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!
Thanks, Jeanette. Mother will smile when she reads this. 🙂
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!
Thanks for the book recommendation, Elfrieda. Sounds like a book my grandchildren and I might enjoy together? I will look for it in my library.
And thanks for the greeting. I’ll pass it on.
Also, I am coming to the Mennonite/s Writing conference at CMU. Will I see you there?
Thanks so much for this … it let me pat myself on the back for all I do, and make notes of what I don’t. I am a year your junior. (Thanks to Elfrieda. I just wrote down her book suggestion.) And just a shout out for folks like me who are aging with dementia, just an illness like so many and not the end of the world but the exploration of new ways of being in the moment. There is is much fearfulness around this particular illness that people avoid those with memory loss as if it were contagious. But double the water, double the exercise, double the good foods, kiss added sugar goodbye and learn affirming ways to express needs (like not saying ‘I don’t remember that” and saying, “I can’t remember that right now. Can you jog my memory?” Oh yeah … reading the book for book club as close to the date of discussion as possible!!
Maren, thanks for affirming the habits that do us all good and for helping us all to learn how to continue engaging with friends with dementia, “just an illness like so many and not the end of the world but the exploration of new ways of being in the moment.” What a powerful description. I want to hold on to that one.
You have a lot to teach us. Like others who have the gift of language, when you enter an illness, you have the power to reframe our fears. Power to you, sister!
I love this post—with wisdom I live by.
I’ve read Dr. Attia’s book with his emphasis on exercise. When you combine exercise with camaraderie, as you show here, you have a big bonus. My Pilates people are my friends, women I’ve known for about 20 years. Since COVID, thrice-weekly classes are by ZOOM, so my writing studio becomes an exercise room for 40 minutes.
I admire the research in your post, Shirley. I’ll add a tidbit from a New Yorker article I found just recently by Daniel Immerwahr: “More generally, healthy seniors—the ‘well-derly’ —were on the rise.” Well-derly, don’t you like the sound of that?
Dear Barbara, Happy, Happy Birthday to you. You have wise eyes and beautiful hair. I met you back in 2019 at Landis Homes when my first memoir came out. You are so fortunate to have a loving family who dotes on you! 😀
I do indeed like the sound of “well-derly,” Marian. Language is one way to combat agism. Thanks for contributing to the aging wisdom we are trying to accumulate here. I’m not surprised that you have found Peter Attia also. He amazes me with his depth of research, commitment, and energy. He’s only 51 now. Too bad you and I won’t be here to see if he makes it to 100. 🙂
Mama will love hearing that her family dotes on her. Her job is to enjoy. She does it well!
Please pass along Happy Birthday wishes to your mother.
Happily, Dianne. Thank you!
Dear Grandma Barbara, Your pleasant smile & warm words are fond memories of mine. We’ve only ‘connected’ in person a few times but was able to feel joy & love when we did. Happy Birthday! Phyllis Wulliman
Thank you, Phyllis. Mother will love hearing from you.
Inspiring as always, Shirley! Reading, writing, puzzling… these are the main ways I try to stay mind-alert. I do experience “can’t remember that name — or word” but I like the suggestion above “I can’t remember right now, can you jog my memory?” Daily walking, doing errands on foot when possible. I have no desire to live to 99 as my mother did. Your mom looks terrific and well; mine wasn’t by then. (Happy birthday to her!) We do what we can, I think, to stay healthy, but God may have other plans! — Glad to hear you’ll be at the June conference in Winnipeg; see you then!
Dora, you certainly are an emblem of healthy aging for me! Your writing only seems to get better, and deeper, with time. The only way that happens is that you think, contemplate, read and relate profoundly. God does indeed laugh at our plans. It felt like tempting fate just to put this question out there, and I am aware it can land in a painful place if one is struggling or caring for someone who will never see old age — or who is compromised in old age. The task, I suppose, is to recognize our finiteness while being good stewards of our bodies however long we have. I love how Maren demonstrates this kind of attitude in her comment above.
Oh yes, and good to know you will be in Winnipeg. Hope to see you there! I will be doing a panel with Hope Nisley and Melanie Springer Mock.
Happy Birthday to your mother! She must be a very strong woman, with good genes.
I’m familiar with the references you mention. I listen to Peter Attila’s podcasts and I’ve heard Dan Buettner interviewed on several occasions. I also listen to the Zoe podcast for current studies on based on science and nutrition. Thanks for a good read!
Mother will be happy to get your greetings, Joan. She, like my siblings and me, had one parent who died very young (55) and one who lived long (95).
Glad to know you are familiar with Peter Attia. I look forward to a conversation about his ideas with you. I’ll have to look up Zoe. That’s a new one for me. Thanks!
I just now finished reading your rather long post. Wow, that’s quite amazing Pickle Ball energy to go up to two hours. I’m always glad to get out of VMRC pool after 45 minutes of exercise. I have not played pickle ball yet but my sister Pert (remember her at Goshen Col?) loves to play, not surprisingly. She needs to teach me but we live a state away from her!
And your mother certainly reminds me of my mother in this photo. (Curious about what’s going on in Winnipeg?!)
Melodie, I do certainly remember Pert, and I can imagine she is an excellent pickleball player. Also, your 45 minutes of swimming is probably as good or better than the aerobic benefit of my 2 hours of pickleball. Congrats on finding an excellent longevity exercise.
I remember seeing pictures of your mother in your blog posts and am glad if this picture brought her to mind. I am sure you think of her every day.
The even in Winnipeg is a Mennonite/s Writing Conference at Canadian Mennonite University June 13-15. You can look it up online. Hope you will consider coming.
I want to add this fascinating New Map of Life from Stanford University’s center for the study of aging here. https://longevity.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Short-Report-2.pdf
Shirley some lovely reflections. One could also share that your ideas are as important for happiness. For that I would add friendship and great relationships plus adventures. I hesitate to celebrate longevity. As it can suggest that that who die earlier did something wrong. There is an element of luck in living long. I certainly see this. Friends who eat so healthy. Exercise etc.get cancer or have an accident. The pass early. So yes to everything you say but let’s also add good luck. Much joy
Thank you so much, Paul, for so kindly strengthening this point. I tried to raise it humorously with the Woody Allen quote about making plans, but that is not enough. Just writing about this topic has its risks. I could share that silly 106 year projection today and get hit by a bus or a cancer diagnosis tomorrow. Euell Gibbons, Robert Atkins, and Adelle Davis are among the health and fitness gurus who died in their 60s or early 70s. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/deaths-of-fitness-diet-gurus#joseph-pilates
So yes, luck and genes play a major role in how long any of us live. My own biography is evidence. My father died on the morning of his 55th birthday from a rare disease, schleraderma. My genes could have taken me in his direction, and no amount of vegetable eating or pickleball would have made any difference. I will remember to acknowledge these facts more clearly as I continue to write about aging occasionally.
Are you familiar with the Stanford Center for the Study of Longevity? Their vision for the “New Map of Life” intersects with your interests in healthy communities. https://longevity.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Short-Report-2.pdf
Thanks for the info about the Mennonite/s Writing Conference in Winnipeg. I won’t make it this time but hope it will return to Harrisonburg at some point. I’ve loved such events in the past and love Winnipeg but I don’t do as much writer-related traveling now.
I hope you will be able to attend another conference too, Melodie. I am sure this one will be very influenced by the politics across borders. So sad to see how our Canadian friends are being treated.