Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Could You Live To Be 100?

My mom just celebrated her 77th birthday. She was commenting on the fact that she outlived her mother. We got to talking about longevity in my family. My dad's mother lived to be 94. Could we make it to 100?
I read on the AARP website about a fellow who is studying people who live to be 100. He went to Costa Rica and interviewed a wonderful old woman. You can read about his visit with her and watch a short video. It is quite inspiring! (aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/living-healthy-to-100.html)
He lists several factors that these people have in common. Some are: they have a sense of purpose, they have a focus on family, they eat fewer calories, they have kept hard at work all of their lives, they maintain social networks and they are genuinely likeable people. This particular woman had visitors stop by her house everyday and she was thrilled to see them.
The list doesn't seem complicated or difficult to do. (maybe the fewer calories part...). I'd like to think that reaching 100 is attainable. I'd only want to live that long if I was in relatively good health like the woman in the interview and if I still had people visiting me everyday! She lives by herself but her 80-year-old son does bike over everyday to check on her. :)
What about you? Would you like to live that long? Are you doing any of the things of the list to increase your chances? I think being a 100-year-0ld "goddess" would be awesome!
Speaking of awesome--check out Gathered From The Garden's website for some awesome products for the goddess in you! gatheredfromthegardenllc.4t.com

No comments: