Blue Zone Habits to Live Well in 2025
We make our habits and our habits make us.
As we begin another year around the sun, one thing is certain for folks in the Gather & Grow community: we want to cultivate a less stressed and more nourished life in 2025. Ultimately, we want to live well - to live simple lives connected to the land, our food and medicine, and our community. We want to cultivate a life full of beautiful moments that feel slow and present through the seasons. The “wellness” industry in the United States does not want you to actually live well in 2025. Rather, those big businesses’s rely heavily on you staying unwell, stressed and disconnected from the sources that truly help you thrive. We all know this, and yet it’s still hard to resist the magic bullets we are sold every year in January. Our feeds and emails are clogged with product advertisements, gym memberships, bio-hacks, and magic injectables that promise a year of skinny, happy, agelessness, and healthy.
We cannot bio-hack our way into wellness, longevity, connection, or presence. There is no magic bullet to replace nourishment from the source, nor the knowledge, skillset and discipline required to cultivate a lifestyle that is truly well. There is no amount of herbal remedies or injectable medicines that can counteract a diet with processed foods. There is no amount of red-light therapy that will balance a body addicted social media and stress. There is no amount of detox drinks to combat daily exposure to harmful chemicals in household and beauty products. There are no amount of massages or gym memberships that can soothe the life of a parent insisting on enrolling all of their kids into multiple extra-curricular activities, in addition to working full-time inside or outside the home. That is the problem with the United States health care system and the wellness industry culture - it focuses on selling you things to soothe the discomfort of your symptoms, rather than unearthing the root cause then prescribing you the simple lifestyle habits that allow you to heal and thrive naturally on your own.
We are over complicating our health and lifestyles here in the United States and it’s burning a hole in our pockets to no effect while also depleting us. The solution to cultivating heirloom wellness is so simple it’s almost too good to be true. Living well is not about buying a magic pill, but rather about cultivating simple heirloom skills and a lifestyle full of habits that nourish us in more ways than one.
If we look outside the United States’ scope of wellbeing, to the healthiest, least-stressed and longest-living communities in the world we have our 2025 roadmap to living well. The blue zone lifestyle (brilliantly shared by Dan Buettner) is proof that simple and easy habits are the most profound sources of wellness. Adopting blue zone habits is easier than you might think, especially if you have an experienced mentor like me who can teach heirloom skills (like gardening, herbalism, seasonal living, and holistic nourishment) that empower you to cultivate this lifestyle on American soil. As you know, many of these blue zone habits were modeled to me by my Italian-Brazilian grandmother, and are now part of my daily life after I radically transformed my lifestyle to heal my patterning of workaholism and burnout. I know the work involved in transforming a lifestyle and can personally attest to the profound benefits of following the blue zone way. So, as we head into 2025, why not simplify life and save some money by taking a page from the Blue Zones playbook? Join me this year in adopting some of the core habits practiced by these long-lived communities so together we can cultivate a nourishing lifestyle that roots us into wellbeing, community, and the earth.
Make Functional Movement Part of Your Day
In Blue Zones, people don’t necessarily work out at the gym or follow intense fitness regimens. Instead, they incorporate natural movement into their daily lives. Whether it’s walking, gardening, cycling, or climbing stairs, the key is to stay consistently active throughout the day.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Take the Stairs: Skip the elevator and climb the stairs whenever possible.
Walk or Bike: Opt for walking or biking instead of driving for short trips.
Garden: Start a garden and spend time tending to it, which offers both physical activity, natural range of motion, and stress relief.
Stretch Regularly: Whether it’s yoga, tai chi, or simply stretching before bed, make it a daily practice.
Walk Every Day: The Italian’s call it “La Passeggiata” - a tradition of strolling every day after a meal to aid digestion. Adopt this daily ritual.
Eat Homegrown & Homemade
The diets of Blue Zone residents are rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and locally-rasied/butchered meat They tend to eat meat sparingly and focus on whole foods made from scratch. The key here is not to focus on dieting or restriction but to make nutrient-dense foods the cornerstone of your meals. Nutrient dense food produce is impossible to acquire at chain grocery stores in the United States because of soil-depleting and chemical-dependent Big Ag farming practices. You’ll need to prioritize buying organic pantry staples, locally raised meat (preferrebly from a regenerative farm) and sourcing nutrient-dense plant-based food from a local farm or growing it your. own. In the US, this is one of the most important habits to transform this year.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Prioritize an Equal Balance of Plant-Based & Meat: Make fruits, vegetables, beans, and ancient whole grains the main focus of your plate, along with high-quality meat. Avoid fake meat, processed foods, and processed grains.
Eat Mindfully & Slowly: Take time to enjoy your food, savoring each bite. This helps prevent overeating and promotes digestion.
Eat for Pleasure: Embrace the aspect of eating wholesome foods for pleasure rather than just for health or function.
Snack on Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds are staples in Blue Zones and are packed with healthy fats and protein, making them an excellent snack choice.
Garden: Get close to your food and medicine source by growing your own food in your backyard or a community garden.
Develop a Sense of Purpose
People in Blue Zones often live with a strong sense of purpose, or ikigai (in Okinawa), which gives them a reason to get up in the morning. Studies have shown that having a sense of purpose is linked to greater longevity and overall health.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Define Your “Why”: Take time to reflect on what truly matters to you in life. It could be family, creative pursuits, helping others, or contributing to your community.
Define Your Values or your Authentic Code: Choose 3-4 value based words, such as family, freedom, love, community, etc. to guide you. Filter your decisions through this set of values.
Stay Engaged: As you get older, staying mentally and emotionally active helps keep your sense of purpose intact. Volunteer, mentor, or start a passion project that aligns with your values.
Set Meaningful Goals: Establish personal goals that give you something to look forward to and that tie into your sense of purpose.
Prioritize Social Connection
Strong, supportive social networks are essential to less stressed and more nourished life. In Blue Zones, people tend to have tight-knit communities and strong family ties. These social connections offer emotional support, reduce stress, and provide a sense of belonging.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Strengthen Relationships: Spend quality time with friends and family. This might mean having regular family dinners, scheduling catch-up calls with old friends, going to lunch with a friend regularly, or joining a social group with similar interests.
Engage in Community: Join local clubs, volunteer groups, or social organizations that align with your interests or values.
Build Intergenerational Connections: In Blue Zones, it’s common for multiple generations to live near each other. If possible, make an effort to connect with people of different ages — from younger children to older adults.
Reduce Stress with Daily Rituals
Chronic stress is a major contributor to many health problems, from heart disease to diabetes. People in Blue Zones manage stress through daily rituals that help them relax, reset, and rejuvenate. Whether it’s a nap, prayer, meditation, or a walk, these small, regular practices help keep stress levels in check.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Practice Mindfulness: Incorporate daily mindfulness practices such as deep breathing, meditation, or gratitude journaling.
Take a Daily Break: Make it a habit to take a few moments during your day to relax — even if it’s just for five minutes. It helps to schedule this until it becomes second nature.
Naps Are OK: In places like Sardinia and Okinawa, among other places throughout the rest of the world, midday naps are part of the culture. If you can, take a siesta to recharge during the day.
Drink in Moderation
Moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is a common practice in many Blue Zones. People in these regions typically drink wine socially, usually with food, and in moderation. Wine contains antioxidants like resveratrol, which may contribute to heart health. However, this is not about overindulging — it’s about moderation and mindful enjoyment.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Enjoy Wine Mindfully: If you drink wine, do so in moderation (typically one glass a day). Savor it with meals to enhance the experience.
Alcohol-Free Days: Consider having days each week when you abstain from alcohol entirely to give your body a break.
Prioritize Rest & Quality Sleep
Adequate sleep is a cornerstone of health in Blue Zones. Residents of these areas tend to have a strong sleep routine, getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night. Sleep is essential for healing, brain function, and overall health.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Sync Your Circadian Rhythm to the Season: Changing seasons impact our sleep patterns and circadian rhythm. Honor the seasonal shifts by syncing your sleep/wake cycle with the season.
Establish a Sleep Routine: Set a regular bedtime and wake-up time to ensure you get enough rest each night.
Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment: Make your bedroom conducive to sleep by keeping it dark, quiet, and cool.
Limit Screen Time Before Bed: Avoid screens for at least an hour before bed to help your body wind down naturally.
Practice Gratitude & Seek Out Joy
A positive mindset is common among Blue Zone populations. People in these areas tend to be optimistic, grateful, and resilient in the face of adversity. They find joy in the little things and focus on what they can control.
How to adopt this habit in 2025:
Practice Daily Gratitude: Keep a gratitude journal or take a moment each day to reflect on what you're thankful for.
Cultivate Optimism: Focus on the positive aspects of your life and challenge negative thought patterns.
Laugh and Have Fun: Don't take life too seriously. Make time for fun, play, and laughter, whether that’s through hobbies, social activities, or simply spending time in nature.
As we enter 2025, we have the opportunity to adopt these timeless habits from Blue Zones to improve our health, happiness, and longevity. Small changes, made consistently over time, can lead to big results. Whether it’s moving more naturally, eating more nutrient-dense food from the garden, or building stronger social connections, let’s make these habits part of our daily lives and build a foundation for a less-stressed and more nourished life.
Here’s to living well, not just in 2025, but for many years to come!
Work with me in 2025 to learn exactly how to cultivate a less-stressed and more nourished life.