The city of Airdrie is attempting to become the first of Canada’s Blue Zones.
The initiative started as a research project commissioned by National Geographic to look at cultures around the world where people live the longest.
Blue Zones came up with nine principles or habits that were common among communities where people live about seven years longer than elsewhere in America. The principles include:
- Moving naturally,
- unwinding from stress,
- refraining from overeating,
- eating more of a plant-based diet,
- sharing a glass of wine with friends,
- finding a sense of belonging,
- putting loved ones first and committing to a healthy social circle.
Blue Zones representatives were in Airdrie mid-May to review whether the community would be a good candidate for certification.
“It’s a young population. It’s a very vibrant population, a very connected community. But most importantly, it’s about the right size,” said Mark Seland of the Airdrie & Area Health Cooperative. “To try to do this in Calgary or Edmonton where you’ve got a million people – there’s a lot of moving parts that you would have to try to bring together. So it’s easy to alter, and change, and engineer the future for somewhere that’s somewhat smaller.”
There are now 43 certified Blue Zones in the United States. As a result, Blue Zones said residents in those communities are now seeing longer life expectancies and a reduction in health-care spending.
Airdrie should find out whether they can become a certified community in the coming weeks.