Habits to help you live to 100

I received this in my inbox a couple of days ago and thought that I'd share it with you. Personally my take is if I can't overindulge in sweet things, abuse the alco and smoke, why bother. I've a fixation with the number 72, so 100 is a helluva long ways aways from that. But for the rest of you who would like to reach the magic number of 100 do read on....



Habits to Help You Live to 100
By Deborah Kotz
U.S. News & World Report in The Baltimore Sun


The biggest factor that determines how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A new study published in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following four things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol.

While those are some of the obvious steps you can take to age well, researchers have discovered that centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they eat, move about, and deal with stress--the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process. Of course, getting to age 100 is enormously more likely if your parents did. But, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers, they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential lifespan, so go ahead and shoot for those triple digits.

1. Don't retire (join the WB instead, where you can enjoy the spoils of retirement, i.e. pension, and still work as a consultant earning your last drawn salary!)

The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. "After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Farming isn't for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps , a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.

2. Floss every day (i'm surprised that this need even be mentioned. Isn't it a given??)

That may help keep your arteries healthy. A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease.

3. Move around (u gotta move it, move it...)

Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day. Building muscle with resistance training is also ideal, but yoga classes can give you similar strength-training effects if you're not into weight lifting.

4. Eat a fiber-rich cereal for breakfast.

Getting a serving of whole-grains, especially in the morning, appears to help older folks maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, according to a recent study conducted by Ferrucci and his colleagues.

5. Get at least six hours of shut-eye (does it count if we rack up the missing hours and compensate during the weekend?)

Instead of skimping on sleep to add more hours to your day, get more to add years to your life. Those who reach the century mark make sleep a top priority.

6. Consume whole foods, not supplements (it's all in the color peeps. Isn't that how we get our kids to eat their veggies?)

Strong evidence suggests that people who have high blood levels of certain nutrients--selenium, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E--age much better and have a slower rate of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that taking pills with these nutrients provides those antiaging benefits. Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour, sugar) and go for all those colorful fruits and vegetables and dark whole-grain breads and cereals with their host of hidden nutrients.

7. Be less neurotic (which also reads as "Get that damn ram rod outta ur a%$#")

It may work for Woody Allen, who infuses his worries with a healthy dose of humor, but the rest of us neurotics may want to find a new way to deal with stress. If this inborn trait is hard to overcome, find better ways to manage when you're stressed: Yoga, exercise, meditation, tai chi, or just deep breathing for a few moments are all good. Ruminating, eating chips in front of the TV, binge drinking? Bad, very bad.

8. Live like a Seventh Day Adventist (hahaha the SDAs I know definitely do not abide by this)

Americans who define themselves as Seventh Day Adventists have an average life expectancy of 89, about a decade longer than the average American. One of the basic tenets of the religion is that it's important to cherish the body that's on loan from God, which means no smoking, alcohol abuse, or overindulging in sweets. Followers typically stick to a vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, and get plenty of exercise. They're also very focused on family and community.

9. Be a creature of habit (Gawd this one would kill me earlier rather than later!)

Centenarians tend to live by strict routines, says Olshansky, eating the same kind of diet and doing the same kinds of activities their whole lives. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is another good habit to keep your body in the steady equilibrium that can be easily disrupted as you get on in years.

10. Stay connected (does facebook and twitter count?)

Having regular social contacts with friends and loved ones is key to avoiding depression, which can lead to premature death, something that's particularly prevalent in elderly widows and widowers. Some psychologists even think that one of the biggest benefits elderly folks get from exercise the strong social interactions that come from walking with a buddy or taking a group exercise class. Having a daily connection with a close friend or family member gives older folks the added benefit of having someone watch their back.