Anti Aging Articles
The Secret to a Long,
Healthy Life
Michael Brickey, Ph.D.
There is a fascinating ritual that often occurs when someone turns 100. The newspaper sends a reporter to ask the centenarian, “What is your secret of life?” What makes it fascinating is that they don’t know. Often they make something up, e.g., eating broccoli. When Diane Sawyer on ABC News asked 98-year-old Beatrice Wood how she managed to live so long, she replied, “Chocolate and young men.” Sounds a lot like George Burns attributing his longevity to young women or his quip about eating junk food–“at my age I need all the preservatives I can get.”
When we look at vital centenarians as a group, however, their secrets become obvious. Physically they have little in common. Most don’t smoke and they typically maintain a fairly constant weight throughout their lives. They are physically active people but that is a lifestyle choice. That’s about all they have in common physically.
Their single biggest secret is that they all have a strong sense of purpose all of their lives. That was easier for many of them then for us. They grew up in a time when people often worked for the same employer or even at the same job for their whole career. Marriage was till death do us part and religion provided a strong sense of identity. Now we have so many choices and so many things are negotiable. Many people move to other cities to pursue education or jobs. People often have to reinvent their careers. More than half of marriages end in divorce.
When we don’t have a strong sense of purpose, we become vulnerable to depression, despair, and physical illnesses. We lose our spark and vitality and argue with our alarm clocks about getting up in the morning. At any time in your life, if you don’t have a strong sense of purpose, finding one needs to be a very high priority. As Elizabeth Kübler-Ross put it, “All events are blessings given to us to learn from."
There are some other traits that distinguish vital centenarians. They are independent and self-reliant people. They view life as too precious to fret about what others think. For example, when they go to a doctor, they decide for themselves whether the doctor’s advice makes sense.
They are optimists and have a positive outlook on life. They tend to foster fond memories and let bad memories wither. Consequently, they tend to have twice as many fond memories as negative memories. They let go of resentments. They also have a good sense of humor.
Finally, they have good coping skills for dealing with change and with loss.
What I find especially encouraging about these traits is they are all learnable and are all choices. If I am tempted to say I’m too old to learn something new, I just think of George Dawson. Mr. Dawson was an African-American who dropped out of elementary school to help on the farm. When he was 98 years old he decided he was “tired of writing my name with an X” and went to adult education classes and learned to read. At 102 he co-wrote his autobiography, Life is So Good. If he can learn to read at 98, can you really convince yourself that you are too old to learn something new?
________________
This article may be reprinted in E-zines, newsletters, newspapers,
and magazines provided
they the content is not edited and the following attribution is given:
Dr. Michael Brickey is President of the Ageless Lifestyles Institute and author of Defy Aging. His new book, 52 baby steps to Grow Young, gives two-page-a-week practical steps for developing a youthful mindset at every age. Further information is at www.DrBrickey.com.
Formatting may be changed and you may use one of the web site pictures of the author or books to accompany the article. If published online, please keep live links.
For further information on Contact :
Michael Brickey, Ph.D.
President
Ageless Lifestyles Institute
865 College Ave.
Columbus, OH 43209
614-237-4556
articles@DrBrickey.com
Take
the Defy Aging Test
Oprah used
with her audience
...........................
Free Newsletter
with practical
grow young advice
See Sample
Subscribe
...........................
Two page a week
practical steps
for a youthful outlook
at every age
Reverse Aging
hypnosis CDs
let you become ageless
while drifting off to sleep