Want to know the secret to long life? Discover with us why people in Guanacaste, Costa Rica often live to well over 100 years.
Everyone wants to know the secret to long life.
Could it be that in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, they’ve discovered the fountain of youth? Known to be one of the world’s Blue Zones, where people tend to live longer and healthier lives, residents in this northwest region of Costa Rica are more than twice as likely to reach a healthy age of at least 90 on up to well over 100.
U.S. author and researcher, Dan Buettner, in his 2008 book, “The Blue Zones”, reported that people in the area of Nicoya in Guanacaste, Costa Rica live measurably longer and better, reaching age 100 at rates greater than in most of the rest of the world. The name “Blue Zone” comes from the world’s top longevity scientists drawing blue circles on maps around the areas of the world where people live the longest.
Is it because Costa Rica once again leads the world as the Happiest Country on Earth in the 2016 Happy Planet Index rankings, published by the New Economics Foundation?
“People living in Costa Rica have higher wellbeing than the residents of many rich nations, including the USA and the UK, and live longer than people in the USA,” according to the Happy Planet Index.
What is the secret to long life in Guanacaste, Costa Rica?
Faith and family play a strong role in Costa Rican culture, along with having a positive outlook and active lifestyle with a lot of walking. Costa Ricans in the Guanacaste countryside eat mostly farm-fresh food with very little processed foods; they enjoy plenty of fiber-rich beans and rice, and antioxidant-rich tropical fruits. They also have a unique secret: calcium and magnesium rich water – minerals from Guanacaste’s many volcanoes. These strengthen bones and help keep disease away.
Secrets of long life in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
- Move naturally. Do physical work.
- Have a reason to live
- Keep stress away
- Healthy lifestyle, especially a light dinner
- Drink mineral-rich water
- Focus on family
- Maintain social networks
- Have faith
- Get some sun (sensibly)
Take a vacation to learn the healthy living secrets of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and return home happier, reinvigorated and more youthful. A good choice for where to go is Hacienda Guachipelin, known for its incredible adventure tours, farm-to-table healthy Guanacaste cuisine, and beautiful location at the base of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano.
Guanacaste, Costa Rica is an easy vacation destination from the USA and Europe, with many direct flights arriving to the Liberia International Airport.
Article by Shannon Farley