01 May To Your Health: How to Live to 100

Eight ways to increase your chances to live long and well

By Leslie Pepper

Most of us are perpetually on the hunt for the fairy-tale fountain of youth—a pill, a meal plan, or even an exercise that will launch us into our 90s or beyond feeling healthy and happy. Unfortunately, the search for that fountain is futile.

“There’s no miracle cure that’s going to single-handedly optimize your health,” says Poonam Desai, DO, a lifestyle medicine physician and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Longevity, wellness, and health optimization are all about adopting a lifestyle based on proper nutrition, movement, sleep, mindfulness, and more,” she adds. 

So what can you do to help ensure you live well and live long? While there are no guarantees, here are some ideas to put the odds in your favor.

1. Move more

Ask any expert about what you can do to live longer, and they’ll answer: stay active. Regular physical activity can improve outcomes for seven of the ten most common chronic diseases. It can lower blood pressure, prevent and modulate diabetes, regulate cholesterol levels, and prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week. It also advises muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups at least two days a week.

Exercise not only strengthens the heart and circulatory system, it also increases muscle mass, bolsters your body’s stability, and keeps you more flexible, contributing to fewer falls, which are the leading cause of injury and death for people over 65. The best form of exercise to help you live a long, healthy life? One that you love because it’s one you’ll do.

In addition to formal exercise, more activity throughout the day can lengthen your life as well. Even the busiest women can get in more steps. “Park farther away from destinations, walk during meetings, even on a treadmill if you have access to one, and take the stairs when you can,” says Alison Moore, MD, MPH, FACP, chief of the division of geriatrics in the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Diego. Even short routines can pack a powerful punch. “I’ve begun to do 10-minute exercises to take a break from working. The latest is chair Pilates and a low-impact step routine I found on YouTube,” she says.

2. Eat right

More carbs, fewer carbs. No fat, more fat. The advice constantly changes and it’s enough to drive you to drink (alcohol? no alcohol?). So how do you know which diet to follow?

Bottom line: There’s no one right answer, although good meal plans have certain foods in common. One study that looked at four often-recommended eating patterns found that all were associated with a 20 percent reduction in death. While each diet differs slightly, all four had several consistencies: they’re protein driven; they prioritize whole grains, vegetables, fruits, healthy oils, legumes, and nuts; and they discourage processed foods.

Desai emphasizes the need for protein, especially as women age. “Ideally, I recommend at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of weight per day,” she says. “As women get older, we have hormonal changes and decreases in muscle mass, and our metabolism slows. Getting enough protein can help us maintain muscle mass, help weight management, and even help with some of the changes that occur with our hormones,” she adds.

3. Don’t smoke

Bad habits are tough to give up. But saying “So long” to cigarettes should be priority number one. Every year in the United States, more than 480,000 deaths can be attributed to tobacco use, making it the leading cause of preventable death. With each puff, you’re taking in thousands of chemicals, raising your risk of heart disease, stroke, aneurysms, and cancer, not to mention bad breath and wrinkles.

“The best method for achieving long-term success is a combination of medication and counseling,” says Lisa Fucito, PhD, director of the Tobacco Treatment Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Health. “Medication helps reduce physical dependence, while counseling helps motivation and confidence, building skills and new routines and behaviors to cope with cravings and manage emotions without smoking.” Remember, it may take several attempts and many ups and downs before you finally quit for good.

It’s never too late to leave the butts behind. No matter how much or how long you’ve smoked, quitting has health benefits at any age. You might start by visiting Smokefree.gov.

4. Make friends

We know that relationships can make us happier, but what we might not realize is that strong relationships can also have a profound effect on our physical health. In fact, a meta-analysis of almost 150 studies on mortality risk has found that having a range of robust relationships can increase survival by 50 percent, regardless of age, sex, or health status. Social disconnection, on the other hand, is at least as harmful as obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Make sure to get together with loved ones as often as you can. If you don’t have a thriving social life, think about how you can forge new connections. Join a local walking club, visit a place of worship, or serve food in a soup kitchen. The more diverse your social network, the healthier you’ll be.

5. Sleep well

The body needs good-quality sleep in order to reboot. “Restful sleep is important for memory consolidation, cellular repair, hormone balance, cognitive function, and reducing the risk of neurogenerative disease,” says Desai. People who have high-quality sleep are more likely to live longer than those who don’t. One study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that people who had five factors of quality sleep—including snoozing seven to eight hours a night, difficulty falling or staying asleep no more than two times a week, avoiding sleep medication, and feeling well rested after waking up at least five days a week—were 30 percent less likely to die for any reason, 21 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 19 percent less likely to die from cancer, and 40 percent less likely to die of other causes.

Of course, getting good sleep is easier said than done. Here are some tips:

• Get into bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays.
• Exercise, but quit at least a few hours before turning in.
• Power down all electronics at least an hour before bed.
• Create a bedtime routine. Knit, finish a crossword puzzle, or read a novel to encourage yourself to wind down.
• If you can’t fall asleep, move to another room until you’re tired.

“If you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep, give yourself a mental break during the day with a nap or a quick meditation session,” suggests Desai.

6. Manage stress

No matter what stage in life you’re in, relaxation looks like a luxury. But it’s a luxury you need to live a long, healthy life. Stress may lead to poor health choices, which can increase your risk for heart disease. In addition, acute stress sets off the fight or flight response, causing your body to release adrenaline, a hormone that triggers your heart to race and your blood pressure to rise.

“There are myriad ways to manage stress, and each of us has to find the ways that work for us,” says Moore. “I do it through a combination: different forms of exercise; connecting with others; enjoying nature; exploring new places, foods, and more; reminding myself of all that I’m grateful for; and end-of-day relaxation with a good movie or series, followed by reading fiction for 15 to 30 minutes.”

7. See your doctor for checkups

You’ve likely heard the proverbial wisdom about an ounce of prevention, and yet one recent survey found that nearly half of American women forgo preventive care services like checkups, screenings, and vaccines. But seeing your internist, family physician, or even a geriatrician is crucial to staying healthy in the long term, says Moore.

Speak to your doctor about the tests and screenings you may need, depending on your age and health history. These may include testing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose; getting electrocardiograms and mammograms; and screenings for cervical cancer, colon cancer, and osteoporosis.

8. Be smart about supplements

It’s always best to get your nutrients from food. But even the most well-meaning eater can have gaps in their diet. Additionally, as you age, certain nutrients may not be absorbed as well as they once were. To fill in any shortcomings, consider taking a dietary supplement.

Speak with your doctor to determine the vitamins and minerals that will best meet your needs, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking prescription drugs. Two important nutrients that you might want to bring up at your next appointment are vitamin D and calcium. While you do get some vitamin D from foods like fatty fish, fortified orange juice, and milk, you manufacture most of it in your body when ultraviolet rays from the sun strike the skin. That means that most women need to take a vitamin D supplement, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, with the Sexuality, Intimacy & Menopause Program at Yale Medicine.

“I also recommend looking at your nutritional intake to make sure you’re getting enough calcium,” she adds. Dairy is the best source. “We standardly recommend 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. Each of these dairy helpings has about 300 milligrams of calcium: 8 ounces milk, 8 ounces yogurt, or 1 ounce of hard cheese,” she says. If you eat three servings of dairy a day, you probably don’t need much in terms of supplements. If not, you can make up for the shortfall with a supplement. DW

Leslie Pepper is a freelance writer who specializes in health, nutrition, and fitness.