If you wanted to know how to extend your life expectancy, where would you look? There is widespread agreement that a good place to begin is by interviewing centenarians. Some of the centenarians I’ve interviewed credit their longevity to a healthy diet and regular exercise, while others say it runs in the family. One centenarian, Susanna Mushatt Jones, even attributed her long life to a diet heavy in bacon.
In 2015, Holiday Retirement conducted a nationwide survey of people who had reached the age of 100 in the United States. In reality, there have been people who have lived to be over a century old. What did it take to have such a long and fruitful life was a common topic of inquiry.
Time with loved ones, early savings, not running away from problems, and regular exercise all made the list of revealed secrets.
People are really into the unorthodox response that 109-year-old Scottish woman Jesse Gallan gave.
Gallan was born in 1906 in the rural Scottish community of Kintore. She was one of six children who lived in a two-room cottage with their mother. She was only able to go to school for a short while before dropping out to work in a farm kitchen, and they shared a mattress stuffed with straw.
She later became a housemaid in the city for a prosperous businessman. In time, she began working in the hospitality industry, first in the country and then in the city.
Gallan entered the Crosby House, a retirement community specifically for the elderly, as she got older. Jessie is a lovely woman,” one of the support staff members gushed to the local news. Sarah Jane is her best friend and they are always together in this city.
She’s an independent woman who enjoys listening to music and going to an exercise class. She is constantly on the move.
From her generous comments, I gather that this centenarian attributes her long life to a combination of healthy habits and regular social engagement. In March of 2015, she passed away, but not before she revealed the key to eternal life.
Avoiding men, Gallan said, was the key to his long life. As the saying goes, “They’re just more trouble than they’re worth.”
She elaborated on her secret to long life by mentioning a healthy diet.
“Porridge is a breakfast food that suits me just fine. I’ve got a lot of time.
Even if Gallan didn’t directly address any of the aforementioned survey topics, she certainly demonstrated them in her own life. She maintained her social life and active lifestyle by avoiding men, which may have been the proverbial icing on the cake that kept her alive.
We’re not saying singledom is the key to longevity, but we are emphasizing the importance of a wide range of positive behaviors and decisions. It’s possible that you could live well into your 100s!
