Living to be 100

Somehow on Easter Sunday the Washington Post and Parade magazine published articles about living  longer. Hmmmm.

In "Cheater's Guide to Living to 100," Parade featured a new book by journalist Dan Buettner called The Blue Zone Solutions: Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People. In addition to talking about eating smart, Buttoner proposes three other solutions that parallel the ideas in my book Pears Grapes and Dates: A Good Life After Mid-Life.

1) Find your tribe--that is, have roots. "Who you hang out with trumps just about everything else when it comes to your health," writes Buttoner. As we get older we need our old friends. We also need, I think, new friends--particularly new, younger friends.

Yesterday we had Easter dinner with our nephew and his family. How refreshing to spend the afternoon with a young couple and their 4-year-old, 3-year-old, and 18-month-old. Between dinner and dessert we walked to the park, chatted, and pushed the kids on the swings. A day well spent.

2) Seek a Purpose. And that purpose has to go beyond entertainment and "spending my kids' inheritance." It is sad to watch people--regardless of their age--entertaining themselves to death. There's no surprise in a study cited in the article indicating, "Having a purpose in life provides a buffer against mortality, no matter your age." It will keep us from feeling "old and in the way" as I put it in my book.

3) Move It. Those who live long don't so much exercise as, "their lifestyles encourage physical activity." That's related to purpose: gardening, baking, walking to the store, chasing grandchildren, walking the dog.

There's a great future in store if we'll grab it and run.

Check out the free download of the first chapter of Pears Grapes and Dates: A Good Life After Mid-Life at my website.