Do You Want to Live to 100?
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
–Woody Allen
When it comes to dying, we don’t get to choose the date, of course.
But what if we could? Would you set your clock to 100 years?
The internet offers you a way to predict your death year by entering data into a calculator. I entered mine and it predicted a death age of 106.
Yikes!!
I am not at all sure I want to live that long. That’s 30 more years. It’s hard to imagine that my body and mind could make it all the whole way to that age. None of us wants to spend decades with major health or memory problems.
But what if we could be active mentally, socially, physically, and spiritually into old, old age and then die surrounded by family singing us home to be with God?
Just typing those words brings tears to my eyes.
Yes to that.
And are there things we can do at any age that increase the chances of this fate?
Yes to that too.
You may have read some of the longevity books and articles that describe scientific studies about aging. You probably already do many of these healthy things:
- eat 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and protein from lean meat and/or nuts/stay hydrated all day
- don’t smoke
- drink alcohol only in moderation; abstinence may be even better
- exercise daily/maintain fitness past the age of 75
- get 7-8 hours of sleep/night
- manage stress/socialize often/have a spiritual practice
The best book I’ve read recently about aging is this one.
This book, published in 2023, is still a best seller.
This book is just part of the many ways the author, Peter Attia, communicates with his audience. He has many videos, podcasts, newsletters, etc., all designed to help the reader aspire to take more control of his or her health and longevity. He goes into great detail about how to move from Medicine 2.0 (evidence-based medicine) to Medicine 3.0., a proactive, personalized, and preventive approach to health. If you are hoping for a long and happy life, you are bound to find something at Attia’s robust website to help you.
Take a look at just one graph Attia uses to help us see how important physical fitness is as we age. Look at the way fitness increases for both men and women until we are about 25. Then note that age 75 is the beginning of a precipitous decline for most people. If we do nothing, we will probably spend the last decade of our lives in a compromised state. Attia challenges his readers to create a vision for the last decade of your life. If you want to be strong, happy, and vibrant in old age, train for it now, no matter what your current age. He recommends focusing on aerobic output, strength, flexibility, and stability.
Fitness over time from Peter Attia’s website
How did I learn about Attia, his book, and other media? From Kathy, a friend I met while playing pickleball!
Which brings me to the thoughts of another longevity guru, Dan Buettner, author of many books about the Blue Zones — areas of the world where people live significantly longer than others and thus where a high proportion of centenarians live. Unlike Peter Attia, Buettner is not a doctor but a writer. Recently, his work has been criticized in Science magazine, but there’s one thing he has said I totally endorse:
“I think pickleball is the greatest social innovation America has stumbled upon in the past half century.” –Dan Buettner
I play pickleball at least three days a week for 90-120 minutes. It’s often the most fun I have in the day, especially if I can see that I am improving in forehand and backhand, drives and drops, dinking and smashing. I love when my partner or opponent makes a great shot, too. Pickleball is very egalitarian. Every generation can play. Women and men have much more equality than they do in many other sports. It’s also a great place to make friends. We play at the Lititz Rec Center with up to 100 other players, with about 50 playing on any particular day. We would not have met such a diverse group of people in almost any other setting.
Moravian Manor pickleball players. Our first instructor was Dianne, second from left. There are several others from our community who play but were not available when Jen Foster took this picture.
My final aging guru recommendation is Anne Lamott. Her monthly column in The Washington Post contains her signature wisdom, humility, spirituality, and audacity.
I am so lucky to have a real live almost-centenarian in my life: my mother Barbara Ann Hess Hershey Becker. She’ll be 98 on Thursday. If you want to send her a greeting, you can drop a note in the comment section. Her children will be gathering in the home of her only son. He took the photo below today.
Mother about to turn 98 years old. Henry Hershey photo.
Do you want to live to 100? What are the goals you have for the last decade of your life? Let’s inspire each other.
A very happy birthday to my sweet aunt, Aunt Barbara Ann. It’s always a pleasure to see you!
Just before I read your blog post I finished reading “Once upon a wardrobe” a novel by Patti Callahan. It’s a wonderful story about a girl on a quest to find the meaning of the lion in Lewis’s Narnia series. If you haven’t read it run to your nearest library and do so!
You write about longevity. The book is about someone with a short life on this earth and his sister whom he sends on a quest.
Congratulations to your beautiful mother on her birthday. She is an inspiration to me!