Page 20 - Landscape SA 100

LANDSCAPING FEATURE

A hospital garden in Harrismith uses nature as a healing element for patients

• move naturally – through walking or
light tasks daily such as tending a garden;
• purpose – the Okinawans call it ‘ikigai’
and the Nicoyans call it ‘plan de vida’.
Knowing why you wake up in the
morning makes you healthier, happier
and adds up to seven years of extra life
expectancy;
• down shift – stress is part of life, but
blue zone centenarians have stress-
relieving rituals built into their daily
routines. Adventists pray, Ikarians nap
and Sardinians do happy hour;
• 80% rule – people in blue zone areas
stop eating when their stomachs are
80% full and eat their smallest meal in
the early evening;
• plant slant – beans are the cornerstone of
most centenarian diets. Vegetables, fruit
and whole grains round out the rest of the
diet and meat is eaten in small amounts;
• wine at five – moderate but regular
consumption of wine, with friends and/
or food, is part of the blue zone lifestyle;
• belong – being part of a faith-based
community adds four to 14 years of life
expectancy;
• loved ones first – having close and
strong family connections with
An interactive bamboo maze for children’s play allows them to experience nature spouses, parents, grandparents and

18 Landscape SA • Issue 100 2021