rather than training in a gym, exercise is an interwoven part of daily life.

The people who live in the Blue Zones often hold jobs that require more activity such as the shepherds of Sardinia. And in Loma Linda, activities like walking and hiking are a natural part of their day.

Being outdoors also provides a healthy dose of vitamin D. It stands to reason that all of the identified Blue Zones are located in sunnier parts of the world.

Want to live a longer and healthier life?

The Holy Grail doesn’t exist and there isn’t a fountain of youth flowing anywhere, but there’s nothing stopping us from implementing these habits. In prescribing a formula for long life, Dan Butter said, “Drink without getting drunk, love without suffering jealousy, eat without overindulging, never argue, and once in a while, with great discretion, misbehave.”

I can’t say I completely agree with his statement, but we can certainly learn from the lives of these centurions. It’s not just about living a longer life. It’s also about living a fulfilling, healthy, vibrant life.

I believe that each of these habits will help you do just that. Don’t let life get in the way of you enjoying it. Take the time to slow down, be present, and cherish those around you. Treat your body well: nourish it with better foods and stay hydrated. Get off the couch, turn off the TV, and take the time to move and get your daily dose of vitamin D.

Whether you live to see 100 or not, following these habits will undoubtedly help you achieve a more vibrant life each day.

How to Live Longer: 7 Habits of the Longest Living People