Here's what they do instead(Image: Sorrasak Jar Tinyo via Getty Images)

An expert who dedicates his time to researching the habits of the world's longest-living people has made a striking statement about attending the gym.

Dan Buettner explores the world's six enigmatic 'Blue Zones', which are small regions celebrated for having a remarkable number of centenarians, with residents reportedly '10 times more likely to reach 100' than those in the United States on average. Loma Linda in California, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, and the latest addition, Singapore, are all recognised as Blue Zones.

In a recent Instagram post, Dan revealed that those residing in the zones do not attend the gym. He said: "Not one Blue Zone has a gym culture. They move naturally all day - gardening, walking, cooking by hand - instead of exercising in bursts".

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/health/people-most-likely-reach-100-34268895.amp

Yep but I guarantee 110% that a gym culture is more healthy than 95% of people growing up in today's world. Is it healthier than how past generations grew up and remained active everyday into old age, probably not. It's research and most research is full of BS when it comes to health. They say things and find things that contradict the norm to gain interest.

The average BMI 100 years ago for rural areas was 22 vs what we have today. A bunch of lumbering blimps having a hard time making the first step onto the escalator :) Forget about reaching 100 they just want to be able to get off the escalator and find a place to rest and take their meds.

Edited July 10Jul 10 by atpeace

44 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

They move naturally all day - gardening, walking, cooking by hand - instead of exercising in bursts".

Yes, but hard to re-create that lifestyle in this day and age.

Doing nothing all day and then lifting really heavy with gym equipment can lead to injury, ligament and tendon issues.

50 minutes ago, atpeace said:

The average BMI 100 years ago for rural areas was 22 vs what we have today.

I watched a bit of the World Cup.

The sponsors on the billboards are hilarious - McDonald's, Coca Cola, Doritos

Really, we should be playing more sports even into our 70s and wasting less time watching pro athletes.

53 minutes ago, atpeace said:

The average BMI 100 years ago for rural areas was 22 vs what we have today. A bunch of lumbering blimps having a hard time making the first step onto the escalator :) Forget about reaching 100 they just want to be able to get off the escalator and find a place to rest and take their meds .

When I look at photos from the 1970s and 1980s, I notice that most peoplewere mostly thin. It People started to get fat in the 1990s. During the 70s and 80s, dining out was rare. Now, it has become a way of life. Additionally, junk food was rare back then, now it's a habit for many.

It's time to bring back fat shaming.

7 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I watched a bit of the World Cup.

The sponsors on the billboards are hilarious - McDonald's, Coca Cola, Doritos

Really, we should be playing more sports even into our 70s and wasting less time watching pro athletes.

Kids aren't even peddling bikes anymore. They have electric bikes. Everything is geared towards being easy.

1 hour ago, atpeace said:

The average BMI 100 years ago for rural areas was 22 vs what we have today.

But they lived shorter lives. Bmi of 25 to 30 live the longest.

Edited July 10Jul 10 by Rockyroad

11 minutes ago, Mr Awesome said:

Additionally, junk food was rare back then, now it's a habit for many.

From AI.

Dessert with every meal is probably not the best idea and it wasn't always like that.

Some health coaches I've seen online are fat shaming.

Edited July 10Jul 10 by save the frogs

1 hour ago, 3NUMBAS said:

Dan Buettner explores the world's six enigmatic 'Blue Zones', which are small regions celebrated for having a remarkable number of centenarians, with residents reportedly '10 times more likely to reach 100'

Any reason to live that long? 90 will do me.

4 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

But they lived shorter lives. Bmi of 25 to 30 live the longest.

This is an oversimplification. People with chronic diseases often experience weight loss near the end of life. Additionally, smokers typically have lower body weights, and smoking is associated with increased mortality rates. If we exclude smokers and individuals with chronic diseases, the people who tend to live the longest have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 22 and 25.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088641

The main point here is do 100 yr olds go to get serviced at the soapy ? or is it those fine nurses or why not, some doctors in the elderly homes, who do the job (with gloves please) ?

28 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

But they lived shorter lives. Bmi of 25 to 30 live the longest.

Nope and that has been shown over an over again. When you omit people that are frail and unhealthy (dying) from the mix. A healthy person with a BMI of 22 will live an average of a decade longer than someone at 28 for example. It is an interesting thing to publish but so far from reality it is laughable. We evolved for millions of years to have a low BMI and 50 years of fat people isn't going to change that :)

43 minutes ago, Mr Awesome said:

When I look at photos from the 1970s and 1980s, I notice that most peoplewere mostly thin. It People started to get fat in the 1990s. During the 70s and 80s, dining out was rare. Now, it has become a way of life. Additionally, junk food was rare back then, now it's a habit for many.

It's time to bring back fat shaming.

Most those pics are of public beaches or in the cuties or in cities in general. Look at pics of those that lived in rural setting. Quite a shock and they were by far the healthiest.

23 minutes ago, SingAPorn said:

The main point here is do 100 yr olds go to get serviced at the soapy ? or is it those fine nurses or why not, some doctors in the elderly homes, who do the job (with gloves please) ?

I doubt if they can't do it themselves a male doctor is going to be able rub them off. Ithink I would rather be dead.

56 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I watched a bit of the World Cup.

The sponsors on the billboards are hilarious - McDonald's, Coca Cola, Doritos

Really, we should be playing more sports even into our 70s and wasting less time watching pro athletes.

My Dad still plays pickleball with a passion at 85. He sucks because he only has one eye because of stroke he claims he never had but he is still good in his mind and that is cool.

52 minutes ago, Mr Awesome said:

Kids aren't even peddling bikes anymore. They have electric bikes. Everything is geared towards being easy.

Nobody walks to school because it is so dangerous. It is the safest it has ever been! We had so much fun outside playing and getting in trouble. So few kids play outside today and maybe that is fine but I'm guessing not.

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

Yes, but hard to re-create that lifestyle in this day and age.

Why ?

Daily I do gardening, walking, cooking by hand.

Just now, Ralf001 said:

Why ?

Daily I do gardening, walking, cooking by hand.

ok thats good.

i dont have a garden.

i doubt cooking burns too many calories ... it's better than sitting ...

walking ... the heat, traffic, bad sidewalks, lack of tree lined streets put me off ... i wish i lived near a wooded area.

Edited July 10Jul 10 by save the frogs

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

ok thats good.

i dont have a garden.

i doubt cooking burns too many calories ... it's better than sitting ...

walking ... the heat, traffic, bad sidewalks, lack of tree lined streets put me off ... i wish i lived near a wooded area.

sounds like a you problem.

8 hours ago, atpeace said:

Nope and that has been shown over an over again. When you omit people that are frail and unhealthy (dying) from the mix. A healthy person with a BMI of 22 will live an average of a decade longer than someone at 28 for example. It is an interesting thing to publish but so far from reality it is laughable. We evolved for millions of years to have a low BMI and 50 years of fat people isn't going to change that :)

Buffett’s health and BMI are a constant source of fascination for medical professionals because his daily diet reads like a six-year-old’s birthday party:

• He consumes roughly 2,700 calories a day, with about 25% of that intake coming strictly from five cans of Cherry Coke.

• His breakfasts are bought from McDonald's on his drive to work, notoriously adjusted based on how the stock market is performing that morning (ranging from a cheap sausage patty to a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit).

8 hours ago, Mr Awesome said:

This is an oversimplification. People with chronic diseases often experience weight loss near the end of life. Additionally, smokers typically have lower body weights, and smoking is associated with increased mortality rates. If we exclude smokers and individuals with chronic diseases, the people who tend to live the longest have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 22 and 25.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088641

Thin people are more likely to break bones if they fall. Being skinny at age 80 is a bad idea.

Those stats are flawed too as many fat people drink too much alcohol.

7 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Buffett’s health and BMI are a constant source of fascination for medical professionals because his daily diet reads like a six-year-old’s birthday party:

• He consumes roughly 2,700 calories a day, with about 25% of that intake coming strictly from five cans of Cherry Coke.

• His breakfasts are bought from McDonald's on his drive to work, notoriously adjusted based on how the stock market is performing that morning (ranging from a cheap sausage patty to a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit).

He is in good health it seems. Many obese people live to 90+ but they are the exception. He enjoys what he does and keeps life simple. Being unhealthy isn't a definite death sentence. I wouldn't want to be him and life is more than having billions but in the end what I want isn't important from his perspective.

7 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Thin people are more likely to break bones if they fall. Being skinny at age 80 is a bad idea.

Those stats are flawed too as many fat people drink too much alcohol.

You are joking? You think a fit skinny 80 year old is more likely to break a bone than a fat 80 year old. A fat 80 year olds bone density is BAD and on top of that the weight behind the fall snaps their weak bones.

Edited July 11Jul 11 by atpeace

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

You are joking? You think a fit skinny 80 year old is more likely to break a bone than a fat 80 year old. A fat 80 year olds bone density is BAD and on top of that the weight behind the fall snaps their weak bones.

Basic science. Fat acts like a cushion.

• When you take a hard hit or trip and fall, the kinetic energy has to go somewhere. Adipose (fat) tissue is highly compressible. As it compresses, it absorbs a massive portion of the initial impact energy and spreads the remaining force across a wider surface area, heavily reducing the concentrated stress on the underlying bone.

Taking individuals out of the equation as some can do everything right and pass at 40, while some can drink whiskey daily, eat red meat, smoke cigars and watch soap operas and live to 100. The rest of the world are different. The Blue Zones have shown for a long time that they live longer on average than all others. It's mostly diet, with movement, social activities and keeping stress low. Going to a gym can be part of that but the exercises aren't as important as the movement. Keeping muscle from weight training, bicycling, swimming or body weight exercises can help with possible injuries later or illness. Muscle prevents injuries better than fat. Subcutaneous fat can help a little also.

Edited July 11Jul 11 by fredwiggy

Makes a little sense but not really -HahA. Fit and skinny 80 year old rarely fall vs fat ones :) When they do fall they land better and their bones are much more dense. In no world is a fat 80 year old more like to live longer on average than a fit thin 80 year old. It isn't even close.

16 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Why ?

Daily I do gardening, walking, cooking by hand.

True, and a lot easier than cooking by feet.

My parents lasted to around 90, my aunt recently died 99, none of them ever went to the gym, what they did do is kept busy and careful what they ate

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

Makes a little sense but not really -HahA. Fit and skinny 80 year old rarely fall vs fat ones :) When they do fall they land better and their bones are much more dense. In no world is a fat 80 year old more like to live longer on average than a fit thin 80 year old. It isn't even close.

Buffett is 95 and fat. Being skinny does not stop you from falling. Muscle supports joints and bones so a combo of fat and muscle is best. Some skinny 80yos have low muscle content so a fall hurts them most.

People with bad knees need to add muscle to legs and those with bad shoulders should do rear delt exercises.

Chest supported rows are best for back strength.

Gardening will have a similar impact to gym though.

Trying to be skinny though is a waste of time.

6 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Trying to be skinny though is a waste of time.

Not true and looks like you are looking for excuses. No problem being fat if you enjoy life. Thinking it is healthy is delusional.

Also, I never stated being skinny fat was healthy. Being active and skinny is the healthiest option and is how we evolved over 100s of thousands of years.

Edited July 11Jul 11 by atpeace