Blue Zones buyer's remorse

The rest of Blue Zone demonstration sites over 10,000 residents were announced Wednesday, including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Marion, Muscatine, Oskaloosa and Sioux City.

Those six join previously picked sites in Spirit Lake, Spencer, Algona, Mason City, Osage, Decorah, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Fairfield, Red Oak, Woodbine, Harlan and Audubon. More sites representing smaller populations will be announced in coming years.

In 2011, Gov. Terry Branstad suddenly became Michelle Obama-enthusiastic about fitness and health, and began a quest to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016. However, Vermont has held that spot for six years in a row and doesn't appear to be giving it up anytime soon.

Sponsored by Healthways and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, sites across the state receive "$2.5 million of expertise" while replicating Blue Zones guru Dan Buettner's commandments of healthy living that are supposed to cut down healthcare costs and extend residents' lives.

Admittably, the project was slick and flashy when first announced, but buyer's remorse is starting to set in.

Demonstration sites receive "$2.5 million in expertise," but someone has yet to explain to me what exactly that expertise is and why it is "worth" that much.

With Iowans' Blue Cross premiums set to skyrocket while the company rakes in profits and its CEO continuing to receive comfortable, multi-million dollar bonuses, it would be a better move to give back to cities and customers by providing $2.5 million cash to nudge citizens towards healthy behaviors. In Storm Lake, that might mean making the town more pedestrian-friendly, with wider sidewalks, bike lanes or an extended Lake Trail.

Our own Trails Advisory Council continues to explore the possibility of creating a state-wide bike trail system. As shown by other neighboring counties, the whole process will likely take decades, due to sheer cost and planning logistics. A check for $2.5 million would certainly speed the process up.

But with so many local short and long-term projects underway, taking the time to re-vamp Storm Lake's application a second time just wasn't in the cards.

Do we need Storm Lake to be a Blue Zones site? It's nice recognition, but not exactly necessary. The "Start Somewhere" mile walks held for the past two years are a good start that could be continued on a regular basis, and community members with a green thumb could help establish a communal garden, with minimal expense.

Do we really need to devote so much time and effort into a vague program whose secrets aren't really that secret at all? Healthy diet, exercise, time with family and friends, volunteerism and ample sleep isn't exactly rocket science.