Dec. 3, 2017
5 Life Secrets That Centenarians Know Do you want to know the secret of a long and happy life? Ask someone who has lived the longest. Indeed, centenarians can teach us the five simple life secrets. My 100th Birthday Plans No one in my family has ever made it to 100. I suspect this is because of the genes that run in our family. Despite not winning the genetic lottery in life, I am determined to ski on my 100th birthday. Even though I don't have the longevity genes, I know that I can reprogram the genes that I do have to optimize my health in a way to still ski the moguls at age 100. Indeed, studies show that fully 75% of our health and longevity comes from our daily health choices, not our genes! My Centenarian Patients Since graduating from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1995, I have kept close records of the centenarians in my cardiology practice. Interestingly, all seven of these centenarians required a pacemaker. Even at 100 plus, each of these patients effortlessly breezed through their pacemaker surgeries. Indeed, none of them required any narcotics for pain relief. Each was stoic, and each went home from the hospital in under 24 hours. When compared to pacemaker patients half their age, these centenarians put them to shame. One of these centenarians, Mike age 102, was very frustrated with me when I told him that he couldn't ride his bicycle for three weeks after his pacemaker surgery. It wasn't that I was trying to be mean I just didn't want him to fall and potentially pull a pacemaker wire out of his heart. In the end, Mike could only go ten days without riding his bike before he was back at it. Fortunately, he didn't crash, and his pacemaker wires stayed in place. Each of these seven centenarians is a hero to me. They, along with the centenarians in our book, The Longevity Plan, have taught me that you can still be active and enjoy every day at 100 and beyond if you just take care of your body today. And to help you care for your body today so that you can still hike, bike, or ski at 100, let me share with you the five secrets of life from 100 centenarians. The Annual US Centenarian Study Each year United Healthcare randomly surveys 100 US centenarians and asks them a series of questions to better understand the secret of life. As one who wants to learn from those who have lived the longest, I have studied each of these surveys for the last ten years. Below are the top five themes that came up every year from these centenarians. 1. Stay Positive A Yale University study showed that those who were the most positive about their lives and the aging process lived 7.5 years longer. Indeed, when it comes to staying positive, most centenarians reported that laughing and having a sense of humor was critical. These centenarians were ahead of their time. Even before apps like Head Space took over, these centenarians had already learned to meditate. Now we know, based on the work of Nobel Prize-winning Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, that meditation may slow cellular aging by 30%! Contrary to popular belief, most people get happier as they get older. Indeed, a study of 340,847 Americans confirmed that the older you get, the happier you are. Interestingly, the age at which people start getting happier seems to be about age 50. Perhaps the reason why age increases happiness is that we stop worrying about what might happen and start living. 2. Keep Close to Family and Friends The centenarians in this study stayed very close to their family and their friends. Indeed, 89% of the centenarians reported that visiting family and friends was the number one thing they enjoyed doing. Thus, it should come as no surprise that centenarians reported that their best memories came from the time they spent with friends and family, especially family vacations. All centenarians intuitively know that you need social support to thrive. Recently, while seeing a patient who was suffering from a h...
