Blue Zones and Marco Residents Celebrate National Walking Day

The Blue Zones Project was in Marco Island on Tuesday, April 19th to celebrate well-being and the benefits of walking with Marco residents. This ties in with National Walking Day which is also celebrated the first Wednesday in April to usher in Spring.

It was time to enjoy fresh air with a little exercise and the afternoon was perfect to walk one loop of Mackle Park. Over 160 participants enjoyed the slight breeze and the park was a sea of Blue Zones practitioners.

Everywhere you look on Marco Island, no matter what time of day you will see one or two people, sometimes even a group, walking all over the community. I’ve taken to walking to my local Publix to get pastry to go with my coffee. I live about 1.5 miles from Publix on South Barfield, and along with our Doberman, we “walk/run” that short distance. Marco Island is a very active community and with the addition of wider sidewalks, it makes it easier and safer to add that extra mile.

The Blue Zones is obsessed with the five regions where people live the longest such as Sardinia, Italy, Island of Okinawa, Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California –they should add Marco Island! 

So, what is their secret? They are all active people who take on hobbies such as gardening and they move “naturally.” They are physically active. When they wake up in the morning, they have a plan or a purpose. They call it “plan de vida.” For some of us here in paradise, we have lots of options. And they take naps, meditate or find some alone time. Okinawans practice the 80% rule and stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full and they eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and don’t eat again till the next morning. Their diet is also more plant based and if meat is added, they prefer pork. Wine at 5:00 PM – they drink moderately and regularly - and for the Sardinians, one to two glasses of wine everyday preferably with friends, with or without food. Families come first, enjoying time spent with family members and in that network of friends and families, they are committed to a healthier lifestyle.

Sounds like Marco Island should be included in that list.

Congratulations to the newest Blue Zones Project Member! Marco Island Area Association of Realtors of Marco’s Blue Zones Organization received its certification on Thursday, April 21st!

Thank you to all Marco Island participants of the Blue Zones Project:  San Marco Catholic Church, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Calusa Garden Club, Denise A Pancyrz LLC, EXP Realty – the Sprigg Group, Marco Fitness, Marco Island Newcomers Club, Marco Island Noontime Rotary, Marco Island Sunrise Rotary, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, Paradise Cycle Boat Cruises, SYC Yacht Brokerage, YMCA of South Collier, CJ’s on the Bay, Tommie Barfield Elementary School, City of Marco Island, Condee Cooling and Electric, JW Marriott, NCH Healthcare System and Sunshine Ace Hardware.