The Power of Community

We live in a hustle bustle world where it is easy to lose connections to those around us. We wake up, check our phones, turn on the news, ask Alexa the weather and proceed to rush through our morning routine in order to get to work, school, or whatever else is on our plate.  After a busy day, we return home and retreat to a quiet place to “decompress” with games on our computer or phone, social media, television, etc. According to the American College of Pediatricians, “One third of families with 11- to 18-year-olds eat one or two meals a week at most together.” They also report that the experience at the meal table has also declined in quality with the increase in distractions such as television watching, Smartphone apps, text messaging, and telephone conversations.

In the blue zones, the areas of the world where people live the longest, there are a few things that have been noted in their lifestyle that sets them apart from the typical American. Dan Buettner discovered these blue zones and has studied and written extensively about them. He found that in each of these areas, the people eat a mostly plant based diet, they drink a lot of water, coffee or tea, they walk a lot throughout the day, but, most of all, they have a strong sense of community. They wake up with a strong sense of purpose, no matter where they fall in the spectrum of age, and they have social/community built into every day. They eat communal meals, they walk and talk together, they have a strong support system and they have a strong sense of community.  “The option to be lonely shaves eight years off life expectancy here”, says Buettner about life in the US.

There are many ways to create a stronger sense of community in your own world. Taking a vacation from social media for a period of hours, days or weeks is one. Find a friend or two to walk with in the evening. This not only helps to create community, but has the added benefit of getting you moving more. Get involved in something that you are passionate about.  You will meet others with the same passion. Work toward eating meals with your family 7-10 times per week. Invite friends over at least once per week. This could be for a shared meal, or just to sit and talk. We are social creatures, we must feed this part of ourselves as well as our stomachs. When we do eat, remember to aim for a diet of whole, unprocessed foods with lots of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains and healthy fats. If you focus on what healthy foods we are adding to our diets, we automatically eat less of the foods that are not as healthy for us. I do not eat an entirely plant based diet, but, I do focus on trying to get as many vegetables of varying colors into my diet each and every day, preferably with friends!

Action items for chronically great health:

1. Limit your use of social media as it distracts from important face to face contact

2. Move your body every day, preferably with a friend

3. Get involved

4. Aim to eat 7-10 meals per week with your family

5. Invite friends over for meals or just to spend time

6. Focus on adding healthy foods to your diet