The World’s Oldest People Reveal Secrets How to Live Happy and as Long as Possible

Many people hope to live to be 100 years old, but only a few do. And, no matter what physicians, dietitians, or neighbors offer to aid you along the road, there is no surefire way to get there.

But, if you’re going to put your faith in something, why not the advice and methods of people who have reached the significant milestone – and beyond? (Aside from hoping you’ve hit the genetic lottery.)

#healthy living

1. Travel while you still have the opportunity

Old age does not lend itself to easy travel, but Gladys Gough, a British woman who turned 103 in 2011, took advantage of the opportunity. “She never married but has traveled to so many countries, I can’t think of many places she hasn’t been to,” her younger friend Jean Cross — age 84 — said.

2. Bacon. Lots of bacon

Susannah Mushatt Jones, who died at 116 in 2016, had one eating habit that lasted for over a century: Her love of bacon. She told Business Insider that it’s the first thing she eats every single morning — followed by eggs. (See a pattern here?)

#healthy lifestyle

3. Consume eggs and cookies

Emma Morano, the current oldest person alive, is 117 years old. She attributes her long life not only to her single status, but also to her dietary habits. Every day, she consumes two raw eggs, one cooked egg, and a number of cookies. She’s been eating the eggs every day since she was 20. She acknowledges that she doesn’t eat much anymore “because I have no teeth.”

4. Do not leave the house. A good night in is enjoyed by all, but no one appreciates it more than a centenarian.
Morano attributes her lifespan to staying at home and going to bed early. She is serious about remaining in: she hasn’t left her flat in 20 years.

5. Work hard.
Many centenarians spent their lives hard at work. Lumbreras fought in the Mexican Revolution, which started way back in 1910. Jones worked as a nanny and on a farm. Jessie Gallan, another centenarian who died at 109 in 2015, started working at age 13, as a milkmaid. She attributes her lifelong work ethic to her old age.

“I always worked hard and seldom would I ever take a holiday,” she said.

#healthy lifestyle

6. Spend the majority of your day napping

If you want to be the World’s Oldest Person one day, you’d better get some rest.  Kamato Hongo, who died at the age of 116, and Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, who died at the age of 127, were both habitual sleepers. Hongo would sleep so much that her family would occasionally feed her in her sleep.

7. Be generous

Jones had a generous life. Her distinctive gift of pill boxes packed with change was well-known. When friends and family visited her in Brooklyn, she would bake cakes for them. She also spent her hard-earned money to send her nieces to college.  She also provided scholarships for Alabama students to attend college. She was encouraged to do so because she was unable to attend owing to budgetary limitations.

8. Put in a lot of effort

Many centenarians spend their entire lives working.  Lumbreras took part in the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910. Jones had worked as a babysitter and on a farm. Jessie Gallan, another centenarian who died in 2015 at the age of 109, began working as a milkmaid at the age of 13. She credits her lifetime work ethic to her advanced age.

“I always worked hard and rarely took vacations,” she explained.

#healthy lifestyle

9. If you are single, keep your peace

Across the board, the thing that seems to unite many of the world’s oldest living women is their relationship history — or lack thereof. Many never married or were single for the vast majority of their lives.
Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, a Mexican woman thought to be the oldest person who ever lived, died in 2014 at the age of 127. She credited her long life to never getting married (and chocolate!).
The two most recent women to hold the title of world’s oldest living person — Emma Morano, the current title-holder, and Susannah Mushatt Jones, both spent the majority of their lives without a partner. Jones was briefly married and never had children, and Morano left her abusive husband in 1938.
She said she never remarried because “I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone.”
Gallan said much of the same.
“My secret to a long life has been staying away from men,” she said. “They’re just more trouble than they’re worth.” So did Gough, who lived to be 104.
“I never got married or had a boyfriend either,” she said. “That probably had something to do with it. I just couldn’t be bothered with men.”
Well, if that’s what works!

10. You could be relax and calm

But don’t worry if hard labor isn’t possible for you; you still have a chance of reaching 100. Mary Francis Carruba, who turned 100 last year, claimed she reached the milestone by doing the opposite. “I was always relax bird,” she confessed. “That’s the secret to living longer – be relax and calm.”

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