Let’s face it. Not only do most of us want to live younger, but we also wish to live longer. The stories we see in movies about immortality and looking as if they haven’t aged a day even if it has been a hundred years is a feat that in real life simply cannot accomplish. I’m pretty sure most of us have fantasies about living at our prime age yet with the vigor of our early 20’s. However impossible that may seem, there are still individuals who have existed in this world that has surpassed that belief. These people have lived long enough to see different generations that passed in their lifetime.
However, these aged individuals have lived long because of their hard-earned discipline regarding lifestyle. While most of us take ourselves and bodies for granted, these people worked hard to live their lives as healthy as possible and have taken means to do such. As of date, there are only 46 supercentenarians alive, according to the research group based in Los Angeles, California, Gerontology Research Group. These are people who have one goal in mind, and that is to live better. Without a doubt, these ‘supercenterians’ are people that we can learn from through their experiences and wisdom on how to live a good and long life as much as possible.
In this list, ten of the oldest people share their secrets to longevity.
- Mrs. Emma Murano (117 years old) – a resident of Verbania, Italy, she celebrated her 117th birthday in November 2016. She said her secret to longevity was because of an unusual reason – and that is because she has stayed single for a long time. After leaving her violent husband and the death of her only infant son, she felt that she didn’t need to be dominated anyone and has been living alone ever since. She also doesn’t eat meat, for fear of getting cancer. She also eats three eggs a day and cooks her food.
Clean living and proper diet
A lot of good always comes from eating healthy and dedicating to live a life of wellness. These supercentenarians share their secret of living a long life due to their eating and lifestyle habits.
- Johanna Klink (112 years old) – Mrs. Johanna was considered the oldest person in Germany before her death in February 2015. Her secret to longevity included a simple and proper diet. She only uses a few drops of oil and butter in the food or soups she makes.
3. Nabi Tajima (116 years old) – Mrs. Tajima rarely spoke about her lifestyle in public. However, her secret to longevity was eating delicious and nutritious foods. She maintained a healthy diet of beef stew and ramen noodles, also including rice mackerel sushi and hashed beef.
Maintaining an active lifestyle
- Mr. Sakari Momoi (112 years old) – Mr. Sakari was first dubbed as the oldest person in the world, until his death in July 2015. He was known to be one of the oldest men in recorded history. In his words, he recounted that the secret to living long is that he exercised a lot, eats only in moderation and never once consumed alcohol.
Mrs. Misao Okawa (117 years old) – as Japanese people are known for their discipline when it comes to eating and living. It’s no different from Mrs. Misaw Okawa. She is also considered as a person who lived the longest in the world reaching age 117 years and one month until her death in April 2015. When she was 115 years old, she shared that her secret to long life was getting a good night’s sleep and eating sushi. She also exercised regularly and continued to walk until she was 110 years old.
- Ethel Lang (114 years old) – Mrs. Lang was considered to be the oldest living person in England and the second-oldest person in Europe. She held the title until her death in January 2015. She lived to witness the reign of Queen Victoria. Her secret to long life is that she never smoked or drank alcohol at all. She drinks tea and cooks her food. She also loved to dance.
Living life with a positive attitude
Having a positive attitude about life has much been proven to keep a person healthy and young. Since we live in a world where it is fast-paced, it is easy to be anxious which would lead to stress. These supercentenarians have proven that when you know how to keep calm and relax, chances of living a longer life is possible.
- Violet Brown (115 years old) – Mrs. Brown have attested to her living long is her faith and her religion. She was considered the oldest living person in Jamaica. She is affectionately called ‘Aunt V’ by her family. After enduring so many hardships as a young girl, she has learned to stand by her devotion to God. She said the Ten Commandments kept her in check while eating small meals, not consisting of meat like pork or chicken.
8. Orma Slack (112 years old) – Mrs. Slack has seen the worst in the world and decided that it would never change. So, her secret to long life is going with the flow and knowing how to keep a positive attitude about people and life. She doesn’t recall ever saying a bad thing about anyone in her life. She was born in Canada and have witnessed the Great Depression and the first human landing on the moon.
9. Ana Maria Vela Rubio (115 years old) – Mrs. Rubio was considered one of the oldest living person in Spain. According to Mrs. Rubio’s daughter, she always thought her mother’s compassion and positive attitude about life are what kept her alive for a long time.
10. Jeralean Talley (116 years old) – Mrs. Talley was recognized as the world’s oldest person until her death in June 2015. She was an active person and loved keeping herself busy by knitting. She also still played bowling until she was 104 years old. She attested that being good to others is one way to keep a long life.
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