5 Secrets If You Want to Live to 100
Who is the oldest person in your family? My grandma is 99 now, and I'll spill some of her easy secrets to living a long life. And one New York woman just turned 107. Her regimen might be harder to achieve.
Louise Signore lives in New York and celebrated her 107th birthday last week. She said her key to living a long life boils down to her ability to stay single! She never got married and gives that much of the credit. She also says she exercises, dances, and plays Bingo.
My grandma turned 99 in July, and she never exercised a day in her life. She was active, but she was never a runner, walker, or swimmer, and she never hit the gym. Any calories she burned came from chasing chickens around the huge yard at the farm she shared with my grandpa, catching them, and putting them on the kitchen table for dinner. I would rather sweat at the gym for five hours every day, but being a hard-working farm helper worked for my grandma, Dorothy.
So what can we learn from these youthful gals?
Life Secrets That Will Help You Live to 100
1. Stay active. It doesn't have to be a gym membership, but having an activity every day that will boost the heart rate is key to staying healthy. If we think of smartphones and iPads as screens that will shorten our lives, we might put them down a whole lot more.
2. Eat What You Want, In Moderation. On the farm, my grandma's diet consisted of a lot of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, pie, and bread. She's never been low carb and she's never skimped on oil, grease, or sugar. She broke a lot of the food rules that we have now, and she's never had a huge health problem. She might be the exception rather than the rule, but it's worked for her.
3. Work Hard. There's a happy medium here because we don't want to literally work ourselves to death, but an ambitious routine can be a good thing. It keeps our minds and bodies engaged, it keeps us socially connected, and it rewards us when we do it well.
4. Exercise Your Brain. Crossword puzzles were a daily part of my grandma's routine until her eyesight got bad and she had to give them up. Those were a workout for her mind, and should probably get credit for keeping her sharp for many years. Alexa has trivia contests and mind benders too if we don't feel like picking up the newspaper.
5. Choose Relationships That Won't Add Stress. Aside from Louise in New York, other women have also lived past 100 and given credit to "staying away from men." My granny did marry, but my grandpa died when she was in her sixties and she spent a good portion of her life alone. Whether married or not, choosing relationships that will enhance life and not bring drama and stress seems to be key. Easier said than done, but if it works, it really works.
If you're thinkin', "Well, I'm married, stressed, inactive, and bored," it's never too early to start a new routine! There is a long life ahead, right? We all get in ruts sometimes, but things can change if we make the most of it. Louise and Dorothy are leading the way.