Secrets Of The Centenarians

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
- Samuel Ullman

My grandparents never lived to see a century, but they all lived well into their 90s. I might have the centenarian gene. Of course, I could have the cancer gene, too. Either way, living well is certain to help extend my adventure in good health.

Aging is not fully understood, and neither is living it seems. But living well does boil down to a few basic things that anyone can adopt. Like eating oatmeal every day, and taking naps.

The following people, among the longest-lived we know of, attributed their long lives to a few simple things.

Secrets of The Centenarians

• Jeanne Calment, France, 122 years "World's Oldest Person to Have Lived" - Rode her bicycle until she was 100, drank red wine, ate chocolate.

• Sarah Knauss, USA, 119 years - Lived a tranquil life with little stress.

• Marie-Louise Meilleur, Canada, 117 years - Hard work.

• Maria Capovilla, Ecuador, 116 years - Never drank hard liquor or smoked.

• Christian Mortensen, 115 years, Denmark/USA - Positive attitude, refrained from alcohol, surrounded himself with friends.

• Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115 years, Puerto Rico - Maintained a sense of humour.

• Walter Breuning, USA, 114 years - for the last 36 years of life he ate only 2 meals a day, worked till he was 99.         From: Guinness Book Of World Records