An American woman whose father lived to be 101 years old shared the healthy lifestyle habits he passed on to her to become a centenarian.
- An American woman whose dad lived to be 101 has shared the advice he gave her.
- To live a long life, you need to be active and eat healthily.
- People around you and mental health are also important to protect yourself from illness.
Louisa Rogers’ father lived to be 101. Author and former coach Louisa Rogers would like she too will become a centenarian. For this, she does not rely only on the genetics that he passed on to her, but on the many habits that she has seen him follow throughout his life. She shared the details in an article from the site Insider.
Eat healthily and in moderation
The centenarian had an adage he often repeated that Louisa Rogers remembers: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”Dad intoned. He always ate his smallest meal in the early evening.”
“At mealtimes, he followed another rule of the inhabitants of the blue zone (country and region known to have many centenarians, Editor’s note) : stop eating when you are 80% full”she adds.
As numerous studies have highlighted, to age well, it is advisable to favor a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. You should limit red meat and focus instead on fish, seafood or even eggs. Additionally, it is best to avoid processed products.
Exercise Frequently
Louisa Rogers’ father was particularly athletic. He ran every morning until he was 70. Then, even though he no longer exercised outside, he continued to be active using an exercise bike and treadmill.
The American author inherited her love for physical activity. She is a fan of jogging, hiking, cycling and paddle. So she follows her dad’s advice without difficulty. However, she specifies for non-athletes that there are also other ways to fight against a sedentary lifestyle.
“I also find ways to incorporate physical activity into my daily routine, like many centenarians, who often don’t exercise in the modern sense, but incorporate movement into their daily lives. And unlike my father, who lived in the suburbs, I live in walkable communities – I split my time between Mexico and California – so I rarely drive, and it’s easy to walk a lot each day.”
Avoid loneliness and stress
Louisa also realized by observing her father that leading your life in such a way that loneliness and stress are not daily elements also helps you live longer.
“Although my father had a lot of loss in his life – he outlived not only my mother and two other wives, as well as two of his five children – he was very resilient. He continued to get married, which wasn’t always easy for me. But now I realize it helped him avoid loneliness, which one surgeon says is about as deadly as smoking.”recognizes the American in her article published in Insider October 29, 2023.
Have a sense of purpose
“Centenarians know why they want to get up in the morning. I never asked my father what his goal was, but he was very committed to life. After 9/11, for example, he joined an interfaith group made up of Christians, Jews and Muslims, and later traveled to the Middle East with a peace delegation. At the age of 80, he volunteered to build houses in Honduras.”Louisa remembers.
And this centenarian is not the only example of the benefits of having a purpose in life. A study carried out in 2022 showed that people who have ambitious and well-defined goals were less likely to die, whatever the cause. (cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, etc.).
Have strong connections with family and friends
“My father lived in Pennsylvania. Although none of his children lived in the same state, we visited them often and were in frequent contact by telephone.”adds the former coach. She also notes that her father was very active in his community and met regularly with his friends.
Work, presented in 2023, detailed the benefits of social connections on health and longevity as well as the underlying mechanisms. Researchers have, among other things, noticed that social relationships, particularly friendly and romantic relationships, could have a “buffering effect” on stress, because “we confide in these people and we feel supported. Stress control is important for brain health and overall health.“ Furthermore, those around you are likely to adopt healthy behaviors such as prove the story of Louisa and her dad.
