Into the Blue Zone at Nantipa
The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is home to one of the world’s five official 'Blue Zones’. It is also home to Hotel Nantipa - a Tico Beach Experience.
‘Blue Zone’ is a non-scientific term that refers to regions in the world where people are shown to longer and healthier lives. The concept originated from the demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain and published in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology in 2004. This identified Sardinia’s Nuoro province as the region of the world with the highest concentration of male centenarians. Pes and Poulain drew blue circles on the map highlighting these villages of extreme longevity and began to refer to the area inside as the blue zone.
Building on this work Dan Buettner - National Geographic Fellow, author and founder of Blue Zones - pinpointed four additional places around the world that not only have high concentrations of people over 100 years old, but also clusters of people who had grown old without significant health problems.
Sardinia, Italy
Ikaria, Greece
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Loma Linda, California, USA
Okinawa, Japan
They laid out nine specific lifestyle habits that were shared by all these longevity hotspots - the Power 9:
1. Move Naturally: Rather than do organised exercise they live in environments where exercise is part of their daily lives - they walk more, tend gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and garden work.
2. Purpose: Why do we get out of bed in the morning? The Nicoyans call it ‘plan de vida’. Knowing your sense of purpose is said to be worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.
3. Downshift: The world’s longest-lived people are not stress-free but have routines in place to deal with it when needed. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour!
4. 80% Rule: ‘Hara hachi bu’ is a 2,500 year old Confucian mantra said in Okinawa before meals. It reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.
5. Plant Slant: Eating a 95% plant-based diet including beans, soy and lentils is the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat, dairy and eggs are not significant in their diets. Herbal tea is also popular and coffee is embraced in the morning!
6. Wine @ 5: People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly - 1-2 glasses per day with friends and/or food - and usually red wine which contains antioxidants which help prevent damage to DNA.
7. Belong: Being religious or spiritual is common practice - research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.
8. Loved Ones First: Centenarians in the blue zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home.
9. Right Tribe: The world’s longest lived people choose–or were born into–social circles that support healthy behaviours. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness and even loneliness are contagious.
Hotel Nantipa is located in Santa Teresa, part of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. This is the largest of the five Blue Zones. Its key characteristics are:
While hard work is a constant in the culture here there is an element of ‘mañana’ which contributes to a slower pace of life. Time designated to rest is taken seriously.
Being an outside culture children play together unplugged from digital distractions. Multiple generations live and hang out together and learn from each other and residents enjoy deep social connections.
Connecting with mother nature is not hard in a country that is home to 6% of the world’s biodiversity and with the Pacific Ocean on your doorstep. Feeling the sand in your toes, working in the open air and breathing some of the freshest air in the world while soaking up daily sunshine and evening sunsets. Leisure time is often spent surfing, swimming, hiking etc.
Fresh local foods are abundant – many of them superfoods like coconuts and pineapples. Typically, recipes are based around beans and corn, and meals are unhurried.
Residents in Nicoya have a sense of life purpose known as ‘plan de vida’ which propels a positive outlook among elders, keeps them active and helps them to feel needed.
Nicoyan water has the country’s highest calcium content which could contribute to lower rates of heart disease and stronger bones. They also eat an early evening dinner.
Modern Nicoyan’s roots to the indigenous Choretega and their traditions have enabled them to remain relatively free of stress. Their traditional diet of fortified maize and beans may be the most nutritional combination for longevity the world has ever seen.
If you’re curious how your lifestyle aligns with these principles take The Vitality Test by Blue Zones .
For more information about Hotel Nantipa visit www.nantipa.com