By Natalie L. Policani

A maxim of the ancient Greeks was “We don’t stop exercising because we grow old. We grow old because we stop exercising.” (Banio, 2020)

The Pew Research Center posted a report that the U.S. centenarian population is projected to more than quadruple over the next 30 years. The current number is 100,000, however by 2054 that number will be up to 400,000. This all makes one wonder what steps people should take to open up this door of possibility.

The latest, groundbreaking findings are focused on social factors.  The Harvard Gazette posted an article about investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco, who researched factors that predict longevity. These investigators surveyed 8, 250 adults ages 65 years and older. Their findings show that social factors, such as involvement with children, volunteering, and not feeling isolated are key. (Hampton, 2023)

Although more recent research is beginning to identify social factors as an area of focus, the pillars of longevity still stand. The consensus has been that while 25% of our life span can be predicted by genetics, 75% is left to lifestyle choices. Research has consistently found that a healthy diet, regular physical activity and good lifestyle choices are key. Harvard Health Publishing recommends a plant-based diet, along with 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. (Catanese, 2024)  Moderate activity can include activities such as walking, running or dancing.

Another one of the latest powerful findings in the research is the fact that every day movement is key to living longer. Researcher & author Dan Buettner talks more in depth about every day movement in the documentary, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. In the film he visits blue zones, or areas of the world where an unusually large amount of people live to be over 100. During these visits, he saw these examples of incorporating daily movement. For example, one culture in the blue zones sat in a squat on the floor, causing them to sit and stand in the squatting position a dozen times a day. Another blue zone culture gardened often, and yet another had many people who lived up a hill causing them to have to walk more than the average person. The most popular choice was dance. In fact, research shows that many types of dance, particularly Latin dance, has demonstrated power to increase life satisfaction. From movement to stimulating concentration, memory and social contacts and joy, it is an excellent way to remain youthful.  In addition, the American Medical Association recently came out with an update on movement, stating that findings show that more is better. They posted findings from a massive study on how much exercise is needed to live longer. (Berg, 2024) While 2018 findings had recommended adults engage in 150-300 minutes a week of moderate exercise, new results show that the more people increased their exercise time, the more their death rate decreased. They quantified it as those who work out two to four times beyond the minimum saw a 26-31% decrease in all-cause mortality and a 28-38% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. In addition to that, there was a 25-27% lower risk of non-cardiovascular disease mortality. (Berg, 2024)

So, in order to attain longevity, you can focus on cultivating social connections, eating healthy, movement and other healthy lifestyle choices.

References

Banio, A. (2020, January 26) The Influence of Latin Dance Classes on the Improvement of Life Quality in Elderly People in Europe. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2155

Catanese, L. (2024, June 25) Longevity: lifestyle strategies for living a healthy, long life. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/longevity-lifestyle-strategies-for-living-a-healthy-long-life

Hampton, T. (2023, February 9) Longevity analysis identifies 8 key social factors. The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/02/how-long-will-you-live-8-social-factors-are-key/

Jeter, C. (Director). (2023). Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones [Film]. MakeMake Entertainment.

Schaeffer, K. (2023, December 8) Striking findings from 2023. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/08/striking-findings-from-2023/