Centenarian Secrets: Live a long life

The fountain of youth might not have so much to do with a holy grail as it does what you put in that grail. Learn the secrets to a long and happy life.

I recently read an article about a woman who had just married for the second time. She said that this time she had robbed the cradle. Her new husband was only 86 years old, and she was 107! Her new beau said, “She never acted like an old lady,” and she bragged that she felt like a teenager.

With current life expectancy in the U.S. at an average of 78.7 years, I was interested in what accounts for some people living, and living well, way beyond that.

I then read about another woman who took up white water rafting in her 90s.

There was a man that at 107 still lived in his three story home, going up and down the stairs many times a day, cooking, shoveling snow, chopping wood, mowing, hunting, fishing, and driving his own car. At 112 he was still hiking ½ a mile a day.

I read of a 4’ 10”, 97 lb. lady that at 105 yrs. was still competing in the Senior Olympics. She holds the World Record for the shot putt for her age group.

After some study I found that those who live beyond 100 years of age do have a secret, and it is one that they are anxious to share. Maybe it’s because they want the company.

There are a couple of advantages that these senior-senior citizens mentioned that we can’t do much about. Genetics is one; some families just seem to have better DNA when it comes to longevity. Fortune is another; almost humbly, many of these centenarians acknowledged that long life is partly being lucky.

Virtually without exception, the savvy social security recipients say that diet is supremely important, yet surprisingly simple. They don’t have long list of pills, potions, or prescriptions. They merely partake from a menu of pretty ordinary foods. There was a theme to their advice: “Fill your plate with plants.”

Attitude, or what I like to call spirit, is huge. These 100-plus-year olders are optimists, they’re upbeat, and they’re not complainers. They are happy, grateful, trusting, and have a habit of looking on the bright side.

They have an active sense of humor. They smile, laugh, and have fun.

They have a great support system. Family and friends are important, and they love to socialize.

They exercise their brain and brawn. They love to be active, love to work, read, and enjoy listening to music. They’re participants in life, not spectators.

A few months ago, I viewed a TV news special that claimed they had found the healthiest, longest living people on Earth; it’s the people of the small Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The average age at death is 100 which is 20 years more than the U.S. It’s not due to modern hospitals, skilled doctors, or plentiful medications, which they have almost none of. The study found that they had low blood pressure, low cholesterol, and almost a complete absence of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. The Sardinian diet is almost entirely plant-based, especially heavy on beans, only having meat about twice per month, and that is usually chicken. They continue to stay active, walking an average of six to eight miles a day. They joke that they live until they die.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to move to Sardinia, just follow their motto: “Work hard, play hard, rest well, eat wisely, laugh often, love deeply and forgive quickly.”

Read more about the key to long life!