It’s not that common that you find someone who lives to a hundred and beyond. In fact, it's incredible to hear of someone living their best life for a century or more.
You would think that with all the radical medical transformations throughout the centuries, our life expectancy would be a hundred years or more, give or take.
Dr Howard Tucker from Cleveland, Ohio, is a centenarian who was named the world's oldest practising doctor by Guinness World Records in 2021. Tucker has practised medicine for 75 of his 100 years on Earth.
What do people who live to 100 do differently?
A centenarian is someone who has reached the age of 100, according to Wikipedia. Because global life expectancy is below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity.
For starters, they are physically active. They don't go to the gym or lift weights. Instead, they go for walks, garden, and do housework.
Dr Tucker has never stopped being a neurologist, and despite his decision to stop seeing patients, he still teaches residents at St. Vincent Charity Medical Centre in Ohio.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, research has shown that working past the typical retirement age is associated with better overall health and a longer lifespan. The doctor might be onto something here!
"You have to be happy in your job and in your domestic life," he told TODAY "Every day I learn something new."
He says that if you retire from your job, you should at least do something as a hobby, whether it be communal work or self-hobbies… “you need a stimulus for the brain daily."
Retirement has to be “the enemy of longevity," he shared, “I think that to retire, one can face potential shrivelling up and ending in a nursing home. It's fun staying alive and working… It's delightful work,” he says.
According to the National Institute on Ageing, maintaining social connections and engaging in mental exercise together with other healthy lifestyle choices can help you retain your cognitive abilities as you age.
What do centenarians eat?
Although diets differ depending on the region, centenarians eat mostly unprocessed foods. They cook their meals with fresh plants and herbs from the garden or the forest. Animal protein intake is relatively low, and vegetable and bean intake is high.
Women make up 85% of centenarians, while men make up 15%. Contrary to popular belief, women outlive men by a wide margin and are generally healthier and more functional.
Simply put, exercise and healthy lifestyle choices have extraordinary advantages for your overall health and longevity. Being sedentary as you get older can actually shorten your lifespan by years.
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