The Blue Zones Blueprint

In December I attended The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Longevity Fest Conference. It’s a great chance to connect in person with colleagues such as the crew at Dr. Talks that help me produce the Reversing Alzheimer’s Summits, and with other professionals like Dr. Robert Love who is also dedicated to preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia. I also got to check out some of the latest products and supplements to improve brain health. I’m always looking for the best items to incorporate with Solcere patients and at Marama. 

I tried to attend as much as I could of the over 200 educational sessions!

I’d like to share a little bit about one of my favorite sessions, Unlocking the Secrets of Blue Zones for Longevity Clues. 

Longevity researcher Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic to identify regions in the world that have the lower rates of chronic disease and higher life expectancies. In their studies they have come up with what they call the “Blue Zones Power 9: Lifestyle Habits of the World’s Healthiest, Longest-Lived People.”

1. Move Naturally – move all day without few mechanical conveniences 

2. Purpose – why you wake up in the morning

3. Downshift – activities to reduce stress such as pray, nap, meditate

4. 80% Rule – stop eating when 80 percent full 

5. Plant Slant – organic, natural foods with low meat consumption

6. Wine @ 5 – lots of tea, water, coffee and small amount of natural wine 

7. Belong – connection and community

I dove into the Blue Zone community and its connection to dementia in an October newsletter that you can read here. 

8. Loved Ones First – put families first and invest in marriage

9. Right Tribe – healthy social circles and lifetime friendships

The key is the interconnection between all of these attributes, and that’s why the 4 pillars of Marama are so successful at preventing and reducing cognitive decline. 

Click on the link to read more and watch a video about each pillar. 

• Non toxic environment 
  • This ties into the organic habits in Blue Zones
• Organic keto flex diet
  • While difficult to do if going vegetarian, this diet includes fresh, organic, nutrient-rich vegetables, and the flex part helps stick to the 80% rule
• Brain healing and optimizing activities
  • Lots of natural movement with walks and gardening, and interacting others in healthy ways for community and health-centered friendships
• Exceptional caregiving 
  • If you’re here to help a loved one with cognitive issues, you know what putting loved ones first is all about

It can be overwhelming to think that you need to take care of all these areas at once. I’m here to support you and it is my mission to provide you with the information and resources so that our world will someday be one without dementia.

Warmly,
Dr. Heather Sandison

P.S. – If you’d like to gain access to a community that supports this lifestyle, I’m offering access to the exclusive Marama at Home Facebook Group for those that register for the self-paced version of the Marama at Home Course. This is the first time I’ve offered this and you must register for the course by midnight tonight to get access to the Marama at Home Community.