Want to live to be a hundred years old? Ask the experts: the people who’ve reached the hundred-year milestone. A recent survey from health care company Evercare talked to one hundred people who were between the ages of ninety-nine and one hundred and four.
An amazing seventy-one percent of the people surveyed said their health was good, or even excellent. So how do you live a century and still love life?
- Live life without regrets. Sixty-one people out of the hundred said there was nothing they would have done more of in their lives. Seventy-eight people said there was nothing they would have done less of, either.
- Stay in touch with your spiritual side. Almost a quarter of those surveyed credited their long lives to a strong faith. Only three percent attributed their years to genetics.
- Think about death. Most people do, but only four people out of the hundred were afraid of it. Seventy percent of the survey participants said they believed in life after death.
- See and do new things. Thirteen percent wished they had traveled more. The rest felt they had traveled enough.
- Spend time with your family. Just six people surveyed wished they had spent more time with their families — that means more than ninety percent of those surveyed felt close connections with their kin. Don’t forget your friends, either.
- Do things that are important to you, and be proud of your achievements. For thirty percent of those surveyed, that was raising a family. Twenty percent took pride in their careers. Others found a strong relationship or education a source of pride.
- Enjoy the “best years” of your life. Most people thought their best years were in their twenties or thirties… though a few said they were happiest “right now”. Make every year your best year!
- Don’t think of aging as a disease. Look at aging positively. Modern medicine is making it possible for people to not only live longer, but live better.
Keep in mind that this survey talked to willing participants by phone. Americans over eighty-five is a fast growing segment of the population, but not everyone is healthy, hearty, and able to function independently.