The last two weeks, we talked about the first seven signs you could live to 100, citing an article that actually appeared in the July/August issue of the Reader’s Digest written by Alyssa Jung. They are the following:
1. You don’t feel your age.
2. You eat lots of fruits and veggies.
3. You are adaptable and flexible and relatively have no stress and anxiety.
4. You eat lots of fish.
5. You eat Greek-ish (Mediterranean-style diet).
6. You take regular afternoon naps.
7. You remain active: walk, run, bike, jog or do other sports activities.
The final three are the following:
8. You have a sense of purpose in life. A new study in Psychological Science found that people who feel they have a sense of purpose in life are less likely to die over a 14-year period. “My great uncle, who is in his mid-90’s, still works in his woodshop almost everyday,” adds Dr. Watson.
9. You’ve got a shorter waistline. You’ve heard it before, “The longer the waistline, the shorter the lifeline.” Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, according to one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less. Trimming a few inches from your pants size may have a powerful health impact. “I tell my patients that whenever possible, walk, don’t drive,” says Dr. Leipzig.
10. You’re connected well to family and friends. Feeling connected to family and friends keeps people engaged and facilitates healthy aging, says Dr. Watson. “Being isolated works in other direction and can lead to chronic illness.” In Sardinia, Italy, a tiny Mediterranean island with a large centenarian population, friendship is key, according to Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow who has traveled the witld to study its longest-living people. “Life is very social. People meet on the street daily and savor eath other’s company. They count on each other. If a neighbor gets sick, a neighbor is right there,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
There we have them all. Let us strive to live like these people who are among the longest-living people on the face of the earth. Jesus has not only promised us eternal life which is the best gift we can ever have. He also wants to give us abundant life in the here and now (John 10:10). To accept His gift of health and long life in the here and now is to really appreciate his best plans and love for all of us.