Secrets of Living to 100 Years and Beyond

People often try all sorts of things to stop aging. They do this not necessary because they have aversion for old age, but rather for what it represents. The desire is to be able to live an enjoyable, disease-free life as long as possible. There are treatments that focus on enhancing outward appearance. But the more important things to focus on are those that boost your overall health. That is how you may live long and enjoy your time here while it lasts. To help, we have compiled some secrets of happy, fulfilled centenarians for you. Most of these "secrets" are what you already know, but probably do not follow.

Right body weight

Being overweight is a serious issue. It is an invitation to a variety of health problems that can make a person's life awful and short. It is not common find a centenarian that is obese. For example, most of those enrolled in the New England Centenarian Study (NECS), which focused on subjects around Boston, were not obese. Almost all the men had lean body weight.

Healthy diet

You must have heard the advice to eat healthy at least one time in the past. This is considered essential for promoting good health and wellbeing which, in turn, may enhance longevity. Many centenarians eat healthful foods. Processed and sugary foods are significantly less common among them. Some of these people have revealed that they eat things such as fruits, vegetables, oatmeal and other low-fat foods. Japan's Misao Okawa, who was the world's oldest person until her death, maintained a low-fat diet featuring fish and sushi. This diet is often given as a reason for more than 50,000 people who are 100 years or older in the Asian country.

Exercise

Another common current among centenarians is that they try to get some exercise regularly. This ranges from walking to running, playing golf, doing Pilates or lifting weights. Research revealed that fairly regular exercise by older people is a reason for high number of people older than 100 years on the Japanese island of Okinawa. It's not just about physical exercise, though. Some of these seniors even take time to exercise their brain.

Active lifestyle

In addition to regular exercises, many centenarians are known to maintain an active lifestyle. There are cases of those who continue to do some form of work, maybe as a hobby. This is with a view to staying active. A useful idea in this regard is doing what you love. In today's world, money is the main driving force of many. It is the reason they are stuck in jobs they don't like. But if you have passion in something, you are likely to enjoy doing it every time, even if you are not getting paid for it. The main benefit of this in the later years is to remain active.

Quality sleep

Another secret of Okawa, the Japanese centenarian mentioned earlier, was quality sleep. She made effort to get eight hours of sleep every night. Sleeping for that number of hours each night might sound like luxury for many these days. But if you are serious about living up to 100 years, this is something you need to consider. Gertrude Weaver, who lived to 116 years, also said one of her secrets was getting lots of sleep. Little wonder then that experts often advise getting 7-8 hours of nightly sleep. There are even people who sleep up to 10 hours and this, in fact, makes them look younger. The key, however, is quality sleep, not one with frequent interruptions.

Loving relationships

The power of relationship cannot be emphasized when it comes to living a happy and fulfilled life. Some centenarians attribute their longevity to a loving marriage or family. Having a loving person to talk to about the happenings of life can be wonderful. As an example, Healthline quoted American actor and producer Kirk Douglas attributing his longevity to an amazing marriage. Being surrounded by their children and grandchildren is something many centenarians also enjoy.

Going without makeup

Now, this one might sound a bit strange. Don't people use makeups to look good? But then, it has been observed that these products often contain harmful chemicals that could age you faster. Adelina Domingues, who lived to 114, said she never used makeup or visited a beauty shop. It is without doubt this part may be somewhat hard for many women to follow.

No smoking

Centenarians rarely smoke. This bit is rather surprising in that the risks of smoking were not well known during their younger years. Yet, many of them abstained from smoking. Most of those who smoked later kicked the habit. It is well known in the medical circle that smoking sets off a chain of reactions within the body that may speed up aging.

Positive attitude

The stress many people put themselves under is a reason many develop health complications that may result in fatality. Most centenarians deal with this problem by being upbeat and taking each day as they come. Cuban-born Filipino American Jessie Lichuaco's usually say, "This is going to be the best day of my life," after waking each morning, according to Healthline. That's her own way of dealing with unnecessary stress. So optimism is a virtue if you wish to live to 100.

Belief in God

There are also centenarians who say the reason for their longevity is reliance on God. These ones believe they will remain alive as long as the Creator wants them to. The faith they have in the Supreme Being keeps them going despite the different challenges of life. Perhaps, Adelina Domingues was one of such. She is said to have regarded religion as her best medicine and never took any medications.

This piece will not be complete without mentioning that genetics plays very important role in longevity. Some people have amazing genes. These enable them to eat almost anything they like and even maintain unhealthy lifestyle without issues. If people commonly live to a ripe old age in your family, chances are that you may have good genes. Sadly, the genetics factor is one we have no control over. There is nothing you can do about your genes – you did not choose your parents.

Whatever the quality of your genes, the secrets of centenarians we have shared here should be helpful to you in working towards living to 100 years of age, or older.