Live Better, Longer

Hilton Head Health gives travelers and wellness seekers a destination to write home about

When my plane touched down at the Savannah-Hilton Head airport, my brown suede shoes were still flecked with the ice-shedding salt they’d picked up in New York City earlier that day. After deplaning, I crammed my heavy winter coat in my luggage, knowing it would not be needed for the next week. Hilton Head Health (H3) was calling and I was giddy to get there. 

An hour shuttle-ride later, I arrived at the H3 property, stood beneath the Spanish-moss laden oaks and audibly exhaled. Here I would be immersed in the property’s new signature Blue Zones program—the first of its kind offered in the United States—and I was eager to not only learn something new but for the promised reset. For the next several days, I would engage in classes dedicated to learning about the characteristics common in areas across the globe where residents often live to age 100 and beyond. 

Where people live better, longer

Twenty-five years ago, National Geographic writer Dan Buettner and his team identified five locales where a combination of lifestyle choices promote longevity: Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California. Beyond healthy eating, daily movement and a commitment to meaningful downtime, Buettner found these communities also prized connection, community, and having a sense of purpose. When married together, the components lend themselves to an environment where residents “live better, longer.” 

Since that initial Nat Geo story, there have been Blue Zones documentaries, self-help books, cookbooks, and immersive retreats offered at Blue Zones sites to foster the ethos. But this H3 retreat makes the ideals more accessible, to put into practice in daily life.

Incorporating Blue Zones, without the passport

I’ll readily admit that I had been coming to the island of Hilton Head for years but was unfamiliar with this coastal health and wellness destination. I learned that for fifty years, Hilton Head Health has been offering their guests the space and place to reset their own health journeys, in measurable and impactful ways. When the current H3 owner, Kevin Carter, was attending a conference with a Blue Zones board member, he knew immediately that he wanted to offer this dedicated programming to the resort’s schedule. After all, the existing H3 framework was already supporting many of the Blue Zones “Power 9 Principles” in their regular programming. 

There were only six of us taking part in the new Blue Zones class but the resort was filled with returning guests who have been coming here for years for the curated menus and a bevy of fitness classes offered daily. That first night at dinner, one such guest, Marian, enthusiastically shared “This is my happy place. I look forward all year to coming back.” She was traveling solo—confiding this was more her jam than her husband’s—but she was already glowing with anticipation about the week ahead. 

As a first-time visitor myself, I asked what her favorite parts were: “Oh my gosh! You have to do the morning beach walks. And I love the classes in the heated pool. And…” Her enthusiasm was only cut off by another diner telling me what they loved most about H3: sisters, best friends, couples, other solo travelers—all returning to their own personal health and wellness mecca. 

Putting relaxation into practice

My private room came with blackout shades, which tried to silence my 6:15 a.m. alarm; but I rose nonetheless, throwing on some leggings and a sweatshirt to meet the group for that beach walk. It was still dark as we clutched our coffees and loaded up in the van to make the short drive. By the time we ambled down the boardwalk, the sun was just starting to make its appearance and we each set off in different directions. I am a seeker and collector by nature, so coming across sand dollars and starfish on the shoreline reminded me of the healing power of nature, right there at my feet. The deep exhalations of relaxation were becoming routine already, most welcomed in my otherwise frenetic life.

Back at the resort, we shared meals in the dining room: “Is this seat taken? May I join you?” was heard all around as we made new friends. As one might expect at a health and wellness destination, the menus came with calorie and protein counts beside each item, but we could order anything we wanted: poached eggs with a side of housemade salsa over sweet-potato hash and avocado toast with smoked salmon? Yes please.

The Power 9 Principles

Monday morning, I joined my fellow Blue Zones friends in the classroom for the first module of the programming. Each day, we engaged in two-hour sessions dedicated to the Longevity Mindset (how to move, nourish and restore); Connection (nurturing your relationships); and the Right Outlook (your path to purpose). 

Having shed over 40 pounds five years ago, I feel like I have the healthy eating and movement parts down pat. And suddenly, but happily, single after 23 years of marriage, I have curated a life replete with connection. But I confess I was anxious about the section on finding one’s purpose. The night before that class, I lay awake in bed, thinking “what is the point of living to age 100 if I don’t know my purpose?” I had some trepidation and honestly, prepared myself for some tears that might come. But as I came to discover, the beauty of Hilton Head Health is that at the core of everything they do is affirmation and empowerment: come as you are but leave as a better version of yourself.

At the end of the week, I hugged my new friends good-bye, many of whom were staying on for an additional week or two. Bundled up—steeling myself for the cold weather awaiting at home—I climbed into the airport shuttle. I felt a bit taller and leaner for sure. And, most definitely, filled with purpose. 

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about the author

Curious, adventurous and free to move about the cabin, Christiana Roussel is a Birmingham-based podcaster, editor and award-winning food, travel, and lifestyle writer. Her writing work has appeared nationally in Palomino County, Garden & Gun, Covey Rise, Good Grit, Shooting Sportsman, The Local Palate, Veranda, Flower Magazine as well as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Birmingham Home & Garden and other regional publications. She is the host of the ”Red Fox on the Run” podcast. Christiana is also a proud member of the Birmingham chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier as well as the Industry Advisory Board of Auburn University’s Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management.