Secrets to Breaking the Age Barrier and Living Past 100 Years

I am sure most of us have come across the Psalms 91: 16. God promises us that He will satisfy us with Long Life. The ultimate truth about God is that He cannot Lie. What stands out from this scripture is that, Long life comes from God and that Long life brings satisfaction in Life. Proverbs 16:31 declares that Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in righteous life. (Bible Paraphrased). Had it not been for the delay of salaries that month, I would never have gotten a chance to meet these old yet happy and cheerful souls. Initially, I had plans for spending that Saturday in the village. But with pay not in yet, I had to honour a request from Tim, my buddy. I accompanied him to his grand dad’s 105th birthday in the city suburbs. It was a lavish and colourful party for 'The Fossil’, as the old man was fondly referred to by his dear ones. He was a cheerful and healthy-looking old man whom I found so much inspiration in. What amazed me was how the independence hero and former politician seemed to be aging in reverse like fine wine. Of course, he had the greying visage but still firmly clung onto his dear life. You’d think he had found the fountain of youth.

He was not the only one in the gathering who had the privilege of celebrating triple-digit birthdays. Three of his former colleague friends whom he had served with in the first Kenyan parliament were also in attendance. Old age seemed to have taken a toll on his apparent best friend. He looked rather old and seemed to be in the last stages of decay. I later came to understand that unlike his younger-looking friends, he had had years of cigarettes smoking, liquor and diet rich in meat and fat. Even so, he had still somehow managed to live way longer than modern medicine can account for. On the other hand, the other two old chaps also seemed to have managed to beat the constantly-ticking aging clock.

Being the curious and inquisitive type, after the party, I took no time in seeking advice from the three centenarians on how to slow aging and add decades to your life. In chorus, they talked of their fascination at how the current generation was so obsessed with looking youthful. Longevity is beyond human control and partly determined by genetics, they uniformly acknowledged. However, a healthy lifestyle and habits, they added, will see you make it past 60 Years.

How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle and Live Longer

I managed to jot down the older men's secret to extending life. I further researched and came up with my ultimate longevity list. Let me share with you what has enabled these four centenarians to make it through decades of diseases, pandemics, calamities, recessions, world wars, and more.

1. Frequently Eat Small Portions of Healthy Foods

Take frequent meals at least thrice every day and maintain a healthy diet if you intend to stay around for more than ten decades. Eat only what is enough. Kanawa's of Japan believe in eating until you are about 80% satisfied. Eating moderately leaves your metabolism with less work to do, and eliminates long term stress on your body organs.

Limit your calorie intake without compromising on vital proteins, vitamins and minerals. Restricting calories cuts production of free radicals that are highly damaging to cells and tissues and often cause signs of aging. Additionally, limiting calorie intake reduces excess body and belly fat, and overall weight.

Reduce your meat consumption. Health and fitness experts recommend a plant-rich diet. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, seeds and beans are nutritional powerhouses. These vegetarian and vegan diets are packed with essential vitamins and antioxidants that boost your immunity and increase the cells’ resistance to stress. Nuts, for example, are a great source of minerals like copper, potassium, magnesium. Nuts are also rich in vitamins B6 and E, antioxidants, and fibre. Green tea contains polyphenols and catechins that may decrease the risk of cancer, heart illnesses and diabetes. Apple juice will keep the brain cells young and healthy.

Aside from that, a tablespoon of raw honey a day will increase antioxidants and relieve you of allergies and digestive issues. Not just that, take sufficient amounts of clean drinking water. Fasting once in a while is also encouraged.

2. Do Regular Exercise and Get Sufficient Rest

The importance of working out cannot be stressed enough. Staying physically active undoes signs of aging, and rejuvenates muscles stem cells that weaken with age and enhance blood flow. Get on your feet and take long walks, play with kids, and tend to your garden among others. One of the pensioners told us of how he started his days with seven to ten push-ups. Mental fitness is also every bit as important as physical fitness. The Fossil narrated of how he had done countless crossword puzzles, and read endlessly to help exercise his mind.

Getting 8–12 hours peaceful and restorative sleep per night is a prerequisite to reaching a ripe old age. In today’s era, living in sleep deficit is the norm. Insufficient shuteye time can cause imbalances in hormones leading to weight gain or loss and obesity. Lack of sleep also increases the drip of a drop in blood pressure which promotes inflammation, heart diseases, stroke and depression. Active sex will also reduce stress and ensure contentment and better sleep.

3. Worry as Little as Possible

Another piece of advice I from the ancient men is prioritizing your happiness. Worry less over what you cannot do or get. One of the senior citizens in The Fossil’s party shared his life happiness motto that says;

“Try Not to Worry, Just Try to Live”

Some of the notable ways The Fossil and company talked about include;

• Take life easy and try to laugh as much as you can. Laughter reduces the secretion of stress hormones, boosts your immune system and stimulates production killer T-cells that fight cancer.

• Be optimistic, have a positive outlook on the future and reduce anxiety. Anxiety is associated with heart diseases, stroke, and lung cancer.

  
  
  

• Frequently do what you enjoy, like hobbies and interests. Case in point, singing happy old songs was observed to slash stress, promote cardiac health and prevent depression. Dancing will keep you physically, mentally, and spiritually active

• Another way of ensuring happiness and contentment is by minding your own business.

• Have an adventurous spirit. Keep searching for new experiences

• Get time during the day to quietly reflect. Meditation is known to increase enzyme activity of and rebuilding telomeres, DNA sequences associated with aging.

4. Avoid Smoking and Regulate your Alcohol Intake

The alcohol and cigarette dependent friend of The Fossil was reluctant to contribute when this aspect was brought up. He even joked that if he were asked to choose between keeping off the drugs, and death, he would probably want to consider dying. He argued that alcohol and cigarettes did more good than bad to one’s health. This argument generated more heat than light.

I decided to verify his claims with detailed research. I found out that past studies have concluded that moderate amounts of alcohol, particularly wine, introduces polyphenol antioxidants to the body. These compounds prevent heart disease, neurological disorders, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The findings of the research do not, however, prove that the rewards of moderate drinking are greater than the outcomes of staying away from alcohol. On the contrary, heavy alcohol consumption causes liver, heart, and pancreatic ailments.

5. Talk to People

Maintain strong social networks and close ties with your friends and family. Connect with your parents, siblings, cousins, friends, coworkers and neighbours. Having a partner and a family will also give you a greater sense of purpose to plan for your future. The elders, in this case, described connecting with young family members. This bond decreases stress levels while improving immunity. Your reaction to stress will also be less adverse. Family members should thus ensure that the old ones are not left alone in their homesteads with anybody to take care of them.

Prolonged loneliness and isolation promotes depression and weakens your immune system. Below are some possible ways of curbing loneliness

• Join as many social circles as possible. Ensure the associations' values and interests are aligned to yours. The four older men in the party, for example, were all members of the city's Senior Citizens' club

• Sign up to online social networks like Facebook and Twitter. A recent study revealed that elderly people who frequently Tweet reported a decrease in loneliness.

• Did you know that providing support to other people could be more beneficial than receiving it? Ensure you regularly volunteer to enhance the feeling of contentment and reduce depression, pains and improve your general health.

• Another way of getting a company and keeping yourself engaged is by keeping pets. These animals have less stress or depression than fellow humans. Consequently, cats, dogs and other pets have a calming effect on the owner besides bringing joy and fulfilment.

6. Find Purpose, Pursue and Fulfill your Goals

Find something to believe in. Having strong beliefs helps in finding a purpose, reducing stress and emotions. Roll up your sleeves and undertake something productive. Accomplishments as small as tidying up, sticking to plans and observing time leave you with a sense of contentment. Your brain produces more of the feel-good serotonin chemical, which comforts you and improves the quality of sleep. Keep your curiosity in peak condition, and seek to continue learning. For example, at 105, The Fossil has enrolled for classes in his fourth foreign language, Chinese. Such actions prevent people from taking dangerous risks or reacting negatively to pressure and stress.

7. Find out about your Family Health Background

Draw your family tree and try to learn your medical background. Some diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer are genetic. You are more likely to contract these illnesses if some of your close blood relatives have been victims from an early age. Identify conditions that run in your bloodline for easy prediction of the future and quick identification of symptoms so the complication can be picked up early enough.

8. Regular Check-Ups

Regular testing and diagnosis are crucial in identifying diseases early when they still treatable. One way of checking your health from the comfort of your home is waist ­measurement. This test shows existing visceral fat around the vital organs. The recommended maximum waist size is 94cm for men and 80cm women.

9. Save for Old Age

Notably, poverty and lack of basic needs is the biggest killer of our old population. How and where you live determines how long your lifespans will be. To ensure long lives, you need good housing, healthy diet, access to modern healthcare facilities and good sanitation and hygiene, among others. Apart from the ordinary pension schemes, makes plans to save for your final years.

x. Belief and Obey God.

Long Life is purely spiritual. Spirituality gives meaning and crowns every aspect of our lives. If your spirit dies, then the body wont take long before wasting away in death. Here are a some scriptures that proves to us that indeed, the source of long Life in the body comes from the spirit of God:-Deut 6:1-2, Job 5:26,  1 Kings 3:14, Psalm 118 :17, Exodus 20:12, Exodus 23:25-26, Proverbs 9:11, Proverbs 3:2

Winding Up

You have always wanted to live for eternity (pun intended), and now the answers are right in front of you. You body’s genes begin to break down as soon as you hit 40. So you have little time. Before your heart finally gives out, try to push life to its limits by observing each aspect. You may then live to see many more decades.