How to really live and be well till 120
So you want to live to be 100?Live right, and you might be one. Although many people think longevity is all about the genes, it's really one quarter about the genes and three quarters about lifestyle, says Steven Ausland, author of the book "Why We Age."
He believes the person is alive today who will be the first human to live to 150. The record so far is Jeanne Calment of Arles, France, a wealthy woman who never had to work. She died in 1997 at 122 years, 5 months and 14 days.
Her Advice? "Always keep your smile>"
Read on and find more tips for how to live to 100, including ones from those already at the party.
20 Tips for Living to 1001. Be positive. Cheerful, optimistic people decrease their risk of early death and poor health by 50 percent over sourpusses, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic.
2. Learn to manage your stress. Stress can damage your health, from your heart to your digestive system. Figure out the best way to manage it, be it exercise, yoga, meditation or eliminating the causes of stress.
3. Learn to say No. If you don't want to do it, if it's going to stress you out, then just say no. You can't do everything, and you can't always make everyone happy.
4. Dance, sing Find something that makes you feel euphoric, and then do it, and keep on doing it. Dancing is great exercise, too.
5. Be smart about what -- and how much -- you eat. We'll keep saying it until you die. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat and fries. And when you're full, stop eating.
6. Execise. If you can't manage 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise, then do what you can. Just start, then work to make it regular.
7. Exercise your brain. It needs exercise just as your body does. Solve puzzles, take classes, play chess or bridge, learn to play instrument. Retain your curiosity. Never stop learning.
8. Stay active. Get out of that chair and off the couch. Go for a walk, go to the mall. When the weather gets better work in the garden, mow your lawn.
9. Stay Connected. Maintain a network of friends. Be friendly with your neighbors. Isolation leads to depression.
10. Read a newspaper. This may seem self-serving, coming from us, but there's no better, easier way of finding out what's going on, of staying interested and involved, than the newspaper.
11. Quit smoking. How many times do you have to read or hear that smoking can kill you? Just stop.
12. Drink in moderation. Studies have shown that a glass of red wine or ale every day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
13. Get, or stay, thin. Researches have extended the lives of laboratory animals by drastically reducing calorie intake. They say thinner is better if you want to live to 100.
14. Limit exposure to the sun. The sun will not only wrinkle your skin, but it also can cause skin cancer, and that can kill you.
15. Find a good doctor and get regular checkups. Preventive medicine, including follow-up tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies, are your best bet for catching potential fatal diseases in their early, and treatable, stages.
16. Keep track of your medications -- and take them. If you're having trouble keeping them straight, then let someone help you. Don't be stubborn. If you can take your medications, then you'll have a better chance of remaining in your own home. If you can't, then somebody's going to force you into assisted living.
17. Dump the dead wood. Hang out with cheerful people; grouches bring you down.
18. Get a pet. Pets keep you smiling and can keep you active. They're good company, too. But don't forgo the human contact.
19. Learn how to use a computer. Web sites such as AARP"S (http://www.aarp.org/) are loaded with information about health, fitness, money and food. Just don't sit too long in front of computer.
20. Remember it's never too late. No matter how old you are, you can benefit from a healthier lifestyle.
5 BONUS TIPS:1. Throw out bad memories. Hold on to only the good ones, says Ethel Wilson, 100 a resident of The Glen at Hiland Meadows, an asiisted-living facility in Queensbury.
I think the longer we're happy, the longer we'll live," she says. "I couldn't be happier. I go to bed every night the same way: I've ahd a good day."
2. Love people, Wilson says. Make new friend. "I can hug'em as fast as I can say hello," she says.
3. Look on the bright side. Don't complain, says Mary Horton, 101, a resident of the Beverwyck assisted-living facility in Slingerland. Just take life as it comes, the best you can," she says.
4. "Don't smoke. Don't drink. Don't stay up late at night watching TV," says Ethel Yarbrough, 100, who lives with her son Roland in Saratoga Springs.
"And sing and pray. I pray all the time, thanking God for everythings He's done for me." In a low, quiet voice, she starts singing: "O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, because He loved me first."
5. Be lucky. Our three Centenarians say they never planned on living to 100. Wilson even smoked most of her life." I don't know what I did to be 100," Horton says. " I never thought about it. Then all of a sudden, here I am."
(from: New York Times News Service)
