How to live to 100

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10 Health Habits That Will Help You Live to 100

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 http://health./featured/7/10-health-habits-that-will-help-you-live-to\

-100/

 

[This advice isn't bad considering it's from a corporate news source. The part

about there being no proof that nutritional supplements are beneficial for us

though is completely inaccurate. Supplements are definitely beneficial for

us. Countless studies have shown this. Other than that one though the

other tips are pretty good - again considering the source. Rick.]

 

You don't need to eat yogurt and live on a mountaintop, but you do need to

floss. 

 

 

 

 

More from U.S. News & World Reports

 

 

 

By Deborah Kotz

 

 

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. Still, Thomas Perls, who studies the century-plus set at

Boston University School of Medicine, believes that assuming you've sidestepped

genes for truly fatal diseases like Huntington's, " there's nothing stopping you

from living independently well into your 90s. " Heck, 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 by following these 10 habits.

 

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. 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. " I really do think people should floss twice a

day to get the biggest life expectancy benefits, " stresses Perls.

 

3. Move around. " Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists, " says

Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of

Illinois at Chicago. " It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't

have to do it, but your car will definitely run better. " Study after study has

documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity,

balance, muscle mass, and bones. " And the benefits kick in immediately after

your first workout, " Olshansky adds. 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. " 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 to 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. " 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 with these nutrients

provides those antiaging benefits. " There are more than 200 different

carotenoids and 200 different flavonoids in a single tomato, " points out

Ferrucci, " and these chemicals can all have complex interactions that foster

health beyond the single nutrients we know about like lycopene or vitamin C. "

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. 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. " We have a new study coming out that shows that

centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles, " says

Perls. " They are great at rolling with the punches. " 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. 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. 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. " Your physiology becomes frailer when

you get older, " explains Ferrucci, " and it's harder for your 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.

 

10. Stay connected. 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. " They'll

tell you if they think your memory is going or if you seem more withdrawn, " says

Perls, " and they might push you to see a doctor before you recognize that you

need to see one yourself. "