10 TIPS TO LIVE TO 100
RE-PRINT FROM 1/2010

by: Mari (Treadway) Roades '65 (6523 Mount Ave)

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

Although 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. Still, Thomas Peris who studies the century-plus set at Boston University School of Medicine, believes that—assuming you’ve sidestepped genes for fatal diseases like Huntington’s—“there’s nothing stopping you from living independently well into your 90’s. “ Heck, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential life span. So go ahead and shoot for the triple digits.

1. DON’T RETIRE. “Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement,” says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. 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, “he says. “They’re never really inactive.’ 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. 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. These bacteria are thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease.

3. MOVE AROUND. “Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists, “ says Jay Olshansky a professor of medicine and a researcher in the field of aging at the University of Illinois-Chicago. “It’s like the oil and lube job for our car. You don’t have to do it but your car will definitely run better.” Study after study shows that exercise improves your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. “And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout.” Olshansky adds.

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. “Those who do this have a lower incidence of diabetes, a known accelerator of aging,” he says

5. GET AT LEAST SIX HOURS OF SHUT-EYE. Instead of skimping on sleep add more hours to your day get more to add years to your life. “Sleep is one of the most important functions that our body uses to regulate and heal cells,” says Ferrucci. “We’ve calculated that the minimum amount of sleep that older people need to get those healing REM phases is about six hours. Ideally between the hours of 10 PM and 6 AM. Those who reach the century mark make sleep a top priority.

6. CONSUME WHOLE FOODS NOT SUPPLEMENTS. 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 that contain these nutrients provides anti-aging benefits. Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour and 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. 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 new ways to deal with stress. “We have a new study that shows that centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles. “Says Peris. “They are rolling with the punches.”

8. BE A CREATURE OF HABIT. 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 a good habit to keep your body in a steady equilibrium, which can be easily disrupted as your age. ‘Pour physiology becomes frailer when you get older “explains Ferrucci, “and it’s harder for our body to bounce back if you, say, miss a few hours of sleep one night or drink too much alcohol.” This can weaken immune defenses, leaving you more susceptible to circulating flu viruses or bacterial infections.

9. LIVE LIKE A SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST. Members of the denomination 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 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.