Blue Zones Project Riverside's Community Engagement Lead, Grace Manzo, leads a cooking demonstration of white bean pozole verde at the Arlanza Community Garden in partnership with the Riverside Community Health Foundation and Love Riverside at the Harvest Festival on Nov. 8, 2025. (Courtesy Blue Zones Project Riverside)
At a recent cooking demonstration in Riverside, the lesson went both ways. Blue Zones Project Riverside staff had partnered with Love Riverside to distribute bags of fresh ingredients alongside a live demo of white bean pozole verde—a hearty, plant-forward spin on the traditional Mexican soup. Attendees sampled the finished dish.
"I loved hearing from the attendees about their own cooking tips," said Erin Edwards, executive director of Blue Zones Project Riverside. "When they've made pozole in the past, what ingredients they enjoy, what makes the recipe special for them, what tips they have."
It became less a demonstration and more an exchange—exactly the kind of intergenerational, community-centered moment that Blue Zones principles are built around.
"It's a good reminder that we all have so much to learn from each other," Edwards said. "And that connects to the holiday time, because we're with our family. It's a great time to pass on recipes and to learn from each other—not just how to cook food, but stories of family lore and make new memories together."
Blue Zones Project Riverside is wrapping up its first eight months since the official May kickoff, having reached thousands of residents through cooking demos, purpose workshops, exercise groups, and school walking programs. As the initiative heads into the year's final weeks, Edwards shared how Riversiders can carry Blue Zones principles—the "Power 9" practices from the world's longest-lived communities—into the holiday season.
Move naturally, even when routines fall apart
Of all nine principles, Edwards said moving naturally might be the hardest to maintain during the holidays—but also the easiest to achieve with some intention.
"When it's not a holiday season, I have my own exercise routine. I go out for a walk almost every morning," she said. "And then in the holiday time, when kids aren't in school, they aren't in daycare, when we're hosting family, that routine gets interrupted. And I find that I'm missing those opportunities to get out for a walk or take some time to myself."
Edwards, who often walks or bikes to the Blue Zones office downtown, said the key is reframing movement as something fun and social rather than another obligation.
"It can be just as fun to go on a walk in Citrus State Park with your family, or walk to the Festival of Lights, as it can be to sit together around a meal," she said. "And there's time for all of that."
Practical suggestions: Park farther from downtown during busy Festival of Lights evenings. Go ice skating. Take a family hike in Sycamore Canyon. Decorate the house—you'd be surprised how many steps come from trips to and from the storage closet.
Friends at five, not just wine at five
One Blue Zones principle is "Wine at Five"—a nod to moderate, social drinking in some of the world's longevity hotspots. But Edwards offered a reframe that cuts to the principle's actual substance.
"We could just as easily say 'Friends at Five,'" she said. "The real benefit is that people are coming together at the end of a day to debrief, tell stories, check in on each other. The core of it is coming together and talking to each other regularly."
During the holidays, Edwards noted, even that regular connection can get disrupted as daily rhythms give way to parties and special occasions that may center heavily on alcohol.
"Drinking in moderation is the key. All things in moderation," she said. "And then making sure that if you are consuming alcohol, that you're finding ways to get home safely."
For Edwards, that safety advice ties directly to longevity.
"We are a project about longevity. We want everyone to live to 100 and beyond and to have a healthy life," she said. "One way to ensure that is getting home safely after a party where you might be drinking alcohol."
Options include walking home if possible, using a rideshare, finding a designated driver, or taking advantage of Riverside Transit Agency's reduced and free fares over the New Year's holiday.
For those facing loneliness, start small
The holidays can sharpen feelings of isolation for people who are grieving, living independently, or lacking strong family connections. Edwards acknowledged that advice like "Loved Ones First" may feel unrealistic—even painful—for some.
"Many people are struggling with loneliness, not only in the city but in the nation," she said. "And we know that loneliness is just as harmful to a person's health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day," according to the National Institute on Aging.
For people already feeling lonely, the holiday season can make things worse.
"It might be unrealistic to say, 'Today I feel lonely and tomorrow I'm going to participate in a great big party with lots of people,'" Edwards said. "That can feel overwhelming."
Her advice: start with one person, ideally around a shared interest.
"Look into coffee shops like Back to the Grind that have open mic nights, or that often have groups focused around interests," she suggested. "Or the Janet Goeske Senior Center that has knitting groups. Or Inlandia Institute that has writing groups. Think about what you love to do and put yourself in a space where other people might be doing those things too. And start there."
Edwards also pointed to faith communities in Riverside that host "Blue Christmas" services—gatherings that acknowledge not everyone feels festive and that grief and sadness don't pause for the season.
"It's an acknowledgment that not everyone is feeling happy, that many people are triggered in this time with sad memories, and it's not good to sit with those memories alone," she said.
Purpose over resolutions
As conversations turn to New Year's resolutions, Edwards suggested a different approach rooted in another Blue Zones principle: purpose.
"If you're a person for whom resolutions haven't really resonated, but you want to think about what your greater purpose on this planet is, this could be a great time to ask yourself some of these bigger questions," she said.
The holidays offer a natural opportunity—time with family who've known you across different phases of life, moments for reflection, space to think about what's working and what isn't.
Blue Zones staff recently worked through a set of five reflection questions that Edwards said could translate well to holiday conversations:
What do you want to keep? What's working that you want to protect going forward?
What do you want to cut? What drains you that you're willing to stop or reduce?
What do you want to add? What would make your days feel more human?
What's one practice that would help everything else?
What's the smallest version of this you can do in your hardest week?
"I love that last one," Edwards said. "The 'make it real' piece."
Looking ahead
Blue Zones Project Riverside is now more than a year into the overall initiative and eight months into its official first year of community programming. Edwards expressed gratitude to the project's sponsors and to Riverside residents for engaging with the work.
"We're just grateful to the community for allowing us to walk alongside and support and do this work," she said.
For those inspired to learn more, Blue Zones Project Riverside can be found online and on social media @bzpriverside.
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