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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – When asked what the secret is to her longevity, Hazel Miller, 100 years of age, responded, “There’s no secret about it really. You just don’t die and you get to be 100.”
Other centenarians whom Jane Brody interviewed in her article “From Taft to Obama, Victrola to DVD: Secrets of the Centenarians” (New York Times 10/19/10), shared their personal secrets: exercise, moderation in eating and drinking, an active social life, staying healthy, positive thinking.
In fact, lifestyle factors such as these appear to be more dominant than genetics in determining longevity. According to one study, only 20-30% of longevity is genetically determined. Other studies of successful aging in various populations support the attributes that the centenarians shared personally – being physically active, having strong ties to family and friends, and maintaining an optimistic outlook on life. Positive thinkers make better lifestyle choices than pessimists.
According to Jane Brody’s follow-up article, “Being Healthy at 100 Takes Some Homework” (New York Times, 10/26/10), lifestyle choices in midlife can have a major impact on your functional ability late in life. Muscle strength naturally declines with age, beginning subtly after age 30 and affecting about 10 percent of those over age 60, with rates increasing with advanced age. Experts say that resistance training is the best approach to restoring or maintaining muscle mass and strength.
As the Tufts Center on Aging study demonstrated in 1990, even the frail elderly in their 80’s and 90’s were able to improve their ability to function when they began a strength training program. These nursing home residents increased their walking speed, balance and muscle strength and reduced their risk of falls.
Research shows that much of what we consider the aging process – the loss of strength, stamina, bone density, balance and flexibility – is actually due to inactivity. A program of regular, moderate physical activity that includes strength training will preserve a more youthful functional age and increase your capacity for life.
Formerly the trainer to Jacqueline Kennedy, Joan Pagano is a widely published author, an informational speaker on health and fitness topics, and the owner of Joan Pagano Fitness in New York City, Joan Pagano Fitness
Joan’s expert guidance is also available in a series of best-selling fitness books. View her bibliography on Joan’s Author Page on Amazon at http://bit.ly/bapUkU
(c) Copyright – Joan L. Pagano. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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