With a blog titled 100 Years of Health I thought it would be a good idea to explain what the title means and provide a few different perspectives on what the concept may mean to you. So, if interested, please read on.
Can you really live to be 100?
Of course you can but common sense will tell you that the odds of making it are relatively small. The good news, odds are getting better at a fast rate. There are approximately 70,000 centenarians currently living in the US which comes to about one centenarian for every 4300 people. However, that group of people was born and raised under far different conditions than individuals born around the middle of the century or later. By the year 2050 some expert’s project there will be close to 1 million people over 100 years of age living in the US. There is no reason you cannot be one of these one million people if you so desire.
To have the best shot at making it to 100 an individual has to accept full responsibility for ones fate in life. Sure there are frequent happenings out of your control, but these situations tend to average out over time. If one takes a deeper look at those individuals whom appear to be lucky in health and life, they normally see someone who is also dedicated and committed to some strong survival principles. On the opposing side, I have met hundreds of people who complain about their mediocre physical condition and how they feel lousy much of the time, but in the same breath seem to disassociate themselves from any personal accountability. Unless this group changes their attitude, there is not much hope for them to live well and live long.
The intent of 100 Years of Health is not to provide people with a formula that if followed will guarantee them to reach age 100. It is more about living a long and healthy life without overly sacrificing anything, rather than attaining a certain age. 100 Years of Health is about achieving a comfortable balance between Food, Fitness, Finance, and Fun. If a person does achieve a good balance between Food, Fitness, Finance, and Fun, has a strong will to live, and a good starting point the odds of reaching 100 years of age are much improved.
Go for it but make sure you are enjoying the journey as you go!
Do you really want to live to be 100?
If you asked this question to a lot of different people you would get a lot of different answers.
Responses from people who feel they are in a good current state of health and fitness would respond along the lines of “sure, I would like to live to be a hundred but only if my physical and mental health were intact”.
People already out of shape and have a life full of problems would mostly say “no”. However, there would be more “yes’s” than make sense.
Another group, are those that are moving quickly through life, successful at what they have set out to do, but not necessarily in good health. Many of these individuals would answer “yes” but a look at their current life style would say “no”.
The most accurate answer for all individuals comes from what they do and not from what they say.
My personal answer is, which would hopefully hold up to outside observation, “I don’t know and I don’t know if I care”. There are just too many variables involved and too many years in between to worry about. I would rather focus on today. And besides, no matter what approach one decides to take, there are absolutely no guarantees.
Even if there were such a thing as guaranteed life expectancy, is that really something most people would want? I can’t speak for others, but for me personally, no, I am not looking for any guarantees. Life is not about certainty, but rather about unknowns and the excitement of taking each day one at a time. “Knowing how the story ends” would be a bit boring for me.
Your call. Just make sure you enjoy the journey along the way!
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