COMM 430 class partners with Blue Zones Project to highlight fitness, healthy eating concepts campuswide
A UND communications class recently paired up with the Blue Zones Project, a nationwide initiative promoting healthy living that includes Grand Forks on its list of pilot communities.
Earlier this month, Emily Gibbens-Buteau, teaching assistant professor in the Department of Communication, and her COMM 430 class hosted an event in the Memorial Union titled “Live by 9 with Blue Zones.” The event had been created and organized by the class and the Blue Zones Project to promote wellness to students, Gibbens-Buteau said. It featured a variety of vendors and partners, free food samples from Crisp & Green — a new restaurant in Grand Forks serving salads, smoothies and grain bowls — plus activities, crafts and giveaways that had been lined up for attendees.
The event was meant to align with key points of the UND LEADS Strategic Plan, including experiential learning and community engagement on campus, Gibbens-Buteau said. And it came about because although the Blue Zones’ mission is well known across much of Grand Forks, UND students’ knowledge seemed low.
“Blue Zones is pretty new in the community, and we noticed that while a lot of people outside of UND knew about Blue Zones, UND students were still unaware of it,” she said. “We wanted to bring awareness to campus, and hopefully teach students about the various wellness practices of Blue Zones. We like the mission, and thought it fit well with students.”
The term “Blue Zone” was first introduced in 2004 by journalist Dan Buettner, who sought to understand why certain communities are home to an unusually large population of centenarians. After expeditions around the globe, Buettner and his team identified five locations they later dubbed the first Blue Zones. They include Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica, and Loma Linda, Calif.
The initiative was launched in Grand Forks in May 2022, and seeks to promote the nine pillars or “Power 9” of healthy living common to the original Blue Zones – the “Live by 9” referenced in Gibbens-Buteau’s event title. It has since expanded to partner with more than 78 cities nationwide.
The Blue Zone Project’s Power 9 are:
- Move naturally: Using one’s environment for physical activity — walking, swimming, gardening — is as beneficial as joining a fitness center.
- Sense of purpose: Have something that gets you up in the morning.
- Downshift: Implement a daily routine to de-stress.
- 80% Rule: Stop eating when your stomach feels 80% full.
- Plant Slant: Eat a diet rich in plant-based proteins, especially beans; and eat meat sparingly.
- Wine @ 5: Most adult residents of Blue Zones consume alcohol in moderation, in convivial settings with friends and family.
- Belong: Membership in faith-based organizations — regardless of denomination — is common among Blue Zone residents.
- Put your loved ones first: Those living in Blue Zones typically have multiple generations of family members residing nearby.
- Right Tribe: Quality social networks are key to longevity.
One way to move naturally is through yoga, according to Marquita Pokrzywinski, instructor at Zen River Yoga in East Grand Forks. Such exercise benefits both body and mind.
“Yoga is so good for your overall well-being,” she said. “There are different levels of classes, and at any level, it’s such a good benefit for your body from head to toe.”
Whitney Miller, marketing and engagement lead with Blue Zones Project – Grand Forks, added that incorporating the pillars of Power 9 into daily life is easier than one might think.
“We say that we impact the areas of people, place and policy,” said Miller. “We want to show that our Power 9 are easy and simple principles that we can adapt in our everyday lives.”
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