November 17, 2023 • 20 mins
Check out the Amazon Prime documentary "Live to 100: Secrets of the The Blue Zones." Dr. Maleeha Mohiuddin and Dr. Dionne Ibekie discuss their thoughts on the impact modernity is having on our health and well-being. They will share their favorite parts of the documentary and how they have started to apply some of these concepts to their own lives. It's definitely a must see!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we are doing a bolus episode.
Have you guys heard about BlueZones?
They have been making news withthis new four part Netflix
documentary called Live to 100by Dan Guttner.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
It was really well done.
I watched it with my dad, whois a health nut, like he's
determined to live forever.
Oh my gosh, let's not, don'tget me started.
That's a whole another thing,but anyway.
So we binged it because it wasso good, and so I remember
texting you and being like youneed to watch this so we can
(00:35):
debrief and have a discussion.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, I'm glad you told me about it because it is
an interesting topic, this ideathat there are places where
people are living to 100regularly Not that I personally
want to live to 100 necessarily,but it's interesting to see
that these communities are liketo know what these communities
are doing so differently thaneveryone else.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, right, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So in the documentary we visit the Blue Zones, which
are five specific regionsidentified around the world.
They included Okinawa, japan,the Nekoya Peninsula and Costa
Rica, icaria, greece, sardinia,italy and finally Loma Linda,
(01:25):
california.
And this is an area where thelongest living people reside.
They live to 100, at thehighest rates in the world.
These people are living vibrantlives, happy lives, without
trying, as, in you know, they'renot in the lab, on event or in
some kind of gym.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Can I just say something?
The Loma Linda kind ofsurprised.
I wasn't thinking any of theBlue Zones would be in the
United States.
I'm going to be honest, Ididn't think it would.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, that surprised me that was a surprise, agreed.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I mean, I think one key observation from watching
this documentary is that theselocations are geographically
remote and modernity has notcrept in, with the exception of
Loma Linda, which is why I thinkwe were surprised.
Right but it is culturallyisolated, not geographically
(02:21):
isolated, because of their tieto the Adventist church.
It's like a really strong tie.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Right, right.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yeah.
So the irony, I think, of thisis that modernity appears to be
negatively impacting our life inmore profound ways than we
realize, which shouldn't besurprising to any of us, because
while technology makes ourlives more efficient you know
think cars, cell phones,appliances we ended up doing
(02:50):
less with our bodies physicallyand become increasingly reliant
on modern conveniences.
And I think all of that comesat a cost which the documentary
shows.
Over time, that costaccumulates.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, yeah, that was a great takeaway, I think.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Right.
So for this bolus episode, wecame up with four summary points
and practical takeaways Because, for the record, we are not
anti-modernity.
Yes, yes, let's be clear.
Yeah, this is the IV Drip, apodcast designed to give you the
(03:34):
dish on health topics you needto know, but didn't know to ask.
We are your hosts, dr MaliaMohideen and Dr DeAnne Beckey.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
we're both Harvard train anesthesiologists and
besties.
Join us as we explore hottopics that are rarely discussed
but can have a huge impact onyour life.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Okay, so number one, I think first off, it is to eat
simply, as in, food can be basic, simple, plant-based, which is
a really trendy word right now.
To say plant-based, yeah, Ijust mean like plants, things
you grow, because people inthese communities have to rely
(04:14):
on what grows locally as a foodsource, so it tends to be
obviously plant-based and verysimple.
They don't have big grocerystores, so they really truly had
to rely on what they grewlocally.
Also, I noticed there was nosingle magic food.
Sorry, kale, avocado, braziliannut, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I wanna say, though, I just recently came from Japan
lucky me and I did seek out thatpurple sweet potato.
Oh, I'm sorry, I know there'sno magic food, but I wanted that
sweet potato.
I needed to incorporate them.
Yeah, I saw that in the episode.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
But it's the variety of plant-based foods.
I think, practically speaking,we like to go out and we enjoy a
really good meal.
We're foodies so, realisticallyspeaking, we're not gonna stop
eating out for fun.
But at home, maybe just besimple, like it doesn't need to
(05:17):
be complicated, farm to table,artisanal, like it can be basic
rice and lentils, rice and beans, roast, some sweet potatoes
with a little bit of cinnamonand salt, like a simple fruit
salad where you toss in a couplechickpeas.
It doesn't have to be gourmet,just they threw a lot of herbs
(05:38):
in it to make it taste better.
And Deon, I think I'm gonnastart posting some of my
plant-based meals or snacks onInsta.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Okay, cause I was gonna say a lot of what you just
said.
You already cook.
These are already in yourpersonal cookbook.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
I use this also.
I use my.
Insta pot all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Oh gosh, I love my Insta pot, yeah, I just throw
that on there steam stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I make rice and you know I'm Indian, so a lot of
rice and vegetarian dishes, soI'm kind of used to not always
having meat.
But you know, I think over timewe can retrain our palates to
like real food and notartificially engineered foods,
which is definitely contributingto the obesity epidemic.
(06:23):
You know, and I also liked Ithink it was in Japan they had
that eight out of 10 rule whichmeans you stop eating when
you're comfortably full, likeeight out of 10, not when you're
stuffed, which I think iseasier to do with real food than
when you have like a bag oftackies or like hot Cheetos in
front of you, or pizza rolls,which were my favorite in
(06:46):
college.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
That eight out of 10, or eight out of 10 rule was big
for me because I feel like myeyes are way bigger than my
stomach and I tend to push thelimit.
So I definitely have beenthinking about that a lot more
lately since seeing that.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, I mean, I think that goes into another trend
that you hear of, which is likemindful eating.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
But it's that idea of just being aware, like if I'm,
am I actually full?
You know, I don't need to eattill feeling stuffed I can.
I think the rule is like if youcan get up and walk around or
go for a light jog, so to saylike you've eaten enough.
You know, maybe not a job but Isee you looking at me like
(07:27):
nobody's jogging.
Yeah Okay, um number two okay.
My number two takeaway was gomanual.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I, you know, we know this already.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
We've talked about this before.
Take the stairs, maybe try tohand wash dishes and dry them.
Carry your groceries, put awayyour groceries, take out your
trash.
Go for walks outside better yet, take a walk with a friend.
Again these blue zonecommunities don't have modern
luxuries, so they're grindingtheir own corn, washing their
(08:01):
own clothes, gardening in theiryard.
And you know again, practicallyspeaking, I am not going to
start hand washing my kidssoccer uniforms but, it's good
to acknowledge that our societyhas been engineered to keep us
pretty sedentary and isolatedfrom each other.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You know, we need cars to go everywhere and
machines to do our work, so it'slike we have to go out of our
way to incorporate exerciseflexibility and a range of
motion, Whereas thesecentenarians are just going
about doing their daily tasksand chores.
So it's inbuilt into theirlifestyle.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Right.
In fact, many of the chores aretraditionally done with other
people, like harvesting, cookingtogether or washing, because
it's hard work and easier to dowhen you do it in groups.
Ironically, while modernappliances take the hard work
out, they also make us too selfsufficient, less relying on each
(09:04):
other, and over time, we seeeach other less, not interacting
.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, and that has mental health repercussions.
You know we saw the extremeversion of that during COVID.
Groceries are getting deliveredto our doorstep door.
Dash Uber eats Like we don'tneed to go to the store anymore.
Here in Phoenix we have a newservice called Waymo.
Have you heard of that?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
No.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yeah, they're self driving cars, Okay.
Yeah, so it's kind of replacingUber and it's like we never
need to see people if we don'twant to.
And I get these things areconvenient, like they have their
place, but interactions withother people, even these small
interactions, matter.
(09:48):
They're incredibly important.
We are social beings.
We thrive in tribes, we alwayshave.
Yeah, we need to feel connection.
We actually will not survive inisolation.
You know, it made me think,deon.
We send our kids to preschoolnot because we're like trying to
teach them how to read andwrite.
(10:08):
We could do that at home.
The goal is for them to learnsocial skills.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
And you know, I think sometimes adults need to go
back to like preschool Preach,preach, get along, share.
Not everybody is going to beexactly like you or have your
opinions.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
That doesn't mean you can ignore them.
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Did you say use your time, yeah, well yeah, basics.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
We got to go back to the basics.
Use your words, kind RightHands to yourself.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Hands to yourself, that's a good one.
Okay, you can tell we havelittle kids.
Okay, number three, speaking ofall the socialization in
preschool, I think thatprioritizing time with other
people, like really carve outtime in your day or your
(11:07):
schedule for other people wehave this serious loneliness
epidemic in America.
You know the surgeon GeneralVivic Marty wrote an entire book
about this and in thatdocumentary I learned you know
it costs 15 years and lifeexpectancy in America,
loneliness.
You can't yeah, you can't take apill for that.
(11:29):
You can't buy your way out oftrue isolation and loneliness.
We really need to prioritizeliving near family and friends,
because life is hard and again,we survive in tribes.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
That's right.
In all the blue zones, thecentenarians had some sort of
social circle.
Some were organized aroundactivities like volunteering and
tennis.
Others were products ofclose-knit communities that
allowed for regular socialgatherings like wine.
I love, I loved that.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I know that's the example you picked.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I love that In Nukoya they had, like this local
village bar that they would hangout in and I could be saying
this wrong, but I think it wasMoai in Okinawa where they had
these.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I think it was Moai, the Moai Moai.
Yeah, I think it was Moai, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I looked it up, the pronunciation I'm still getting
it wrong, but anyways.
But this was very importantbecause they have these
committed, close social circleswho pooled money in times of
hardships, so it's like a chosenfamily.
All the people in these zoneshad family close by, which is
different than most developednations, as you and I have
(12:43):
experienced.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
True.
I mean I think about when myparents' generation moved here
from India and I'm sure the sameis true for your parents moving
from Nigeria.
They went from an extendedfamily dynamic to living apart
from each other because theywere all trying to find places
to work and it wasn't easy forthem to be apart.
(13:07):
I experienced the same when Istarted working too, especially
as a mom when we had kids.
You're young, you're working.
Having my retired parentsaround was really helpful, and
what that documentary enforcedfor me was.
Now that my parents are aging,it's important to be close by to
(13:30):
help them with all their agingneeds.
I'm doing a lot more doctorappointments, things like that,
but having them around theirgrandchildren, it really
improves their own mental health.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, and I think even my kids younger kids just
need to know how to help takecare of elderly people and
understand that thesegrandparents and the elderly
people are actually a greatsource of wisdom and advice, and
so that intergenerationalrelationship adds a lot more
(14:07):
years to their age, which reallyis a win-win for everyone.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Yeah, I try to remind my parents of that.
You know when they're helpingme out.
You're going to live longer.
It's really good for my dad.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I say this understanding.
I am completely aware that somepeople don't have access to
their parents or their parentshave incredible challenges as
they age or you know, noteverybody obviously has the same
family dynamic and there'salways levels of dysfunction,
but it is helpful to have familyaround and even when you're
taking care of a family memberthat's difficult or they have
(14:45):
significant medical needs, themore people that are around to
help absorb you know that stressis helpful.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
It's mentally helpful .
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Absolutely so.
Now for our fourth takeaway youneed to have a purpose in life.
In Okinawa they had a strongsense of ikigai, which is their
reason for being.
Similarly, in Nikoia they weredriven by their plan de vida, or
reason to live.
In all the zones, faith playeda role in their sense of purpose
(15:16):
, especially in Ikaria and LomaLinda, where faith was central
to their purpose in life.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
I think in America and a lot of other places
happiness is often equated withwealth.
People spend their whole liveschasing that coin and we know
from extensive research thatafter a certain point wealth
doesn't make you happy, like theacquisition of more stuff
(15:44):
doesn't make you happy.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
And happiness is about finding ways to serve
others and build meaningfulconnections with your community,
and it was clear in thedocumentary that it's important
for people to feel needed andvaluable to others and have some
intrinsic purpose driving themdaily.
Okay, so, deon, I was thinkingabout this practically and I was
(16:09):
thinking.
One thought I had was to mentorsomeone or teach someone a skill
, because everyone has a skillthat they don't even realize
that they're good at.
It can be professionalmentoring If you're in a
profession, and for us ifsomebody's pre-med or whatever
(16:30):
that is, that's super helpful.
But it can be really simple asteaching somebody how to cook a
meal if you're a good cook.
I have a really good friendhere who asked me to show her
how to cook a healthy meal inexchange for her teaching me how
the machines work at the gym,because I have no clue,
seriously.
Or you know.
(16:52):
Tutor someone in anotherlanguage.
If you're bilingual or asubject area you're strong at it
, you know.
I once even had a friend teachme how to crochet a scarf.
Yeah, it was really basic.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
I want to learn that.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
But it was fun and I learned something.
I have another really goodfriend and he taught me how to
check all my tire pressures andlike how to do some basic auto
care, because I am thatstereotype where the dashboard
flashes the emojis and I had.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
No, yeah, I have no idea, yeah, and I'm just still
driving like Jesus kicking meout.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Totally, you would not see that exclamation point.
Yes, I'm like it's fine,everything's fine, but my point
is is that you are a great wellof knowledge?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
And so are the people around you, so ask for help
People actually like, sharingright.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah, I know, and that's how you build your
relationships, your communities,your networks, which was key in
all of the blue zones, they hada community.
So I think that's a good, goodrecommendation.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, and hopefully you can learn something new,
yeah.
So for those of you who watchthe documentary, we want to know
what your takeaways were.
I want you to notice there wereno pills, special diets, fad
diets, exercise moves, or itwasn't about the latest medical
technology, that was mentioned.
(18:19):
In fact, it was just theopposite.
It was almost like rewind timeand let's go back to the basics.
And before someone jumps on us,I'm not saying no to modern
medicine and no to technology.
I'm just saying that sometimesKeep it simple.
(18:39):
Just keep it basic.
Prioritize eating more plants.
Incorporate movement ineveryday activity.
Things that you don't eventhink are exercise actually help
with our flexibility and rangeof motion.
Reach out to more friends andfamily and find ways to give
back to your community.
(19:00):
Share your skills, share yourknowledge.
Ask people for help.
They like to help, and if theydon't like to help, that's how
you know they're not a goodfriend.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
They're not in your community, that's right, exactly
.
And apparently all of this makesyou live longer and healthier.
So great takeaway, great.
So okay, guys, that's theoverview, and the documentary
was very insightful and providedactionable information you can
(19:33):
use to change your life.
Starting today, who knows,maybe you'll live to 100 as well
and start your own blue zone.
Sorry for the spoilers forthose who haven't watched it yet
, but trust us, we onlyscratched the surface.
So much more to learn.
We hope you enjoyed thisepisode.
For more Ivy drip, head to ourwebsite at theivydripco or
(19:53):
follow us on Instagram at theivydrip underscore podcast.
Email us with your thoughts andcomments about this documentary
at info at theivydripco, orsend us a DM.
Most importantly, don't forgetto subscribe to our podcast.
You can find it on allstreaming platforms.
Leave a review and spread thelove.
(20:14):
Bye.
Today we are doing a bolus episode.
Have you guys heard about BlueZones?
They have been making news withthis new four part Netflix
documentary called Live to 100by Dan Guttner.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
It was really well done.
I watched it with my dad, whois a health nut, like he's
determined to live forever.
Oh my gosh, let's not, don'tget me started.
That's a whole another thing,but anyway.
So we binged it because it wasso good, and so I remember
texting you and being like youneed to watch this so we can
(00:35):
debrief and have a discussion.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, I'm glad you told me about it because it is
an interesting topic, this ideathat there are places where
people are living to 100regularly Not that I personally
want to live to 100 necessarily,but it's interesting to see
that these communities are liketo know what these communities
are doing so differently thaneveryone else.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, right, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So in the documentary we visit the Blue Zones, which
are five specific regionsidentified around the world.
They included Okinawa, japan,the Nekoya Peninsula and Costa
Rica, icaria, greece, sardinia,italy and finally Loma Linda,
(01:25):
california.
And this is an area where thelongest living people reside.
They live to 100, at thehighest rates in the world.
These people are living vibrantlives, happy lives, without
trying, as, in you know, they'renot in the lab, on event or in
some kind of gym.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Can I just say something?
The Loma Linda kind ofsurprised.
I wasn't thinking any of theBlue Zones would be in the
United States.
I'm going to be honest, Ididn't think it would.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, that surprised me that was a surprise, agreed.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I mean, I think one key observation from watching
this documentary is that theselocations are geographically
remote and modernity has notcrept in, with the exception of
Loma Linda, which is why I thinkwe were surprised.
Right but it is culturallyisolated, not geographically
(02:21):
isolated, because of their tieto the Adventist church.
It's like a really strong tie.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Right, right.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yeah.
So the irony, I think, of thisis that modernity appears to be
negatively impacting our life inmore profound ways than we
realize, which shouldn't besurprising to any of us, because
while technology makes ourlives more efficient you know
think cars, cell phones,appliances we ended up doing
(02:50):
less with our bodies physicallyand become increasingly reliant
on modern conveniences.
And I think all of that comesat a cost which the documentary
shows.
Over time, that costaccumulates.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, yeah, that was a great takeaway, I think.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Right.
So for this bolus episode, wecame up with four summary points
and practical takeaways Because, for the record, we are not
anti-modernity.
Yes, yes, let's be clear.
Yeah, this is the IV Drip, apodcast designed to give you the
(03:34):
dish on health topics you needto know, but didn't know to ask.
We are your hosts, dr MaliaMohideen and Dr DeAnne Beckey.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
we're both Harvard train anesthesiologists and
besties.
Join us as we explore hottopics that are rarely discussed
but can have a huge impact onyour life.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Okay, so number one, I think first off, it is to eat
simply, as in, food can be basic, simple, plant-based, which is
a really trendy word right now.
To say plant-based, yeah, Ijust mean like plants, things
you grow, because people inthese communities have to rely
(04:14):
on what grows locally as a foodsource, so it tends to be
obviously plant-based and verysimple.
They don't have big grocerystores, so they really truly had
to rely on what they grewlocally.
Also, I noticed there was nosingle magic food.
Sorry, kale, avocado, braziliannut, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
I wanna say, though, I just recently came from Japan
lucky me and I did seek out thatpurple sweet potato.
Oh, I'm sorry, I know there'sno magic food, but I wanted that
sweet potato.
I needed to incorporate them.
Yeah, I saw that in the episode.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
But it's the variety of plant-based foods.
I think, practically speaking,we like to go out and we enjoy a
really good meal.
We're foodies so, realisticallyspeaking, we're not gonna stop
eating out for fun.
But at home, maybe just besimple, like it doesn't need to
(05:17):
be complicated, farm to table,artisanal, like it can be basic
rice and lentils, rice and beans, roast, some sweet potatoes
with a little bit of cinnamonand salt, like a simple fruit
salad where you toss in a couplechickpeas.
It doesn't have to be gourmet,just they threw a lot of herbs
(05:38):
in it to make it taste better.
And Deon, I think I'm gonnastart posting some of my
plant-based meals or snacks onInsta.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Okay, cause I was gonna say a lot of what you just
said.
You already cook.
These are already in yourpersonal cookbook.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
I use this also.
I use my.
Insta pot all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Oh gosh, I love my Insta pot, yeah, I just throw
that on there steam stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
I make rice and you know I'm Indian, so a lot of
rice and vegetarian dishes, soI'm kind of used to not always
having meat.
But you know, I think over timewe can retrain our palates to
like real food and notartificially engineered foods,
which is definitely contributingto the obesity epidemic.
(06:23):
You know, and I also liked Ithink it was in Japan they had
that eight out of 10 rule whichmeans you stop eating when
you're comfortably full, likeeight out of 10, not when you're
stuffed, which I think iseasier to do with real food than
when you have like a bag oftackies or like hot Cheetos in
front of you, or pizza rolls,which were my favorite in
(06:46):
college.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
That eight out of 10, or eight out of 10 rule was big
for me because I feel like myeyes are way bigger than my
stomach and I tend to push thelimit.
So I definitely have beenthinking about that a lot more
lately since seeing that.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, I mean, I think that goes into another trend
that you hear of, which is likemindful eating.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
But it's that idea of just being aware, like if I'm,
am I actually full?
You know, I don't need to eattill feeling stuffed I can.
I think the rule is like if youcan get up and walk around or
go for a light jog, so to saylike you've eaten enough.
You know, maybe not a job but Isee you looking at me like
(07:27):
nobody's jogging.
Yeah Okay, um number two okay.
My number two takeaway was gomanual.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I, you know, we know this already.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
We've talked about this before.
Take the stairs, maybe try tohand wash dishes and dry them.
Carry your groceries, put awayyour groceries, take out your
trash.
Go for walks outside better yet, take a walk with a friend.
Again these blue zonecommunities don't have modern
luxuries, so they're grindingtheir own corn, washing their
(08:01):
own clothes, gardening in theiryard.
And you know again, practicallyspeaking, I am not going to
start hand washing my kidssoccer uniforms but, it's good
to acknowledge that our societyhas been engineered to keep us
pretty sedentary and isolatedfrom each other.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You know, we need cars to go everywhere and
machines to do our work, so it'slike we have to go out of our
way to incorporate exerciseflexibility and a range of
motion, Whereas thesecentenarians are just going
about doing their daily tasksand chores.
So it's inbuilt into theirlifestyle.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Right.
In fact, many of the chores aretraditionally done with other
people, like harvesting, cookingtogether or washing, because
it's hard work and easier to dowhen you do it in groups.
Ironically, while modernappliances take the hard work
out, they also make us too selfsufficient, less relying on each
(09:04):
other, and over time, we seeeach other less, not interacting
.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, and that has mental health repercussions.
You know we saw the extremeversion of that during COVID.
Groceries are getting deliveredto our doorstep door.
Dash Uber eats Like we don'tneed to go to the store anymore.
Here in Phoenix we have a newservice called Waymo.
Have you heard of that?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
No.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yeah, they're self driving cars, Okay.
Yeah, so it's kind of replacingUber and it's like we never
need to see people if we don'twant to.
And I get these things areconvenient, like they have their
place, but interactions withother people, even these small
interactions, matter.
(09:48):
They're incredibly important.
We are social beings.
We thrive in tribes, we alwayshave.
Yeah, we need to feel connection.
We actually will not survive inisolation.
You know, it made me think,deon.
We send our kids to preschoolnot because we're like trying to
teach them how to read andwrite.
(10:08):
We could do that at home.
The goal is for them to learnsocial skills.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
And you know, I think sometimes adults need to go
back to like preschool Preach,preach, get along, share.
Not everybody is going to beexactly like you or have your
opinions.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
That doesn't mean you can ignore them.
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Did you say use your time, yeah, well yeah, basics.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
We got to go back to the basics.
Use your words, kind RightHands to yourself.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Hands to yourself, that's a good one.
Okay, you can tell we havelittle kids.
Okay, number three, speaking ofall the socialization in
preschool, I think thatprioritizing time with other
people, like really carve outtime in your day or your
(11:07):
schedule for other people wehave this serious loneliness
epidemic in America.
You know the surgeon GeneralVivic Marty wrote an entire book
about this and in thatdocumentary I learned you know
it costs 15 years and lifeexpectancy in America,
loneliness.
You can't yeah, you can't take apill for that.
(11:29):
You can't buy your way out oftrue isolation and loneliness.
We really need to prioritizeliving near family and friends,
because life is hard and again,we survive in tribes.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
That's right.
In all the blue zones, thecentenarians had some sort of
social circle.
Some were organized aroundactivities like volunteering and
tennis.
Others were products ofclose-knit communities that
allowed for regular socialgatherings like wine.
I love, I loved that.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I know that's the example you picked.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
I love that In Nukoya they had, like this local
village bar that they would hangout in and I could be saying
this wrong, but I think it wasMoai in Okinawa where they had
these.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
I think it was Moai, the Moai Moai.
Yeah, I think it was Moai, yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I looked it up, the pronunciation I'm still getting
it wrong, but anyways.
But this was very importantbecause they have these
committed, close social circleswho pooled money in times of
hardships, so it's like a chosenfamily.
All the people in these zoneshad family close by, which is
different than most developednations, as you and I have
(12:43):
experienced.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
True.
I mean I think about when myparents' generation moved here
from India and I'm sure the sameis true for your parents moving
from Nigeria.
They went from an extendedfamily dynamic to living apart
from each other because theywere all trying to find places
to work and it wasn't easy forthem to be apart.
(13:07):
I experienced the same when Istarted working too, especially
as a mom when we had kids.
You're young, you're working.
Having my retired parentsaround was really helpful, and
what that documentary enforcedfor me was.
Now that my parents are aging,it's important to be close by to
(13:30):
help them with all their agingneeds.
I'm doing a lot more doctorappointments, things like that,
but having them around theirgrandchildren, it really
improves their own mental health.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, and I think even my kids younger kids just
need to know how to help takecare of elderly people and
understand that thesegrandparents and the elderly
people are actually a greatsource of wisdom and advice, and
so that intergenerationalrelationship adds a lot more
(14:07):
years to their age, which reallyis a win-win for everyone.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Yeah, I try to remind my parents of that.
You know when they're helpingme out.
You're going to live longer.
It's really good for my dad.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I say this understanding.
I am completely aware that somepeople don't have access to
their parents or their parentshave incredible challenges as
they age or you know, noteverybody obviously has the same
family dynamic and there'salways levels of dysfunction,
but it is helpful to have familyaround and even when you're
taking care of a family memberthat's difficult or they have
(14:45):
significant medical needs, themore people that are around to
help absorb you know that stressis helpful.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
It's mentally helpful .
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Absolutely so.
Now for our fourth takeaway youneed to have a purpose in life.
In Okinawa they had a strongsense of ikigai, which is their
reason for being.
Similarly, in Nikoia they weredriven by their plan de vida, or
reason to live.
In all the zones, faith playeda role in their sense of purpose
(15:16):
, especially in Ikaria and LomaLinda, where faith was central
to their purpose in life.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
I think in America and a lot of other places
happiness is often equated withwealth.
People spend their whole liveschasing that coin and we know
from extensive research thatafter a certain point wealth
doesn't make you happy, like theacquisition of more stuff
(15:44):
doesn't make you happy.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
And happiness is about finding ways to serve
others and build meaningfulconnections with your community,
and it was clear in thedocumentary that it's important
for people to feel needed andvaluable to others and have some
intrinsic purpose driving themdaily.
Okay, so, deon, I was thinkingabout this practically and I was
(16:09):
thinking.
One thought I had was to mentorsomeone or teach someone a skill
, because everyone has a skillthat they don't even realize
that they're good at.
It can be professionalmentoring If you're in a
profession, and for us ifsomebody's pre-med or whatever
(16:30):
that is, that's super helpful.
But it can be really simple asteaching somebody how to cook a
meal if you're a good cook.
I have a really good friendhere who asked me to show her
how to cook a healthy meal inexchange for her teaching me how
the machines work at the gym,because I have no clue,
seriously.
Or you know.
(16:52):
Tutor someone in anotherlanguage.
If you're bilingual or asubject area you're strong at it
, you know.
I once even had a friend teachme how to crochet a scarf.
Yeah, it was really basic.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
I want to learn that.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
But it was fun and I learned something.
I have another really goodfriend and he taught me how to
check all my tire pressures andlike how to do some basic auto
care, because I am thatstereotype where the dashboard
flashes the emojis and I had.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
No, yeah, I have no idea, yeah, and I'm just still
driving like Jesus kicking meout.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Totally, you would not see that exclamation point.
Yes, I'm like it's fine,everything's fine, but my point
is is that you are a great wellof knowledge?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
And so are the people around you, so ask for help
People actually like, sharingright.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Yeah, I know, and that's how you build your
relationships, your communities,your networks, which was key in
all of the blue zones, they hada community.
So I think that's a good, goodrecommendation.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, and hopefully you can learn something new,
yeah.
So for those of you who watchthe documentary, we want to know
what your takeaways were.
I want you to notice there wereno pills, special diets, fad
diets, exercise moves, or itwasn't about the latest medical
technology, that was mentioned.
(18:19):
In fact, it was just theopposite.
It was almost like rewind timeand let's go back to the basics.
And before someone jumps on us,I'm not saying no to modern
medicine and no to technology.
I'm just saying that sometimesKeep it simple.
(18:39):
Just keep it basic.
Prioritize eating more plants.
Incorporate movement ineveryday activity.
Things that you don't eventhink are exercise actually help
with our flexibility and rangeof motion.
Reach out to more friends andfamily and find ways to give
back to your community.
(19:00):
Share your skills, share yourknowledge.
Ask people for help.
They like to help, and if theydon't like to help, that's how
you know they're not a goodfriend.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
They're not in your community, that's right, exactly
.
And apparently all of this makesyou live longer and healthier.
So great takeaway, great.
So okay, guys, that's theoverview, and the documentary
was very insightful and providedactionable information you can
(19:33):
use to change your life.
Starting today, who knows,maybe you'll live to 100 as well
and start your own blue zone.
Sorry for the spoilers forthose who haven't watched it yet
, but trust us, we onlyscratched the surface.
So much more to learn.
We hope you enjoyed thisepisode.
For more Ivy drip, head to ourwebsite at theivydripco or
(19:53):
follow us on Instagram at theivydrip underscore podcast.
Email us with your thoughts andcomments about this documentary
at info at theivydripco, orsend us a DM.
Most importantly, don't forgetto subscribe to our podcast.
You can find it on allstreaming platforms.
Leave a review and spread thelove.
(20:14):
Bye.
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