5 Factors That Will Help You Live Longer
I watched this really interesting segment on 60 Minutes about people who live long lives (i.e., 90+ years).
There’s this retirement community in Southern California where residents filled out an extensive questionnaire about lifestyle. A neurologist discovered the data (going back to 1981) and not only has her team analyzed what they found, they are tracking every single resident who is still alive to determine what is the secret to longevity.
- 45 minutes of exercise a day. 45 minutes is better than 2 or 3 hours. Doesn’t have to be consecutive and doesn’t have to be taxing. Simple activities like walking or gardening are fine.
- Consumption of alcohol every day (i.e., 2 glasses of wine, 2 martinis, 2 beers, etc.). Does not matter what kind of alcohol.
- Consumption of caffeine (the equivalent of 2-3 cups of coffee per day).
- Being social.
- Later on in life, it is better to be a little bit overweight than it is to be underweight.
Here are the video clips (Parts 1 and 2). It’s a fascinating watch.
Where am I on the longevity spectrum? I don’t exercise nor do I drink caffeine. I don’t have wine every day, but several times a week I have a glass of wine. I am fairly social. Plus I am underweight vs overweight. MAJOR FAIL. Maybe I’ll live to 70?
How do you line up?
Underweight here too and probably don’t drink enough caffeine or alcohol, so probably fairly close to you on this one. Interestingly enough my great-grandfather lived to be 103 years old and when asked when he turned 100 what he did that allowed him to live so long, he said a few things, including drinking a glass of wine (only a glass) each night with dinner. So maybe there is something to it. Either way good excuse to drink more I suppose;)
Ha I drink alcohol on weekends but I can definitely work in taking in wine. 🙂 I run around all day so I’d say 45 minutes of activity is accurate but may taper off some days – I drink coffee soo yeah.. I am moderately social. Lol. I do like my quiet time. I’m sure family health contributes, we suffer from heart issues so I’m giving myself 60’s Lol! I’m sure I’ll live longer but i’ll underestimate. Very fascinating research, thanks for sharing Catherine! Have a great one and hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday -Iva
I’m not over or underweight, but give me 20 years! I drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day, I’m social, and exercise 45 minutes to an hour a day. Now I just need to up my alcohol intake!
Hmm.. I’m underweight thus far, but there’s time for that to change.
I don’t drink any alcohol or caffeine, but more because I can’t.
Longevity runs in my family but they were all more active than I am.
I saw this same segment! It was so interesting! I was surprised to find that wine and caffeine contributed to their longer lives. I was also really impressed with the quality of life that the people in the study had.
I don’t exercise or have wine every day. It’s only a couple times a week for each. Need to work on both although I think one will be easier than the other 😉
I am thrilled to hear that the fact that I drink coffee every morning and some kind of alcohol virtually every night is a benefit in some people’s eyes, along with the fact that I’m definitely closer to overweight than underweight! 🙂 I probably get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day, too, and I’m somewhat social. I’ll outlive you all!
In all seriousness, though – I don’t particularly want to live well into my 90s. Both my husband’s grandparents and my own lived into their mid-90s, so we think that we’re likely candidates to do the same. When we think about the sheer amount of money we’ll have to put away to prepare for that possibility – or about the fact that we’ll likely have to work well into our 70s – we kind of wish that we could count on, say, 85 – and call it a day. (Or call it a life, I suppose.)
That said, I will say that both my grandparents had a really good quality of life until the last year or two – they remained physically and mentally active as long as possible, so my big takeaway is the reminder of how important it is to continue exercising your body and your brain!
This study is definitely interesting. I wonder how much genetics plays a role–and also the different lifestyles of families. 3 of my dad’s grandparents lived into their 90s, and all of them were from farming families, very active their whole lives. My dad’s parents are in their mid-70s now and my grandpa is probably still physically stronger than my 40-something uncles, not because he “exercises” but because he’s always worked with farm equipment and heavy machinery. It was pretty funny when he sat down and tried out one of my uncles’ weight machines and was like, “This is supposed to be exercise?”
I’ll bet fifty percent has to do with what’s in your genes.
Looks like I’m going to live to be 100! Plus, I’d be happy to donate a few lbs. to those of you who need it!