You may have seen the recent story about a group of older adults in Liverpool who have, in effect, created their own “Blue Zone.” Not by moving to a remote Greek island or a mountain village in Japan, but by doing something way more accessible: exercising regularly, lifting weights and building community.
The term Blue Zone was popularised by Dan Buettner, who worked with researchers to identify regions of the world where people live unusually long, healthy lives. These included places like Okinawa, Sardinia and Ikaria. When marking these areas on a map, Buettner circled them with a blue pen. This is why they are called Blue Zones!.
What made these places different was not miracle supplements or secret superfoods. It was lifestyle. People moved naturally throughout the day. They ate mostly whole foods. They had strong social ties. They had a sense of purpose and importantly, older adults remained active and physically capable well into their 70s, 80s and beyond.
This brings us back to the Blue Zone in Liverpool.
A group of older residents decided they did not want to drift quietly into frailty. They began strength training. They showed up consistently. They supported each other. They made exercise a normal part of later life rather than an exception. In doing so, they have created the very conditions associated with longevity: muscle mass, balance, resilience and connection.
There is nothing geographically magical about Okinawa or Sardinia. The principles that underpin long life are transferable. You do not need Mediterranean sunshine to squat. You do not need to live in Japan to lift weights.
There is no reason we cannot create a Blue Zone in Somerset. Or in your own town or village.
It would not require a government initiative or a rebrand. It would start with small groups of people deciding to walk regularly, to lift weights twice a week, to meet for coffee after training, to check in on each other. It would mean normalising strength training for people in their 60s, 70s and above. It would mean valuing independence as something to be built, not hoped for.
Blue Zones were identified with a pen on a map, but they are created by habits.
The question is not whether Somerset could become one. The question is whether enough of us are willing to pick up the metaphorical blue pen and start. What is stopping you?