Living to see your 100th birthday isn’t something that everyone wants. If you’re blessed with good health for all those years though, why not go along for the ride?
It can be interesting to learn about the habits of centenarians, and what works for one person in terms of longevity might not for another.
What made these 5 people live so long? Here’s some insight.
1) Emma Morano- 2 eggs a day, plus cookies. And being single.
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Emma Morano is still alive and kicking. This amazing woman from Italy just celebrated her 117th birthday, with her caregivers. Her secret to longevity? Good genes (longevity runs in the family) and raw eggs, with a few biscuits tossed in on the side.
Ms. Morano started eating three eggs a day after being told by her doctor that she was anemic, at the end of World War One.
For years, she ate two raw eggs at breakfast, and the other she cooked into an omelette, for lunch. For dinner, she’d have some chicken.
Related: Why Do One in Ten People Live Past 100 in This Small Italian Village?
This diet worked so well that Ms. Morano continued on the same path for 90 years. She’s now down to just 2 eggs and some biscuits, daily-slightly different but basically the same.
What else has kept her around? She split from her abusive husband after more than ten years of marriage, and hasn’t been outside of her apartment in 20 years.
2) Gertrude Weaver-Being Nice
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Gertrude Weaver of the U.S lived to be 116 years old. She died in April of 2105, and told TIME in 2014 that the secret to longevity was in having the right attitude. “Treat people right and be nice to other people the way you want them to be nice to you,” she reported as saying.
The fact that she didn’t smoke or drink, and always got plenty of sleep likely helped her live so long too, she admitted.
3) Agnes Fenton- Beer and Whiskey
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In contrast to Ms.Weaver, Agness Fenton attributes her length in years partly to a daily regime of drinking beer.
This woman of 110 years started drinking three bottles of Miller Lite every day 70 years ago, as a treatment for a benign tumor her doctor had found. While the logic in this story seems a bit off, somehow it worked- or, at least it didn’t hurt.
Related: This Daily Routine Keeps 100-Year Old Woman Sharp, Happy and Healthy
Ms. Fenton often added some Johnnie Walker Blue Label to her diet, as well. Her caregivers have taken alcohol out of her diet since she started eating less. A little less brewskies and a bit more beef.
4) George Burns- Staying Worry-Free
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The famous George Burns didn’t live as long as the women above. That being said, he did reach 100.
What got him there? Doing a lot of stretching and walking, and eating a good amount of prunes was part of it. But the true key to living a long life, he seemed to believe, was in living stress-free.
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In his memoir, How to Live to be 100, he wrote: “If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension.”
5) Grandma Moses-Keeping Busy and Having Boyfriends
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Grandma Moses became famous for her paintings, which, amazingly, she didn’t start producing until she was 78 years old. In addition to this though, she lived to be 101 years old. So she’s on this list.
What was her secret to a long life?
Apparently, she felt it was keeping busy. She is said to have “kept young company”, continued laughing and admitted to having a lot of boyfriends. That, she said, is the secret to staying young at heart.
Each has their own pathway – I’m just thankful for today.
