How To Live a Sensational Life Beyond 100

You will be a centenarian. There is little doubt about it. Life expectancy continues to rise in Canada. According to the most recent Statistics Canada data centenarians are the second fastest growing population after 60-64. The numbers are rising so rapidly that it is estimated that by 2061 (when most baby boomers reach the centenarian age) the centenarian population will have increased by almost 14 fold from the current 5, 825 to a forecasted 80, 000 people(1). So now that we know we're going to live to 100 and beyond the question is, how do we make these years the healthiest years of our lives?


Balance your cheque book then volunteer abroad. It doesn't matter if you get to 100 if you're not clear-headed. Your ability to remember, to think and to understand (otherwise known as cognitive function) is crucial for a good quality of life. Doing activities that ask your brain to work can help your brain stay healthy way past one hundred and it doesn't involve doing complicated math or focusing on hard to do puzzles. According toThe Journal of adult development balancing your checkbooks, volunteering and travelling are all linked to higher mental function in centenarians. These activities make your environment more stimulating and complex which in turn increases your cognitive abilities (2). So book a trip to a far off land, one where you can volunteer for a good cause. And don't forget to balance your books before you leave.




Do resistance training. Your lungs depend on it: when you were younger you were told to do aerobic exercise and that was enough for your heart and lungs. Yet with age, resistance training, which consists of asking your muscles to contract, becomes a defining factor in your ability to use oxygen even if your lungs take in less. This appears to have an especially profound effect on centenarians. A study conducted by The American aging association demonstrated that although centenarians had a lower lung capacity compared to younger populations aged 18-22, when centenarians retained a good level of muscle mass they were more efficient at using their oxygen to produce energy even though there lungs weren't as efficient. This increased the physical function of the centenarians (4). In other words, it allowed centenarians to go about daily tasks without getting tired or dizzy which in turn increased their chance of living a happy and independent lifestyle. Add just a few exercises 2- 3 times a week and you'll start to notice increased energy as your muscles become more efficient.

Workout with The Pilates Reformer: While resistance training is great for increasing your ability to use oxygen. Other forms of resistance training make us conscious of our breath. As we age, we lose something called elastic recoil. We can breathe in but as we exhale our lungs no longer press the air out. Breathing techniques that are often prescribed to increase elastic recoil are easily incorporated into resistance exercise routines, simultaneously strengthening your lungs, while creating muscle that will help you increase oxygen efficiency. One great form of resistance training with lung work is the Pilate's Reformer. Pilates breathing asks you to expand your ribs as you inhale, then upon exhale purse your lips and push all the air out (as if you were blowing into a balloon). The reformer is a workout bed that uses tension to work your muscles while breathing correctly. The best part: some Pilate's reformer moves have you working while lying down. Now that's a great idea for a workout.

Drink in moderation: Red wine drinkers were rejoicing when they found out their choice of cocktail was high in polyphenols, a powerful health antioxidant that created long and healthy lives. But health benefits don't just stop with red wine. Moderate alcohol consumption consisting of two or even more alcoholic beverages per day, whether it be wine, beer or spirits, reduces your risk of stroke, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, all debilitating diseases that hinder your quality of life as you age. Not only does moderate alcohol consumption reduce your risk of disease. But it ensures you'll live to see well past one hundred. According to the Journal of Age and aging moderate alcohol consumption reduced mortality by 15%(3). Older adults began this study in their mid-70's and were followed for 23 years, placing some of the participants well into their 90's.

Focus on your legs: The centenarian population have less leg muscle than any other population. Movements become choppy and harder to control, which increases your risk of falls that could make you immobile. Although the exact reason why we lose leg strength is still unclear, a strong theory is that as when age you become more sedentary, and unused muscles become smaller and weaker. Legs are huge muscles so you need to get them moving to keep them strong. Try doing these two leg exercises every other day to keep up the strength in your lower limbs. If you begin now, then by the time you're 100 you'll maintain strength and mobility in your legs, reduce the risk of falling, and therefore maintain long-lasting independence and a happier healthier life.



Stand up sit downs: Stand in front of your couch or a chair. Place your legs shoulder width apart. Slowly sit back. Make sure your knees are over your ankles. Then stand. Repeat 15-20 times

Bridge: Lie on you back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Knees shoulder width apart and hands are to your side. Inhale deeply. As you exhale push your feet into the floor and raise your bottom off the ground. On your next inhale gently lower back down.


Become the "Big Five": extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience and emotional stability. Known as the big five, these are the identifiable characteristics centenarians have in common. Centenarians that have these traits are happier and much more able to adapt to life's stressors, giving them a longer, healthier quality of life. While these characteristics tend to be stable throughout life, it's never too late to carry out positive habits.



Get to know one new person a month for added extraversion, try one new activity for open-mindedness and seek strategies to stay calm when life seems hard. Just a few small changes will start to shape your positive outlook on life and get you to one hundred feeling happy.

The best part of these habits? You can begin them now. You will notice a change in your current quality of life for the better. If you find ways to incorporate them now, then by your 100th birthday you'll be the life of your own party.

1. Canada, G. o. (2011). Statistics Canada. Retrieved 10 01, 2014, from Centenarians in Canada: http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-311-x/98-311-x2011003_1-eng.cfm

2. Martin, P., Baenziger, J., Macdonald, M., Siegler, I., & Poon, L. (2009). Engaged lifestyle, personality and mental status among centenarians. Journal of adult development, 199-208.

3. Paganini-Hill, A., Kawas, C. H., & Corrada, M. M. (2007). Type of alcohol consumed, changes in intake over time and mortality: The leisure world cohort study. Age and Aging, 203-209.

4. Venturelli, M., Schena, F., Scarsini, R., Muti, E., & Richardson, S. R. (2012). Limitations to exercise in female centenarians:Evidence that muscular efficiency tempers the impact of failing lungs. AGE, 861-870.


Alicia is a fitness expert, blogger and owner of a mobile fitness company Destination Fit.Get to know Alicia & download her FREE eBooks visit: http://www.destinationfittraining.ca

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