SUBJECT: STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT WORKERS

INSTRUCTOR: DR CECILIA NOBLE

DATE: 04 OCTOBER 2023

COMMENT ON LIVE TO 100: SECRETS OF THE BLUE ZONES

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones is a Netflix documentary focused on
longevity of humans. Dan Buettner, in collaboration with the National Geographic, visits
Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Nicoya,
Costa Rica, herein referred as Blue Zones, to learn about the secrets of the people who
live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives.
This Netflix documentary have four (4) episodes. I focused more on Episode 2: An
Unexpected Discovery, where Dan Buettner went to Sardinia, Italy and Loma Linda,
California.
The elderly people in Sardinia, Italy are exercising daily without them realizing it.
Considering the steepness of the streets and the multiple stories of houses in Sardinia,
Italy, people, including the elders, are walking, or running while exerting additional energy
expenditure to their destination, be it in church or at work, or going home. Aside from daily
exercise, people of Sardinia, Italy have healthy diet. Their main diet includes homemade
sourdough with lactobacillus in it, and fresh vegetables. Men of Sardinia have their own
jobs. Most of them are shepherd. They are working without stressing themselves.
Although stress is part of their daily lives, they know how to control it. The last, but not the
least, factor that contributes to the longevity of elderly people in Sardinia is their outsized
reverence for the family. There are no nursing homes, or what we call “home for the aged”
here in our country, in Sardinia, Italy. Instead, the family members and the community
take care of the elders.
In Sardinia, Italy, most of elderly people are aged 92-94. Centenarian Sardinians
who passed away had and average lifespan of 103 years.
On the latter part of the episode, Dan Buettner visited the Seventh-Day Adventist
community in Loma Linda, California, after studying the Adventist Health Study. Based
on research, Adventists in Loma Linda, California lives longer than other Californians,
with an additional 7.3-year life expectancy at age 30 in males, and 4.3 years in females.
In this community, people do exercises, and they stick to their daily routine. To add,
volunteering in their activities that helps them sharpen their memory. The most important
element in their longevity is their community itself.
While only watching the Episode 2, I can say that if we adopt the lifestyle of people
of Sardinia, Italy and the Seventh-Day Adventist Community in Loma Linda, California,
we can also attain longevity. In our country, stress is a part of our daily lives. Although
compared to other countries, our stress levels are higher, there are ways to conquer such
stress. Other than handling stress, we should also consider exercising, have a healthy
diet, and build a strong community that supports each other in many ways. Dr. Mithu
Storoni said that although stress is beneficial to people on some event, prolonged
exposure to stress, such beneficial effects of stress become negative. Dr. Storoni added
that one way that stress becomes beneficial to us is if we overcome it by active coping.

NAME: TROI BULALACAO, GIELDAN G.

CLASS: CIC CL 976-2023