Becoming a Centenarian, if You’re Lucky
I like the word Centenarian, but I am not quite sure, if I would want to live to be 100. If I could stay relatively young and healthy, I would probably like to live for much longer. However, I couldn’t give an exact age. Maybe that’s the reason why so many people are fascinated by vampires and immortality.
No, I would not wish to live forever. However, I would still like to have a productive and full life.
Part of becoming a centenarian involves sustaining a healthy lifestyle over a long period of time.
The oldest person in the world is a 117-year-old Japanese woman and the longest a human has ever lived is 122 years.
The lifestyles of Individuals who reach or pass the century mark have similarities and therefore, we can learn from their healthy habits. Consequently, if we take on this healthier way of life, it may be possible to extend our life expectancy by up to ten years
Many Centenarians had the following things in common:
• staying physically active
• not overeating ( a healthy weight, specifically a healthy body mass index*)
• eating healthy foods (high in plants and low in fats)
• feeling connected
• feeling respected
• having purpose
• having a positive attitude
In addition, the following habits contribute significantly to the pursuit of a longer life:
• reducing stress
• not smoking
• limiting the daily consumption of alcohol
It doesn’t seem that difficult or? However, several factors that also influence life expectancy include lifestyle, gender, genetics, access to health care, hygiene and crime rates. Furthermore, a fair deal of luck may also contribute, as many Centenarians have also been able to avoid any fatal injuries or diseases.
Aubrey de Grey (a biomedical gerontologist) believes that science could make it possible to look and feel the way you did at 20 for the rest of your life or opt for an alternative age, if you preferred.
This sounds like science-fiction, however Mr. de Grey thinks that this could be possible, if you can just wait another quarter century. Nevertheless, I’m not holding my breath, I’m trying to watch my diet and hoping that I’m lucky in life.
*Body Mass Index is body fatness calculated from a person’s weight and height. “The formula is BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in metres squared. A BMI of 25.0 or more is overweight, while the healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9”.
