So you want to live to be 100? Join the party. And quite a party it’s getting to be. An estimated 73,764 Americans were 100 or older in 2004, according to the US Census Bureau. And that’s a whole lot more than there used to be and a whole lot less than there’s going to be. There were about 3,000 centenarians in the US in 1950 and 37,306 in 1990. The US Census Bureau estimates that there will be 1.1 million in 2050. Live right and you might be one.
Longevity is ? about your genes and ? about lifestyle, says Steven Austad, one of the country’s foremost experts on aging and author of the book, Why We Age. He believes the person is alive today who will be the first human to live to 150.
20 Tips for Living to 100
1. Be positive. Cheerful, optimistic people decrease their risk of early death and poor health by 50% over sourpusses, according to researchers at 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. Look out for number one (without being a jerk, of course).
4. Dance, sing. Find something that makes you feel euphoric, and then do it, and keep doing it. Dancing is great exercise too.
5. Be smart about and and how much you eat. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less red meat and fries. And when you’re full, stop eating.
6. Exercise. 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 an 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, 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. There is no better, easier way of finding out what’s going on, of staying interested and involved.
11. Quit smoking. How many times do you have to read or hear that smoking can kill you? Just stop. Please.
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. Researchers have extended the lives of laboratory animals by drastically reducing calorie intake. They say that 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 potentially 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, let someone help you. Don’t be stubborn. If you can take your medications, you’ll have a better chance of remaining in your own home. If you can’t, then somebody is 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 are good companions too. But don’t forget the human contact.
19. Learn how to use a computer. Web sites are loaded with information about health, fitness, money and food. Just don’t sit in front of it too long.
20. Remember it’s never too late. No matter how old you are, you can benefit from a healthier lifestyle.
5 Bonus Tips from Centenarians
1. Throw out the bad memories. “Hold on to only the good ones,” says Ethel Willson, 100. “I think the longer we’re happy, the longer we’ll live,” she says. “I couldn’t be happier. I go to bed each night the same way: I’ve had a good day.”
2. Love people, Willson says. Make new friends. “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. “Just take life as it comes, the best you can.”
4. “Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Don’t stay up late at night watching TV,” says Ethel Yarbrough, 100. “Sing and pray. I pray all the time, thanking God for everything He’s done for me.”
5. Be lucky. These three centenarians say they never planned on living to be 100.“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.”
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