12 Blue Zone Secrets That Add Years to Your Life

5. Practice Hara Hachi Bu: Stop at 80% full

Okinawans use a simple rule: stop eating when you’re about 80 percent full. Known as Hara Hachi Bu, this mindful habit curbs overeating and keeps calorie intake modest without strict dieting. David Chesworth, a Blue Zones facilitator, describes it as a pre-meal mantra that encourages slower eating and awareness of fullness cues. Slowing down gives your body time to register satiety, reducing the tendency to finish larger portions automatically.

6. Move Naturally: Make activity part of daily life

People in Blue Zones don’t necessarily do high-intensity gym sessions. Instead, they weave movement into everyday tasks: walking to shops, tending gardens, carrying water, or splitting wood. National Geographic describes Sardinian shepherds who walk miles daily while working. This kind of incidental movement builds strength, balance, and endurance over decades without feeling like a chore. The result is steady functional fitness that supports independence into older age.