How Albert Lea became a model for longevity
When Albert Lea, Minnesota, embraced the Blue Zones Project, the goal was simple: to help people live longer, healthier lives. For UMRA’s March 18 Living Well Workshop, Cathy Malakowsky, director of the city's Blue Zones Project Leadership Team, shared how this initiative transformed the community. She shared the inspiring story of how Albert Lea embraced lifestyle changes to improve health and longevity.
Drawing from the research of Dan Buettner, who identified places around the globe where people live the longest and gave those places the name Blue Zones, Albert Lea became a Blue Zones community by focusing on practical, everyday improvements—enhancing walkability, promoting plant-based eating, and strengthening social connections. “Small, intentional changes can have a huge impact,” Malakowsky said.
View the slides and video recording of the webinar to learn more.
One of the most significant factors in longevity, she noted, is having a sense of purpose. “People who have a reason to wake up in the morning live longer,” she emphasized. The results in Albert Lea have been remarkable, with residents reporting better health and stronger community bonds.
Albert Lea’s journey serves as a compelling model for other communities. By fostering well-being at the local level, the city proves that healthier, longer lives are within reach through simple, intentional choices.
The workshop highlighted nine shared traits for healthy living:
- Move naturally
- Know your purpose
- Downshift
- 80% rule
- Plant slant
- Friends at 5/Wine at 5
- Loved ones first
- Belong
- Inner circle
Thanks to UMRA Program Committee member Ron Matross, who nominated and recruited Cathy Malakowsky and worked with her on the details of her presentation.
—AI-generated transcription of the Zoom webinar was condensed by Diane Young, UMRA president-elect and Program Committee chair, and edited for clarity and length
Building a Blue Zones community: Lessons from Albert Lea
Tue, March 18, 2025, at 11am
Cathy Malakowsky
Director of Engagement and Enrichment
City of Albert Lea
Event to be held via Zoom.
Minnesota native and world explorer Dan Buettner has famously identified places where people live the longest, and has studied the ways in which their communities support healthy living. He has called these places “Blue Zones” and has written several best-selling books about how to adapt Blue Zones practices to live longer and better.
In 2009, Albert Lea became the pilot project for adopting Blue Zones strategies to improve a whole community’s well-being. Based on its success, Albert Lea became the first Blue Zones certified community in the United States in 2016. Since then, the Blue Zones Project has expanded to more than 70 communities across North America, impacting more than 4.35 million people and producing double-digit drops in obesity and smoking, among other health and well-being improvements.
Cathy Malakowsky, the guest speaker for UMRA’s March 18 Living Well Workshop, is the Blue Zones Project lead in Albert Lea. She will explain the changes that this southern Minnesota community implemented, the results so far, and new projects in the works.
Malakowsky is director of engagement and enrichment for the city of Albert Lea, overseeing communications, recreation, and the public library in addition to the Blue Zones Project Leadership Team.
A graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, she has 35 years of professional experience in communications and management. Before joining the Albert Lea Senior Management Team, she worked as the communications lead for water programs at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for 13 years.
Register today for this free Zoom webinar starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 18.
If you would like to submit a question in advance, please email me at [email protected].
—Ron Matross, UMRA Program Committee
Upcoming Events
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The UMRA Book Club will discuss The Great River by Boyce Upton when it meets via Zoom on June 20.
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Catch up with friends and former colleagues, meet new UMRA members, enjoy delicious food, and participate in the third annual UMRA Summer Social Quiz at the Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 25.