Living to be 100

Did you know 85,000 centenarians live in the United States? I wasn’t surprised to hear the news; after all, my grandmother is 92. Yet, I was stunned to discover a book and a workshop, in which a motivational speaker, in the medical profession, is crusading across the nation teaching people how to live to be 100. My spouse went to the health seminar. As soon as he told me he had received a complimentary $39 ticket from his chiropractor, the first thing I thought of … marketing scheme or book sales. Book sales, it is.

When I think about today’s centenarians, I can’t imagine how someone could scribe their efforts in a book and sell them. Centenarians have lived a very different life than we do nowadays; we have modern medicine, plastic surgery, personal trainers, special diets and a mishmash of vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, centenarians have lived through: World War I and II, a depression and a recession, women receiving the right to vote, and a tumultuous civil rights era, to name a few. Also, 100-year-old people have less stress, less medical expenses, free of cognitive disorders and some are uncommonly healthy.

I’ve never thought about living to 100, but I guess if it’s a possibility I should imitate those who have come before me with:

Have good longevity genes (my great grandparents also lived well into their nineties)
Learn to respond not react- increase my emotional resilience
Become and remain self-sufficient
Remain intellectually active
Have a good sense of humor (OK this is going to be tough!)
Maintain religious beliefs
Keep strong connections with other people
Keep a low blood pressure (Piece of cake, hopefully that will outweigh my deficient sense of humor.)
Appreciate simple pleasures and experiences
Have a zest for life
No heavy smoking and drinking
Uh, Oh, I’m in trouble, many centenarians play musical instruments (I neither play an instrument nor sing.), female centenarians are known to have bear children after 40 (This shop is closed.), and they eat an anti-inflammatory diet (Does that mean eventually giving up the chocolate and salty Doritos?).