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A Californian who quit her 9-to-5 job and moved to Greece’s “blue zone” Ikaria reveals the biggest changes she’s noticed since moving to the longevity mecca

A Californian who quit her 9-to-5 job and moved to Greece’s “blue zone” Ikaria reveals the biggest changes she’s noticed since moving to the longevity mecca

A woman who quit her job to live in Ikaria, Greece – which has one of the longest average life expectancies in the world – has revealed the “biggest change” she’s noticed since moving.

In 2022, Anna Katsas said goodbye to West Hollywood, California, on her way to the Greek island, where she has family ties to her 90-year-old grandmother, who was born there.

“The biggest change I’ve noticed after living in the Ikaria Blue Zone is how social, kind and caring the people are,” Anna began, adding, “And I’ll give some examples of that.”

“Let me first say that Ikaria is a very safe place. And I often walked around the town and felt safe enough to say hello to everyone who passed by. And they greeted back.

Anna Katsas left West Hollywood, California for Ikaria, Greece in 2022

“The biggest change I noticed after living in the Ikaria Blue Zone is how social, friendly and caring the people are,” said Anna

Ikaria is known as the

Ikaria is known as the “blue zone”: a place where the average life expectancy is statistically higher than the rest of the world. The photo shows Anna’s grandmother

Anna said her 90-year-old grandmother (pictured) had neighbors come over several times a day

Anna said her 90-year-old grandmother (pictured) had neighbors come over several times a day to “check on her” – a testament to how much community is valued on the island

The world’s meccas for longevity: what are “blue zones”?

“Blue Zones” are areas of the world with lower rates of chronic disease and generally healthier residents, associated with longer life expectancy and a greater number of people living to 100 years of age.

There are five “blue zones” worldwide: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.

Those living in the blue zone were found to share nine specific lifestyle habits: natural movement, or the integration of movement and activity into daily life; feel that they have a purpose; Switch off or find ways to relieve stress, such as: B. pray, sleep or enjoy happy hour; the 80 percent rule, which causes people to stop eating when they are 80 percent hungry to prevent weight gain; follow a plant-based diet; moderate and regular alcohol consumption; have a sense of faith; focus on family and relationships; and have a strong social environment that values ​​healthy living.

“And most of the time we started talking. They would ask, “Who are you?” “How long will you stay?” “You look just like your father!” “Are you from this family?” “We’re cousins!”

“And it would just happen. And then we became friends!’

“Once I greeted a woman. And in the end she was my cousin! And she invited me to her house for coffee and cookies she had just baked. And they were so good. And we had an intense conversation about life – following your dreams and pursuing what makes you happy.

“And it all happened because I said ‘Hello’.”

As a second “example,” Anna provided her personal observations about the community’s persistence in going in with her grandmother.

“When I lived with Yia Yia, my grandmother, in her house, people came to see her several times a day. Sometimes they brought extra crops such as fruit and vegetables from their garden and simply gave them to her,” explained Anna.

“Some people checked in for 10 minutes because they were traveling and needed to be somewhere. And some stayed for hours because they had known her all their lives.

“And it was just a natural phenomenon.” “It was so refreshing to see how many people in Ikaria really care about other people.”

She adds that she believes “that’s why people are so sincere.” [Ikaria’s] Story.’

In another video, Anna explained that human civilization on Ikaria dates back to the 7th century BC. Dating from the 1st century BC, when the inhabitants flourished with the cultivation of honey, wine and olives.

Anna said she met one of her cousins ​​by chance and befriended her through sheer

Anna said she met and befriended one of her cousins ​​by chance by simply saying “hello” to a stranger she passed on a walk

Ikaria is located in the Aegean Sea and was first discovered in the 7th century BC.  Established by humans

Ikaria is located in the Aegean Sea and was first discovered in the 7th century BC. Established by humans

@annakatsas

Reply to @Elise Knebusch The biggest change I noticed after living in the Blue Zone, Ikaria, was experiencing how social, friendly and caring the people are. Friends and family contact each other almost daily. Strangers you pass often become your friends just because you say, “Hi, how are you?” The Ikarians have been looking out for each other for many years and I believe that the story of Ikaria is one reason for this. In the next video I tell more about the story of Ikaria, stay tuned! 🙂 #bluezone #ikaria #ikariaisland #lifestylechange #longevity #centenary

♬ Original Sound – Anna Katsas

Unfortunately, the island was a prime target for pirates due to its agricultural production and geographical vulnerability.

The inhabitants eventually decided to “stay, destroy their own harbors and hide,” Anna said, adding that they retreated from the coast to the mountains and “essentially disappeared from society and were self-sufficient for hundreds of years became.” became.

In a follow-up post, Anna said that while the people of Ikaria lived in houses built for camouflage into rocks in the mountains, they “relied on themselves and their neighbors to survive” – ​​implying that this lifestyle The cultural foundation for building a community rested on the unwavering mutual support of its members, even thousands of years later.

Elsewhere, the Netflix series Live To 100: Secrets Of The Blue Zones also explored the reasons for the longevity of Ikaria’s inhabitants.

“Here’s a population that lives about seven years longer than Americans and has a rate of cardiovascular disease that’s about half as high,” said host Dan Buettner.

He noted that he found it “interesting” that he could find no cases of dementia among the many residents in their 60s, 70s and over 100 years of age.

In addition to the nutritional benefits of staples like herbal tea, raw honey, and wine, one of the most important “secrets” Dan discovered was the relentless emphasis on interpersonal and romantic relationships, as well as “dance and laughter.”

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