Your Summer Blueprint for Living to 100 (or More)

Blue Zones are regions around the world where people live long, healthy lives—and it turns out, their longevity secret isn’t so secret after all.

Long life isn’t luck—it’s lifestyle.

This summer, while Sardinians tend their gardens and Costa Ricans enjoy outdoor family meals, you too can tap into Blue Zone wisdom wherever you are.

Here’s how to get started:

🌞 Eat with the season: Enjoy an abundance of colorful, omega-3-rich superfoods like wild-caught salmon, garden greens, and nuts. Your immune system loves them, and when your immune system is in balance, the rest of your body reaps the benefits.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Share meals mindfully: Dine outdoors with family and friends. Slowing down and connecting during meals is a key Blue Zone ritual. Even if you are on your own, taking your plate outside (or even next to a window) can have health benefits. Food is medicine and nature can nurture, so combing the two is a win-win.

🌿 Support your terrain: New insights from a major Functional Medicine conference this year show that behavior change and regenerative nutrition are more important than ever. Where do you start? A healthy gut microbiome is foundational to resilience. Feed it well this summer with high-fiber plant foods, naturally fermented veggies like pickles and kimchi, and polyphenol-rich ingredients like berries and Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat. Your inner ecosystem thrives on variety.

🏃‍♀️ Move naturally and often: Think simple walks, gardening, biking, or taking the stairs. In Blue Zones, people don’t hit the gym—they weave movement into their daily lives.

Need more inspo? We have the resources!

Watch a friend-to-friend, colleague-to-colleague chat between Dr. Jeff Bland, the Father of Functional Medicine, and Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer: Lessons From the Healthiest Places on Earth and The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100. Free on YouTube: LINK.

Got a Netflix subscription? If yes, then you have access to an excellent 4-episode documentary that was released last fall. Watch the trailer: LINK

Are you pressed for time? Dr. Jonny Bowden, everybody’s favorite healthy aging advocate, says his Blue Zone is a blue tennis court in the middle of sprawling Los Angeles. He tells you how he keeps his mindset positive in less than three minutes: LINK

Feeling like you need to check-in with all things YOU? Take Big Bold Health’s super easy Immuno-Identity Quiz to gather some insights about your function: LINK

Follow these Instagram accounts to plug into all of the latest news and science:

@drjeffreybland I @danbuettner I @bigboldhealth