A woman who quit her job to live in Ikaria, Greece – which has one of the longest average life expectancies in the world – revealed the “biggest change” she has noticed since moving.
Anna Katsas says goodbye to West Hollywood, California, in 2022 and heads to the Greek island, where she has family ties in the form of her 90-year-old grandmother, who was born there.
“The biggest change I’ve noticed after living in Blue Zone Ikaria is by far how social, friendly and caring the people are,” Anna began, adding, “And I’ll give a few examples of that .”
“First let me say that Ikaria is a very safe place. And I often walked around the village and felt safe enough to say hello to everyone who passed by. And they would say hello back.
Anna Katsas left West Hollywood, California for Ikaria, Greece in 2022
“The biggest change I have noticed after living in the Ikaria Blue Zone is by far how social, friendly and caring the people are,” said Anna
Ikaria is known as the “blue zone” – a place where the average life expectancy is statistically higher than the rest of the world. Anna’s grandmother can be seen in the picture
Anna said her 90-year-old grandmother (pictured) had neighbors come by to check on her several times a day – which shows how much value is placed on the island’s community
The Longevity Meccas of the World: What are “Blue Zones”?
“Blue Zones” are areas of the world with lower rates of chronic disease and generally healthier populations, which are associated with longer life expectancy and a higher 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 areas were found to share nine specific lifestyle habits: natural exercise, or incorporating exercise and activity into everyday life; the feeling that they have a purpose; Downshifting or finding ways to de-stress, such as praying, taking a nap, or enjoying happy hour; the 80 percent rule, which states that people stop eating when they feel 80 percent hungry to avoid gaining weight; eat a plant-based diet; moderate and regular alcohol consumption; have a sense of faith; focusing on family and relationships; and having a strong social environment that values healthy living.
“And most of the time we started talking. They asked, “Who are you?” “How long are you staying?” “You look like your father!” “Are you from this family?” “We are cousins!”
“And that would just happen. And after that we became friends!’
“Once I said hello to a woman. And in the end she was my cousin! And she invited me to her house for coffee and cookies that she had just baked. And they were so good. And we had an intense conversation about life – about following your dreams and pursuing what makes you happy.
“And it all happened because I said hello.”
As a second “example,” Anna provided her first-person observations about the community’s persistence of checking in on her grandmother.
“When I lived with Yia Yia – my grandmother – in her house, people came by to check on her several times a day. “Sometimes they would bring extra crops from their garden, like vegetables and fruits, and just give them to her,” Anna explained.
“Some people checked in for 10 minutes because they were on the move and had to be somewhere.” And some stayed for hours because they had known her their whole lives.
“And that was just a natural occurrence.” “It was so refreshing to see how much the people of 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. It dates back to the 1st century BC, when the inhabitants prospered by growing honey, wine and olives.
Anna said she met one of her cousins by chance and became friends with her simply by saying “hello” to a stranger she passed on a walk
Ikaria, located in the Aegean Sea, was first discovered in the 7th century BC. Settled by people
@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 in person almost every day. Strangers you pass often become your friends just because you say, “Hello, how are you?” The Ikarians have looked out for each other for many years and I believe the story of Ikaria is one reason for this. I will tell more about the story of Ikaria in the next video, stay tuned! 🙂 #bluezone #ikaria #ikariaisland #lifestylechange #longevity #centenarian
♬ Original sound – Anna Katsas
Unfortunately, the island was a prime target for pirates due to its agricultural production and geographical vulnerability.
The residents eventually decided to “stay, destroy their own ports and hide,” Anna said, adding that they retreated from the coast to the mountains and “essentially disappeared from society and themselves for hundreds of years.” “take care of ourselves”.
In a follow-up post, Anna said that while the people of Ikaria lived in houses built for camouflage in boulders in the mountains, they “relied on themselves and their neighbors to survive” – implying that this lifestyle the cultural foundation for a community Even thousands of years later, the community was built on the unwavering mutual support of its members.
Elsewhere, the Netflix series Live To 100: Secrets Of The Blue Zones also explored the reasons for the longevity of Ikaria’s residents.
“Here is a population that lives about seven years longer than Americans and has a rate of cardiovascular disease about half as high,” said host Dan Buettner.
He noted that he found it “interesting” that no cases of dementia could be detected among the many residents in their 60s, 70s and into their 100s.
In addition to the nutritional benefits of staple foods like herbal tea, raw honey, and wine, some of the key “secrets” Dan discovered included an unrelenting emphasis on interpersonal and romantic relationships, as well as “dancing and laughing.”