Live a Blue Zone Lifestyle Right Here in Boston

Perhaps you've heard of the Blue Zones? They’re those rare pockets of the world—like Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda—where people live remarkably long and healthy lives. They walk more, stress less, eat simply, stay connected, and live with purpose. There’s a book and a documentary about them.

Lately, I've noticed people wondering:

Can You Live a Blue Zone Lifestyle Without Moving Across the World?

The Blue Zone dream seems far away from our lives of responsible normality. Most of us are focused on paying for our cars and iPhones — and remembering to schedule the lawn guys or hair appointments. I do those things, too, but I've made some steps toward Blue Zone living right here at home.

My Boston Blue Zone

Some might say I live like a monk in the city. I have no car, so walking to work is daily exercise. I eat burritos and Thai from the corner places in my neighborhood. I don't think about trendy food or clothes. My work feels aligned and enjoyable. Meditation, stillness and getting outdoors are my medicine. I choose peace over drama. I'm quiet. l live simply and I never get bored. It's Not Cool

I'm happy and peaceful but I notice how this way of living does take a certain kind of mild courage. You feel a mildly different. The Blue Zones are popular. Monk-like living in a city. You have to be cool with being uncool. You notice the slightly raised eyebrow when you don't know the restaurants. You have to get up the courage to say you took a bus.

Healing Is Being Cool with Being Uncool

One of the biggest lessons I've learned from energy healing is this: You can stop trying to be in sync with everyone else and just be in sync with yourself.

I’ve worked with many clients who quietly suffer because they’re trying to live someone else’s version of a good life. Their own truth feels too weird, too fringe, too uncool. So they stay stuck in a life that feels stressful. Sometimes they get diagnosed with anxiety.

But when realize how much they've been stuffing back their dreams and personalities, they can finally begin the shift in mindset. The thing they thought made them weird becomes the thing that makes them feel authentic and light:

Maybe they wanted to meditate. Now meditation becomes a sacred healing ritual instead of a chore. Maybe they were struggling with unhealthy relationships. Now those people move away from their lives naturally, instead of devastatingly as they'd feared.

Blue Zone Living, Courage and Healing

I've noticed that some of my Blue Zone choices don't resonate with other Bostonians, because I'm implementing them in Boston instead of an actual Blue Zone. Gentle exercise like walking is a popular Blue Zone idea. I take it too far, though, by not having a car. That's not popular. The health factor and longevity boost are nullified by the inconvenience.

Interestingly, people often tell me the "wish" they could not have a car. Or they wish they could live in Europe because then they could not have a car. To this point, I saw a YouTube video by a woman who'd lived out of the United States for 25 of her 40 years. The name of her video was, "I've turned European!" One of the ways she'd done this was using public transportation instead of a car. The video has 143 thousand views. Somewhat popular. So what's going on here? Not having a car is acceptable if you live in Europe, or in a Blue Zone, or if you're a YouTuber who travels. If you live a regular life in your home town, it's not acceptable?

This is the courage I was talking about. Maybe it's mild courage if you have an endearing quirk that's different, and you let that quirk be known. But what if you want something really different, and you're afraid to let it be known. What if you're life is unhappy and you feel anxious. Because it takes too much courage to let yourself be known?

Only you can decide: Are you going to move? Are you going to keep fitting in, even if you're unhappy? Or are you going to heal?