‘Blue Zone’ for aspiring centenarians

BLUE Zone near NUVALI. Saujana is a 16-hectare sprawl of hilly land in Silang, Cavite just 30 minutes down from Tagaytay City, off the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

You’ve heard of Green Zones, places where human developments have been executed in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. Now we have a “Blue Zone,” a place where human developments are not only in harmony with nature, but in synchronicity with the wellness of its inhabitants, as well.

In Blue Zones, it would be typical for humans to live to their 80s, 90s and even to their centenaries healthier and happier. Loma Linda in California, Okinawa in Japan, and the Italian island of Sardinia are just some examples of Blue Zones.

Here in the Philippines, a group plans to replicate the Blue Zone. And it has found what it considers the ideal place—a 16-hectare sprawl of hilly land in Silang, Cavite—just 30 minutes down from Tagaytay City, off the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. The site, the group observed, enjoys temperatures two degrees lower than the average in the lowlands.

The project, called Saujana Premiere, was introduced to the media Jan. 8 at the site’s clubhouse. And unlike the usual site launches where real estate developers trumpet construction highlights of the development, a team of medical doctors, wellness experts and plant-based nutritionists greeted members of the press as well as prospective property owners.

For retirement-age citizens

The team explained the crux of Saujana Premiere: a place for retirement-age citizens to live in an environment and a lifestyle infused with holistic wellness practices with round-the-clock professional guidance.

AILEEN de Guzman lectures on, and shows examples of superfoods for ‘super health’. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

According to the team, Saujana Premiere would be the first in the country with complete health facilities, natural therapies and services with 25 hotel rooms, spa facilities and gym. It would have low-lying buildings for an unobstructed view of nature. Herbal gardens and trees would blend with the community, which will engage in various exercise and recreational activities. The community would provide support and nurture the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of members and encourage independence in personal choices for daily living.

The team of health experts—whose objective would be to maintain a stress-free, toxic-free environment—ultimately aims for the community members to all reach their 100th birthday.

But to achieve this, the team said, it would require 24/7 maintenance of healthy lifestyles and happy dispositions.

The team stressed that prospective residents need to be screened first by the group before they would be allowed to be part of this community. Individuals who are not willing to cooperate with the team need not bother to come, medical director Virginia Jean Alva said.

Location

Saujana Premiere is located just across international educational institution Adventist University of the Philippines (which will also soon have its own international hospital). Saujana is 45 km south of Makati, 30 minutes from Asian Hospital in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Tagaytay Resorts, and the springs of Los Baños, Laguna.

It’s an hour’s drive from the Ninoy Aquino International airports, and five minutes away from Nuvali in Sta. Rosa.

Medi-spa hotel, residences

BLUE Zone proponents. Medical director Alva, and PCK Trade and Realty Corp president Ao. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

The Saujana Premiere Spa Residences of PCK Trade and Realty Corp. and Saujana Realty Corp. is a first-class medi-spa hotel and residential area. The project espouses active senior living, and is comprised of a first-class medi-spa and hotel facilities, physical rehabilitation facilities and active seniors’ village and corporate housing. The village offers entertainment amenities, including a fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment and swimming pool. Residents and guests can watch a movie, take a dance class, enjoy a lecture or take a trip or visit local attractions with neighbors.

The village clubhouse, the centerpiece of Saujana Spa Residences, offers numerous activities and programs all year long. It provides excellent venues for community events as well as private parties. The stylish interior décor accentuates the large space.

The housing structures in earth colors that deflect heat is planned to consume minimal electricity and generate maxi  mum comfort. The structural designs on the model home units—detached and cluster units—have high ceilings and cross ventilation. Herbs that deter pesky insects, as well as provide antioxidants such as Ashitava spinach, were already planted on the lots. Hotel guests can pick their herb leaves on the herb garden beside the hotel doors.

The design of the entire village is conducive for walking and jogging, and the hilly terrain provides natural resistance training to improve the individual’s cardiovascular efficiencies and tone up the muscles.

THE STRUCTURAL designs on the model home units—detached and cluster units—have high ceilings and cross ventilation. Photo by Tessa R. Salazar

For active senior citizens

Priority candidates for this retirement village would be senior citizens (65 and up who have expressed a desire to live their sunset years in the fresh, open expanse of the mountain slopes of Silang, Cavite—away from the congested, polluted and crime-ridden urban concentrations. Saujana Premiere also eyes empty nesters and balikbayans who feel they would experience difficulties adjusting to life in their home provinces or cities, and would rather live in a community with like-minded neighbors in First World living facilities.

Eping Ao, president of PCK and the project proponent, said that retirement living is not new.

“This is what they do in Sun City in Arizona and Florida, wherein active seniors live together. Why? They need companionship and social life. It has been proven with all the research studies, that if a person lives alone, his will to live (diminishes). The purpose in life (fades). At age 30 to 50 you’re still full of energy. By the time you’re 65, you’re out of energy, and unless the energy is rejuvenated, you pass away early. So community living will prolong your life. And hopefully in a place like this, the community living will enhance the extended life. This is our concept,” Ao explained to Inquirer Property.

Ao added that the facilities, furthermore, will offer medical integrative medicine.

“Why integrative medicine? Seniors don’t want to take pills and strong medicines anymore, but they go herbal and do exercises, the key to healthy life and companionship. Look at the Blue Zone ideas: diet, family life, community living—a lot of these things we want to put together so the seniors will have a pleasant place to stay,” Ao said.

Alva, who has planted several kinds of herbs in the Saujana garden herself, said the project’ aims to instill a more proactive attitude toward health among members of the community.

“When we (interact with patients) in Saujana, we are going to incorporate certain learnings. That’s why we have the ongoing seminars because you need to undergo a paradigm shift to understand wellness and prevention.”

Her mantra: There’s no place for stress in the community because stress kills and makes one age prematurely.