Just a few months ago, my family and I celebrated my grandmother’s 99th birthday. I think she is amazing and one of the strongest women I have ever known. I love learning her wisdom and hearing stories about when she was married in 1936, and had four beautiful children and all that she lived through over the last (almost) century.
Her doctors have given her a great bill of health, and so my mother and I have already started to plan my grandmother a big blowout 100th birthday party! I can’t wait, and I am excited to celebrate a milestone with her that not a lot of people get to see.
It got me thinking, how does someone live to be 100? What does it take? My grandmother has always been relatively healthy. She was on Weight Watchers for years and always tried to stay a size 6/8. She worked until she was in her late 70s, and loves games. She is also a huge lover of wine. Mostly white wine, but even at her last birthday party, she wanted a nice cold glass of white. Maybe the grapes have something to do with it?
I wanted to know if there were any stats of information on how to live to 100 or more. There was a report that came out a few months ago from the national government about ways to live to 100. The report did state that it is mostly women who reach this milestone.
Walking – In a recent study from the National Cancer Institute, one minute of walking extends your life my 7 full minutes. The number one cause of death for women is heart disease, and even just a causal walk can help improve the oxygen flow throughout your body, strengthen your heart and in turn lower your risk of the cardiovascular disease.
Be Fit – Staying fit with a healthy BMI can really affect your health and how long you live. Another good way to stay fit is to have friends with the same goals as you have. Just by having friends with your same health goals in mind can cut your risk of weight gain by 50% and will help you avoid life shortening diseases.
Clean your house – Clean house is a happy house? Your house doesn’t have to be spotless (can it ever be with kids?) But just by cleaning your house for less than an hour a day, doing simple things like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting can cut your risk of dying from any disease by 30%. Doing housework burns several calories a day and that helps your heart stay healthy and your lungs and brain in the best shape. Also, it has been shown that feeling good about a clean home helps your outlook on life and feel happier.
Fill your plate with greens – It has been shown that people who eat 3 – 5 servings of produce daily outlive their peers by several years. Each additional serving boosts your longevity by another 6%. Plant based foods contains thousands of vitamins including antioxidants and anti-inflammation compounds. This reduces the risk of age related diseases like cancer and diabetes.
Attitude – Now, these are all really good tips. But I just wanted to point out that getting a life threatening disease, does not mean you can’t live to be 100. When my grandmother was 85, she was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. Doctors could have given up on her because of her age, but they didn’t and she was a fighter. She went through radiation and chemo. She kicked cancer’s ass, and has been in remission ever since without any problems. This one is not technically on their list, but I think that attitude should definitely be on this list too, so I included it.
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