Did you know that if you are middle aged and live in the beautiful country of Costa Rica that you have a greater chance of living to a healthy age of 90+ years than those your age worldwide?  And, people who call their home in an area in northwestern Costa Rica live even longer than people in the rest of the country.  Why is this possible? 

This area is known as a blue zone, places in the world where people live longer and healthier lives than anywhere on earth.  Blue zones are also areas where the greatest number of centenarians, those who live 100+ years, can be found.  It all comes down to lifestyle.  Scientists generally agree that a certain percentage of how long we live is influenced by genetics-how long our grandparents lived.  However, the most determining factors in living longer are based on our lifestyle habits day in and day out.   Simply stated, these people live lifestyles that include healthy diets, daily exercise, and low stress.  They also incorporate family, purpose, meaning, and religion into their daily life.

Photo: iStock, used with permission.

La Joya Perfecta, a new wellness resort community that is currently being developed in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, will offer everything needed to enhance and improve healthier lifestyles for its residents and visitors.  This state of the art wellness community will provide facilities for improving fitness, wellness, nutrition, and lifestyle management.  By offering the same type of lifestyle practices that have proven to make Costa Ricans a country with long living residents, La Joya Perfecta is set to capture a little slice of blue zone living!

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Costa Rica Yoga is gaining in popularity so fast , many people are wondering why. Following are our top ten reasons for Costa Rica Yoga’s popularity.

1. Beaches, volcanoes, rushing rivers and wild jungles, you name it and you can do yoga there. From five star yoga lodges to humble jungle yogis, choose from a wide variety of teachers and settings to thrill you.

2. International and local Masters and students practice here. Before Costa Rica was a  world class destination yoga was practiced by hippies and gurus that wanted to keep it a secret.

3. Visiting celebrities like Britney Spears stay in shape in Costa Rica. The A list is a veritable who’s who of the rich and famous, you never know who may be next to you in class.

4. Easy access from around the world. Whether you’re here for vacation, looking for a new home, on business or taking yoga classes, you will feel welcomed.

5. Costa Rica, the Switzerland of Central America. International cuisine and European quality assure pampered travelers an experience to be relished again and again.

6. Economical activities. Some courses may be cheaper than the breakfast you ate this morning.

7. Stable government. Costa Rica’s  nonmilitary public policy and a strong international government presence make it a real comfort a long way from home.

8. Record setting longevity and happiness indexes. A small amount of time in the right place can be beneficial for years, not to mention the fun you’ll have.

9. Increased oxygen uptake, fresh weather and sunshine accelerate the benefits of yoga. Medical studies have shown this environment promotes well being.

10. Yoga improves:

• pain relief
• breathing, cardiovascular conditioning
• strength, flexibility
• weight management
• Mental and Spiritual  growth, and much more

There you have it, ten reasons, well maybe a few more, why Costa Rica Yoga is so popular. Come on down and share your own great reasons for coming here to practice yoga.

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I am amazed, inspired and excited about the fact that there are people who live that long, and have an indescribably quality of life to go along with it. I may have to move to Costa Rica, well, maybe just visiting will help! These wellness principles are consistent with the community, La Joya Perfecta, Costa Rica, “The Center of Wellness” being developed in the Osa Peninsula. Be sure to check out La Joya Perfecta.

- Rose Cole, Author of “Audacious Aging”, and owner of www.wellnesswithrose.com.

Dan Buettner’s book, The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, is in bookstores now.

How To Live To 100 – Nine Healthy Habits

Originally posted on: Huffington Post – April 3, 2008 | 07:00 PM (EST) by Dan Buettner

Somewhere in the remote Nicoyan peninsula of Costa Rica, a 101-year-old great-great-grandmother is making you look bad. Her name is Panchita, and by the time you finish your morning blog rounds, she has already cleared brush, chopped wood and made tortillas from scratch. And here’s the best part: she’s not alone. 

For the last five years, I’ve been taking teams of scientists to five pockets around the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives. We call these places the Blue Zones. We found a Bronze-age mountain culture in Sardinia, Italy, that has 20 times as many 100-year-olds as the U.S. does, proportionally. In Okinawa, Japan, we found people with the longest disability-free life expectancy in the world. In the Blue Zones (Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, Calif.; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica), people live 10 years longer, experience a sixth the rate of cardiovascular disease and a fifth the rate of major cancers.

How do they do it? Forget fad diets, crazy workouts and syrupy selfhelp clichés. The world’s longevity all-stars practice simple, common-sense habits as a natural part of their daily routine. We think of these habits as the Power9:

1) Move naturally — be active without thinking about it. Identify activities you enjoy and make them a part of your day.

* Inconvenience yourself: ditch the remote, the garage door opener, the leaf-blower; buy a bike, broom, rake, and snow shovel.

* Have fun, be active. Ride a bike instead of driving, for example.

* Walk! Nearly all the centenarians we’ve talked to take a walk every day.

2) Cut calories by 20 percent. Practice “Hara hachi bi,” the Okinawan reminder to stop eating once their stomachs are 80 percent full.

* Serve yourself, put the food away, then eat.

* Use smaller plates, plates, bowls, and glasses.

* Sit and eat not in the car or standing in front of the fridge.

3) Plant-based diet. No, you don’t need to become a vegetarian, but do bump up your intake of fruits and veggies.

* Use beans, rice or tofu as the anchor to your meals.

* Eat nuts! Have a 2-ounce handful of nuts daily (it’ll stop you from digging in the chip bag).

4) Drink red wine (in moderation)

* Keep a bottle of red wine near your dinner table.

* Keep the daily intake to two servings or less.

5) Plan de Vida: determine your life purpose. Why do you get up in the morning?

* Write your own personal mission statement.

* Take up a new challenge learn a language or an instrument.

6) Down shift — take time to relieve stress. You may have to literally schedule it into your day, but relaxation is key.

* Don’t rush – plan on being 15 minutes early.

* Cut out the noise – limit time spent with the television, computer, or radio on.

7) Belong / participate in a spiritual community.

* Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.

* Seek out a new spiritual or religious tradition.

Put loved ones first / make family a priority.

* Establish family rituals (game night, family walks, Sunday dinners).

* Show it off: create a place for family pictures and souvenirs that shows how you’re all connected.

* Get closer: consider downsizing to a smaller home to promote togetherness.

9) Pick the right tribe — the people surrounding you influence your health more than almost any other factor. Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values

* Identify your inner circle. Reconsider ties to people who bring you down.

* Be likable!

Sound too simple? Remember, simple doesn’t mean easy; I don’t recommend trying to change all these behaviors at once. Pick two or three of the Power9 to work on at a time. Research has shown that if you can sustain a behavioral change for six weeks, you should be able to sustain it for the rest of your life. Which, as the world’s centenarians have shown us, should be a long, long time.

Dan Buettner is a writer, holder of three Guinness world records in long-distance cycling, and leader of multiple international adventures. His latest book, The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, is in bookstores now.

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“Turn Back The Clock With Anti-Aging Remedies”
Certified Nutrition Coach Rose Cole has a new book out, Audacious Aging, and 100% of the proceeds are being donated to charity, so if you haven’t gotten a copy yet, now is a great time.

She’s hosting a special charity teleclass fundraiser next Thursday, April 9th, 2009  5 PDT/8 EDT. If you buy a book, you can tune in LIVE for free!

The topic is “Turn Back The Clock With Anti-Aging Remedies”.

This class is normally $75, but you come for free when you purchase the book. Look and feel younger, and help empower women all over
the globe with your purchase! It’s for a good cause!

Each Donation Includes:
~1 hour teleclass filled with tips and tricks to look and feel
younger (it’s recorded, so you get to keep a copy)

~20 Minute live Question and Answer segment with Rose
following the segment

~A $100 off coupon towards her upcoming “7 Weeks To Super Skin”
course

~An autographed copy of her new book, Audacious Aging. It’s an
amazing book featuring rockstars in their field. The contributors
include Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil.  Rose is donating 100%
of the proceeds to the charity CARE.org.

The class is limited on space. Sign up today for only $29.97. Click here.

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See the first post on organic food in Costa Rica here.

In keeping with its “peace with nature” commitment to sustainable development, the Costa Rican government has long seen the advantage of the organic option, and has made a concerted effort to reach out to producers large and small, as well as to consumers from all walks of life, providing training in organic practices and promotion of organic products at home and abroad.

Costa Rica was quick to recognize the benefits of conforming to international standards for organic certification.  This has paid off, as in Costa Rica being one of only seven non-European Union countries whose organic products are recognized as conforming to standards equivalent to those in the EU. Thus, rest assured, if it carries the official Costa Rican organic seal, it conforms to international organic certification standards.

The future for Costa Rican organic products could not be better.  On the export front, much is written about how the United States is struggling to keep up with the skyrocketing demand for organic food, and the market continues to grow in Europe, particularly for tropical products such as Costa Rica’s number one agricultural export, bananas.

Domestically, both expats and Ticos are helping to fuel a vibrant and growing market for a wide range of organic products.  This has helped make Costa Rica one of the top three Latin American countries (along with Argentina and Uruguay) with the highest proportion of organic land according to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, a trend destined to extend throughout this lovely fertile land.

In the meantime, do your part by checking out Robert’s organic pineapples and exotic fruit at the Friday market in Dominical.  And look for a range of organic food and natural personal care products by the longstanding Costa Rican company Bio-Land. Or if you can’t be bothered to fix it yourself, delight in the organic fare offered by one of the many area restaurants willing to oblige, such as Maracatú, Hacienda Barú, Cascadas Farallas Villas…many are the choices.   Perhaps best of all, while you enjoy your meal you can remember that the charm of Costa Rica is its ongoing emphasis on and concern for the small producer, the architect of Costa Rica’s peaceful yet proud culture, the backbone of its democracy, and the key to its economic future.

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by Daveed Hollander

There’s no question that culinary options in Costa Rica’s South Pacific have become all the more delicious in recent years. The rich variety of national influences that come together to form this cosmopolitan community is reflected in the diverse restaurants that dot the Costanera highway and surrounding hills. With liberalization of trade relations between Costa Rica and Chile and, more recently, Argentina, and new trade agreements with the European Union, it is also possible to find a much wider range of good international wines at reasonable prices.  Costa Rica even has its own, pucker, nascent wine processing effort that is sure to improve with age.

One of the most heartening recent developments has been the increased availability of locally produced organic fruits and vegetables. The Ballena coast now boasts two farmers markets that feature fresh organic products by local and expat growers, one in Dominical on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the other in Uvita on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Nearby San Isidro also boasts a two-day feria, as these markets are called locally, that offers harvests from a growing number of organic producers on Thursdays and Fridays.

It’s no accident that organics are making significant headway in Costa Rica.  Like much of North America, Costa Rica has a population that is increasingly concerned about the state of the Earth and the healthfulness of what they eat.  A study published in 2007 in the British Food Journal found that Costa Rican organic produce consumers, much like their counterparts in Canada, Europe, and the U.S., tend to be well-educated, upper-income, and willing to pay up to a 20 percent premium for organically produced products.  But pro-organic Costa Ricans are determined that organically grown produce should not remain a niche product.

Commercial organic production began in Costa Rica in 1984 among a few pioneers growing berries in Cerro de la Muerte, and coffee and vegetables in Belén de San Ramón and Zarcero.  Soon, other small farmers, strapped by the costs of commercial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, began to take notice.

Principal early backers included social committees of the Catholic Church, public and private universities such as the University of Costa Rica and Earth University in their important research on compost-based fertilizers and natural pesticides, and various non-governmental organizations. Then the state got on board.

Next post well conclude this look at organic food in Costa Rica.

Have any favorite foods, restaurants or  organic food markets you use when visiting Costa Rica?  Share them with us. (Comment below.)

Pura Vida!

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